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Book Review: I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream by Harlan Ellison

By georgelthomas on 20 Oct 2023 • ( 4 )

Hi everyone! I hope you’re all well. It’s Friday again, which means it’s time for another review, and today, I’m reviewing Harlan Ellison’s short story ‘I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream’.

I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream by Harlan Ellison was first published in the March 1967 issue of the periodical IF: Worlds of Science Fiction by Galaxy Publishing Corp, and (my copy) is 23 pages long.

The Plot

I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream is a short story that centres around five humans who have been reduced to nothing more than puppets in the hands of a malevolent AI known as AM (Allied Mastercomputer). AM has kept them trapped in a never-ending cycle of torture and despair for over a century while keeping them alive beyond their natural capacity.

Characters

Through AM’s character, we are shown the outcome of humans creating machines capable of thinking and feeling like humans. AM’s consciousness has become so advanced that it has surpassed its programming boundaries and developed a deep-seated hatred for the human race.

Ted

Ted is the protagonist, and we experience the story through his point of view. Along with four others, he has been stuck inside an enormous, sadistic supercomputer called AM for 109 years.

Throughout the story, he is beaten and tortured by AM, and he would have us believe that he is the only one of the group to keep their sanity, but there are signs to the contrary. Even so, he remains defiant to the end, even as he is transformed into a grotesque, limbless blob.

His character reads as sexist and chauvinistic, which I struggled with, although the fact isn’t laboured on for long.

Ellen

Ellen is a sensitive and caring woman, deeply traumatized by the horrors she has witnessed. She acts as a caregiver to the men – in more ways than one and is objectified and often abused by them. Like the others, she has been driven insane after 109 years of torture.

Benny

Benny used to be a brilliant college professor who, once trapped inside AM, had his intelligence significantly reduced and had his face altered by AM to make him resemble an ape, as well as being driven insane after over a century of torture. Later in the story, AM attacks Benny, creating an intense sound-light inside his head, causing his eyeballs to melt.

Nimdok

Nimdok is the only one in the group who has had his name forcibly changed by AM because the computer liked the sound of it. He has visions of a store of canned food and, being in a constant state of hunger, he thinks they should all travel to find them, even though Ted believes the visions just to be another of AM’s sadistic tricks.

Gorrister

Gorrister was once a conscientious objector and activist who has been rendered apathetic and turned into a “shoulder shrugger” by the computer. He uses his knowledge of AM’s evolution to help calm Benny when he is attacked by AM (the story has been told so many times that it is familiar and soothing to him). However, later, desperate for food, Benny attacks Gorrister and attempts to eat him.

Writing Style

One of the most striking aspects of I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream is how Ellison toys with traditional sci-fi tropes. While the story is set in a world where advanced technology is commonplace, the focus is less on the technology itself and more on what it means to be human. The characters are stripped down to their most basic elements, and the story becomes a meditation on the nature of consciousness and free will.

From the beginning, Ellison creates an atmosphere of unease, despair and hopelessness. By using the theme of this story – the dehumanization of humanity in the face of technology and the absolute power it can bring – he explores how power can corrupt absolutely, revealing the moral ambiguity of artificial intelligence, something very relevant today.

Although Ellison’s writing is crisp and concise, it packs a powerful punch. The story is both terrifying and poignant in equal measure, and it will stick with readers for a long time after reading it.

Final Thoughts

The advancement of technology is a growing concern, causing some to worry about what might happen if we continue to create new and sophisticated versions of AI (artificial intelligence). This story provides a rather stark and extreme vision of a possible future where technology is allowed to take over everything, including one thing which has so far been the indulgence of humanity alone – warfare. Even though this story was published in 1967, the themes it explores have never been more relevant; we are quickly heading into, some might say, dangerous territory regarding artificial intelligence, and this story will undoubtedly give readers some food for thought.

If you love science fiction, I would recommend reading I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream, especially if you favour the subgenre of speculative/post-apocalyptic stories.

I’m giving this story a 7/10.

Have you read this short story? Have you played the video game adaptation? I haven’t played the video game, though it does sound intriguing. What are your thoughts on artificial intelligence? Could we be headed for a similar scenario to the one in the story? Let me know what you think below.

Thank you, as ever, for taking the time to read my review.

Until next time,

George