No Doors, No Windows

"A collection of ruthlessly twisted tales" from the highly decorated author and critic. Story by story the author twists and weaves through the darkest corners of the human spirit and beyond. Arguably, the best short story writer of our time, these 16 offerings show Ellison at the top of his game, and "not one of which has a stupid spaceship in it". Revenge, Murder, Monsters...Ellison's fiction walks a fine line of believable reality sure to keep the reader wondering..... ( )

Ah serendipity.

I was with a friend in Seattle, and we stopped at Pike Street so she could bring fresh seafood back to Phoenix. We knew the gods were smiling when a 30 minute parking spot opened directly (and this is no exaggeration, it was directly) in front of her favorite fish market. She began the long project that is her ordering and their packing, and I began to wonder. When what to my wandering eyes did appear, but used bookstore that barely went from there back to here. (Sorry) Yes, it was small, but it was enticing, and gods continued their smiling. Within…six books by Harlan Ellison. I had all of them, except for No Doors, No Windows. And this was a good condition paperback. It was snarfed up and recently devoured.

Oh yeah, the book. As has been said by other reviewers, you either hate or love Ellison’s work, and a quick review of my library will show me to be the latter. This is a nice little collection. This is not the one I would chose for a neophyte, and you probably want to be a little more of a completist than most before you actively seek this. But they are good stories told by a true craftsman. And they are a little different slant since these are primarily “suspense” stories. But with Ellison, that always means something different than you might expect.

So, even if you aren’t a partial completist, there are four reasons you should look for this book. First (and maybe least important) is “The Whimper of Whipped Dogs”. This is least important because you can find it elsewhere (primary suggestion – Deathbird and Other Stories), but this story is a classic. (And, if you don’t remember the name Kitty Genovese – not the name used in this story – then feel ashamed, maybe look up her story, and then read this one.) Second is the introduction. It is long, and it is worth reading for a number of reasons. Primarily, the letter sent to Ellison (anonymously) by a police officer. Particularly in the context of Ellison’s introduction, a sobering tale of life in reality. Third and fourth are the stories “Tired Old Man” and “Promises of Laughter”. I don’t remember seeing either of these before, and they will slap you awake and make you re-read them. “Tired Old Man” is particularly good if you know Ellison’s back story – but easily stands on its own, helping us each understand ourselves better. And “Promises of Laughter” just doesn’t belong in this collection (based on the premise) but deserves to be reprinted many times. Love and not quite getting to love. And what does it all mean to me. ( )

A collection of Harlan Ellison's stories of terror and suspense, with a 40-page foreword (Geez...) explaining his evolution and fascination with the genre. That said, the stories truly are chilling pulse-quickeners. Ellison is a natural for this genre, with his taut skill with words and macabre take on the world. ( )

This is a collection of stories that somewhat fit under the mystery/suspense category. Actually, I would create a subheading for many of these tales as "macho" stories. (If nothing else, Harlan Ellison exposes the futility of attempting strict categorization.) Basically, these were originally published in men's magazines in the 50's and 60's and have requisite scenes of sex and/or violence. Even so, they're all rather good, the highlights being "The Whimper of Whipped Dogs" and "Tired Old Man". There's not much else to say about it. I like Ellison enough that his works are almost always going to be recommended, but this particular volume is on my shelf.
--J. ( )