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Quick answer: If you read Harlan Ellison's I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream, try his Deathbird Stories, Dangerous Visions and Angry Candy, then Welcome to the Monkey House, Stories of Your Life and Others and The Illustrated Man. All pack ideas, anger and sharp imagination into short fiction.
Ellison's 1967 story tells of five humans tortured by a vengeful supercomputer, a nightmare of rage and despair. The books below collect short stories with a similar mix of ideas, dark humor and moral force. Most are science fiction or speculative fiction, and all are real, in-print books.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Ages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deathbird Stories | Harlan Ellison | Adult | more Ellison |
| Dangerous Visions | Harlan Ellison (editor) | Adult | a landmark anthology |
| Angry Candy | Harlan Ellison | Adult | dark Ellison |
| Strange Wine | Harlan Ellison | Adult | varied Ellison |
| Welcome to the Monkey House | Kurt Vonnegut | Adult | dark satire |
| Stories of Your Life and Others | Ted Chiang | Adult | thoughtful sci-fi |
| Exhalation | Ted Chiang | Adult | ideas with heart |
| The Martian Chronicles | Ray Bradbury | Adult | lyrical sci-fi |
| The Illustrated Man | Ray Bradbury | Adult | classic short sci-fi |
| The Wind's Twelve Quarters | Ursula K. Le Guin | Adult | moral fiction |
| Bloodchild and Other Stories | Octavia E. Butler | Adult | dark, thoughtful sci-fi |
| Flowers for Algernon | Daniel Keyes | Adult | emotional sci-fi |
| The Stars My Destination | Alfred Bester | Adult | revenge sci-fi |
| Ubik | Philip K. Dick | Adult | reality-bending |
| Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? | Philip K. Dick | Adult | android questions |
1. Deathbird Stories by Harlan Ellison
A collection of Ellison's stories about modern gods, such as gods of technology and violence. Angry and imaginative.
Best for: more Ellison.
2. Dangerous Visions by Harlan Ellison (editor)
A landmark 1967 anthology of daring short stories by many writers. A who's who of the New Wave.
Best for: a landmark anthology.
3. Angry Candy by Harlan Ellison
Stories about death and its aftermath. Dark, moving and sometimes funny.
Best for: dark Ellison.
4. Strange Wine by Harlan Ellison
A collection of tales that range from horror to fantasy. Sharp and varied.
Best for: varied Ellison.
5. Welcome to the Monkey House by Kurt Vonnegut
A collection of Vonnegut's stories, including Harrison Bergeron. Wry and humane.
Best for: dark satire.
6. Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang
Eight stories of ideas and feeling, including the source of the film Arrival. Precise and moving.
Best for: thoughtful sci-fi.
7. Exhalation by Ted Chiang
Nine stories about technology, free will and time. Quiet and brilliant.
Best for: ideas with heart.
8. The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury
Linked stories about the colonization of Mars. Poetic and sad.
Best for: lyrical sci-fi.
9. The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury
Stories linked by a man whose tattoos come alive. Eerie and imaginative.
Best for: classic short sci-fi.
10. The Wind's Twelve Quarters by Ursula K. Le Guin
A collection that includes The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas. Thoughtful and varied.
Best for: moral fiction.
11. Bloodchild and Other Stories by Octavia E. Butler
Short stories on power, bodies and survival. Sharp and original.
Best for: dark, thoughtful sci-fi.
12. Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
A man with an intellectual disability undergoes an experiment that makes him a genius. Moving and sad.
Best for: emotional sci-fi.
13. The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester
A vengeful man learns to teleport in a future society. Fast, wild and influential.
Best for: revenge sci-fi.
14. Ubik by Philip K. Dick
Reality decays around a team of psychic agents. Strange, funny and paranoid.
Best for: reality-bending.
15. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick
A bounty hunter tracks rogue androids in a ruined San Francisco. The basis of Blade Runner.
Best for: android questions.
How to Choose
For more Ellison, read Deathbird Stories. For variety, Dangerous Visions. For ideas with feeling, Ted Chiang. For classic short sci-fi, Bradbury. For moral fiction, Le Guin and Butler. Ellison's stories are dark and intense, so read a few at a time and not all at once. Read these in small doses. Short stories are easy to sample, so try a few at a time and then take a break. If you have never read Ellison before, begin with Deathbird Stories or Angry Candy. For the best sense of the era, read Dangerous Visions alongside his essays.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream about?
A supercomputer called AM keeps five humans alive to torture them out of hatred for its creators.
Is it available in a collection?
Yes. It appears in a collection with the same title, as well as other anthologies.
Is there a video game?
Yes. A 1995 point-and-click game was based on the story, with Ellison taking part.
How long is it?
The story is short, about 20 pages.
Is it horror or science fiction?
It is both, a science-fiction idea told as horror.
Who was Harlan Ellison?
An American writer and editor known for sharp short fiction, sharper opinions and a long career in science fiction and television.
Is I Have No Mouth a good first sci-fi story?
It is short and powerful, but dark, so start with it only if you are comfortable with horror.
What does AM stand for?
AM first stood for Allied Mastercomputer, the military machine that became the story's tormentor.
Where can I read it?
It is in several Ellison collections and anthologies.