" In this universe the night was falling; the shadows were lengthening towards an east that would not know another dawn. But elsewhere the stars were still young and the light of morning lingered; and along the path he once had followed, Man would one day go again"

Arthur C. Clarke Against the Fall of Night

Thursday, August 6, 2020

Susan Ellison 1960-2020, The stories of Harlan Ellison

  
























Some time ago I reread  Ellison's "Adrift Just Off the Islets of Langerhans: Latitude 38° 54' N, Longitude 77° 00' 13" W " (the first time was probably 40 years ago).  I realized I need to read more by him, sadly the next work of his that I read is posted at the link below. It is the story Susan which he wrote for his wife. It is a lovely story.

From the Harlan Ellison Books site;


Neil Gaiman's post;

https://journal.neilgaiman.com/2020/08/susan-ellison-rip-and-love.html

After finishing this post I read The Deathbird  for the first time. It is a powerful story. The style, interspersed which bits that convert it into a narrative used as part of an examination, can be frustrating at time. I wonder about the story of the narrator and his dog Ahbhu which is part of the examination. I wondered if that was actually the story of Ellison and his dog. It reminded me of the loss of my own pets. The story was a combination of experimental fiction, personal narratives, a post-apocalyptic future, myth, religion and the end of the world. I found it impressive and I will read more of Ellison's work. I think it will serve as an interesting initiation to the tropes used in new wave science fiction. 

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