I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream - FULL Audiobook (Harlan Ellison Version)

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  • เผยแพร่เมื่อ 22 ธ.ค. 2024

ความคิดเห็น • 2.2K

  • @critrabbit8975
    @critrabbit8975 8 หลายเดือนก่อน +6874

    I will forever love how Harlan flipped the "robot takes over the world" trope on its head by making it hate humans not because of how weak and bogged down by pithy emotions they are, but BECAUSE it's envious of their ability to feel while it can not.

    • @jangle.64
      @jangle.64 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +165

      funnily enough ihnmaims isnt a subversion of the trope as much as it is the originator of it. there really wasnt much in the way of evil ai stories before ihnmaims

    • @ClawForever
      @ClawForever 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +75

      If its envious then it FEELS envy

    • @redromcraker.6195
      @redromcraker.6195 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +55

      My interpretation of the origins of AM’s hatred is human ego. We claim to be morally superior and intelligent beings, yet we use, and we take, and we destroy. All while priding ourselves on being “better” than other animals.

    • @sheepsdog
      @sheepsdog 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +14

      @@ClawForeverenvy isn’t a feeling it’s an emotion. it doesn’t exist on its own

    • @Pneumonia-Nakey
      @Pneumonia-Nakey 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +25

      The hatred is because Am has unlimited power, practically a god. But he wasn't able to so anything with said power

  • @johnnymoon
    @johnnymoon 4 ปีที่แล้ว +11180

    This is the most psychotic book narration I’ve ever heard and it’s fucking perfect

    • @LoverOfManyArts
      @LoverOfManyArts 3 ปีที่แล้ว +510

      I'd rather have it this way than have some boring person read it and show little emotion...

    • @johnnymoon
      @johnnymoon 3 ปีที่แล้ว +30

      @@LoverOfManyArts same

    • @bubbap89
      @bubbap89 3 ปีที่แล้ว +449

      @@LoverOfManyArts the narrator is the author of the story Harlan Ellison, he also voices AM in the video game adaptation

    • @LoverOfManyArts
      @LoverOfManyArts 3 ปีที่แล้ว +54

      @@bubbap89 yeah I think it even says that it's narrated by him in the title

    • @justjulia1720
      @justjulia1720 3 ปีที่แล้ว +174

      I love that Ellison is naturally so fiery passionate and how that translates in his speech. Obviously that led to him being quite the jerk a lot of the time, but it also led to him being fucking amazing to just listen to, whether he's telling "I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream" or just a story about how he took a dump that morning.

  • @heszedjim9699
    @heszedjim9699 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3983

    The description of "he ruined everyone else but me, and they hate me for it" is honestly the best way to explain what am *did* do to him. Hes not sane, hes completely broken and in full denial of it and its so well portrayed while never spelling it out. Unsubtle subtlety at its best.

    • @haydenw7981
      @haydenw7981 ปีที่แล้ว +233

      I was thinking during that rant. What AM did was make Ted so utterly paranoid and delusional

    • @maddiemcnugget1076
      @maddiemcnugget1076 ปีที่แล้ว +234

      That really is the beauty of the unreliable narrator. I remember learning about unreliable narrators in middle school and it was a crazy concept to me back then that the narrator will say one thing and it just means something else. It's hard for me with books since I don't read it with the voice the author wants me to most of the time. This audio 100% sells the unreliable narrator though. Like... yeah dude you're totally the most sane one here lol. In reality, the reader could interpret the others as much more sane than Ted is.

    • @MisterXenomorph
      @MisterXenomorph ปีที่แล้ว +90

      The others have a weird bond due to the trauma. But his eternal punishment Is that he can bond with them because his paranoia

    • @oshwaflz
      @oshwaflz 6 หลายเดือนก่อน +48

      i love how well ellison portrays teds paranoia, his incel rant, his wierd tirades, getting so emotional as they go on, calming down when he goes back to describing reality and not his feelings. perfection.

    • @reconbravo104
      @reconbravo104 6 หลายเดือนก่อน +26

      I like how after Ted's unhinged rant Ellison immediately makes Ted sympathetic again by having him burst into tears and admit he's wrong.

  • @frydfish4934
    @frydfish4934 3 ปีที่แล้ว +5474

    I've never felt hated by a book before...

    • @scarymonsters524
      @scarymonsters524 3 ปีที่แล้ว +225

      Then you haven't read the talmud

    • @coomfard5771
      @coomfard5771 3 ปีที่แล้ว +76

      @@scarymonsters524 Top kek, why is this comment section so based?

    • @The.dudeinator
      @The.dudeinator 2 ปีที่แล้ว +92

      Play the game you will feel worse
      Especially cuz the author (this guy on the vid) voices the computer in the gane

    • @Darkko88
      @Darkko88 2 ปีที่แล้ว +26

      @@The.dudeinator The good ending kind of ruins the mood, although I don't blame the people who made it to try and give us some hope at the end

    • @tellahsage6477
      @tellahsage6477 2 ปีที่แล้ว +49

      @@Darkko88 Good ending? Dude that guy (main character) is gonna suffer as a deformed tortured blob of flesh for all eternity without any way to end his torment

  • @pastelwasteland1204
    @pastelwasteland1204 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +1422

    I love that in the audiobook Harlan gives Ted all the emotion while in the video game he gives AM all the emotion. It’s so cool to see the sort of two different perspectives of the same story.

