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omniscientreader's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
Misogynistic. Almost every men in here has a lust for women. And there is this one man who witness his crewmate r*pe his female crewmate and still hadn't done anything until that "thing" happen again and this r*pe victim still feel concerned on wether her abuser died! I don't understand why is she still seeing him after that 1st incident. I love the concept of "World of Myth" but what is this shit. Every single women in this collection of short stories here were addressed as a wh*re, a slut, and an object for pleasure. I would have have give this book 4 stars only if it weren't misogynistic. I am not saying that the author is misogynistic-in fact I am trying hard not to judge him based on how his characters views women-means, I am addresssing the characters as a misogynist not the author himself.
I don't know if ever I'll consider this stories as a sci-fi? It doesn't seem very sci-fi. Sure, it do contains some elements of science fiction such as the world building, and those futuristic objects, and unexplainble creatures and powers, but the plot didn't felt sci-fi. Harlan Ellison had a very strange vocabulary, I don't understand some words he is using-I feel like he made up those words, because Google can't even give me meaning of those obscure words. I do like how he tells the story, as everyone was saying, it felt very dream-like. It felt very transcendental while still giving you a headache.
My favorite story in here is "Eye of Dust". I don't really like "I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream" that much-it's great-but it's very disturbing and haunting. It haunt me at 3 A.M.-the morning after I finished reading "IHNMAIMS". The last 3 short stories, I didn't quite understand-as if I wanted to understand it? I am extremely pissed with the misogyny of the characters that I badly wanna bang my laptop, I didn't care if I did understand those remaining stories or not, all I ever wanted was to finish the book. I have no plans on rereading this book not even in the next twenty lifetimes.
I don't know if ever I'll consider this stories as a sci-fi? It doesn't seem very sci-fi. Sure, it do contains some elements of science fiction such as the world building, and those futuristic objects, and unexplainble creatures and powers, but the plot didn't felt sci-fi. Harlan Ellison had a very strange vocabulary, I don't understand some words he is using-I feel like he made up those words, because Google can't even give me meaning of those obscure words. I do like how he tells the story, as everyone was saying, it felt very dream-like. It felt very transcendental while still giving you a headache.
My favorite story in here is "Eye of Dust". I don't really like "I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream" that much-it's great-but it's very disturbing and haunting. It haunt me at 3 A.M.-the morning after I finished reading "IHNMAIMS". The last 3 short stories, I didn't quite understand-as if I wanted to understand it? I am extremely pissed with the misogyny of the characters that I badly wanna bang my laptop, I didn't care if I did understand those remaining stories or not, all I ever wanted was to finish the book. I have no plans on rereading this book not even in the next twenty lifetimes.
Content Warnings
Minor: Rape
darththought's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
He withdrew, murmuring to hell with you. And added, brightly, but then you’re there, aren’t you.
Full Disclosure I did not finish Little Maggie Moneyeyes the last story of this collection. I couldn't because that was the point where the blatant misogyny got the best of me. I could not finish
That being said, I will give Harlan Ellison one thing. He can write for the most part I enjoyed the first three stories of the collection even if they left me with a gaping hole of darkness in my chest. Where it started to all go wrong was around World of the Myth this was where the full misogyny was on display. Victim blaming, and the like. I can forgive some things I forgave a lot for this book because I wanted to enjoy it. And hell I enjoyed the titular story and the two stories after it Big Sam was My Friend was a heart wrenching but all too familiar tale of how money can drive us to forget our morals.
Eyes of Dust was.... OK a little too bleak but i got the point he was going for, that is one thing i can say about the author I get why he writes what he writes, however i can not in good faith say that I enjoyed the stories after that it just went down hill and i could not finish the last one
I would not recommend the full book, I would recommend the titular story and if that was all I was reviewing this review would have been glowing, but it is not because I wanted to read all of them
I will also say if Mr. Ellison was still alive I'd probably have a drink with him, because outside of his stories in the little in betweens I could see a genuine if very cynical human.
Full Disclosure I did not finish Little Maggie Moneyeyes the last story of this collection. I couldn't because that was the point where the blatant misogyny got the best of me. I could not finish
That being said, I will give Harlan Ellison one thing. He can write for the most part I enjoyed the first three stories of the collection even if they left me with a gaping hole of darkness in my chest. Where it started to all go wrong was around World of the Myth this was where the full misogyny was on display. Victim blaming, and the like. I can forgive some things I forgave a lot for this book because I wanted to enjoy it. And hell I enjoyed the titular story and the two stories after it Big Sam was My Friend was a heart wrenching but all too familiar tale of how money can drive us to forget our morals.
Eyes of Dust was.... OK a little too bleak but i got the point he was going for, that is one thing i can say about the author I get why he writes what he writes, however i can not in good faith say that I enjoyed the stories after that it just went down hill and i could not finish the last one
I would not recommend the full book, I would recommend the titular story and if that was all I was reviewing this review would have been glowing, but it is not because I wanted to read all of them
I will also say if Mr. Ellison was still alive I'd probably have a drink with him, because outside of his stories in the little in betweens I could see a genuine if very cynical human.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Bullying, Death, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, and Violence
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