A review by andrewmull2
Gentleman Junkie and Other Stories of the Hung-Up Generation by Harlan Ellison

5.0

No one does a compilation of bleak stories like Harlan Ellison. The subject matter of these stories are more grounded (not Sci fi), these dealt more with racism, sexism, addiction, poverty and elitism, and all are illustrated in his visceral writing style. The way he writes personality into his characters is really incredible. You feel the desparation and hope, superiority and humbling, embarrassment and rationalization, and often the subtle or overt humor each character experiences or injects in each situation through irony or by personality. Something about it just feels so real, and sadly many of the injustices he was writing about in the 1960s are still sadly seen today and with no more understanding or progress.