Rating: 
Summary: Tardiness is inexcusable...
Review: 'REPENT, HARLEQUIN!' SAID THE TICKTOCKMAN is a session of uncanny fascination'then again, what else would one expect from Harlan Ellison anyway?To say he's unique is to say a liver is only slightly more evolved than a mitochondrion. Ellison has long since ejected himself from the primordial slop of literature we all wallow in, preferring to mutate of his own accord lest mutation screw up his plans'to be sure, this guy is proactive, and he has plans. He's always had them. And what are these blueprints, these documents, these nucleotide sequences and various schematics, what do they read, what do they say, how should we interpret them, how do we deduce their intent, are they hidden away in some lost Peruvian cavern located close to a golden Buddah-like idol sitting atop a precarious and sophisticated Rube-Goldberg system of weights and balances which, if disturbed, stand ready to shoot toxic needles at the next Indiana-Jones-like spelunker who thinks he/she is capable enough to actually wrest such valuables and then outrun the ponderous boulder sure to live up to its booby trap imperative? And even if such sleuthing is within the realm of statistical allowances, do we have any Rosetta Stones which would help us in figuring the stuff out? What's it all about, in other words? I haven't the faintest conception; I am a mere zygotic intelligence before such gauntlet. But I can report the following: TICKTOCKMAN is a decisive foray into liquid enjoyment for any and all readers. Ellison is a writer undaunted by the craft; he does not fear it, loathe it, supplicate it, genuflect or kowtow in the least before it. He could care less about preordained templates and/or stodgy traditions and/or heretofore preconceived cogitations'that isn't he, he isn't that. He's not afraid of words, is heroic- nearly quixotic- in the face of syntax. Like e.e. cummings, stylistic convention is not necessarily a hallmark, a touchstone for him. He is a wordsmith who exudes a nihilistic point of view towards the status quo of the industry and its orthodox formats; yes, but in the end, it is not deconstruction or de-evolution for its own justified sake that attracts him, rather, it's what he can reconstitute from the wreckage and rebuild and restore to a shiny slick sheen with nascent purpose which attracts and pleases his sensibilities to maximum degree. TICKTOCKMAN, like other works of the author, displays a narrative which could- and does- easily resonate between normal prose inclinations and extraordinary baroque poetic tendencies'makes thing captivating, to be sure. But lest one be lulled into thinking that it's all simple sugars and no power-building proteins, the story does pack one heck of an allegorical punch. It is a tale where Time is no longer an abstract convention; instead, it is a concrete, cruel master, and it absolutely must be obeyed at all costs. The rules of this negative-utopia landscape dictate that everyone arrives at the appointed hour/minute/second, deviation is not only disallowed, it's unheard of! The very fabric of culture, the specific mechanism of society, the clandestine workings of existence itself all depend upon it. As such, the populace is not necessarily a convivial lot; their lives are drab, dull, dilapidated. They need some fun, something lively, something impish and petulant and impetuous and'well, they need a jester, a joker, a jabberwocky'a harlequin! Yes, they need Harlequin. And they get him, a little funny fool who tries to inject a bit of fun and games in this over-punctual world. Enter the Ticktockman- no, wait, that's a derogatory, an epithet, he actually prefers to be referred to as Master Timekeeper. He- it, whatever- will have none of this. He must put an end to the Harlequin and get the people back on time. Harlequin is never on time'only the Master Timekeeper is (or is he). TICKTOCKMAN is as much an essay as it is a fable. Although one might think that Ellison's thesis is against any and all manner of imposition of efficiency, I myself don't think it is proposing such a dogma. Things do need the lubricant of efficiency (writers need deadlines, for instance), but it must be a dollop of the right kind of tight-running initiatives; I believe Ellison is saying that there are so many stupid rules and so many obnoxious bureaucracies- both public and private- leading us down the path of anti-productive behavior under the guise of progressive thinking and time-management that one has to wonder if the sophists are actually winning. Who knows, maybe that's alarmist caterwauling, but Ellison is an alarmist, and he likes to caterwaul, and it is both enrapturing and empowering to see what he's screaming about. And if you want an enjoyable way to prepare for the vocabulary section of the Scholastic Aptitude Test, read as much Ellison as you can- the depth of his lexicon exists in propinquity to the etymological collection of God Himself'
Rating:
Summary: Tardiness is inexcusable...
