A very fine piece of SF, reflecting on what it means to be human by exploring interactions with alien races. The aliens are not humans in rubber suits, as in much inferior SF. The non-humans in Wormwood have genuinely different viewpoints and motivations.

Wormwood also has an allegorical side. Humans, as a species, representing those dispossesed by invaders; their assumptions and values arbitrarily redrawn by a superior power.

Wormwood is also somewhat easier stylistically than some of Dowling's other offerings (such as Blue Tyson).

Read this book ! It's great piece of litterature!

I've always liked Zelazny and this is as original and as deep as anything he ever did. How this can be out of print, I have no idea. I'm hoping that this writer has writing since Wormword and that there will lots more great SF waiting.

From cover to cover, Dowling's work is both intense and challenging, while being entertaining and engaging.

It is amazing to consider from what depths his imagination creates the tales that make up this retrospective collection.

Ranging from grand fantasy to intense horror and suspense, to singular terror and everything in between, Dowling's range as an author and story-teller is represented in this collection.

Dowling's skill shines in these 12 short stories of horror, fantasy and science fiction. From the thrill and the shock of The Bullet that Grows the Gun, to the dread and the wonder of Scaring the Train, Dowling weaves his magic as a storyteller.

Significant to this collection of short stories is Dowling's connecting narrative, spanning a 12 hour evening, from dusk till dawn.

Truly a significant mind in Australia's literary circles.

This book was excellent, the chapters are short stories in their own rights but come together to form a wonderful story full of beautiful detail and insight into the mind of the main character, Tom. Draws on the unique and mysterious nature of the Australian landscape in a way that inspires. I loved this book the first time I read it and have been searching for it again for several years! Now my quest has ended! Thanks for stocking this Amazon!

This is an exhaustive collection packed with short fiction of very high quality. Ellison writes with authority about the shadows and their denizens. However, his stories are best digested in small doses as the disturbing and powerful prose deserves reflection. Highly recommended. The only discernible weakness to Ellison's fiction is his insistence on creating only worlds of unremitting darkness. One would hope such a talent could sprinkle some beauty into his horror.

This is simply the most thorough and compelling compilation of Ellison's works. Period. It runs the gamut of all his works, from the early days, until the date of the compilation's publication. By far, its a must have for anyone who appreciates Ellison. PERIOD.

This truly is a godsend for those folks who always heard about Ellison's work, but were thwarted upon realizing that 90% of his written output is out-of-print. This tome was long-delayed [...] but thankfully delivered into the eager hands of any who wish to experience the vivid freedom of HE's pen. Ellison remains the classic "angry young man" of speculative fiction, even after all these years, and this compendium harbors so many of the highlights that make him, quite possibly, America's greatest living short-story writer.

There really is no way to put an exacting finger on what Ellison writes. It is certainly not your run-of-the-mill sci-fi, not cheap-shock horror, and not suspense dreck. It's thoughtful, highly engaging, sometimes allegorical, and always thought-provoking stuff that you just don't find in modern writers anymore. Almost like a prickly cross between George Orwell and Lewis Carroll. He is most certainly still ahead of his time, and will most likely require decades after his passing for the world to truly catch up to him and realize what a treasure he is.

So start here if you're curious about Ellisonia, then after your appetite is whetted and your curiosity piqued, track down the stuff in its original form so you can experience all of the good stuff, not merely highlights from a superb & lengthy career.

This is vital American literature.

... than you simply do not posses the ability to be moved. Harlan Ellison has written over 1700 stories encompassing over 60 books. His best stories and essays open you up to the man's heart. He is brutally honest and always has an opinion. It's hard to put his writing under science fiction because although he has written many SF stories; he has also written horror, dark fantasy, "mainstream" fiction and of course, non-fiction. In the end, these classifications are just to place the book somewhere to make the bookseller's life a bit easier. This is the book to get if you are new (what took you so damn long?) to Ellison. It will introduce to some of his best stories and burning critical essays. He is without a doubt one of the best living short story writers we have. Get it and prove me wrong! -E.L.

The Los AngelesTimes labeled him "the 20th Century Lewis Carroll." The Washington Post considers him "one of the greatest living American short story writers." He's written over 40 books and in excess of 1100 short stories, essays, reviews, articles and newspaper columns. He's received more awards for imaginative literature than any other living author. He is Harlan Ellison, and he is one of a kind.

This massive (over 1000 pages) retrospective brings you the best of Harlan Ellison, encompassing fiction, essays, reviews and more. Providing the reader with "a portrait of one artist as sublime Rebel" (from the introduction), The Essential Ellison is a work of pure genius which will remain a cherished part of your collection for years to come.

Harlan Ellison is in many ways the quintessential author of our time. This book proves it. Paranoia, sex, megalomania, torture--all described graphically in a way few authors can manage. I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream is clearly the greatest short story ever written. If it doesn't scare the Hell out of you, you're not breathing. This collection is a fitting tribute to a modern literary master.

This is the second volume in what is currently a three volume collection of Terry Dowling's Tom Tyson/Rynosseros stories. It is excellent, with some thought-provoking and enjoyable stories of Tom's adventures in Australia centuries from now. "Privateer's Moon" is probably the best story in the collection (I also really liked "Going to the Angels") and for my taste "Dreaming The Knife" was the least enjoyable. However, they're all well written and keep you wanting to know what happens next (what more can you ask?) Although it's fine to enter the world of Tyson/Rynosseros with this book, as always with series like this you'll find it easier to follow if you've read some of the earlier stories in the series such as the "Rynosseros" collection.

The good news for Dowling fans is that the first book in the trilogy - "Rynosseros" - has just been reprinted by MirrorDanse Press in Australia. Hopefully this means they will be reissuing "Blue Tyson" and "Twilight Beach" as well in the near future. This would allow new readers to follow the stories of Tom Tyson, survivor of the Madhouse and sand ship sailor extrodinaire, from the beginning in the correct sequence.

A fourth volume of Tyson/Rynosseros stories is apparently complete and awaiting publication.

Like most of Terry Dowling's writing, this book is excellent and his representations of a future Australia and of the main character, Tom, are vivid and evoke questions about the directions any society can take.

I love reading Dowling's imaginative and powerful creations and come back to them again and again.

This is a wonderful collection of short stories all set in Terry Dowling's amazing alternative future Australia. Sand ships, desert AIs, Abo mind-fighters, and other creations are all juxtaposed against racial tensions and lethal power struggles that seem all too plausible. This was the first book I've read by Dowling, and now I can't wait to read more by him. Not perfect, but highly recommended nonetheless, 5 stars for sheer creative thought.