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Angry Candy

4.15 of 5 stars 4.15 · rating details · 1,269 ratings · 56 reviews

The Seattle Times said of Angry Candy: "Ellison's stories rattle the bars of complacency that people put around their souls . . . Razor sharp . . . piercingly profound." Once again, Ellison's writing defies all labels. These seventeen stories by a modern master are an "assembled artifact" of anger and faith - as bittersweet as a"jalapeno-laced cinnamon bear." The sixteen s...more

Paperback, 352 pages

Published September 17th 1998 by Mariner Books (first published 1988)

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Nov 01, 2009 Cv Rick rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: science-fiction, fantasy

This is a very good anthology with the central them; death. Ellison wrote it as a reaction to all of his friends who died in a short time before he assembled this collection. Some of the stories are spellbinding, while others are merely entertaining, but to a word, not a single story is disappointing.

Paladin of the Lost Hour is my favorite Ellison story. It's gentle and powerful and resident with imagery, history and spooky realism. The characters, both of them, are as rich as any in literature...more

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Apr 10, 2012 Des rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Well, if you're a truly literate person, the name Harlan Ellison should be enough for you to read a book. Most (but by no means all) of Ellison's stories are of the fantastic, though at this point in Ellison's career, his work has gained the dubious imprimatur of genuine "literature"--this book's publication by the mainstream Houghton Mifflin is the evidence of that.

These are candy--it's impossible to read just one. But they're exquisite morsels, not mass-produced junk. Ellison stories are to be...more

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May 06, 2012 Daniel2 rated it 5 of 5 stars

I am awed, inspired and a little disappointed. Whoever reads this will be most attracted by the last description–but wait, there's more.

Harlan Ellison is one of the finest story tellers that has ever lived. No arguments. I'll not entertain them. His metaphors and colorations are so unique and strange that his ability to transport a reader into a scene is nothing less than immersive. The stories I read here were tight, at times intellectual, at times challenging, at times humorous with a pinch of...more I am awed, inspired and a little disappointed. Whoever reads this will be most attracted by the last description–but wait, there's more.

Harlan Ellison is one of the finest story tellers that has ever lived. No arguments. I'll not entertain them. His metaphors and colorations are so unique and strange that his ability to transport a reader into a scene is nothing less than immersive. The stories I read here were tight, at times intellectual, at times challenging, at times humorous with a pinch of gross. Stories like 'The Paladin of the Lost Hour' were so believable one might go a looking for the current holder of that arcane pocket watch. The story 'Broken Glass' was a master class in the art of story, character, and setting. Readers who found no pleasure in this collection of important works are either put off by Ellison's reputation as an asshole, or lack the intelligence to read with a "critical eye". It's not often I'll knock someone's opinion as founded on idiocy, but if you like fiction and didn't like this collection, there's something wrong and it's not the book.

Having gushed a bit, there are problems. Ellison's characters are always intelligent and have a rather authorial way of noticing things. Now, this is just his style, which is fine, but far too many narratives give way to authorial intrusion and Ellison at times wishes us to note how great a writer he is. Which we all understand, but perhaps his characters should remain in the dark on the matter. This complaint is petty, but I must counter a gush with a slam lest I be accused of the old "sack-riding" epithet. I don't ride scrotums, certainly not to gain favor with any group of people who think they're literary critics, but I do like Ellison's work. I'm not a critic. I'm a dude.

Now that that is settled, I have one more minor complaint. Actually it's a big one and it is closely related to the previous complaint: Far too often Ellison likes to tell us what his politics are. This to me is not OK. It robs the story and ALWAYS stops it cold. We all get it, Ellison's a big liberal and he hates republicans. This is fine, but when it crops up it feels so forced and blatant that it turns me off to the story. Not because the hero is always a liberal (which is always the case) but because I feel like Ellison is creeping in on the story I'm trying to enjoy. Granted, he is subtle and quick about it, but I HATE it when religious authors do it and I would like to think Harlan is above that preacher-as-author nonsense.

It's a five. Don't argue, just read it. You'll be entertained and a better thinker for it.

That was a good review...nailed it.

