Who Would Like This Book:
Packed with bizarre, daring, and darkly imaginative stories, "Strange Wine" is classic Harlan Ellison doing what he does best - twisting reality, making you uncomfortable, and forcing you to see the familiar in startling new ways. These tales are perfect for fans of speculative fiction who crave both sharp social commentary and inventive storytelling. If you like short stories with bite, provocative introductions, and aren’t afraid of off-the-wall plots or unsettling imagery, you'll find yourself right at home here.
Who May Not Like This Book:
Not everyone will click with Ellison's style. Some readers found the stories more about Ellison himself than the tales, and the personal introductions can come off as self-indulgent or distracting. If you're expecting cohesive narratives or dislike experimental, occasionally abrasive writing, this collection might frustrate you. A few stories miss the mark, and those looking for pure sci-fi may be disappointed by the variety and depth of the genre mix. Sensitive readers may also find certain themes and images a little too intense or bizarre.
About:
'Strange Wine' by Harlan Ellison is a collection of fifteen short stories that delve into the realms of science fiction and fantasy. The book showcases Ellison's unique writing style and storytelling abilities, with tales ranging from didactic to entertaining to outstanding. Each story is accompanied by fascinating insights from Ellison himself, providing readers with a deeper understanding of his writing process and the 20th-century publishing industry. From thought-provoking narratives like 'The New York Review of Bird' to hard SF tributes like 'Seeing,' the stories in 'Strange Wine' offer readers a diverse and captivating literary experience.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
The collection comes with medium content warnings for themes involving death, family trauma, and potentially disturbing societal critiques.
From The Publisher:
From "one of the great . . . American short story writers," comes a collection of dark fantastical fiction (The Washington Post).
In the Locus Award-winning "Croatoan," a man descends into the sewers of New York City to confront the detritus of his irresponsibility.
An "Emissary from Hamelin" presents humanity with an ultimatum, or everyone on Earth will have a dear price to pay the piper.
And in the title story-famously written by the author in the storefront window of a Santa Monica bookshop-Willis Kaw is convinced that he is an alien trapped inside an Earthman's body, only to discover his suffering serves a purpose.
Strange Wine includes these three stories and a dozen more unique visions from the writer the Washington Post hails as a "lyric poet, satirist, explorer of odd psychological corners, and purveyor of pure horror and black comedy."
Includes: "Croatoan," "Working With the Little People," "Killing Bernstein," "Mom," "In Fear of K," "Hitler Painted Roses," "The Wine Has Been Left Open Too Long and the Memory Has Gone Flat," "From A to Z, in the Chocolate Alphabet," "Lonely Women Are the Vessels of Time," "Emissary from Hamelin," "The New York Review of Bird Seeing," "The Boulevard of Broken Dreams," "Strange Wine," "The Diagnosis of Dr. D'arqueAngel"
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About the Author:
Harlan Ellison (1934-2018), in a career spanning more than fifty years, wrote or edited one hundred fourteen books; more than seventeen hundred stories, essays, articles, and newspaper columns; two dozen teleplays; and a dozen motion pictures. He won the Hugo Award eight and a half times (shared once); the Nebula Award three times; the Bram Stoker Award, presented by the Horror Writers Association, five times (including the Lifetime Achievement Award in 1996); the Edgar Allan Poe Award of the Mystery Writers of America twice; the Georges Melies Fantasy Film Award twice; and two Audie Awards (for the best in audio recordings); and he was awarded the Silver Pen for Journalism by PEN, the international writers' union. He was presented with the first Living Legend Award by the International Horror Critics at the 1995 World Horror Convention. Ellison is the only author in Hollywood ever to win the Writers Guild of America award for Outstanding Teleplay (solo work) four times, most recently for "Paladin of the Lost Hour," his Twilight Zone episode that was Danny Kaye's final role, in 1987. In 2006, Ellison was awarded the prestigious title of Grand Master by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. Dreams with Sharp Teeth, the documentary chronicling his life and works, was released on DVD in May 2009. He passed away in 2018 at the age of eighty-four.
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