From Engadget:
Sci-fi writer Harlan Ellison has died at 84. Ellison, who was an author of novellas and short stories, wrote for shows including Star Trek, Babylon 5,The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits. He passed away in his sleep early Thursday.
. . . .
Ellison penned a 1967 Star Trek episode called “City on the Edge of Forever,” though writers on the show rewrote the script to pull out Ellison’s anti-war message. The famously opinionated writer published two drafts of his script in a 1995 book, and sued over revenue from the episode in 2009, eventually reaching a settlement.
He took Hollywood to task several other times, including suing James Cameron and other figures behind The Terminator, claiming that the movie cribbed from two of his Outer Limits episodes. The film’s production company and distributor settled out of court; the terms forced them to acknowledge Ellison’s influence in The Terminator‘s end credits.
Link to the rest at Engadget
Met w Harlan over lunch many years ago whenever he stopped by a large book review rag where i was a contrib editor
He was often wry, not mean. And could write like an angel. Dw Smith did a fine job eulogizing him over at his website, re Harlan’s persistance to write in public in store windows
Rest in peace old genius amigo.
My first introduction to him came in a Justice League of America comic book from the early ’70s. Writer Mike Friedrich created a character called “Harlequin Ellis,” a mercurial author who imagined himself as Superman and Batman and fell in love with Black Canary. Being about 8 or 9 years old I had no idea who the character was based on and it wasn’t until years later that I made the connection.
During the 1980s Ellison and The Comics Journal got involved in a nasty libel suit with another comics writer, Michael Fleisher. I believe that was decided in Ellison’s favor.
The Harlan Ellison® Books Preservation Project
There was a kickstarter https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1387618382/the-harlan-ellison-books-preservation-project
Also see http://harlanellisonbooks.com
The Harlan Ellison® Books Preservation Project
There was a kickstarter https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1387618382/the-harlan-ellison-books-preservation-project
Also see http://harlanellisonbooks.com
It’s such a damn shame he’s gone. He was not only a spectacular writer, but a spectacular voice actor as well. RIP.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yl5JNHg4q8A
Many, many years ago I first heard of Ellison in a Writer’s Digest book, “How to Tales of Horror, Fantasy & Science Fiction.”
The anthology editor asked Ellison (among many other famous authors, including Ray Bradbury, who wrote a chapter) for his recommendations of what budding writers in those genres should read. Unlike the other writers, Ellison called him to verbally give his recommendations, so the editor was able to record their conversation via the answering machine. The editor described Ellison as having a “mercurial” speaking style; and I got the impression it would be fun to talk to him.
Here were Ellison’s recommendations, as of copyright date 1987:
The Song of Kali, by Dan Simmons, “which is probably the most brilliant novel of the last decade,” Ellison had judged.
“No Collection of fantasy is complete,” Harlan continued, “without mentioning the novels of Dr. Seuss … Lovecraft’s ‘Rats in the Walls’ — probably the most perfect piece of fantasy ever written … Frederick Prokosch, The Seven Who Fled: It has a surreal quality about it — even though it’s not really a fantasy — that has informed much of my writing.”
He also recommended Clark Ashton Smith’s “City of the Singing Flame,” and Fritz Lieber’s “Our Lady of Darkness.”
Pre-Kindle I could never find some of these people in stores (unless used). Or Ellison himself, for that matter. But now we have Kindle, and it is glorious.
I felt a disturbance in the Force.
Neil Gaiman has a post online about Harlan. I agree that:
“. . . Harlan Ellison is engaged on a Gutzon Borglum — sized work of performance art — something huge and enduring.”
HARLAN ELLISON
http://journal.neilgaiman.com/2018/06/harlan-ellison.html
I need to pull the DVD Dreams With Sharp Teeth out and watch it again.
Harlan Ellison: Dreams With Sharp Teeth – Trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDwEr942gMY
Sad to say, I haven’t read any of his stuff. Any suggestions for novels to start with?
Ellison wrote only two novels: Web of the City and Spider Kiss. Both are mainstream novels.
Thanks, Peter. Any preferences on short-story collections, then?
Try this one:
https://www.amazon.com/Paingod-Other-Delusions-Harlan-Ellison-ebook/dp/B00J90EMRY/ref=pd_sim_351_2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=0VHG82ETJYQ28DZ6EPSH
If nothing else, it’s afforda at $1.99.
As noted above, Ellison was brilliant but not for everybody.