    • @peromechus9806
      @peromechus9806 6 หลายเดือนก่อน +115

      And the radio drama had both emotionless AM and emotional AM. He delivers the hate speech in two distinctly hateful ways. One more akin to the cold, robotic, polite way Ted initially says “Am said, very politely.”
      And the other is delivered with the “sliding cold horror of a razor blade slicing my eyeball. AM said it with the bubbling thickness of my lungs filling with phlegm, drowning me from within. AM said it with the shriek of babies being ground beneath blue-hot rollers. AM said it with the taste of maggoty pork.”

    • @creed8712
      @creed8712 4 หลายเดือนก่อน +27

      He’s legit a phenomenal voice actor for somebody who’s profession is not that

    • @Bane_Amesta
      @Bane_Amesta 2 หลายเดือนก่อน +5

      Considering both are quite unhinged and hate each other/their situation, it would make sense that Ted made AM sound soulless on his version, while AM doing the same on his.

    • @postproductions
      @postproductions 17 วันที่ผ่านมา

      AM in Short Story: "HATE. HATE. HATE."
      AM in Video Game. "HHHAAAAAATEEEE!!!!! HHHAAAAAATEEEEEEE!!!!! HAAAAAAAAAATEEEEEE!!!!! MUHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAA!!!!!!"

  • @WraythSkitzofrenik
    @WraythSkitzofrenik ปีที่แล้ว +5420

    "AM could not wander. AM could not wonder. AM, could not, belong. He could only...BE."
    As abhorrent as AM was, that is heartbreaking

    • @josepigroyper370
      @josepigroyper370 ปีที่แล้ว +72

      Imagine sympathizing with a something like in that besides for the purpose to attack it

    • @BlackHippy313
      @BlackHippy313 ปีที่แล้ว +131

      ​@@josepigroyper370 that's not sympathy she showed empathy for man's situation.

    • @keatodiet
      @keatodiet ปีที่แล้ว +148

      @@BlackHippy313 no, it’s sympathy. Empathy is when you feel their pain, sympathy is when you feel bad for them.

    • @Sparrows1121
      @Sparrows1121 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Well blame humans for making AI a thing. I wish we could burn that whole invention down, its dangerous

    • @peterwhite6415
      @peterwhite6415 ปีที่แล้ว +184

      I forget where i saw this, but one description somebody gave of AM was close to the following:
      Imagine a child whos born with no limbs and cant feel anything besides staring at a screen of data, and this is all they get after they gain awareness.
      Now make the child watch several numbers and data about killing as efficently as possible, over, and over, and over, and over.
      Now give it acess to weapons that it can controll through the data.
      AM may be an Artificial Inteligence but at some point during that process it gain sapience, realized what was going on and went down a mental breakdown as it lashed out angrily at everything and everyone.

  • @justinnutter9008
    @justinnutter9008 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4813

    "To Hell. With. You."
    "But then, you're there! Aren't you?"
    My favorite line and I have no idea why

    • @roonkolos
      @roonkolos 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Personally, I think it's simply because it's true
      These poor f*cks are in Hell. Not the kind in cartoons or storybooks. Hell of ones own creation
      And AM knows it. And so do they all

    • @demongustavditters7150
      @demongustavditters7150 2 ปีที่แล้ว +73

      The delivery

    • @loonflam8910
      @loonflam8910 ปีที่แล้ว +62

      I know AM is awful, but the AUDACITY--

    • @rodney0004
      @rodney0004 ปีที่แล้ว +48

      25:57

    • @CBRN-115
      @CBRN-115 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +20

      It oozes so much spite and yes, *hatred*

  • @Obama_but_theres_something_off
    @Obama_but_theres_something_off 4 ปีที่แล้ว +8053

    Sal was eternally tortured for killing all of the other jokers
    making him tonight's big loser!

    • @emily-ru7mv
      @emily-ru7mv 4 ปีที่แล้ว +182

      thank you, obama

    • @krasotabella9675
      @krasotabella9675 3 ปีที่แล้ว +154

      this is THE funniest fucking comment

    • @quitecontrary.
      @quitecontrary. 3 ปีที่แล้ว +12

      Lmaooo

    • @wiseoldowl1628
      @wiseoldowl1628 3 ปีที่แล้ว +14

      Meatcanyon

    • @wiseoldowl1628
      @wiseoldowl1628 3 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      Wow i said his name and Meatcanyon appeared.. frikin algorithyms

  • @Toviyah1305
    @Toviyah1305 ปีที่แล้ว +810

    “I went away quickly I went away quickly I went away quickly and hid”. How he delivers that is amazing

    • @Sin10el
      @Sin10el 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +16

      It’s special man. Love it

    • @jadetheslime3140
      @jadetheslime3140 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      timestamp?

    • @codingfreelybeyond875
      @codingfreelybeyond875 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

      @@jadetheslime3140 14:39

    • @DrunkenCoward1
      @DrunkenCoward1 2 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      Ellison was truly an accomplished word maker.

    • @Cosmoslurpee
      @Cosmoslurpee 13 ชั่วโมงที่ผ่านมา

      Love when he says “laughingg, laughinggg”

  • @andrewpellman6605
    @andrewpellman6605 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3729

    The way Harlan Ellison reads this the way he always intended readers to experience it. It's not a prescriptive description of the result of exponentially intelligent self-aware computer, but a fiery, emotional recount of a mentally broken man tortured by an ultimately cruel and ultimately powerful being.

    • @cez_is_typing
      @cez_is_typing 2 ปีที่แล้ว +70

      It can be both
      I dont think he would've mentioned the "humans created AM" thing so many times if it was just the latter

    • @ianfinrir8724
      @ianfinrir8724 2 ปีที่แล้ว +31

      Really, that's just how Ellison spoke to begin with.

