Reviews with content warning for Misogyny - I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream

Reviews tagging 'Misogyny'

I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream by Harlan Ellison

22 reviews

surdiablo's review against another edition

dark sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

Well, that was.. underwhelming at best. I had a feeling it was going to be a rough ride when the title story involved plenty of sexism ( Yes yes, I know

Spoiler

those people were already half-crazy with their minds twisted by the AI

) but the rest of the stories, including the endnotes confirmed my suspicion that it's just the author's views seeping into the book. It was simply distasteful and had me rolling my eyes on numerous occasions. I understand that he's a 'product of his time', except I wasn't impressed by the short stories at all to make up for the problematic elements. They are for the most part well-written, but I found the concepts to be much more interesting than the execution of it. The stories I enjoyed were too short with unsatisfying endings, while the rest of them left a bad aftertaste due to the misogynistic notions possessed by the majority of characters. I can see these concepts being innovative back then, but I don't see much in here otherwise that explains or justifies the reverence he gets.

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br33na's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I hadn't read this before tonight. Now I've listened to five different readings of it, including the intriguingly different radio play with Harlan Ellison as Am.

I don't know if it's more the depression that has struck like a hammer after having a week or so that wasn't dark, and the neurodivergent hyperfixation, my experience with chronic physical and mental conditions, being mostly housebound, and being a big, fat, tranny in a country and a world becoming hateful and dangerous for us, or some fun concoction of all of that, but I feel strangely seen and oddly soothed by the truly horrifying story.

If it wasn't for the misogyny, and specifically misogynoir, as well as the complete lack of understanding of women, sex, and homosexuality that is, frankly, incel in its ignorant hate and contemptuous disregard, this would easily be top marks. But I just can't do that. I don't have the mental capacity to full get into it right now, but if you are unable to see the sexism, racism, and homophobia in the group dynamic and how the characters are written, you need to check in with yourself. I totally understand how others have been so put off and effected by this grossness, which is genuinely one of the most uncomfortable and weird things in this story, which is saying something.

The nightmare dystopia of Skynet killing everyone save five people it decides to torture with inchoate abandon, driven into an eternal hateful fugue at being given sentience and no way to experience life as humans do, is truly horrifying. The torturer, Am, is oddly human and zealous in its gleeful hate. The protagonist is left strangely inhuman, eternally alone and safe from death in hell with the eponymous lines left on his lack of lips.

This is one of those stories you can project whatever you want on because it's pure nightmare. It's capitalism, authoritarianism, transphobia, chronic pain, depression, and none of these things. I think it is kinda abhorrently beautiful and comforting, aside from the fucking weird incel shit, and I can absolutely see why this is both seen as an absolute classic and among the luminaries of sci-fi and horror, and that how people think it's an overhyped, ugly, problematic mess. For me, it's both.

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booitsnathalie's review against another edition

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dark fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

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guinness74's review against another edition

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mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

I’m sure that when Ellison wrote these, they were probably near the cutting edge of science fiction. Now, they seem to be rehashes of Twilight Zone or Black Mirror episodes, with a hint of fantasy or drug-induced hallucination to round them out. It’s not that it’s not good, it’s just that ‘we’ve seen this one.’

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