Harlan Ellison
https://deadline.com/2018/06/harlan-...84-1202419133/
A great writer in so many forms.
There came a time when the Old Gods died! The Brave died with the Cunning! The Noble perished locked in battle with unleashed Evil! It was the last day for them! An ancient era was passing in fiery holocaust!
RIP Harlan Ellison. IMHO he was one of the top five greatest writers of the 20th century - the man was brilliant & insightful. I know he wasn't that well-known among a mainstream audience other than his script for the excellent Classic Trek episode City on the Edge of Forever and possibly A Boy and his Dog (novella that was made into the cult 1970's film starring Don Johnson), etc. - but he should be appreciated & remembered for a hell of a lot more than that.
I was a kid back in the '80's, and really enjoyed the 1985-1989 Twilight Zone series. And, two of the best episodes were adaptations of Ellison's short stories, Shatterday (starring a young Bruce Willis), and Paladin of the Lost Hour - excellent.
However, I was a fan of his literature first & foremost, and I feel that his filmed adaptations - while at times great - weren't nearly as powerful as his plethora of written work.
I remember reading a huge collection of his short stories, novellas, and non-fiction essays in my late teens (late 1980's) and being extremely impressed & disturbed. His stories Shattered Like a Glass Goblin, The Whimper of Whipped Dogs, Soldier, "Repent, Harlequin!" Said the Ticktockman,The Beast That Shouted Love at the Heart of the World, I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream, etc. - were all amazing.
Ellison's little-known novella Mefisto in Onyx (illustrated by the great Frank Miller) was incredible. I remember reading this slim HC at a library (in one sitting) back in the early '90's & being mesmerized from start to finish. Truly magnificent work here.
I also liked his non-fiction work. His essay on TV, The Glass Teat, was hilarious, insightful, and sarcastic. As someone who didn't even own a TV for many years, I remember really appreciating this the first time I read it -circa 1989.
Ellison also was the Editor-Creator of Dangerous Visions Anthologies, which more or less created Speculative Fiction.
There came a time when the Old Gods died! The Brave died with the Cunning! The Noble perished locked in battle with unleashed Evil! It was the last day for them! An ancient era was passing in fiery holocaust!
RIP Jon Schnepp