A Boy and His Dog & "Repent, Harlequin!" said the Ticktockman

by Harlan Ellison

Published in Harlan Ellison’s 1969 short-story collection, The Beast That Shouted Love at the Heart of the World, "A Boy and His Dog" is one of the author’s own favorite works. Critics also appreciated the story, and it won the 1969 Nebula Award (awarded by Science Fiction Writers of America) for Best Novella. Six years later, it was adapted as a Hugo Award-winning film, with Don Johnson starring as Vic. "A Boy and His Dog" is considered one of Ellison’s most compelling stories, and the author expanded it into a novel in 1989.

In post-apocalyptic America, the surface is the province of the roverpaks, bands of feral human males teamed with intelligence-enhanced dogs, descendants of those bred for military use in the war that drove civilization underground. A lucky encounter with a thrill-seeking female from the world below draws Vic and his telepathic mutt Blood "down the rabbit hole" to an encounter with the remnants of pre-war civilization. But like Huck Finn, Vic doesn't much like being civilized...

Originally published in the collection The Beast That Shouted Love at the Heart of the World, New York: Avon, 1969.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Dystopia, Post Apocalyptic, Short Stories, Speculative Fiction, Classics

Audio Cassette

Published April 27, 1987

About the author

Harlan Jay Ellison (1934-2018) was 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/writer to the science fiction TV series The New Twilight Zone and Babylon 5.

Several of his short fiction pieces have been made into movies, such as the classic "The Boy and His Dog".

Reviews

[Andreas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review for A Boy and his Dog (novella edition, not the novelette):
The vivid pictures in this novella have been most influential in the building of popular imagination of a gritty, post-apocalyptic world: More than the movie adaption of the novella it influenced the visuals of Mad Max movies and contemporary computer game series Fallout, just to name a few samples. Ellison's clear, and graphical visions of fights and a rape scene are necessary components for the story's ending. Central to the story is the question "do you know what love is?" The answer is expected and surprising at the same time, they lead to a very satisfying conclusion of the relationship between nature, intellect, and community, each represented by one of the three main characters. All of them are drawn authentically and believable with their range of emotions, loyalities, and reactions to complex situations. At the same time, the story is very easily accessible and doesn't provide analysis headaches like many of Ellison's more experimental forms of fiction.
I highly recommend this masterwork.

Full review at my blog.

Also my review for "Repent..." is to be found there.

[Janis Ian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think people who dismiss this as "gross" or "childish" really miss the point. Great set-up, great pay-off, interesting world-build.

[Barry Tipper · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘A boy loves his dog.’ Never has a sentence made me smile quite like that did. It’s a short glimpse into the world of one seriously nasty character. The telepathic dog is the nicest of all, but it doesn’t stop the graphic and sinister scenes depicted detracting from the overall impact of the story.

At the end, I smiled, I probably shouldn’t have done, but I honestly didn’t expect what came, and that’s what forced my smile. It’s not for everyone, and if you hate the idea of violence in general I’d advise you to avoid, but for those who can stomach a general nasty tone, go for it. It’s a good read.

[Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two of Harlan's most famous works. The former is an original novella, with a cool twist on post-apocalyptic stories. Some read it as misogynist, though it is really a realistic take on the situations that would really arise if civilization would collapse.

The latter story is not the deepest in the world. It is a rather obvious dystopian theme. But the writing is brilliant and that is what makes the story so great.

[Bondama · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a novella that quite literally changed my life. Shocking, heart rending and absolutely something about which I can say, This is the BEST.... Avoid the movie made from this novella at all costs. It's terrible, and completely screws up every image Ellison ever conjured up in this post-apocalyptic short novel.

[Summeralism · Rating 5 out of 5]

An very well written novel(la), a story about a boy, Vic and his dog, Blood. Vic can speak to Blood in his head. And boy oh boy, no wonder dogs can't talk, because Blood is like the conscience from hell!

Very adventerous, very well written. You can smell fear when you read this story and it is beautiful!

[tingyao · Rating 4 out of 5]

You know when someone's f-ed up personality is so likeable and so weird and so energetic it just transcends the page until all you can hear is Harlan Ellison going "yo mama!" like a firebell in the night...? Yeah.

[Chris Brimmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can understand why he wanted his name taken off the film (even though the film was good), the novel is so much better. There is a belief that it is just a sexist diatribe, I think they just don't get it. Sex was becoming just another consumer good by 1969 and this is a strong statement about that fact.

[Mae · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sure, it's misogynistic. The rape victim turned willing participant was hard to swallow. But, to be fair, the portrayal of the human male wasn't that flattering, either. The final paragraph makes this small time investment completely worth it.

[Nick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shocking and brutal in a rapey misogynistic way, but that helps to convey how devolved human culture has gotten in the story. Influences on Fallout are obvious. Well constructed universe, written in an enjoyable and well paced style, and excellent finish.

[Blair · Rating 3 out of 5]

I actually listened to the audio book... Quite possibly the best read audio I've heard. Story is a touch mediocre, but it would have been a serious business to read it in the 60s though, with the adult subject matter.

[Dipika Bangera · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is the story of the love of a man and his dog but the way it has been written is distinctly unique.

Here the dog is able to speak and he has taught the boy almost everything he knows.

A different world, a different story. Literally packs a punch

[Jeremy Keenan · Rating 4 out of 5]

hahaha Don Johnson rules!

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great post-apocalyptic short novel. Written in early cyberpunk style.

[Dhunter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ellison's work tends to be uneven but this book captures everything that he is capable of.

[Chris Haught · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eh....

[Lemar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cool future post apocalyptic tale of a guy trying to get by.

[Brian Sammons · Rating 4 out of 5]

A classic of the post-apocalyptic genre. Weird, wild, and wonderful and it became a pretty good cult classic flick.

[James Holden · Rating 5 out of 5]

A literary classic

[Paul Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Double your pleasure with twice as much ELLISON!

[Kaethe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love a post-apocalyptic tale, especially one in which the dog is recognizably smarter than the human.

[Lo · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Boy And His Dog is easily one of my favorite Ellison stories. The storyline is original and twists beautifully!

[Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

How Ellison crafts this world so vividly in so few pages is an amazing feat. It is a gritty story, with violence but I think it fits and helps convey the world the characters live in.

Great story.

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite a crude, though entertaining little story.