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3.0 out of 5 stars
Great stories, manic narration, Jul 28 2003
Like many people, I've had an ongoing hot and cold relationship with Ellison's works ever since I was introduced to them in middle school. He is a solid example of a strong personality that has inextricably embedded itself into an author's work--not always a good thing, considering the personality in question. While I've always found Ellison's arrogance and damn-the-critics bravado annoying, I found them occasionally unbearable while listening to this collection.Ellison's gritty, dystopian fiction really speaks for itself. Or should, anyway. It's painful to hear the author Disney-fy old favorites like "I Have No Mouth...", "Laugh Track," and "A Boy And His Dog," making his characters into glorified cartoon characters. (I did like the audio effects, however -- a nice touch.) He pops around between his "manic," "ethnic," and "heartbroken" settings at will, with an irritating preference for the former. The introductory audioessay is a nice bonus, too -- it provides an appropriate orientation both to the works and to their author. (I really don't understand his deep love for "Grail," but maybe you'll disagree.) This is a good selection, and Ellison is not a *bad* reader -- just a little too personally involved with the text. Which is understandable, but distracting. Be sure that you've read the stories before you hear them, or you run the risk of thinking less of some of the best short form science fiction in the English language.
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