A swathe of prosaic prose about sex and death kicks things off. “Delusion for a Dragon Slayer” tells of... well, there are a couple interpretations. One is a man in full, sweaty passion with a woman. Another is skirting the ecstatic edge of death. Title story and classic premise, “Shatterday” tells of a man and his unexpected doppelganger. Each sabotage the other's lives, and eventually things come to a head that satisfies plot concerns but likewise parallels any crisis of soul a person may have had. A story written in a six-hour sitting, “Flop Sweat” tells of a radio show host who invites a shadowy figure on air. Set in LA during the Ripper's heyday, Ellison introduces elements of horror that is good enough for a one-off read.
After a spot of flash fiction (“In the Oligocenskie Gardens”), the collection continues with “Basilisk”. A powerful, metaphorical tale (and one of the best in the collection), it tells of a returning POW put on trial for spilling secrets under torture. While a critique of the Vietnam War at its core, the story itself is a surreal, dynamic piece whose prose soars (sometimes too close to the sun) and whose imagery is effective. In some ways it's the film Born on the Fourth of July wearing a fantastical, dragon-scaled disco suit.
Another surreal tale, “Shattered Like a Glass Goblet” looks at the domestic side of addicts' lives during the Vietnam War: sex, drugs, and the hope for rock 'n roll. Set in an apartment occupied by druggies, Ellison flits back and forth, from reality to stylized representations of their desperate attempts at connection while under the influence of hard drugs. Not an easy story, Ellison nevertheless artfully lays bare the soul of a handful of people lost in life.
A peculiar story that will likely divide readers, “Adrift Just Off the Islets of Langerhans: Latitude 38° 54' N, Longitude 77° 00' 13" W” is, in some ways, the kitchen sink of fantastika. Horror, science fiction, literary fiction, surrealism, myth—a number of motifs inform the tale of one man's... Well, if I told you that it would spoil things. Ellison takes. his. sweet. time. getting. to. the. motive. We meet a man in the meantime who has a secret to keep, a ploy to realize, some lycanthopian behaviors to utilize, and a set of impossible coordinates—the story title—to find. It will either intrigue the reader or put them off, no two ways about it.
Gothic horror romance, “On the Downhill Side” tells of a person of non-mortal persuasion falling in love with a woman in the French Quarter of New Orleans. Ellison nicely strings along the tension underlying the secrets of their backstories, not to mention excellently locates a unicorn as the needle of power between the two. And did I mention it ends in a song? Fully produced for the audiobook, the arrangement and vocals perfectly fit the story.
A lesson for all inspiring writers how to edit two time periods in a story, “All the Lies That Are My Life” tells of an asshole writer and the funeral of a fellow writer he is attending. Throughout the proceedings, Ellison flashes back in time, telling the backstory of the two authors' relationship. And it is contentious, creating another inherent lesson: how to present distinguished characters. The reader comes to know the two authors, disliking yet feeling their humanity in the outlay. Needless to say, the final reading of the will has some surprises up its sleeve for the still living.
And closing the collection is an extended joke, “Goodbye to All That”. The reader's appreciation of the joke will depend on a few things. One is how cynical a view they have of modern capitalism, and two is how highly they hold in regard zen spiritualism. Ellison skewers both in elegant, poetic fashion.
In the end, Shatterday & Other Stories contains some of Ellison's lesser known but no less powerful stories from late in his career, 1970s—90s. A compelling writer, Ellison uses forceful, colorful prose to tell a spectrum of stories, mimetic to surreal, horror to comedic. And so while earlier editions of Voice from the Edge contain more of Ellison's better known stories, those collected are not lacking.
The following are the eleven stories collected in Shatterday & Other Stories:
Delusion for a Dragon Slayer
Shatterday
Flop Sweat
In the Oligocenskie Gardens
Basilisk
Shattered Like a Glass Goblin
Adrift Just Off the Islets of Langerhans: Latitude 38° 54' N, Longitude 77° 00' 13" W
On the Downhill Side
Susan
All the Lies That Are My Life
Goodbye to All That
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