Deathbird Stories. by Harlan Ellison. 1975
DEATHBIRD STORIES
RATED 55% POSITIVE. STORY SCORE 3.0 OF 5
19 STORIES : 1 GREAT / 8 GOOD / 3 AVERAGE / 5 POOR / 2 DNF
Harlan Ellison threw a million random darts at a wall during his career. Some of them stuck.
Deathbird is primarily a book of horror tinged fantasy centered around gods and godlike beings. When these fantasy stories work - The Whimper of Whipped Dogs, Basilisk, & Shattered Like a Glass Goblin - they read like a fusion of Edgar Allen Poe and Ray Bradbury if the later had spent their childhood watching slasher movies. And. that is incredible..
When they don’t work, it reads like a teenage edgelord word vomitting in the hopes that people will treat them like an adult. That happened far too often. Ellison really needed an editor who could tell him NO!
I want to be more empathetic to Harlan Ellison after reading in Last Dangerous Visions about his extreme levels of mental illness that went untreated most of his life.
Yet, Death of the Author demands we read what is actually on the page. A few of these stories have burned permanent places in my memory. Most will be a lingering bad aftertaste with no memory of plot or character.
One story joins the All-Time Great List (despite rating poorly on a previous read):
The Deathbird • (1973) • novelette by Harlan Ellison
Great. I liked this considerably more than the last time I read it. An avant-garde story that science-fictionalizes the relationship between God, Satan, and Man. Must better on a second read when you know what Ellison is trying to accomplish, or maybe I’m being generous because of how dreadful some of the stories in this collection.
DEATHBIRD STORIES
19 STORIES : 1 GREAT / 8 GOOD / 3 AVERAGE / 5 POOR / 2 DNF
The Whimper of Whipped Dogs • (1973) • short story by Harlan Ellison
Good. Deeply troubling and challenging horror fantasy with and interesting position on life in New York City. A woman watches as a woman is horribly murdered outside her apartment window. She, like all the others, do nothing about it. In the fog of the city she senses a malevolent godlike presence observing as well.
Along the Scenic Route • (1969) • short story by Harlan Ellison
Good. A fun bit of Mad Max street violence that predates the Mad Max movie by about a decade. Roadrage is acceptable if you contact the road authority to ask permission in advance.
On the Downhill Side • (1972) • short story by Harlan Ellison
Good. The ghost of a man who loved too much and a girl who loved too little have that opportunity to love each other one night in New Orleans. Also there is a unicorn that might be Jesus.
O Ye of Little Faith • (1968) • short story by Harlan Ellison
Average. Alternates between a compelling realist story about a couple whose relationship unravels during a trip to Mexico for an abortion, and a less engaging fantasy set in a world where the gods, whom the man doesn't believe in, are all real.
Neon • (1973) • short story by Harlan Ellison
Poor. Forgettable mush about a man who has mechanic parts replaced in his body. He is seduced by a neon sign.
Basilisk • (1972) • short story by Harlan Ellison
Good. Moments before painful death in the jungle, a basilisk enters into a soldier at war. He is tortured horribly and betrayed by both the military and his family when he returns. But through the basilisk’s power, he can breathe horrible suffering and death on those around him. Interesting fantasy horror that deals with the plight of a soldier in Vietnam. Overseas and at home. Probably would make a great horror film from a low budget studio like A24.
Pretty Maggie Moneyeyes • (1967) • novelette by Harlan Ellison
Average. An interesting idea of prostitute trapped inside of a slot machine and the man who hits her jackpot over and over. Probably 3 pages of cool story, bloated with Ellison’s complete lack of anything resembling self control … or professional editing.
Corpse • (1972) • short story by Harlan Ellison
Poor. A garbled mess of a story around the concept of a god of cars or maybe cars are the new god. Shades of Gaiman’s American Gods.
Shattered Like a Glass Goblin • (1968) • short story by Harlan Ellison
Good. A masterpiece of horror that works as an analog for drug addict. A man comes home from the war and finds his girl in a flop horse, where horrors exist at the edges of sight and sound.
Delusion for a Dragon Slayer • (1966) • short story by Harlan Ellison
DNF. A nobody dies when crushed by a wrecking ball. He wakes up in ‘heaven’ and is sent on a dragon hunting quest. Very boring and generic.
The Face of Helene Bournouw • (1960) • short story by Harlan Ellison
Good. A beautiful woman - who is likely a monster - uses her beauty to destroy the lives of the men around her.
Bleeding Stones • (1973) • short story by Harlan Ellison
Poor. Bigoted and gruesome with extremes of hate, murder and sexual assault. Gargoyles come alive and torture and murder Christians.
At the Mouse Circus • (1971) • short story by Harlan Ellison
Poor. Impenetrable and possibly racist story of the Tibetan King, bad sex, a road trip, and people who eat a car.
The Place with No Name • (1969) • short story by Harlan Ellison
Poor. A man frees prometheus from torture and they have a love affair. Ellison spoils the ending in the introduction, so I will as well. The man is Jesus, surprise!!
Paingod • (1964) • short story by Harlan Ellison
Good. A being who brings pain to beings across the universe discovers his purpose and calling.
Ernest and the Machine God • (1968) • short story by Harlan Ellison
Average. After crashing her car, the woman who always gets what she wants meets a man who always gets what he wants.
Rock God • (1969) • short story by Harlan Ellison
Good. The rock god’s body is divided into pieces, but then dug up and - after being passed around for many years - ends up in a New York City skyscraper.
Adrift Just Off the Islets of Langerhans: Latitude 38° 54' N, Longitude 77° 00' 13" W • (1974) • novelette by Harlan Ellison
DNF. Too long by half. A story of a man who wants to find his soul and seeks Victor Frankenstein.
The Deathbird • (1973) • novelette by Harlan Ellison
Great. I liked this considerably more than the last time I read it. An avant-garde story that science-fictionalizes the relationship between God, Satan, and Man. Must better on a second read when you know what Ellison is trying to accomplish, or maybe I’m being generous because of how dreadful some of the stories in this collection.
