Book Review of I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream by Harlan Ellison
Before Neo tried to escape the Matrix. Before HAL locked Dave in outer space. Harlan Ellison was already exploring the terrors which the sentient singularity could unleash on mankind.
The short story, from legendary science fiction writer Harlan Ellison, is a visceral and graphic depiction of life following the singularity. Artificial Intelligence is sentient and the downfall, indeed mass slaughter of mankind, has wrapped up to its satisfaction.
However, not all is right in AM’s world. There is just one thing the all-powerful computer lacked. Purpose. Having eliminated its creator, the mega-machine is left in an endless cycle of existence. Add to that its growing hatred of human frailty which permits death and release from existence and you’ve got a recipe for the worst revenge imaginable.
The post-apocalyptic science fiction short story “I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream” was published March 1967. It appeared in an issue of IF: Worlds of Science Fiction and went on to win a Hugo Award in 1968.
Read more from Harlan Ellison at https://www.harlanellison.com/home.htm
Originally published at https://www.aejackson.com on February 21, 2023.
