Deathbird Stories
Deathbird Stories is a collection of 19 of Harlan Ellison's best stories, including Edgar and Hugo winners, originally published between 1960 and 1974. The collection contains some of Ellison's best stories from earlier collections and is judged by some to be his most consistently high quality collection of short fiction. The theme of the collection can be loosely defined as God, or Gods. Sometimes they're dead or dying, some of them are as brand-new as today's technology. Unlike some of Ellison's collections, the introductory notes to each story can be as short as a phrase and rarely run more than a sentence or two. One story took a Locus Poll Award, the two final ones both garnered Hugo Awards and Locus Poll awards, and the final one also received a Jupiter Award from the Instructors of Science Fiction in Higher Education (discontinued in 1979). When the collection was published in Britain, it won the 1979 British Science Fiction Award for Short Fiction. Table of Contents Foreword: Oblations At Alien Altars "His stories will rivet you to the floor and change your heartbeat . . . as unforgettable a chamber of horror, fantasy and reality as you'll ever experience." "Brutally and flamboyantly shocking, frequently brilliant, and always irresistibly mesmerizing." Cover Art by Leo & Diane Dillon |
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www.e-reads.com Harlan Ellison website: www.harlanellison.com No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical-including photocopy, recording, Internet posting, electronic bulletin board-or any other information storage and retrieval system, or by any other method, means or process of embodying and/or transmitting information, text or the spoken word now known or hereafter devised without permission in writing from The Kilimanjaro Corporation, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a critical article or review to be printed in a magazine or newspaper, or electronically transmitted on radio, television or in a recognized on-line journal. For information address Author's agent: Richard Curtis Associates, Inc., 171 East 74th Street, New York, New York 10021, USA. All persons, places and organizations in this book except those clearly in the public domain-are fictitious and any resemblance that may seem to exist to actual persons, places or organizations living, dead or defunct is purely coincidental. These are works of fiction, excerpt for a small portion of "Little Gidding" in Four Quartets, copyright © 1943 by T.S. Eliot; copyright 0 1971 by Esme Valerie Eliot. Reprinted by permission of Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. |
SKU: ERBAEN0067
Copyright © 1975, 1976, 1980 by Harlan Ellison. Copyright © 1983, 1993 by The Kilimanjaro Corporation. Renewed, 2003, 2004 by The Kilimanjaro Corporation DEATHBIRD STORIES is an Edgeworks Abbey® Offering in association with ereads.com. Published by arrangement with the Author and The Kilimanjaro Corporation. Harlan Ellison and Edgeworks Abbey are registered trademarks of The Kilimanjaro Corporation. Front Cover Illustration by Leo & Diane Dillon. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form. E-Reads, Ltd. Electronic version by Baen Books |
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Foreword: "Oblations at Alien Altars," copyright © 1975 by Harlan Ellison. Renewed, 2003 by The Kilimanjaro Corporation. "The Whimper of Whipped Dogs," copyright © 1973 by Harlan Ellison. Renewed, 2001 by The Kilimanjaro Corporation. "Along the Scenic Route" (under the title "Dogfight on 101"), copyright © 1969 by Harlan Ellison. Renewed, 1997 by The Kilimanjaro Corporation. "On the Downhill Side," copyright © 1972 by Harlan Ellison. Renewed, 2000 by The Kilimanjaro Corporation. "O Ye of Little Faith," copyright 1968 by Harlan Ellison. Renewed, 1996 by The Kilimanjaro Corporation. "Neon," copyright © 1973 by Harlan Ellison. Renewed, 2001 by The Kilimanjaro Corporation. "Basilisk," copyright © 1972 by Harlan Ellison. Renewed, 2000 by The Kilimanjaro Corporation. "Pretty Maggie Moneyeyes," copyright © 1967 by Harlan Ellison. Renewed, 1995 by The Kilimanjaro Corporation. "Corpse," copyright © 1972 by Harlan Ellison. Renewed, 2000 by The Kilimanjaro Corporation. "Shattered Like a Glass Goblin," copyright © 1968 by Harlan Ellison. Renewed, 1996 by The Kilimanjaro Corporation. "Delusion for a Dragon Slayer," copyright © 1966 by Harlan Ellison. Renewed, 1994 by The Kilimanjaro Corporation. "The Face of Helene Bournouw," copyright © 1960 by Harlan Ellison. Revised version copyright © 1967 by Harlan Ellison. Renewed, 1988 and 1995 by The Kilimanjaro Corporation. "Bleeding Stones," copyright © 1972 by Harlan Ellison. Renewed, 2000 by The Kilimanjaro Corporation. "At the Mouse Circus," copyright © 1971 by Harlan Ellison. Renewed, 1999 by The Kilimanjaro Corporation. "The Place with No Name," copyright © 1969 by Harlan Ellison. Renewed, 1997 by The Kilimanjaro Corporation. "Paingod," copyright © 1964 by Harlan Ellison. Renewed, 1992 by The Kilimanjaro Corporation. "Ernest and the Machine God," copyright © 1968 by Harlan Ellison. Renewed, 1996 by The Kilimanjaro Corporation. "Rock God," copyright © 1969 by Harlan Ellison. Renewed, 1997 by The Kilimanjaro Corporation. "Adrift Just Off the Islets of Langerhans: Latitude 38° 54' N, Longitude 77° 00' 13" W," copyright © 1974 by Harlan Ellison. Renewed, 2002 by The Kilimanjaro Corporation. "The Deathbird," copyright © 1973 by Harlan Ellison. Renewed, 2001 by The Kilimanjaro Corporation. At last, through the labyrinth. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS It took ten years to complete this cycle of stories. I never lacked for enthusiasm or encouragement. These are some of the people who had the right words and smiles when I needed them: Holly Bower, Ben Bova, R. Glenn Wright, Leonard Isaacs, Edward Ferman, Ralph Weinstock, Bentley Morris, James Sallis, Thomas Disch, Dona Sadock, Dr. Richard Carrigan, Mildred Downey Broxon, Terry Carr, Robert Silverberg, Martin Shapiro, Max Katz, Karen Friedrich, James Tiptree, Jr., Norman Spinrad, Ed Bryant, Rosalind Harvey, Huck and Carol Barkin, Louise Farr, Damon Knight, Kate Wilhelm, the students at the Clarion Writers' Workshops, 1971 and 1972, Jane Rotrosen and most specially, with utmost patience and a concern for this book that goes far beyond mere publishing courtesy, my editor, Ms. Victoria Schochet, without whose pushing and shoving and ramrodding and affection, this book might never have been completed. For Vicky, and for my friend and agent, Robert Mills, there are no words rich enough to convey my thanks. |
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Harlan Ellison's masterwork of myth and terror as he seduces all innocence on a mind-freezing odyssey into the darkest reaches of mortal terror and the most dazzling heights of Olympian hell in his finest collection.