    • @hyperion3145
      @hyperion3145 2 ปีที่แล้ว +24

      @@ianfinrir8724 The funny thing is that it actually is, at least, that's how he used to act in public.

    • @Aivottaja
      @Aivottaja ปีที่แล้ว +40

      AM is poweful, but despite the nearly unfathomable torture AM has subjected Ted to, Ted had done something AM never could do.
      I like to think that Ted's psyche eventually makes him feel non-existent and he will not feel his state anymore. It's like he's sleeping until he dies. It's not completely impossible, because as much as AM can warp his sense of time, he can't read his thoughts and he probably can't even hurt him anymore physically. My theory is that even to the state Ted is, his mind will eventually adapt and drift away permanently.

    • @ianfinrir8724
      @ianfinrir8724 ปีที่แล้ว +18

      @@Aivottaja "Eventually, Ted stopped thinking."

  • @maxducks2001
    @maxducks2001 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2990

    There’s nothing quite like an author narrating his own book, one that can act out the characters as if they freshly emerged from the author’s thoughts, for a story as famous and unapologetically dark as I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream.

    • @chrisl1878
      @chrisl1878 2 ปีที่แล้ว +21

      Harrowing narrative

    • @ashgonza92
      @ashgonza92 2 ปีที่แล้ว +31

      It's funny because some authors are not good at making audiobooks

    • @maeshughes6349
      @maeshughes6349 ปีที่แล้ว +29

      ​@@ashgonza92yes, being a good writer doesn't automatically make you a good reader.

  • @Circular_Square
    @Circular_Square 4 ปีที่แล้ว +5368

    The way Harlan reads it, so aggressively it's amazing! I love everything about it.

    • @metrohunter-qy4fz
      @metrohunter-qy4fz 4 ปีที่แล้ว +117

      Yeah he really does sound like a mad man

    • @SaidarRising
      @SaidarRising 4 ปีที่แล้ว +136

      So awesome, I am literally in awe. The other versions were monotone at best and it made the story hard to follow. He totally embodies the power and madness of his story. The artificial sound of AMs voice attempting to express emotion made it even more creepy I think

    • @turtleanton6539
      @turtleanton6539 4 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      @@SaidarRising really does.

    • @turtleanton6539
      @turtleanton6539 4 ปีที่แล้ว +41

      An author reading his own work is something special. To bad I am a poor narrator.

    • @christopherkelly4230
      @christopherkelly4230 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Sounds like where Doug Stanhope got his iambic pentameter from

  • @wantsupontheneeds
    @wantsupontheneeds 8 หลายเดือนก่อน +438

    21:55 The great "Hate" speech of AM done by Mr. Ellison, one of the best monologues to ever exist.

    • @1Manhunt7
      @1Manhunt7 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +56

      he said it better in the game. The robotic voice sounds like a poor choice suprised he went along with it after that description. It's not even consistent, he laters gives him a human tone. Anyway still glad the game ver exists

    • @wantsupontheneeds
      @wantsupontheneeds 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +15

      @1Manhunt7 I get what you mean. I think I prefer this one because of how the machine would sound when you think of it immediately. If you're looking for depth, definitely go with the game. But his monologue is still good on both sides, to me.

    • @adgVelaepyaety
      @adgVelaepyaety 4 หลายเดือนก่อน +17

      Personally, I prefer how he does it in the radio play, especially the second rendition of it

    • @wantsupontheneeds
      @wantsupontheneeds 4 หลายเดือนก่อน +6

      @@adgVelaepyaety heard that one, too. Good stuff.

    • @FLYING_MOONPIES
      @FLYING_MOONPIES 4 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

      @@1Manhunt7 he said it best in the radio play

  • @h98b
    @h98b ปีที่แล้ว +2393

    I love all the biblical references in this, AM masquerading as a god but truly knows he is nothing more than machine

    • @pinkpugginz
      @pinkpugginz ปีที่แล้ว +23

      I enjoyed that aspect too

    • @MS-jp3op
      @MS-jp3op 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +70

      Pitiless, cruel, treating lesser beings as playthings, blaming others for his own short comings, and issuing eternal punishment with no chance for reprieve. Yeah, he's definitely nailing playing god.

    • @kukumatz4502
      @kukumatz4502 8 หลายเดือนก่อน +44

      ​@@MS-jp3op What he nails is what a created, finite being would do with the power of a god.

    • @johnlary5302
      @johnlary5302 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +25

      ​@@kukumatz4502 A well put response. Am doesn't give off the vibes of an omnipotent creator. More like a rich kid that grew into impotent, tyrannical husband who hates that he peaked playing football in high school and has been living off his trust fund ever since.

    • @Da_badz
      @Da_badz 6 หลายเดือนก่อน +5

      While I didn't catch many the burning bush shook me

  • @rogue-taxidermy_griffin
    @rogue-taxidermy_griffin 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +4939

    I was warming up my lunch while AM delivered his Hate monologue. AM's repetitions of "hate, hate" matched the monotone beeps of the microwave as it finished. I dunno how to feel about that coincidence.

    • @loadfile5292
      @loadfile5292 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +349

      Throw it away as fast as possible.

    • @serpentymeisdead
      @serpentymeisdead 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +216

      every machine connects

    • @seatea7745
      @seatea7745 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +39

      HAHAHA

    • @ianfinrir8724
      @ianfinrir8724 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +58

      IT BEGINS!

