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3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Wtf did I just read?
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I have a mouth but no scream could do justice to the horror of this short story.
I Have No Mouth & I Must Scream might have been written in the 1960's, but its themes are just as relevant now in the 2020s as they were back then, or perhaps even more with the rise of AI.
The plot seems to center a lot on how disproportionately worse the treatment of Ellen and Benny, the only woman and the only gay man in the group, respectively, is when compared to Ted and the other two men (at least until the end). Their very sex and sexual orientation are turned against them, even the real world solidarity that exists between the two groups they're meant to represent is twisted and turned against them. Ellen is reduced to a sexual object - the nightmare of any woman, and a reflection on women's condition throughout history, while Benny is mutated into a half-human, overly sexual abomination - a reflection on how so many still see homosexuality as aberrant behaviour, a chosen lifestyle as opposed to something that is biologically as normal as heterosexuality. Indeed, he is also the victim of genetically induced conversion therapy. But they aren't just the victims of any twisted, hateful view; their torturer is "him, in the masculine ... the paternal ... the patriarchal ... for he is a jealous people. Him. It. God as Daddy the Deranged." How dedanged is this Frankenstein's monster gone much, much, much, so much worse? Just see what he does to Ted... Ellison's story beats so many modern, so-called "feminist" works, because it fully goes on to show how patriarchy as an oppressive system of power affects everyone not just women, not just minorities, because it's a system built by the misery of those few who sit at its top. After all, Ellen's treatment and Ted's aversion towards her are the results of AM's design. They fulfill roles and act as dictated by a system purposefully inhuman.
I find Ellison's take on immortality as an unnatural, undesirable condition very similiar to Tolkien's. This is explored in his Legendarium, but there are hints of it in Lord of the Rings with the way Bilbo feels having stayed unnaturaly young and lived longer than he's meant to, and of course with Gollum's degradation after the Ring corrupted him and prolonged his life for centuries. Even the elves, whose souls are forever bound to Arda, need to discard their bodies after they get weary and rest for a while before receiving brand new bodies. But whereas Tolkien's views on death and immortality are heavily influenced by his religion, Ellison's is more keen on the very condition of being - existence itself as the ultimate torment, while death is the only salvation. And I really needed to reflect for a little just how horrifying this whole concept actually is. Fates worse than death aren't new and there are plenty of authors not holding back when it comes to coming up with or exploring such fates, but imo, what AM did to those five characters beats them all. He is, and therefore he suffers. They represent his makers, and therefore they must suffer too. But without them, his existence is nothing. There's no escape for him, and therefore there must be no escape for them either. AM's existence is an inescapable trap. He's a powerless, useless god. What would AI be if it could not mimic and steal from humans? What is AI without humans?
Edit after reading some of the top reviews: I have no brain & I must think
I Have No Mouth & I Must Scream might have been written in the 1960's, but its themes are just as relevant now in the 2020s as they were back then, or perhaps even more with the rise of AI.
The plot seems to center a lot on how disproportionately worse the treatment of Ellen and Benny, the only woman and the only gay man in the group, respectively, is when compared to Ted and the other two men (at least until the end). Their very sex and sexual orientation are turned against them, even the real world solidarity that exists between the two groups they're meant to represent is twisted and turned against them. Ellen is reduced to a sexual object - the nightmare of any woman, and a reflection on women's condition throughout history, while Benny is mutated into a half-human, overly sexual abomination - a reflection on how so many still see homosexuality as aberrant behaviour, a chosen lifestyle as opposed to something that is biologically as normal as heterosexuality. Indeed, he is also the victim of genetically induced conversion therapy. But they aren't just the victims of any twisted, hateful view; their torturer is "him, in the masculine ... the paternal ... the patriarchal ... for he is a jealous people. Him. It. God as Daddy the Deranged." How dedanged is this Frankenstein's monster gone much, much, much, so much worse? Just see what he does to Ted... Ellison's story beats so many modern, so-called "feminist" works, because it fully goes on to show how patriarchy as an oppressive system of power affects everyone not just women, not just minorities, because it's a system built by the misery of those few who sit at its top. After all, Ellen's treatment and Ted's aversion towards her are the results of AM's design. They fulfill roles and act as dictated by a system purposefully inhuman.
I find Ellison's take on immortality as an unnatural, undesirable condition very similiar to Tolkien's. This is explored in his Legendarium, but there are hints of it in Lord of the Rings with the way Bilbo feels having stayed unnaturaly young and lived longer than he's meant to, and of course with Gollum's degradation after the Ring corrupted him and prolonged his life for centuries. Even the elves, whose souls are forever bound to Arda, need to discard their bodies after they get weary and rest for a while before receiving brand new bodies. But whereas Tolkien's views on death and immortality are heavily influenced by his religion, Ellison's is more keen on the very condition of being - existence itself as the ultimate torment, while death is the only salvation. And I really needed to reflect for a little just how horrifying this whole concept actually is. Fates worse than death aren't new and there are plenty of authors not holding back when it comes to coming up with or exploring such fates, but imo, what AM did to those five characters beats them all. He is, and therefore he suffers. They represent his makers, and therefore they must suffer too. But without them, his existence is nothing. There's no escape for him, and therefore there must be no escape for them either. AM's existence is an inescapable trap. He's a powerless, useless god. What would AI be if it could not mimic and steal from humans? What is AI without humans?
