Angry Candy

Harlan Ellison

3/11/1999

Anyone who has seen Harlan Ellison on television for commentaries or interviews knows the gentleman is very opinionated. Ascerbic is a word that can describe him when he is especially upset over something. Angry Candy has an introduction that reminds the reader that Ellison can get upset thoroughly. As I read the introduction and his anger at the death of friends, I wasn't sure I wanted to read the stories after that.

Yet Ellison is a good storyteller. He spins tales that are not forgotten easily. So of course I had to keep turning pages. The very first story brought me right back in. It is entitled "Paladin of the Lost Hour" and had been turned into an episode of (I believe) The New Twilight Zone over ten years ago starring Danny Kaye. I was delighted to relive that story.

Throughout the book the theme of death is continued, but not as a dark central theme. Instead it is part of life, or afterlife. Ellison gets angry at death, tries to cheat death, tries to have souls live on. He looks at life from many angles, including one tale of someone cheating Death by bringing death.

Fascinating stories. Some are definitely part of the science fiction realm, and others are looks at life with out the extra twist. Some are very straighforward, some have an obscure meaning. All are interesting reading.

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