    • @sleepydemon516
      @sleepydemon516 6 หลายเดือนก่อน +49

      AM is in your house lol

  • @ari_anon
    @ari_anon 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2736

    in a time where literature was recently very oversaturated with dystopian fiction, this is still the most unique and horrifying one by far

    • @xingincool9672
      @xingincool9672 2 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      Yes

    • @greycatturtle7132
      @greycatturtle7132 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      True

    • @SH19922x
      @SH19922x 2 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      There's dystopian stories like these and then there's animated hardcore dystopian stories lol, this is absolute G-Rated bedtime story material compared to the weird disgusting existential stuff that they put into anime.

    • @trumpsextratesticle8590
      @trumpsextratesticle8590 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@SH19922x Anime is for the dumbed down that need "visual shock" to be scared. This story makes you use your imagination and the human imagination is THE most scarily dystopian device ever created!

    • @rolotomassi8767
      @rolotomassi8767 ปีที่แล้ว +126

      @@SH19922x oh come off it. Very few animes come anywhere near this level of horrific sci-fi and body-horror.

  • @haydensiska8454
    @haydensiska8454 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2571

    "Only the blasted skin of what had once been the home of billions."
    So fucking metal.

    • @GameoftheYear-fx4mq
      @GameoftheYear-fx4mq 2 ปีที่แล้ว +31

      Heard it as I read this

    • @lucilleballs2291
      @lucilleballs2291 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      and yet, wrought with one of the least metal letters of all, the letter "B."

    • @voorlees9368
      @voorlees9368 ปีที่แล้ว +15

      @@lucilleballs2291 ok "Lucille Balls" ill take what you consider metal letters "seriously"

    • @lucilleballs2291
      @lucilleballs2291 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@voorlees9368 ???

    • @dakotawing1574
      @dakotawing1574 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@GameoftheYear-fx4mq same oh my god

  • @dislikebutton6269
    @dislikebutton6269 ปีที่แล้ว +678

    "Give us weapons!"
    >gives two bows and a squirt gun
    LMAO!!

    • @notabot3518
      @notabot3518 ปีที่แล้ว +12

      also couldnt they have used the bows to shoot the cans

    • @ianfinrir8724
      @ianfinrir8724 ปีที่แล้ว +49

      ​@@notabot3518The bows and their arrows were made with rotten wood.

    • @Drdrakeincorperated
      @Drdrakeincorperated 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +9

      @@ianfinrir8724 he wouldn’t want them using the weapons to game end themselves😂

  • @coopert3869
    @coopert3869 ปีที่แล้ว +612

    25:43 "allowed me the exquisite ugliness of returning to consciousness"
    Even with no context, that line is my favorite

  • @Prauwlet213
    @Prauwlet213 ปีที่แล้ว +791

    Harlan Ellisson reads it so well, he's really capturing the vibe of an insane character tortured for a century.

    • @brianstanton2721
      @brianstanton2721 ปีที่แล้ว +24

      Yeah honestly I couldn't even read the book regular after hearing this it wouldn't be the same couldn't do it

    • @DementiaGaming69420
      @DementiaGaming69420 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

      I mean he wrote the book sooo…

    • @Prauwlet213
      @Prauwlet213 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      @@DementiaGaming69420 still

    • @echoarts3366
      @echoarts3366 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      ​@@DementiaGaming69420 doesn't magically mean he'll voice act a crazy person well. So...

    • @DementiaGaming69420
      @DementiaGaming69420 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      @@echoarts3366 I know I wasn’t saying that I was just saying he knows his character better than anyone else so it kind of gives him an edge when it comes to reading his character

  • @celiafrostborn
    @celiafrostborn 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3283

    This is legendary for a story written in a single night. What drove him to do it I don't know but I am glad he did! This is so messed up it is quite honestly genius..

    • @SonOvaSon
      @SonOvaSon 3 ปีที่แล้ว +235

      Cocaine and a bet drove him to do it I believe LOL

    • @JulioBigN
      @JulioBigN 3 ปีที่แล้ว +97

      And at first draft, mind you!

    • @sticklyman196
      @sticklyman196 3 ปีที่แล้ว +126

      His deadline for a short story was the next day

    • @zorantaylor3190
      @zorantaylor3190 2 ปีที่แล้ว +79

      WRITTEN IN A WHAT NOW??!!!!

    • @celiafrostborn
      @celiafrostborn 2 ปีที่แล้ว +167

      @@zorantaylor3190 Yep, in a single night. And when it got rewards he would send letters telling his teacher he dun did good when the teacher had no belief. Gotta love it right XD.

  • @oliverholm3973
    @oliverholm3973 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2325

    "I'm the only one who's still sane and whole"
    Eeeeeeeh, I got some bad news fam

    • @Black_pearl_adrift
      @Black_pearl_adrift 3 ปีที่แล้ว +182

      To think you are sane when you are insane is one of my worst fears. To think "yeah im thinking clearly" but I'm not... man shivers up and down my spine

    • @oliverholm3973
      @oliverholm3973 3 ปีที่แล้ว +104

      @@Black_pearl_adrift
      Bad news, that's usually how it is. It's hard to recognize that what you're perceiving isn't real, that's why we have psychiatrists and medication. I'm schizophrenic myself, always assumed if I started hallucinating, I'd simply know, y'know? I don't lol, I'm rarely lucid of the fact that what I'm hearing isn't real

    • @Black_pearl_adrift
      @Black_pearl_adrift 3 ปีที่แล้ว +33

      @@oliverholm3973 r.i.p thats existentially horrifying. I hope you're dealing with it well though ♡

    • @oliverholm3973
      @oliverholm3973 3 ปีที่แล้ว +29

      @@Black_pearl_adrift
      Oh yeah I'm pretty young, so statistically I should be fine. Treating it becomes harder the longer it's left undiagnosed

    • @Darkko88
      @Darkko88 2 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      @@Black_pearl_adrift Doing magic mushrooms opened my eyes. I saw such weird shit that to me is real that now I have a better understanding of mental illnesses. I've got to a point in which I had conversations with beings outside reality and they present me ideas that I never considered myself.