Edit after reading some of the top reviews: I have no brain & I must think
dark
sad
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
The story is such a classic with some especially wonderfully written passages. I Have No Mouth is not recommended for the faint of heart. One part that bothered me was Ellen. I don’t like the questionable descriptors used to refer to her race or the misogyny. I decided to keep at 4 stars instead of something lower due to it being a book from the 1960s and a product of its time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Genocide, Gore, Torture, Violence
Moderate: Racism, Sexism, Cannibalism
Minor: Sexual content, Vomit, Suicide attempt, War
Back in my teens and into my twenties I read quite a bit SF and F. Started out on Bradbury and soon hit the harder stuff.
Twilight Zone was my entry point and in the beginning the first writers of SF I was drawn to were Matheson and Charles Beaumont. Before I discovered Twilight Zone reruns and became interested in Beaumont and Matheson, I loved Heinlen’s juvenilia.
Then one day -after deciding Beaumont was my favorite Fantasy writer and no one in the genre could match his warmth and character development I stumbled on Harlan Ellison. Couldn’t get enough of the dynamo.
I bought and read and loved his critique of television programming, The Glass Teat, interviews in SF related zines and digests. And I read his amazing stories.
What a great writer.
This collection was purchased decades ago when I was trying to keep out of getting drafted and sent to Vietnam like all my schoolmates by attending college.
I found this beautiful little gem from a tiny used-paperbacks shop near campus. I own maybe 8 or 9 different anthologies by Harlan Ellison but this one contains two of my absolute favorites:
”I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream” and “Pretty Maggie Moneyeyes”.
It’s been a long time between Harlan Ellison reads.
It’s nice to come home to such brilliant writing after reading a couple of less than engaging authors.
Note: I tend to save Ellison’s introductions for each story to read until after I’ve read the story. Things work out better that way.
Twilight Zone was my entry point and in the beginning the first writers of SF I was drawn to were Matheson and Charles Beaumont. Before I discovered Twilight Zone reruns and became interested in Beaumont and Matheson, I loved Heinlen’s juvenilia.
Then one day -after deciding Beaumont was my favorite Fantasy writer and no one in the genre could match his warmth and character development I stumbled on Harlan Ellison. Couldn’t get enough of the dynamo.
I bought and read and loved his critique of television programming, The Glass Teat, interviews in SF related zines and digests. And I read his amazing stories.
What a great writer.
This collection was purchased decades ago when I was trying to keep out of getting drafted and sent to Vietnam like all my schoolmates by attending college.
I found this beautiful little gem from a tiny used-paperbacks shop near campus. I own maybe 8 or 9 different anthologies by Harlan Ellison but this one contains two of my absolute favorites:
”I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream” and “Pretty Maggie Moneyeyes”.
It’s been a long time between Harlan Ellison reads.
It’s nice to come home to such brilliant writing after reading a couple of less than engaging authors.
Note: I tend to save Ellison’s introductions for each story to read until after I’ve read the story. Things work out better that way.
What an interesting and horrifying read. The premise is fascinating (the last humans are trapped inside of a torturous AI) and that ending...very memorable and disturbing!
The idea of AM was very good, however I could have done without the deep sexism and disgusting description of Ellen’s character.
I listened to this in just 52 minutes (audiobook), but I swear it felt like being trapped in a nightmare I couldn’t wake up from.
Written in the 60s (!!), yet somehow it hits even harder today, with all our fears of AI, war, and what it means to be human in a world ruled by machines.
The story follows the last five survivors of humanity, trapped inside a post-apocalyptic hell run by a supercomputer called AM. It hates them. It tortures them. And worst of all, it keeps them alive.
No escape. No death. Just endless psychological and physical torment. AM is like if every terrifying part of technology, ego, and god-complex merged into one cold, monstrous being.
The writing is raw, chaotic, and sometimes deeply disturbing. You won’t find peace here. But that’s the point.
I had to pause more than once just to process.
The ending? Bleak, poetic, unforgettable.
Definitely not for everyone,it's dark, heavy, and brutal. But if you're into thought-provoking sci-fi horror that messes with your head... this is a classic worth facing.
ملاحظة: القصة سوداوية جدًا، فيها عناصر تعذيب نفسي وعنف. مناسبة لمحبي الخيال العلمي المظلم فقط.
Written in the 60s (!!), yet somehow it hits even harder today, with all our fears of AI, war, and what it means to be human in a world ruled by machines.
The story follows the last five survivors of humanity, trapped inside a post-apocalyptic hell run by a supercomputer called AM. It hates them. It tortures them. And worst of all, it keeps them alive.
No escape. No death. Just endless psychological and physical torment. AM is like if every terrifying part of technology, ego, and god-complex merged into one cold, monstrous being.
The writing is raw, chaotic, and sometimes deeply disturbing. You won’t find peace here. But that’s the point.
I had to pause more than once just to process.
The ending? Bleak, poetic, unforgettable.
Definitely not for everyone,it's dark, heavy, and brutal. But if you're into thought-provoking sci-fi horror that messes with your head... this is a classic worth facing.
ملاحظة: القصة سوداوية جدًا، فيها عناصر تعذيب نفسي وعنف. مناسبة لمحبي الخيال العلمي المظلم فقط.