I recently re-read another fantastic Harlan Ellison collection of mostly short stories entitled "Over the Edge." Wow - he's one hell of a storyteller. I initially read another version of this book back in the late nineties, so it has been a solid quarter-of-a-century since I have read it. I remembered very little, which is a good thing.
The copy I recently read through was a reissue through Edgeworks Abbey Archives. It's gorgeous. The only other one that I have bought that I have read was "Gentleman Junkie and Other Stories of the Hung-Up Generation." Fantastic book and similarly gorgeous.
There is a huge variety of stories, settings, and topics in this collection. Ellison had a broad range. It's almost criminal that he tends to get shelved with science fiction as much of what he wrote was only mildly speculative or, in many cases, not at all. There's even a couple of Western stories in here - the only two he ever wrote. I have to give kudos to the story "The Final Push" included in this collection. If you love Western stories or if you love good stories in general, give it a read. It's amazing.
There are a few essays included in this work as well. Another testament to the author's breadth. But they are each well worth reading. Some are more disturbing than others, but I suppose the same could be said of the stories as well.
I'll share a neat quote from one of the essays about horror films. Ellison notes Mel Brooks' suggestion that "Fear is the primary mode of locomotion of homo sapiens..." Ellison then goes on to say: "We walk through all the days and nights of our lives terrified. Of the world that surrounds us, of one another, of the unknown, of ourselves. Fear is the hammer that leaves us stunned and speechless. Fear is the goad that sends us to places we fear to be in, to find out things we're scared witless to know. Fear." Not only is this well said, but I believe it is generally truthful as well. Fear is a powerful emotion and one that is inspiring. It pushes and pulls us as we navigate life's obstacles.
Ellison is inspiring to me. He wrote well over 1,700 stories of all shapes and sizes, and he wrote without really even being able to stop. It was part of his life. Very seldom did he have writer's block and he had stacks and stacks of typewriters so he could keep going and going. It's nothing short of incredible. It was a nice treat to read "Over the Edge," which I hadn't read in so long, with fresh eyes. Highly recommended.
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