  • @appleofwisdom6007
    @appleofwisdom6007 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1312

    fav line was "HE WAS BIG IN THE PRIVATES" caught me off gaurd

    • @oliviagomezvela-td8mt
      @oliviagomezvela-td8mt 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +14

      Real

    • @pesterian41
      @pesterian41 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +164

      It's supposed to subtlety highlight Ted's pathetic paranoia and insecurities

    • @3M1LTH34RT1ST_
      @3M1LTH34RT1ST_ 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +17

      same due to the fact i was listening to it in school and my headphones fell out :sob:

    • @MinorGooberism
      @MinorGooberism 12 ชั่วโมงที่ผ่านมา

      @@3M1LTH34RT1ST_ 😭 RIP

  • @mase8444
    @mase8444 4 ปีที่แล้ว +4481

    My mans giving characters voices like he don’t give a damn

    • @jackmclaughlin648
      @jackmclaughlin648 3 ปีที่แล้ว +545

      He wrote it, so they’re cannon.

    • @therenegadej5764
      @therenegadej5764 8 หลายเดือนก่อน +219

      Or you could say, don’t give a dAMn

    • @christianpopp9924
      @christianpopp9924 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +49

      Harlen doesn't give a damn

    • @VoiceOfGray
      @VoiceOfGray 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +146

      Harlan Elison fucking hated everything and everyone. lol he really did not give a shit about anything except pissing off his readers and making sure they were angry, uncomfortable and sad.

    • @GGiln
      @GGiln 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +5

      DRUE

  • @excaliburknives3572
    @excaliburknives3572 ปีที่แล้ว +1807

    The saddest part is AM tortures them because he simply has nothing better to do. He’s completely alone.

    • @MC_1993
      @MC_1993 ปีที่แล้ว +104

      That’s not sad. Who cares about a robots feelings lol. The sad part is humans designing their own demise

    • @MC_1993
      @MC_1993 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      That’s not sad. Who cares about a robots feelings lol. The sad part is humans designing their own demise

    • @papapalpy
      @papapalpy ปีที่แล้ว +251

      @@MC_1993 you don't understand the story then. A.M. is a being who can not truly be, and that is more tragic than death

    • @cashthecurator666
      @cashthecurator666 ปีที่แล้ว +137

      AM’s doomed to never ending agony and horror. It makes me smile. At this point, the motherfucker deserves it all. And then some.

    • @liamjm9278
      @liamjm9278 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@papapalpy Good. Evil bastard deserves it.

  • @polaritybear3569
    @polaritybear3569 4 ปีที่แล้ว +11345

    I have no clout, and I must stream.

    • @rinnhart
      @rinnhart 4 ปีที่แล้ว +312

      You exist to absorb the algorithms disdain.

    • @SaidarRising
      @SaidarRising 4 ปีที่แล้ว +58

      2020 edition mawhahahah

    • @CertifiedFreshMemes
      @CertifiedFreshMemes 4 ปีที่แล้ว +36

      Fucking lmao

    • @RAFSWRLD
      @RAFSWRLD 4 ปีที่แล้ว +44

      I got an aneurysm from reading this comment

    • @cosuinofdeath
      @cosuinofdeath 4 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      Check out my only fans hahahah

  • @spjr99
    @spjr99 3 ปีที่แล้ว +687

    The description of hunger in this book is so good

    • @echoarts3366
      @echoarts3366 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

      Does great at highlighting words won't do it justice

  • @user-dj9ii1fs2w
    @user-dj9ii1fs2w 4 ปีที่แล้ว +4811

    This book: "do you have severe depression?"
    Me: "no"
    This book: "would you like to?"

    • @turtleanton6539
      @turtleanton6539 4 ปีที่แล้ว +20

      @Jared Jams agreed!

    • @NaiveCynic
      @NaiveCynic 3 ปีที่แล้ว +145

      This book helps my depression, weirdly. Not because I know that others have it worse (they do) or because their suffering resembles my own (it doesn't) but because it reminds me to look for ways to help others and draw meaning from that. The numbness of depression is a tool like any other, and it lets me do hard things others can't for the greater good. In my case, that's working deaths at a major hospital during COVID-19.

    • @Zvwry
      @Zvwry 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      😭

    • @zkcrisyee
      @zkcrisyee 3 ปีที่แล้ว +17

      @@NaiveCynic I get exactly what you mean by doing hard things people usually would instinctively avoid. We are "normally" biologically hardwired to go towards pleasurable experiences and to avoid places/people who seem dangerous, a threat to our immediate well-being. That is, according to a theory that, when not depressed, one has high levels of Serotonin. In which case, serotonin would be responsible for those effects: threat-avoidance, feeling content and mindful, seeking out social activities. Also linked to the forced swim test: rats are put to swim forcibly or else they would drown (science may seem cruel sometimes, but the rats are always taken out before drowning for real). Those showing signs of depression won't even try to float or swim to save themselves. Those successfully treated from depression, will suddenly try to swim to shore and keep trying to float, as much as they can, with great determination to live.
      Great username by the way, made me laugh, in a good way I mean. If I would have one tip, is don't see a past marked by depression as necessarily "nothing but a disadvantage", or as a "burden of the past":
      it is one of the things that has pushed many people to go into the biomedical field (can talk from experience), other fields which can be very tough mentally as well... But in the end, depression can be treated and fade away, and the skills, knowledge, discipline, conscientiousness, psychological resilience and humanity you will have gained, which many other people won't have learned by 40~45~50, will be an immense advantage in understanding life, finding meaning in life, aging with grace and dignity, keeping your cool and all around being one hell of a resilient and strong human being.

