A review by lowclasswarrior
I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream by Harlan Ellison

dark emotional mysterious reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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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