Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'

I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream by Harlan Ellison

27 reviews

f0restfaie's review against another edition

3.0

challenging dark sad fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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I don't know how to feel about this book. It was very well written in the technical sense and made me feel hopeless and disgusted while I was reading. However, I hated how Ellen and Benny were described (it's just racist and sexist) and the overall moral of the story is confusing. It's scary to think this book isn't so far from reality considering where the world is going with AI. I'm tired. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Sexual assault, Torture, Murder

Minor: Suicide attempt

skyloarde's review against another edition

4.5

challenging dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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• While some questionable choice in writing this is an amazing work of science fiction horror. Truly terrifying and intense read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, Violence, Grief

mariasaragoca's review against another edition

3.5

dark tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: N/A

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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“AM, whom we created because our time was badly spent and we must have known unconsciously that he could do it better” now read that again

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Cancer, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , War, Injury/Injury detail, Pandemic/Epidemic

basil_touche's review against another edition

4.0

challenging dark mysterious reflective 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

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I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream really captures the frantic paranoia of someone experiencing unimaginable tortures from a near godlike entity with the goal of nothing but hatred for its creators. Ellison's narration also sells it and makes even more horrifying.

I am very interested in checking out the other adaptations to see how aspects are further explored (in particular I know the radio drama has a more dramatic in depth performance of AM by Ellison that by comparison makes the original seems a little lacking)

One thing to note though is the misogyny. While perhaps fitting in with exploring hate within the narrative, it is still rather jarring and I can understand why many may be put off of reading this. Perhaps the 90s game did a better job of it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , War, Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Vomit

swiftpheebs's review against another edition

4.0

challenging dark mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: N/A

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Torture, Violence, War

Moderate: Death, Gore, Suicide, Torture, Cannibalism, Suicide attempt

Minor: Sexual assault, Sexual violence

maka6251's review against another edition

4.0

dark reflective fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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I found absolutely interesting and relevant to this day and age to analyze the use of technology, the idea of it surpassing the human consciousness. The torture I found it as a interesting device of the difficulties in managing technology. And the absolute bomb of an incredible ending, the eternal torture that the Artificial Intelligence, which seems as not artificial, as said by their name AM, taking all of the protagonist senses, letting him have thoughts, but no way of expressing it, wanting to scream, but having no mouth

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Murder

Moderate: Sexual assault

Minor: War

libbymon's review against another edition

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Sexual assault

jeremyjcummins's review against another edition

2.25

dark sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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This short story is dark, dark, dark. 
Graphic and bizarre 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Excrement, Medical content, Trafficking, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail

ionsquareatkreuzberg's review against another edition

2.0

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Extremely dated sci-fi stories from the 1950s and ‘60s that, even if I could put aside the raging misogyny and sexism (which I can’t frankly with how bad they were in these stories), were just plain not that interesting. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism

Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment

Minor: Violence

lowclasswarrior's review against another edition

4.25

dark emotional mysterious reflective fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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I read through the whole collection. I can definitely see this writer being very divisive for people. 

All the stories are quite dark. The titular one in particular is forlorn and grotesque, even downright chilling at times. AM is a very compelling villain. I can see how this story has influenced the scifi genre in its infancy. 

There’s an overarching theme to all of his stories: highlighting the underlying darkness that is human nature. That being said: most of the women aren’t portrayed fondly. Sexual violence and name-calling are common. They're very much written by a bitter man scorned. However, these misogynistic men aren’t portrayed as likable either. If anything, it reads like a nihilistic and forlorn man projecting his self-hatred onto women. 

To reiterate: these stories are divisive and misogyny is the dividing line. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Misogyny

Moderate: Sexual assault

Minor: Rape, Suicidal thoughts