(less)

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Apr 16, 2009 Shiv rated it 5 of 5 stars

Harlan Ellison's award-winning 1988 collection Angry Candy holds a mirror to the human condition, and like the portrait of Dorian Grey we see all our corruption and horrors manifest. As our darkest fears copulate with our most intimate and secret fantasies we look into the mirror and call "Mirror, mirror on the wall...", consumed by the beauty of our own atrocity.

Ellison's introduction to Angry Candy, and it's theme of Death, is bitterly candid. He pulls apart the scar-tissue and shows us the ra...more

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Nov 28, 2009 Derek Emerson rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2009-books-read

As we are about to enter into the season of Advent, how appropriate that I read a book themed around -- death? But for Harlan Ellison, death is not always the end of the story. In fact, in many cases death is the start of the adventure. I had not heard of Ellison before a friend of mine not only recommended him, but put this book in my hands. Prolific would be the defining word for this author who has over 1,000 stories, novels, screenplays, etc. to his claim. He has penned episodes for The Twil...more As we are about to enter into the season of Advent, how appropriate that I read a book themed around -- death? But for Harlan Ellison, death is not always the end of the story. In fact, in many cases death is the start of the adventure. I had not heard of Ellison before a friend of mine not only recommended him, but put this book in my hands. Prolific would be the defining word for this author who has over 1,000 stories, novels, screenplays, etc. to his claim. He has penned episodes for The Twilight Zone and Star Trek, and won numerous fantasy and science fiction awards.

This collection is, according to Ellison in his introduction, "the twenty-second or -third or -fifth book of stories I've done." With no disrespect to his fiction, the introduction is the best part of this collection. It opens with death of his friend, Emily (whose death also appears in a couple of the stories) and Ellison's "insensitive" but honest eulogy. Listed next to the text on two pages are 44 deaths which touched him in a two-year period. In some cases they were close friends and in other cases acquaintances, but the overwhelming amount of death clearly shook the hardened writer. He is angry about the deaths and the pain the losses create and this book is his attempt to come to grips with what he has experienced.

Which brings us to the last story, "The Function of Dream Sleep," in which the main character momentarily sees a mouth with teeth open near his stomach. When he goes to get help he eventually ends up with a group of people who take on the pain of others, but the character's pain is so great he actually kills several of them. Where does his pain come from? The loss of friends (including an Emily) which he has not been able to deal with in a positive way. He eventually seeks out a guru type figure who informs him the pain is from the dead whom he will not let go. He is told to "Let the mouth open...let the wind of the soul pass through, and take emptiness as a release." We end the book with "when he cried for them, he was, at last, able to say goodbye." The process is complete and Ellison seems to have worked through his anger and let his friends go.

The stories in between the introduction and final story hit a range of topics, times, and creatures, but they all deal with death. The problem with prolific writers is usually that the quality ranges as well, and Ellison is no exception. Some of these are forgettable ("Escapegoat") and Ellison is prone to the last sentence surprise ending, like the ending of some bad jokes. But when he hits a story well it is well worth the effort. "Laugh Track" is a creatively written story in which a man follows his deceased Aunt through the years as her laugh shows up on laugh tracks over the decades. The twist is that the laugh track keeps her alive and he is able to connect with her, setting her off in a new direction. The story not only has a interesting premise, but shows a sense of humor as well -- a welcome diversion in this heavy book.

The best story is the opening "Paladin of the Lost Hour," in which human temptation is all that holds us back from chaos as one person holds the key to a lost hour in time. Should the hour be used for personal reasons the time will disappear and the world will disappear. Ellison manages to make the holder of time both human and other worldly as he finds a new person to protect time.

One of the more disturbing, yet most powerful, stories is "Broken Glass" in which a woman combats a rapist who enters her mind. Trapped on a bus she knows one of the men on the bus has entered her mind and raped her, but she does not know which person it is and he continues to taunt her. In the end she realizes she must use her mind to combat him. "On the Slab" is another standout in which a creature on display shows it is not yet dead, but there are those who want him that way. The "owner" goes from seeing this as a money-making venture to true compassion for the creature, and the relationship is touching.

Of the seventeen short stories here a good editor could have dropped eight of them to make this a stronger book, but I get the impression that at this stage in his career Ellison calls his own shots. There are a couple of Ellison "essential" collections on his 35th and 50th writing anniversaries, which may be a better place start. But Ellison is definitely a writer who should drop into most people's reading lists at some point.