Review: ???REPENT, HARLEQUIN!??? SAID THE TICKTOCKMAN is a session of uncanny fascination???then again, what else would one expect from Harlan Ellison anyway? To say he???s unique is to say a liver is only slightly more evolved than a mitochondrion. Ellison has long since ejected himself from the primordial slop of literature we all wallow in, preferring to mutate of his own accord lest mutation screw up his plans???to be sure, this guy is proactive, and he has plans. He???s always had them. And what are these blueprints, these documents, these nucleotide sequences and various schematics, what do they read, what do they say, how should we interpret them, how do we deduce their intent, are they hidden away in some lost Peruvian cavern located close to a golden Buddah-like idol sitting atop a precarious and sophisticated Rube-Goldberg system of weights and balances which, if disturbed, stand ready to shoot toxic needles at the next Indiana-Jones-like spelunker who thinks he/she is capable enough to actually wrest such valuables and then outrun the ponderous boulder sure to live up to its booby trap imperative? And even if such sleuthing is within the realm of statistical allowances, do we have any Rosetta Stones which would help us in figuring the stuff out? What???s it all about, in other words? I haven???t the faintest conception; I am a mere zygotic intelligence before such gauntlet. But I can report the following: TICKTOCKMAN is a decisive foray into liquid enjoyment for any and all readers. Ellison is a writer undaunted by the craft; he does not fear it, loathe it, supplicate it, genuflect or kowtow in the least before it. He could care less about preordained templates and/or stodgy traditions and/or heretofore preconceived cogitations???that isn???t he, he isn???t that. He???s not afraid of words, is heroic- nearly quixotic- in the face of syntax. Like e.e. cummings, stylistic convention is not necessarily a hallmark, a touchstone for him. He is a wordsmith who exudes a nihilistic point of view towards the status quo of the industry and its orthodox formats; yes, but in the end, it is not deconstruction or de-evolution for its own justified sake that attracts him, rather, it???s what he can reconstitute from the wreckage and rebuild and restore to a shiny slick sheen with nascent purpose which attracts and pleases his sensibilities to maximum degree. TICKTOCKMAN, like other works of the author, displays a narrative which could- and does- easily resonate between normal prose inclinations and extraordinary baroque poetic tendencies???makes thing captivating, to be sure. But lest one be lulled into thinking that it???s all simple sugars and no power-building proteins, the story does pack one heck of an allegorical punch. It is a tale where Time is no longer an abstract convention; instead, it is a concrete, cruel master, and it absolutely must be obeyed at all costs. The rules of this negative-utopia landscape dictate that everyone arrives at the appointed hour/minute/second, deviation is not only disallowed, it???s unheard of! The very fabric of culture, the specific mechanism of society, the clandestine workings of existence itself all depend upon it. As such, the populace is not necessarily a convivial lot; their lives are drab, dull, dilapidated. They need some fun, something lively, something impish and petulant and impetuous and???well, they need a jester, a joker, a jabberwocky???a harlequin! Yes, they need Harlequin. And they get him, a little funny fool who tries to inject a bit of fun and games in this over-punctual world. Enter the Ticktockman- no, wait, that???s a derogatory, an epithet, he actually prefers to be referred to as Master Timekeeper. He- it, whatever- will have none of this. He must put an end to the Harlequin and get the people back on time. Harlequin is never on time???only the Master Timekeeper is (or is he). TICKTOCKMAN is as much an essay as it is a fable. Although one might think that Ellison???s thesis is against any and all manner of imposition of efficiency, I myself don???t think it is proposing such a dogma. Things do need the lubricant of efficiency (writers need deadlines, for instance), but it must be a dollop of the right kind of tight-running initiatives; I believe Ellison is saying that there are so many stupid rules and so many obnoxious bureaucracies- both public and private- leading us down the path of anti-productive behavior under the guise of progressive thinking and time-management that one has to wonder if the sophists are actually winning. Who knows, maybe that???s alarmist caterwauling, but Ellison is an alarmist, and he likes to caterwaul, and it is both enrapturing and empowering to see what he???s screaming about. And if you want an enjoyable way to prepare for the vocabulary section of the Scholastic Aptitude Test, read as much Ellison as you can- the depth of his lexicon exists in propinquity to the etymological collection of God Himself???
