Rating: 
Summary: Professional Voice Actors Might Object
Review: But Harlan Ellison is really the best possible narrator for this collection of some of his stories that I can imagine. Yes, he invests a lot in each story, and yes, this involves sometimes moving his mouth a little too far away from the mic, but not a word, not a syllable is lost and so much is gained. So much terror, so much suspense, so much authenticity. You'll feel like you're living in a series of demented worlds that could only have sprung from the demoniac mind of Harlan Ellison. I think it's a nice touch that the manufacturers were able to persuade the busiest man in the writing business to drop what he was doing and revisit his classics. Face it, he's not getting any younger and this narration might be the very last he'll ever do. Some fans however would prefer it if he had "no mouth" at all!
Rating: 
Summary: Ellison strikes again
Review: Ellison's stories read like they are written for 16-20 year olds with a high rating for adult language and adult content. The narration, however, detracts from the stories. At times Ellison sounds like a Southern Baptist preacher, rushing through sentences, gasping, and shouting too much. All the stories were not recorded at the same time. Some stories contain tape hiss, which along with the narration makes them harsh on the ears. If someone else had read the stories I would have given this a four star rating.
Rating:
Summary: Good Stories, Bad Narration
Review: Ellison's stories read like they are written for 16-20 year olds with a high rating for adult language and adult content. The narration, however, detracts from the stories. At times Ellison sounds like a Southern Baptist preacher, rushing through sentences, gasping, and shouting too much. All the stories were not recorded at the same time. Some stories contain tape hiss, which along with the narration makes them harsh on the ears. If someone else had read the stories I would have given this a four star rating.
Rating:
Summary: A Life-Changing Audiobook
Review: Harlan Ellison is one of the best writers we have. He feels a lot and his fiction hits us in the gut and makes us feel, too. Well, the performances--yes, not readings, PERFORMANCES--add an extra dimension to the tales. This is the best author-read book I've ever heard. Ellison drags you into the story the same way he does with his writing. He is uncompromising. Sure, some are better than others, but all are above average. To hear "I Have No Mouth, And I Must Scream" and ""Repent, Harlequin!" Said the Ticktockman." performed like this is worth the price alone. Buy two copies of this one, you'll wear out the first one by listening so much to it.
Rating:
Summary: A Life-Changing Audiobook
Review: Harlan Ellison is one of the best writers we have. He feels a lot and his fiction hits us in the gut and makes us feel, too. Well, the performances--yes, not readings, PERFORMANCES--add an extra dimension to the tales. This is the best author-read book I've ever heard. Ellison drags you into the story the same way he does with his writing. He is uncompromising. Sure, some are better than others, but all are above average. To hear "I Have No Mouth, And I Must Scream" and ""Repent, Harlequin!" Said the Ticktockman." performed like this is worth the price alone. Buy two copies of this one, you'll wear out the first one by listening so much to it.
Rating:
Summary: So Good It Overcame Bad 1st Impression of Author-in-Person
Review: Having never read Ellison, and having a bad first impression of him personally from his conduct at the World Horror Convention 2000, I didn't start listening to this in the best frame of mind. In fact, at first I cringed to hear his voice again--but by the end of the first story, a real tear-your-face-off classic with the same title as this collection, I couldn't stop listening. I have never heard an author--or actor, for that matter--read so well. From the accents to the cadence to the pacing, Ellison seems born for the stage. And then there's the stories themselves, displaying such a virtuosic breadth of style that each seems written by a different author. It spanned from horror to science fiction to humor, to some real classy drama with characters portrayed with great humanity and sensitivity. The endings were twisted nicely, too. So, how can I reconcile the grouchy old man I saw with this unbelievably well-written and well-performed audio collection? Perhaps Ellison is like Mozart; personally off-putting but a genius at his craft. The Horror Writers Association, at the convention, must have felt the same way, because they gave this audio book a Bram Stoker Award.
Rating:
Summary: So Good It Overcame Bad 1st Impression of Author-in-Person
Review: Having never read Ellison, and having a bad first impression of him personally from his conduct at the World Horror Convention 2000, I didn't start listening to this in the best frame of mind. In fact, at first I cringed to hear his voice again--but by the end of the first story, a real tear-your-face-off classic with the same title as this collection, I couldn't stop listening. I have never heard an author--or actor, for that matter--read so well. From the accents to the cadence to the pacing, Ellison seems born for the stage. And then there's the stories themselves, displaying such a virtuosic breadth of style that each seems written by a different author. It spanned from horror to science fiction to humor, to some real classy drama with characters portrayed with great humanity and sensitivity. The endings were twisted nicely, too. So, how can I reconcile the grouchy old man I saw with this unbelievably well-written and well-performed audio collection? Perhaps Ellison is like Mozart; personally off-putting but a genius at his craft. The Horror Writers Association, at the convention, must have felt the same way, because they gave this audio book a Bram Stoker Award.
Rating:
Summary: Have you ever suffered silently?
Review: I first read "I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream" as a pre-teen. What an eye-opener. Short and to the point. Pure terror. As an adult, I've remembered this story at times when I've felt the urge to scream but couldn't.
Rating:
Summary: Great stories, manic narration
Review: Like many people, I've had an ongoing hot and cold relationship with Ellison's works ever since I was introduced to them in middle school. He is a solid example of a strong personality that has inextricably embedded itself into an author's work--not always a good thing, considering the personality in question. While I've always found Ellison's arrogance and damn-the-critics bravado annoying, I found them occasionally unbearable while listening to this collection. Ellison's gritty, dystopian fiction really speaks for itself. Or should, anyway. It's painful to hear the author Disney-fy old favorites like "I Have No Mouth...", "Laugh Track," and "A Boy And His Dog," making his characters into glorified cartoon characters. (I did like the audio effects, however -- a nice touch.) He pops around between his "manic," "ethnic," and "heartbroken" settings at will, with an irritating preference for the former. The introductory audioessay is a nice bonus, too -- it provides an appropriate orientation both to the works and to their author. (I really don't understand his deep love for "Grail," but maybe you'll disagree.) This is a good selection, and Ellison is not a *bad* reader -- just a little too personally involved with the text. Which is understandable, but distracting. Be sure that you've read the stories before you hear them, or you run the risk of thinking less of some of the best short form science fiction in the English language.
Rating:
Summary: Award winning audio!
Review: On May 13th, 2000, author, Harlan Ellison, was given the Bram Stoker Award by the Horror Writers of America for his audio recordings contained on The Voice from the Edge : I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream by Dove Audio.
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