Sleepless Nights in the Procrustean Bed: Essays

Essays from the most grumpy and witty sci-fi writer (please excuse the moniker) of all time. The fun is guaranteed. Especially in the first essays and the last ones. It also depends how well you know people like Bob Silverberg or Steve McQueen and if you're as starstruck by them as Harlan is.

I might write a whole essay about this book of essays because there's so much content in it and it all deserves to be thoroughly reviewed but, alas, I don't have time nor will. They touch everything from racial tensions through how dumb movie studios are to video dating service.

Harlan says that his essay (eulogy) about his mother would make us weep but it's not so. What made me tear up, through laughing out loud, was the sweetest “love” letter to a friend I've ever read titled “Voe doe dee oh doe”. Harlan can, through all his bitterness and grumpiness, be just as big flatterer. His ex-wives would know... When I remember the part where Robert threw the first draft of Deathbird into the pool because it was “crap” I laugh even now. This essay along with the last one are my favorites from this collection.

True Love: Groping for the Holy Grail is essay about video dating service and Harlan's experience with it. I think it's the longest essay in the book and also the last. But, dammit, it's so well written! There's some sort of joke, wordplay, witty or sarcastic reference literally on every page and I snickered at almost every one of them while reading it on a bus. If you're familiar with his type of writing you understand what I mean. If you're not, well, you better start reading. I was also surprised by Harlan's positive attitude for such thing (even though it took some time for people to push him to try it and write this essay for L.A. Times).

I also want to mention one important thing. A sad one, really. Nothing has changed. The world has moved on but Hollywood stayed the same. One third of these essays is in one way or another connected to movie and television industry and it is obvious that the same type of dumb incompetent suits make decisions nowadays as did in the 70's and 80's. Nothing's changed, and maybe even got worse since we're now getting a flood of shitty remakes made only for brainless masses to consume. I have to applaud Harlan for having such patience with these guys (I mean it half sarcastically, half literally).

Definitely recommended read for fans of his work but also for people who want to see what the life was like 30-40 years ago in L.A.