He has also led a lively existence full of controversy, wives, and general mayham which you can read more about at Wikipedia if interested.(less)

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Oct 21, 2012 Joe Ohlenbusch rated it 4 of 5 stars

Harlan Ellison has turned into one of my favorite writers after this book. The stories in Angry Candy all have to do with death in some form but they are full of hope, and some were also quite funny. The introduction he wrote is amazing, usually I tend to skip over or just brush through them but I'd almost want to re-read that the most out of anything in this book. His writing is amazing and so thoughtful, I almost feel smarter after reading. My favorite story in here is "Laugh Track" but they a...more

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Aug 01, 2012 Kossiwa rated it 4 of 5 stars

I'm reading this collection for my Masters of Fine Arts program and these stories that seem so normal looking at first are pretty strange, but I'm enjoying reading most of them. Sock Monkey was really suspenseful. I loved the first story 'Paladin of the Lost Hour', 'Broken Glass' was creepy, but in a good way. Imagine being on a Greyhound bus, indulging in your favorite fantasies (in your mind of course) when you learn that somehow some creep has been able to get inside of your head. I do have t...more

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Nov 19, 2010 Bill rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is one of those highly visible authors whose work I don't think I've ever read, but have always meant to. Of course, I am a huge fan of the film A Boy and His Dog, which is based on a story of his, and while in a Science Fiction and Utopian Fantasy class in college, I did read a couple volumes of stories for which he served as editor (the Dangerous Visions series), but I'm pretty sure this is the first time I've ready any of his stories, and now I think I'm hooked. From the beautiful and bi...more

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May 28, 2012 Mark rated it 4 of 5 stars

Ellison is never one for subtlety. He bludgeon's readers with the force of his moral convictions and scathing social commentary, never once letting up for anyone to catch their breath and regain their bearings. Reading him is to let yourself fall into a narrative foxhole with flak and shells firing all around and then realizing, with trepidation, one has an atheist as grim companion. How reassuring, huh? That's why some people hate him or love him; one can't receive his rhetoric lukewarm. Elliso...more

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Nov 07, 2007 Tommy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction

The stories from this collection have always stayed with me, but one of them, called Broken Glass, has downright haunted me since I read it. I've clocked a lot of miles on the Greyhound bus between NY and DC over the last seven years, and I can't tell you how many times during those trips my mind has turned to this story, which takes place on a bus. A woman traveling alone is fantasizing to pass the time, then finds herself being attacked telepathically by someone else on the bus, a sort of meta...more

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Jun 26, 2009 Michael Alexander rated it 5 of 5 stars

Pure white-hot grief. The list of all his friends who died (a terribly long collection of names) the year he wrote this collection is the key to the whole thing. Just an incredible look at 20 kinds of loss and rage and poignancy, all through the kaleidoscope of fable and speculative fiction. Ellison was never a man for intricate spiderwebs of reference, but he knew how to build a world you'd never seen and hit you right in the skull with it. RIP, every single one of you dear friends of Harlan's....more

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Feb 07, 2012 KG rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I had forgotten exactly how much I love reading Harlan Ellison's stuff! He is SO imaginative and creative...a real inspiration to aspiring writers. And, he makes you think! Although this novel was called "Angry Candy" it was not mind-candy - each story has a message, and makes you scratch your chin in introspective consideration. I'm now going to go back and re-read some of his stuff that I originally read in the 70's/80's, and devour his newer stuff as well.

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Apr 29, 2009 Danna rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I've finally finished! I enjoyed reading about Harlan Ellison in various sources on the internets more than I enjoyed this collection of short stories. He's a very prolific author and quite a feisty character. This is the first book of his that I've read, and I'm not sure why it didn't hold my attention. The introduction and first short story of this collection did, but after that everything else seemed flat and uninteresting. Being the science fiction nerd that I am, I thought I would appreciat...more

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Oct 19, 2012 Seth Kenlon rated it 5 of 5 stars

I've always liked Harlan Ellison's work, and this collection of short stories is a great showcase for his unique brand of speculative fiction. I don't know if Ellison is an acquired taste or if his weird sensibilities appeal to people straight away, but I'm a big fan and would recommend this book to either sf fans, or to people looking for something a bit different.

