(Also "The Discarded")"/>


More than 10,000 books and stories rated and reviewed! - About this site

Writers: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z
reviews of books and stories by author names and pen names

SF&F Timeline! 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000-Now
retrospective look at sf&f year-by-year
Best SF&F Lists! Recommended Reading
by genre, topic and length category
The Ultimate Guide to New SF&F Writers (from 1990 till now)


->

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

Q

R

S

T

U

V

W

Y

Z

Year

Best!
















































->

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

Q

R

S

T

U

V

W

Y

Z

Year

Best!

Harlan Ellison "The Abnormals"
(Also "The Discarded")


----------------------------------------------



Harlan Ellison is a spectacular, emotional, controversial writer of mostly short fiction - reading him is always a personal experience. Every story is polished, sincere and uncompromising. I am particularly fond of his "angry candies", though his stories may not be to everyone's taste.




Harlan Ellison
"The Abnormals"
(also as "The Discarded")
© Fantastic, Apr 1959
Paingod & Other Delusions, 1965
--/ cool sf story
--/ wonder award


This story comes form a very prolific period in Ellison's writing career: He lived in New York and submitted (together with his buddy Robert Silverberg) a flood of stories to second rate publishers of SF, crime fiction and westerns. The paycheck was good and immediate, the times were good too - he nostalgically remembers the "Roaring Fifties", when one could have a viewing of top-notch Broadway production and then hole up in a jazz bar with the legends playing live - all for a very reasonable price. Granted, the short story market was already cooling off, but Ellison had found an almost perfect outlet for his "edgy" sci-fi & crime fiction - the magazine editors lapped up his stories with poorly concealed glee, slapping the most outrageous titles on his (not that graphic, really) stories: "Homicidal Maniac", "Psycho at Mid-Point" etc. All the more amazing is the fact that Ellison's fiction from that period is still reprinted and enjoyed today (while Silverberg's mountains of wordage lie mercifully forgotten). "The Abnormals" is a cool story, really - in fact some say that its TV version (written by Ellison and Josh Olson and directed by Jonathan Frakes) is perhaps the best episode of "Masters of Science Fiction" show aired on ABC.

A spaceship full of mutants is exiled from Earth and turned into a nomadic tribe to haunt the spaceways. This is a classic premise, a paen to loneliness and alienation (certainly recurring themes in Ellison's writing). Robert Heinlein's mutants inside a "generation" starship ("The Universe", or "Orphans in the Sky") still haunt my memory as the creepiest environment to grace space fiction. Ellison's heroes are disfigured, disillusioned and tough - and then it just so happens that Earth suddenly remembers them, needs their help and even wants them back. Earth rulers don't really get "the finger", but they come close. Knowing that some Ellison stories end with that "all-encompassing proposition" it is no surprise. Read for yourself - this is pure pulp entertainment.
review: 27-Aug-07 (read in 1994)


(image credit: PS2 ad)

----------------------------------------------

See this writer's page here


Click to go to "Dark Roasted Blend" site

COMMENTS:

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home

LATEST POSTS:

Collecting Pulp Magazines

Ephemera Interview with Avi Abrams

Enchanting Victorian Fairy Tale Art

"Then world behind and home ahead..."

Exceptional British Scifi Artwork from the 1950s

Space Pulp Art by Ron Turner and other British artists

Pulp Pleasures: Eando Binder

Great space adventure fiction from the 1930s
"Where Eternity Ends" and other rare gems

Also read recent posts:
Author's Pen Names - Most Complete List Ever
The Wonder Timeline: SF&F Restrospective
Space Adventure Article


SEE OUR MAIN PAGE FOR MORE!


EXPLANATION OF THE RATING SYSTEM:

"SF&F Reading Experience" is part of "Dark Roasted Blend / Thrilling Wonder" family of sites. We try to highlight the most entertaining and rewarding science fiction and fantasy, with emphasis on memorable reader experience, not necessarily general acceptance by the critics. Have fun, and delve into our extensive ratings and reviews!

Most reviews are written by Avi Abrams, unless otherwise noted. Reviews also appear on our unique historical retrospective page Wonder Timeline of Science Fiction. Feel free to submit your own review, if a particular story is not listed here.


All major OFFICIAL AWARDS are highlighted in BLUE
("winner" has a letter "W" by it, otherwise it is a runner-up only)

Our PERSONAL AWARDS (ratings) are highlighted in RED and PURPLE:
--/ first place :
--/ second place :
--/ third place :

--/ fourth place :

--/ cool : (equal to fifth place)
ALL "BEST OF" LISTS ARE LOCATED HERE

These awards are given in the following categories:
- novel :
- series :
- novella :
- story :
- collection :

Also, there are our personal STYLE / GENRE SPECIFIC AWARDS. These reflect the story's content and the lasting impression on the reader:

--/ wonder award
sense-of-wonder, "visual intensity" and inventiveness

--/ idea award
originality of idea / concept

--/ adventure award
exhilarating plot, excitement / action

--/ style award
outstanding literary qualities, inimitable style

--/ romance award
intense and beautiful love / relationships

--/ humour award
funny and cool

--/ emotion award
touching, lasting impression, sensitivity

--/ shock value
altogether wild

--/ awesome scale
mind-boggling; further enhances sense-of-wonder

--/ rare find
very hard to locate, mostly from old pulps, never reprinted, etc.

Again, please feel free to leave your own review or comment under every writer's entry; also recommend us other stories you liked.