Rating:
Summary: Chaos can be rather lovely
Review: And so the Ticktockman purrs... And I join right in. It's wonderful to see a writer take so much joy in what he has been given to create with. Words. Language. Sound and the breath that supports it. That alone endears him to me. But Ellison doesn't stop there. He adds to the chaotic atmosphere dazzling characters. Everything in this world he has created seems so simple, but deceptively so. And then you get to what seems like a rather abstract ending, but it's so much more simple than that. Like I said, chaos. But mark my words, you will want to dance on jelly beans after you finish reading this remarkably memorable novella. And after that, you'll want to read everything else Harlan Ellison has ever written.
Rating:
Summary: Frustrating Ellison at His Absolute Best
Review: Ellison is frustrating because he is so uneven - he's so uneven, because he's so fearlessly prolific. That being said, REPENT is Ellison at his best as GREAT AMERICAN AUTHOR. The Ticktockman's rebellion in our Future Shocked world is even more relevant today than it was when written. There are obvious spiritual connections to CATCHER IN THE RYE, but Salinger's work is becoming dated. Ellison's short fable is a bit more universal than Salinger's novel. Perhaps in a world where we're all pressed for time, REPENT as a fast read is more accessible. There is some small irony here. I personally liked the artwork, but the star is Ellison's prose. You don't need to get this version (though I still recommend it). This would make a perverse gift for a harried CEO.
Rating:
Summary: Great
Review: I have loved this short story ever since I first read it about 10 years ago. Notice I said SHORT story - yet here it is blown up into an oversize hardcover with several very poor illustrations and presented to fans for a $17 cover price. Who would shell out the money for this? I'll give you two alternatives to buying this book: either look for the Alex Nino-illustrated adaptation in Marvel Comics' "Unknown Worlds of Science Fiction", or scan www.bibliofind.com for the story in its original collection, "Paingod and Other Delusions", which, even though rare and a bit pricey, will still cost less than this particular book (and includes other stories).
Rating: 
Summary: great story, poor presentation
Review: I have loved this short story ever since I first read it about 10 years ago. Notice I said SHORT story - yet here it is blown up into an oversize hardcover with several very poor illustrations and presented to fans for a $17 cover price. Who would shell out the money for this? I'll give you two alternatives to buying this book: either look for the Alex Nino-illustrated adaptation in Marvel Comics' "Unknown Worlds of Science Fiction", or scan www.bibliofind.com for the story in its original collection, "Paingod and Other Delusions", which, even though rare and a bit pricey, will still cost less than this particular book (and includes other stories).
Rating:
Summary: Great
Review: I thought that this book was an accurate portayal of the fast paced american lifestyle that I have chosen not to be a part of. I live in Minnesota as well and was surprised at the comment made by the other Minnesotan. It takes a lot of courage to look at your life and realize your shortcomings. It's hard for me to believe that anyone could read this story and not feel a certain kinship with the characters.
Rating: 
Summary: With beautiful art, who needs a good plot?
Review: It seems that the creators of this beautifully embellished book did not consider a good storyline a necessary part of written medium. Rick Berry deserves five starts for his splendid computer art. Harlan Ellison deserves one star for his abomination of a story, which tried to take on the hysteria of a dystopia but miserably failed. Overall, I recommend this book for fantasy art collectors. If you're here to get this book for the story, don't bother - you're better off donating your money to a lost cause.
Rating:
Summary: With beautiful art, who needs a good plot?
Review: It seems that the creators of this beautifully embellished book did not consider a good storyline a necessary part of written medium. Rick Berry deserves five starts for his splendid computer art. Harlan Ellison deserves one star for his abomination of a story, which tried to take on the hysteria of a dystopia but miserably failed. Overall, I recommend this book for fantasy art collectors. If you're here to get this book for the story, don't bother - you're better off donating your money to a lost cause.
Rating:
Summary: Perfectly timed for neo-conservatives...and the rest of us
Review: Perfectly timed for neo-conservatives who demand political correctness, this illustrated reprint of a Nebula and Hugo award winning story (one of the most reprinted in the English language), about a consistently late rebel who defies a government that demands timeliness, is a "well-timed" reminder of Thoreau's admonition: "He serves the state best who defies it most." (from "Des Moines Register," copyright 1998)
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