TO READ FOR NEXT WEEK:
The Beast That Shouted Love at the Heart of the World by Harlan Ellison
DISCUSSION OF LAST WEEK'S READING:
Prompts for discussion
I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream: What are your impressions? What do you think of the idea of an AI that is overwhelmed by existential spite?
Fun fact: there is a 1995 MS-DOS game based on this story, which is where the image above comes from. A point-and-click adventure that explores "ethical dilemmas dealing with issues such as insanity, rape, paranoia and genocide" sounds off the wall to me.
And remember to vote for your favorites for next week
Ongoing list of material to vote on
Frankenstein
Forbidden Planet
The Day the Earth Stood Still
I, Robot (book)
Watchbird by Robert Sheckley
Equoid by Charles Stross
Shoutouts:
Trombone kleinbl00 JakobVirgil mhr OftenBen plewemt elizabeth blackbootz flagamuffin Meriadoc minimum_wage Tiger_the_Lion _thoracic johnnyFive tehstone rthomas6 War Dala OftenBen bhrgunatha kantos francopoli anatomygeek Purple_Ruby
I think there's no bleaker experience than reading a Harlan Ellison anthology. And I think there's no bleaker Harlan Ellison story than I Have No Mouth. We read it for 8th Grade English. Harlan Ellison is an expert in cruelty. The thing that marginalizes him is that, unlike most cruel writers, he makes no attempt to justify the cruelty and misanthropy in his works; there's a hint in Cask of Amontillado that Montresor exists in a world in which his vengeance is justified. The narrator in Pit and the Pendulum is theoretically suffering the injustice of the Spanish Inquisition. The computer in Mouth? Yeah, just crazy and mean. What makes Ellison interesting is his fascination with fate and its consequences for individuals. Ellison stories are about lone souls at war with a hostile universe... and losing. Can't remember the name of the story but some radio show challenged him to write a story in 24 hours and read it the next day. Ellison wrote about a radio show in a city where a serial killer was stalking victims by calling them first or something, and the killer called the radio show, and was literally Satan, and all the phones in the city started ringing at once. It was both creepy as fuck and the utter essence of the man.
I have a book of stories by his, that has "I Have No Mouth" and the only two I remember is the title story and one about a man who comes home every night to a presence in his apartment. I think I read the whole thing in a day or two, just to get it over with. There's probably a ton of symbolism and metaphors in his stories that went over my head, but the one thing that didn't escape me was a bleak, moodiness that kind of permeates his stories. I have a second book of his, more short stories, that I'm afraid to even read for that reason. There's a few other books I've read that have had a similar impact on me. The pages of "The Windup Girl" bleed with a sense of paranoia and desperation, to the point where I couldn't finish the book as I got near the end. Similarly, "Annihilation" had this sense of mystery around it, like I wasn't reading a book, but trying to see my way through a fog and the text on the pages were a flashlight that was just a bit too dim. Whether or not I liked the stories being told, there's no denying that that's good writing. I'm not a member of the Sci-Fi club, but if I could say, I really recommend "Frankenstein." It's poetically written, thought provoking, and actually a very easy read. Also. There's a mouse in the house. Scurrying around the walls. That's not a metaphor for anything. The fucker is just keeping me awake. Edit: The other Ellison book is "The Beast That Shouted Love at the Heart of the World." Edit 2: Which, going back to OP, looks like it's the reading for next week. Convenient.
I swear I can remember Harlan Ellison reading I have No Mouth and I Must Scream and it being hilarious, but google can't find any mention of recordings that ring a bell nor and mention of him doing readings at conventions I've attended. Nevertheless, I swear I can hear a reading of "I have no mouth" that is hilarious.
His imagery is exceptionally awful. The idea that something can reach into your deepest pains and worries and exploit them reminded me of a Black Mirror episode, but much worse. Suffice it to say, reading this was definitely not the best way to start my morning.