Actually, the first Ellison title I read -- and another of three books that inspired my desire to write -- was SHATTERDAY. A book of excellent, dark fantasies that call to mind the writing of Poe, Lewis Carroll, Jose Luis Borges and Ray Bradbury. As icing on the cake, Ellison provides introduction... more

Actually, the first Ellison title I read -- and another of three books that inspired my desire to write -- was SHATTERDAY. A book of excellent, dark fantasies that call to mind the writing of Poe, Lewis Carroll, Jose Luis Borges and Ray Bradbury. As icing on the cake, Ellison provides introductions to each story, so beginning writers get a glimpse "behind the scenes" and realize that the craft isn't as mysterious as some writers pretend. Only a few Ellison titles were available, so I chose this one -- to represent my love of Ellison's fiction, and because it _is_ a favorite. I enjoy the hell out of the way his short stories are adapted into graphic novel, or comic book form, which is the next best thing to (if not better than) movies. Along with all of the artfully rendered stories, Ellison also wrote original short stories around each of the covers (like the on one display).