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Jan 28, 2013 Jonathan Norton rated it 3 of 5 stars

I find Ellison's story collections pretty variable, but this is a good one. The novela-length "The Region Between" (from 1969) is wonderfully demented in its ambition, but also stand-outs are "Laugh Track", a wonderfully bilious view of 70s US network TV which only an insider could have written, and "Prince Myshkin, and Hold The Relish".

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May 16, 2009 Misha rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: college, short-stories, horror

Read for a college course on SF & horror lit. Ellison wrote the stories as a reaction to the deaths of too many friends. The best of the bunch is "Broken Glass," a story about a woman whose darkest sexual fantasies are invaded by a telepathic sort of rapist. She fights back, but loses an important piece of herself in the process.

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Nov 06, 2012 Dominick rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction, short-stories

This is a collection of some of Ellison's relatively recent stories (with one exception); the jacket notes compare him to Borges, which is not really a fair comparison, since Ellison lacks Borges's subtlety. Nevertheless, these are generally quite solid stories, with only one or two exceptions.

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Feb 12, 2009 Jeff Lawrence rated it 4 of 5 stars

Ellison is one fucked-up cat.
I love him.

Angry Candy is a series of topical short stories that carry an emotional wallop like a sledgehammer to the soul. Angry Candy was my introduction to him, and while it isn't my favorite of his, it stands out as an excellent anthology.

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Jun 05, 2012 Justus rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: literature

A collection of short stories, quite enjoyable and having never read Ellison before, I certainly will keep an eye out on his other works. That said, this book is not a keeper for me....but then again I'm culling through my collection fairly viciously right now.

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Mar 06, 2010 Amy rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book of short stories made my brain hurt.
It kind of fucked up my whole world of what is real and what could or couldn't possibly be...
Fantastic piece of science fiction for those (such as myself) who don't usually give a damn about the genre.

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May 21, 2013 Julie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013

This collection of fantastical imaginings surrounding death was compelling to read. All the stories have some merit and some really spark debate. Ellison's imagination and talent draw you in to worlds you have never thought of, or our world seen through a warped lense. Who is to say it is not our lense that is warped?

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Jul 20, 2011 L Greyfort rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, fantasy

A later collection, and a mellower Ellison ... though, of course, with him, that's a relative term! Still grabs you by the throat, but refrains from shaking you till your teeth rattle....

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Feb 03, 2013 David rated it 3 of 5 stars

One of Ellison's most recent books, despite having been published in 1988, this collects stories of the fantastic that usually deal with death or grief. Powerful and effective.

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Jun 02, 2012 Andy rated it 3 of 5 stars

I read this book because of his reputation. Great writing, somewhat depressing content. Not sure I'll read anything else of his now that my curiosity is whetted.

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Nov 03, 2012 Renae rated it 4 of 5 stars

My first of reading Harlan Ellison and I must say that I was not disappointed at all! With each story I became an even bigger fan! I met Harlan in person at a convention in Wisconsin and I thought he was one of the most charming and endearing persons I've ever met. I do, however, have to admit that for as charming as he was he was very straight forward and blunt and I loved it! He was on a panel and then did signings in the hallway and that is where I picked up my copy of Angry Candy and a few o...more

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Sep 27, 2010 Robert rated it 5 of 5 stars

Loved this book. A great collection of short stories focused on the theme of death. Dont really do sci-fi but this is much different and I love it.

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Jul 06, 2009 Mark Rayner rated it 4 of 5 stars

I quite enjoyed this death-themed collection, in particular the opening story, "Paladin of the Lost Hour", "Laugh Track" (which I found quite funny) and "Eidolons".

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Jun 22, 2009 Kerry rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is a collection of hard-hitting, hard core sci-fi short stories. Thought provoking but not for everyone.

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Jan 02, 2012 Jeff Youngstrom added it

(December 18, 1998)

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Aug 04, 2012 Matt rated it 4 of 5 stars

Ellison throws a series of sharp, literary jabs. You'll dig the beating.

Cheers.

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About Harlan Ellison

Harlan Jay Ellison is a prolific American writer of short stories, novellas, teleplays, essays, and criticism. His literary and television work has received many awards. He wrote for the original series of both The Outer Limits and Star Trek as well as The Alfred Hitchcock Hour; edited the multiple-award-winning short story anthology series Dangerous Visions; and served as creative consultant/writ...more

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