Still angry after all these years.
Books never grow old. They get more endearing.
A friend Jon bought me a birthday present when I turned eighteen. It was simply entitled “Angry Candy.” Strange cover. The foreword sounded like it was written by an angry guy.
Harlan Ellison. It was probably the best gift ever given to me. It opened doors to a world of fantasy I've never known. I was mesmerized.
The writing’s always crisp. With bursts of energy. Ellison’s like an adult writing with a child’s eye. Ellison takes a hold of your hand and won’t let you go. Each story is a wonder. The language is twisted into a mystery of beauty.
I’m glad to be introduced to this author. He’s one of the stalwarts of science-fiction and he's been around for ages. There’s no real way to classify him. Yet there's always a youthfulness about him.
I still have that book. It’s sitting on my bookshelf with a dozen other titles by the same author. Ellison’s in a class by himself.
You’ve seen his work before even if you don’t know him by name. He’s best known for the story called “City on the Edge of Forever” which ran on Star Trek series during the 60s. The one with Kirk, Spock and McCoy. Scotty. You know who I'm talking about.
His writing remains refreshing. As always. You can’t help to see the charm in the scene where, in the middle of depression-era New York, Kirk tries to explain to a cop about his friend Spock’s pointed ears.
“He got his head caught in a rice picker…” Kirk said to the baffled cop.
It’s an episode keeps a warmth for story-telling in science-fiction. Ellison knows about the human spirit. The conflict in the human soul. He knows this. The conflict here: Kirk must let his loved one, a woman, perish in a car accident to put history back on its proper course.
Ellison raised a big stinky over how his original story was re-written for the Star Trek format. He got mad at the show’s creator Roddenberry. He got mad at the people who made the show. He's still got a chip on his shoulder with Star Trek to this very day. Some people don’t change.
Yet “The City on the Edge of Forever” remains a fan favorite for many years. Ellison shouldn’t be too upset.
He has made other science-fiction efforts. His name is one to watch out for. He’s written a couple shows for The Outer Limits including “Demon with the Glass Hand.” Which starred Robert Culp. A great actor. A great writer.
Ellison does return to television a few times. He’s more crotchety. He’s like the old man who lives next door that you can’t stand. But he’s clever. He’s like a walking encyclopedia for science-fiction. So fellow writer Michael Stransynski asked him to hop on board for a very special series called Babylon-5.
Network officials said a five-year novel set in space couldn’t be done. But the Babylon crew proved them wrong. They did it. All five years of it. And Ellison was with them all the way as a creative consultant. He makes sure everything sounds plausible. Like there shouldn’t be sounds ripping through space.
"Deathbird Stories." I almost forgot. That's a good read. It's essential for anyone interested in the darker side of science-fiction. Suddenly I don't feel like I'm in Kansas anymore after reading that.
The collection of 19 stories talk about angry spirits and gods in a mechanical society running amok. "The Whimper of Whipped Dogs" describes a sad story about a woman raped in a city that no longer cares. Some evocative stuff here.
Ellison has done countless stories for the science-fiction realm. He’s primarily known as a short story writer. His sense of humanity is unmatched. Even if he is a curmudgeon himself. You don’t have to like the guy. But you can like his work.
That book is still collecting dust. Maybe I should take it out and read it again.
A friend Jon bought me a birthday present when I turned eighteen. It was simply entitled “Angry Candy.” Strange cover. The foreword sounded like it was written by an angry guy.
Harlan Ellison. It was probably the best gift ever given to me. It opened doors to a world of fantasy I've never known. I was mesmerized.
The writing’s always crisp. With bursts of energy. Ellison’s like an adult writing with a child’s eye. Ellison takes a hold of your hand and won’t let you go. Each story is a wonder. The language is twisted into a mystery of beauty.
I’m glad to be introduced to this author. He’s one of the stalwarts of science-fiction and he's been around for ages. There’s no real way to classify him. Yet there's always a youthfulness about him.
I still have that book. It’s sitting on my bookshelf with a dozen other titles by the same author. Ellison’s in a class by himself.
You’ve seen his work before even if you don’t know him by name. He’s best known for the story called “City on the Edge of Forever” which ran on Star Trek series during the 60s. The one with Kirk, Spock and McCoy. Scotty. You know who I'm talking about.
His writing remains refreshing. As always. You can’t help to see the charm in the scene where, in the middle of depression-era New York, Kirk tries to explain to a cop about his friend Spock’s pointed ears.
“He got his head caught in a rice picker…” Kirk said to the baffled cop.
It’s an episode keeps a warmth for story-telling in science-fiction. Ellison knows about the human spirit. The conflict in the human soul. He knows this. The conflict here: Kirk must let his loved one, a woman, perish in a car accident to put history back on its proper course.
Ellison raised a big stinky over how his original story was re-written for the Star Trek format. He got mad at the show’s creator Roddenberry. He got mad at the people who made the show. He's still got a chip on his shoulder with Star Trek to this very day. Some people don’t change.
Yet “The City on the Edge of Forever” remains a fan favorite for many years. Ellison shouldn’t be too upset.
He has made other science-fiction efforts. His name is one to watch out for. He’s written a couple shows for The Outer Limits including “Demon with the Glass Hand.” Which starred Robert Culp. A great actor. A great writer.
Ellison does return to television a few times. He’s more crotchety. He’s like the old man who lives next door that you can’t stand. But he’s clever. He’s like a walking encyclopedia for science-fiction. So fellow writer Michael Stransynski asked him to hop on board for a very special series called Babylon-5.
Network officials said a five-year novel set in space couldn’t be done. But the Babylon crew proved them wrong. They did it. All five years of it. And Ellison was with them all the way as a creative consultant. He makes sure everything sounds plausible. Like there shouldn’t be sounds ripping through space.
"Deathbird Stories." I almost forgot. That's a good read. It's essential for anyone interested in the darker side of science-fiction. Suddenly I don't feel like I'm in Kansas anymore after reading that.
The collection of 19 stories talk about angry spirits and gods in a mechanical society running amok. "The Whimper of Whipped Dogs" describes a sad story about a woman raped in a city that no longer cares. Some evocative stuff here.
Ellison has done countless stories for the science-fiction realm. He’s primarily known as a short story writer. His sense of humanity is unmatched. Even if he is a curmudgeon himself. You don’t have to like the guy. But you can like his work.
That book is still collecting dust. Maybe I should take it out and read it again.
posted by K.M. Paters at 10:47 PM
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