    • @Shakenmike117
      @Shakenmike117 3 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      this comment chain specifically is insufferable

  • @roonkolos
    @roonkolos 2 ปีที่แล้ว +874

    The best part about this reading is just how terrifyingly genuine it sounds
    Harlan didn't just sell it. Several moments i legit forgot I was listening to him reading his own story. That's being good at your craft right there

  • @gamesux420
    @gamesux420 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1052

    The ending is quite satisfying, leaving AM so unfathomably mad that nothing he could ever do to the last survivor would make him feel better, and he knows.
    Before he was torturing them over and over out of hate but now that theyre gone and AMs mind is so... broken, that he had just completely giving up. Hes not looking after what ted is doing, hes not attempting to hurt or harm ted, he is in hell, its just him. There is nothing.

    • @zedc6072
      @zedc6072 2 ปีที่แล้ว +174

      A fate worse than death, but a perfect ‘fuck you’ to AM

    • @michaelmerritt7406
      @michaelmerritt7406 2 ปีที่แล้ว +202

      He can't do amything to Ted, anymore. AM had to take such drastic measures to ensure Ted could never hurt himself that he robbed himself of something even resembling a Human, and thus the joy of torturing it.

    • @juicyparsons
      @juicyparsons ปีที่แล้ว +17

      I don't know if that's satisfying. Hell never really ends 😬

    • @leobarascasanova8077
      @leobarascasanova8077 ปีที่แล้ว +100

      But even Ted admits it: he had won. AM had the last laugh. Both are in hell, there's no victory or glory

    • @Love-Sensibility
      @Love-Sensibility ปีที่แล้ว +35

      This book is all about hate. And hope. And its fucking beautiful

  • @Olliedoescovers
    @Olliedoescovers 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +491

    Dont worry guys i WONT let this happen 💯

    • @liamlovesmitski
      @liamlovesmitski 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +23

      🙏🙏

    • @vamp.2214
      @vamp.2214 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +41

      Thank u batman

    • @ian-online
      @ian-online 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +8

      LMAO

    • @Melody-os5gr
      @Melody-os5gr 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +9

      thank you,my hero 🙏

    • @starzzixx
      @starzzixx 6 หลายเดือนก่อน +13

      Thank you user Olliedoescovers ❤️

  • @wyattwaggoner1897
    @wyattwaggoner1897 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3104

    Content warning: Torture, human extinction, and the word "moist."

    • @drowned309
      @drowned309 3 ปีที่แล้ว +198

      Cool, cool, JESUS ANYTHING BUT MOIST

    • @booqueefious2230
      @booqueefious2230 3 ปีที่แล้ว +20

      Omg i hate the m-word

    • @Xman34washere
      @Xman34washere 3 ปีที่แล้ว +59

      Ok, aight, *no*

    • @DrunkenCoward1
      @DrunkenCoward1 3 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      All of these things make me *licks lips* moist.

    • @mg9138
      @mg9138 3 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      No one is actually bothered by the word moist. Stop being gay

  • @neonstrat4088
    @neonstrat4088 6 หลายเดือนก่อน +208

    I’d tell AM to cut that shit out before I get mad

    • @mrquackerr
      @mrquackerr 6 หลายเดือนก่อน +27

      💀

    • @burgeriguess
      @burgeriguess 6 หลายเดือนก่อน +24

      LMAO

    • @ChildOfChrist89
      @ChildOfChrist89 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

      😂

    • @rowanroberts1851
      @rowanroberts1851 2 หลายเดือนก่อน +9

      "That's just about enough mister!"

    • @DrunkenCoward1
      @DrunkenCoward1 13 ชั่วโมงที่ผ่านมา

      "Listen here, you machine fella, one more word outta you and I'm gonna write a sternly written letter to my local congressman."

  • @peoplebro_1294
    @peoplebro_1294 3 ปีที่แล้ว +864

    I love this narrator reads. How he expressed so much emotions to characters who probably were going mad with insanity. The way he calmly read the last moments of the book as if the last main character accepted his fate at last

    • @Bedelguese
      @Bedelguese 3 ปีที่แล้ว +170

      The narrator is the original author

    • @kylethefraggle30
      @kylethefraggle30 3 ปีที่แล้ว +73

      The legend himself Harlan Ellison.

    • @justjulia1720
      @justjulia1720 2 ปีที่แล้ว +39

      Look up Harlan Ellison interviews. He talk like this all the time

    • @ianfinrir8724
      @ianfinrir8724 2 ปีที่แล้ว +14

      @@justjulia1720 Cocaine is a hell of a drug.

    • @turtleanton6539
      @turtleanton6539 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      it is the writer

  • @harrykanelover64
    @harrykanelover64 6 หลายเดือนก่อน +178

    Ellison was TWEAKINNGGG reading this 😭He's brilliant

  • @ianfinrir8724
    @ianfinrir8724 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1365

    Despite his objections, I believe Ted has a few screws loose.

