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Synopsis
"In April of 1949, Harlan Ellison was a lonely little kid living in Painesville, Ohio. A time traveler, observing him from within an invisible bubble, would not have marked him as anything more interesting than an undersized fourteen-year-old, seemingly always in hot water. Lively blue eyes, but basically just another kid.". "But something was stirring, something was wakening in that nexus of energy. And in The Cleveland News of June 7th, little more than a week after he turned fifteen, Harlan Ellison's first professional writing appeared in print: the initial installment of a five-part adventure serial (liberally cribbed from Sir Walter Scott) titled "The Sword of Parmagon."". "Now, in a retrospective, 50 years of the best of Harlan Ellison has been assembled in a volume exceeding 1200 pages, encompassing fiction, essays, personal reminiscences, reviews and (published for the first time anywhere) a complete teleplay. Eight-six complete and (with one exception) unabridged examples of the nonpareil writings of the man The Los Angeles Times labels "the 20th Century Lewis Carroll.""--BOOK JACKET.
Essential Ellison: content & age rating
Intended for adult readers (18+).
This career retrospective anthology contains Ellison's notoriously provocative fiction and essays spanning 50 years, including mature themes, strong language, violence, and adult situations across multiple genres. Best suited for mature readers familiar with New Wave science fiction and literary speculative fiction.
What to know going in
This book has moderate violence, moderate sexual content, and strong language. Content notes include sexual assault, suicide, substance abuse, and death (see the full list above).
Who'll love this
Adult readers who appreciate bold, boundary-pushing speculative fiction will find a master storyteller's life work collected here.