Seven stunning stories of speculative fiction by the author of A Boy and His Dog. In a post-apocalyptic world, four men and one woman are all that remain of the human race, brought to near extinction by an artificial intelligence. Programmed to wage war on behalf of its creators, the AI became self-aware and turned against humanity. The five survivors are prisoners, kept alive and subjected to … kept alive and subjected to brutal torture by the hateful and sadistic machine in an endless cycle of violence.
This story and six more groundbreaking and inventive tales that probe the depths of mortal experience prove why Grand Master of Science Fiction Harlan Ellison has earned the many accolades to his credit and remains one of the most original voices in American literature.
I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream also includes “Big Sam Was My Friend,” “Eyes of Dust,” “World of the Myth,” “Lonelyache,” Hugo Award finalist “Delusion for a Dragon Slayer,” and Hugo and Nebula Award finalist “Pretty Maggie Moneyeyes.”
more
This is a great collection of short, horror, weird, fantasy stories. Starting with the one that lends its name to the book, this is horror at its best.
One of the more inteeresting stories written this last century
An imaginative and entertaining collection by a legendary — and not just in his own mind — writer. The title story is worth the admission price. Strongly recommended.
I read this in high school, before the internet, and before personal computers.
I enjoyed it but don’t remember the details.
The headline story of this collection, I have no mouth & I must scream, encompasses everything I aspire to be as a writer. It is horrifying in a way that doesn’t touch horror tropes with a 100 foot pole. Let’s just all hope that when we die, our consciousness doesn’t live on forever in a computer…
Ellison always a great read
Why we should fear intelligent machines who want to take care of us. How do you scream when your mouth and voice have been removed? i read this many years ago and i can still remember it vividly.
Classic Harlan. Definitely a must read.
This is the collection of Harlan Ellison short fiction with which I discovered his work, and it knocked me down flat. As I read, I’d keep throwing the book against the wall, so strong were the stories and my reactions. I kept thinking, “You can DO this?”
Harlan Ellison could. He was a genius and easily among the best writers America ever …
Read this book years ago. None of the words provided suffice. Ellison is one of my favorite authors- I was introduced to his speculative fiction in a class many years ago and have been eternally thankful. I’ve read everything I have been able to acquire by him. He makes you think but not in an easy way- he grabs your shoulders and shakes you. …
HE was one of the main builders of the swimming pool I spend most of my time immersed in. I’ve had every chance to get sick of the title story and it never loses its potency. Doesn’t get much better than this.
wonderfully creepy
Harlan takes a bit of getting used to but once you’re in his groove, ther’s none better.
please enter with an open mind and a cynical outlook.
Ellison at his best.
Read it. You’ll smile for years to come when you remember parts of the stories. A daily. So I
Kind of visceral. It’s short enough to read even if it is not your cup of tea.
Scary as hell.