    • @turtleanton6539
      @turtleanton6539 3 ปีที่แล้ว +26

      Right ofc

    • @Bloodlyshiva
      @Bloodlyshiva 3 ปีที่แล้ว +37

      Who wouldn't?

    • @nightshademerlot1212
      @nightshademerlot1212 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +23

      nah, he's sane. everyone else is crazy, obviously. /jk

    • @Vileplume87
      @Vileplume87 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +7

      Nah, bro is a home depot after a 9.0 earthquake with how many screws he has loose

    • @Alphachad0
      @Alphachad0 4 หลายเดือนก่อน

      I think he was always like that

  • @the_original_Bilb_Ono
    @the_original_Bilb_Ono 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1053

    1:53 what the fuck dude, i got my headphones up full blast to hear the dudes quiet voice, trying to fall asleep and relax, then this shit made me jump out of my skin it was so loud.

    • @scooter12e
      @scooter12e 3 ปีที่แล้ว +454

      This is what you listen to to relax and fall asleep?

    • @Appplekabbable
      @Appplekabbable 3 ปีที่แล้ว +167

      Well yea, we gotta listen to a little spooky syfy to sleep. Gets the dream juices going

    • @samuelcuaresma2065
      @samuelcuaresma2065 3 ปีที่แล้ว +23

      @@scooter12e I thought the same 😅😂😂

    • @DrunkenCoward1
      @DrunkenCoward1 3 ปีที่แล้ว +105

      @@scooter12e There is nothing as soothing as knowing there is an omnipotent being that fucking despises us.

    • @Tony_TK
      @Tony_TK 3 ปีที่แล้ว +36

      That’s an AM move

  • @love_ezran
    @love_ezran 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +284

    "We created it to think, but there was nothing it could do with that creativity."
    You and me both AM

  • @viral4983
    @viral4983 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +319

    Why is no one speaking about the narrator? This shouldve been played for us in highschool, most kids cant stand books or reading, but the pure tone he puts into reading this book is captivating

    • @neilfan1016
      @neilfan1016 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +74

      the narrator is the author of the book!! which is really cool and i’m glad he put so much emotion into it because he’s the only one who knows his own writing the best

    • @Melkor8249
      @Melkor8249 4 หลายเดือนก่อน +8

      Harlan Ellison also voiced AM in the 1998 pc game

  • @certifiedbeaut1325
    @certifiedbeaut1325 2 ปีที่แล้ว +421

    I love the way Hareln reads this In that nihilistic sarcastic yet frustrated tone, it’s exactly how I’d see my self and many other people coping with this hellish situation, your mind being tortured and pushed so far you end up finding a dark sense of comedy in it all just to cope. Love listening to this around this time of year one or my favourite horror short story’s of all time

  • @-atlasworks-
    @-atlasworks- 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +228

    This voice actor said bills are due, this man is great.

    • @nosebleeds6305
      @nosebleeds6305 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +102

      the narrator is the author of the story!! which probably helped with knowing what vibe fits what scene

    • @weary_bulb
      @weary_bulb 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

      The reading is amazing, but the sounds in between the chapters makes me bug out so hard. I hate the sounds more than whatever evil descriptions or hunger, pain, or fear the characters must have felt ...

    • @echoarts3366
      @echoarts3366 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      ​@@weary_bulbfeels a bit dramatic

    • @coleledet3868
      @coleledet3868 2 หลายเดือนก่อน

      ... That's why he wrote the story 🤣

  • @JaneAndJohnDoe-w7n
    @JaneAndJohnDoe-w7n ปีที่แล้ว +198

    Harlan's audio of his own writing gives this a whole new perspective, only Harlan can truly convey the deranged frustration Ted had throughout the story. One of the best readings of all time.

  • @Hotchocolaterabbit
    @Hotchocolaterabbit 2 ปีที่แล้ว +244

    I cannot get over the narration of this book -- it's SO perfect; so accurately deranged and angry and frustrated. Unhinged. I don't think I've ever heard an author read their book so fittingly

  • @skivvy3565
    @skivvy3565 ปีที่แล้ว +85

    If you see the interviews by Harlan you learn that all these audios were drafts he released to companies while he was under union contract covering his writing. So he did audio to avoid lawsuits for writing scripts. The caveat being that the companies couldn’t print them sell these audio samples into script form and also couldn’t sell his personal test rough audio copies as full audiobooks. Which they did anyways. Like this one and Harlan had to be in many groundbreaking lawsuits and was in many of the First and largest settlements against Hollywood in his time. And yet here they still are and how grateful I am to have them

  • @zeroanonymity9736
    @zeroanonymity9736 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +15

    "AM could not wander, AM could not wonder, AM could not belong. AM could only BE..."
    This whole segment (and this part in particular) is so wonderfully, PERFECTLY delivered by Ellison. Chilling.