—-
Robert Heinlein says, “This book is raw corn liquor—you should serve a whiskbroom with each shot so the customer can brush the sawdust off after he gets up from the floor.” Perhaps a mooring cable might also be added as necessary equipment for reading these eight wonderful stories. They not only knock you down . . . they raise you to the stars. Passion is the keynote as you encounter the Harlequin and his nemesis, the dreaded Tictockman, in one of the most reprinted and widely taught stories in the English language; a pyretic who creates fire merely by willing it; the last surgeon in a world of robot physicians; a spaceship filled with hideous mutants rejected by the world that gave them birth. Touching, gentle, and shocking stories from an incomparable master of impossible dreams and troubling truths.
—
He’s closer to Bradbury and Cordwainer Smith than Asimov or Clarke.
Probably his most accessible work would be the movie version of A BOY AND HIS DOG. 1975. Starring a very young Don Johnson.
I used to be uptight about other’s people punctuality. Then I read “Repent Harlequin, Said the Ticktock Man.” I believe it was in the “Essential Harlan Ellison, a 35-year Retrospective.” I’ve been waiting for it, or the 50 year Retrospective to show up on Kindle (still in paperback only). He’s one of the authors I have alerts for on Bookbub; his works are often on sale at $1 – 3.99, but even the regular prices are reasonable.
Thank you, sir. Off to grab it now.
The Beast That Shouted Love at the Heart of the World, because it contains the stories “A Boy and His Dog” and “Along the Scenic Route”.
Deathbird Stories.
If you’re in the mood for some of Ellison’s nonfiction, try Harlan Ellison’s Watching, a collection of his movie reviews. It’s Ellison at his opinionated best.
I just grabbed a few more samples from Amazon. Thanks for these.
I can only remember reading one of his stories: I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream. It gave me nightmares. That was a good forty years ago, and I still remember the horror.
Brilliant writer! RIP.
There’s a video game of that now, with Harlan doing the voice of the computer. I never wanted to even see it. That is one of the most disturbing stories I’ve ever read.
He will be missed.
OMG, what a shock. I loved Harlan. His writing inspired me to be a writer. He was acerbic and witty and never suffered fools gladly. I had always hoped to get to meet him but alas now that will never happen.
RIP sir, the world will seem a little emptier now.
Harlan was the most brilliant, intelligent, funniest man I ever knew. We met at the Clarion anniversary reunion in 1992 and that led to my spending three wonderful days at Ellison Wonderland with him and Susan.
Yeah, he could be angry. But he could also be extremely kind and generous, and I saw that side of him more than once.
Also, “Pay the effing writer” is my indie mantra.
>>Also, “Pay the effing writer” is my indie mantra.
I’ve quoted this many times when I come across someone tempted to pay loads of money for questionable “services”.
I’m saddened by his passing. One of my early dreams when thinking about becoming a writer was being able to meet him someday. Now I guess I’ll have to wait and see if we reincarnate where that can happen.
If I can remember where I packed them away, I’ll get Dangerous Visions and Again, Dangerous Visions out and read all of the books again. And look for more of his own work, too. Heck of a writer.
The ebooks are very affordable.
https://www.amazon.com/default/e/B000APZU8C/ref=la_B000APZU8C_rf_p_n_feature_browse-b_2?fst=as%3Aoff&rh=n%3A283155%2Cp_82%3AB000APZU8C%2Cp_n_feature_browse-bin%3A618073011&bbn=283155&sort=author-pages-popularity-rank&ie=UTF8&qid=1530303358&rnid=618072011&redirectedFromKindleDbs=true
In the history of the genre, he might be the second most important editor, after Campbell (and just ahead of Bova) for his DANGEROUS VISIONS anthologies. In the context of the times they established once and for all that SF was a mature field and that no ideas should be banned, however uncomfortable, and that SF most definitely is not “kid stuff”.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dangerous_Visions
And then, of course, his personal style won’t soon be matched. There was a reason IrrascibleHarlanEllison was considered a single word. 🙂
I discovered Harlan E. in 1979 when I happened upon STRANGE WINE in the school library. I then sought everything I could find, even his early non-SF stuff (which I didn’t care for). I really enjoyed his introductions and essays. He really was a passionate, angry, opinionated guy, but he was a helluva writer. Whether he wrote touching, funny, witty, silly…he could write, that Harlan. I moved recently and had to let a whole lot–tears,sobs, wail, tears–of my huge library of thousands of books go–including many classic SF novels with those great covers– but I kept most of my Harlan collection. Once life calms down, I’ll sit down and reread, because that’s the best way to honor the passing of a talented writer of tales of wonder. RIP, HE.
I never cared for his work – way, way too dark. But the man could write things that grabbed at the emotions in a way that few others could.
I do hope that he has found peace at last. He was the most even-tempered man in the field; angry all the time.