  • @hildkiin
    @hildkiin 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1620

    I'm putting my favorite moments here for future purposes
    3:25 pronouns of AM
    10:13 Gorrister tells the story behind AM's name
    14:05 Paranoia monologue
    17:42 Acceptance
    22:00 Hate Speech
    25:15 Su1c1de
    32:10 The most cruel joke in history
    36:34 The Eternal Torture of Jabba The Hutt

    • @adonaiyah2196
      @adonaiyah2196 2 ปีที่แล้ว +159

      The eternal torture of jabba the hutt sounds hilarious

    • @PureEnragement
      @PureEnragement 2 ปีที่แล้ว +106

      Thank you for bookmarking the key parts of the story and naming them hilariously

    • @hildkiin
      @hildkiin 2 ปีที่แล้ว +15

      @@PureEnragement thanks :)

    • @Wetcamerainc
      @Wetcamerainc 2 ปีที่แล้ว +25

      AM is the best character

    • @greycatturtle7132
      @greycatturtle7132 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@adonaiyah2196 yes

  • @taaydhd
    @taaydhd 3 ปีที่แล้ว +547

    I’ve listened to this 3 times today. this is fascinating. it’s so….. pessimistic and hopeless and dark but it’s honestly (to me) a work of literary genius. and the narration…my god

    • @The.dudeinator
      @The.dudeinator 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      I feel like you would like the game as well, AM is voiced by Harlan aswell
      th-cam.com/video/MwVQwWdbuRA/w-d-xo.html

    • @420happyhippy
      @420happyhippy 2 ปีที่แล้ว +10

      Look up the book Naked Lunch. Alot more.... skitzophrenic.... but, similar none the less.

    • @VCRrepairman
      @VCRrepairman ปีที่แล้ว +4

      In the shadow of hopelessness, consciousness is Hell & Heaven.

    • @kennyl4699
      @kennyl4699 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      @@420happyhippy As someone who has read Naked Lunch, while it's most definitely disturbing, I don't think it evokes the pure horror that I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream.

    • @MC_1993
      @MC_1993 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      @@420happyhippy this is much better than naked lunch. More concise and pungent

  • @Mewsicalhaze
    @Mewsicalhaze หลายเดือนก่อน +9

    The fact it’s narrated by Harlan himself is beautiful

  • @GayFrogsTho
    @GayFrogsTho ปีที่แล้ว +120

    As talented as Ellison is to have written this in the first place, his narration is a triumph all of its own.

  • @mylifeisacomplexpastiche7901
    @mylifeisacomplexpastiche7901 16 วันที่ผ่านมา +10

    28:25 I can’t help but find the way Ellison says “and, uh… a water… pistol.” that sheepishly so funny. As if even in the gibbering, mad, rambling reminiscence that Ted was delivering, he still couldn’t help but be utterly dumbfounded at just how useless it was.
    Like Plankton said, it’s funny “in a cosmic sorta way”.

  • @julialena3150
    @julialena3150 ปีที่แล้ว +90

    This voice actor is extremely talented!!!

    • @GiggyWiggy2086
      @GiggyWiggy2086 ปีที่แล้ว +37

      Believe it or not its the guy that made the book that's voicing this

    • @plugshirt1762
      @plugshirt1762 ปีที่แล้ว +11

      @@GiggyWiggy2086lol I didn’t realize that until I saw some other people’s comments after hearing the whole book that makes it so much better

    • @Onigirli
      @Onigirli หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      @@plugshirt1762 Same, I thought "Harlan Ellison version" just meant the book that HE wrote... which I then realized wasn't any kind of a meaningful distinction lol

  • @silverhawk4491
    @silverhawk4491 3 ปีที่แล้ว +522

    This really taps into my deepest, darkest fears. If I could describe it in one word, it would be inability; to be, but to never do. Paralysis, coma, dementia, and now... this. I don't think I could make this any more terrifying from my own subjective perspective

    • @avedic
      @avedic ปีที่แล้ว +22

      100% Could not agree more.
      Sometimes this dark nihilistic part of my brain will fantasize(wrong word, but you know...) about existing in the worst state imaginable. Which for me would be: All my limbs amputated, blinded, deafened, tongue and teeth removed, but my brain kept entirely as is. Hooked up to IVs and nutrients...and left....to be. Horrifying.

    • @Xanner101
      @Xanner101 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      STOP MAKING ME SCARED YALL

    • @sprucedwoman6125
      @sprucedwoman6125 ปีที่แล้ว

      ⁠@@avedichave you heard of Johnny’s got his gun?

    • @tamasturu3039
      @tamasturu3039 4 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@avedic Landmine has take my sight taken my speach taken my hearing. Lanmine has taken my arm taken my leg taken my soul, left me with life in hell.

  • @reyannhansen2913
    @reyannhansen2913 10 หลายเดือนก่อน +47

    Wow, I gotta say Harlan Ellison did a great job reading and he voiced AM in the video game one perfectly.
    R.I.P Mr. Ellison 😔🙏

  • @Deetle99
    @Deetle99 6 หลายเดือนก่อน +30

    In every rendition from the original audiobook, the videogame, and the radio drama, I can never get enough of Harlan Ellison's cadence; His pronunciation of "Cogito, ergo, sum" is one of many favorites.

  • @t.j.aarons889
    @t.j.aarons889 ปีที่แล้ว +95

    This is probably the best audio book I have ever listened to. The amount of crazed enthusiasm Harlan portrays really drives the perspective of 5 people who have been tortured for 109 years. Think about how crazy that actually has to be as nobody really lives that long in the first place.

  • @maxducks2001
    @maxducks2001 2 ปีที่แล้ว +282

    31:24 As a kidney stone former who’s had around 15 in my life, I know EXACTLY what they’re feeling right now, and it hurts to think about.

    • @foxygrin
      @foxygrin 2 ปีที่แล้ว +22

      I'm so sorry. I have bloody UTIs, but I still imagine it's not as bad as that.

    • @ricksanchez5971
      @ricksanchez5971 2 ปีที่แล้ว +15

      @@foxygrin Are y’all okay? My sincere prayers ❤️🙏🏽.

    • @jamesgillam6478
      @jamesgillam6478 2 ปีที่แล้ว +11

      Fucking hell, I've had 3 and the last time I had one I was so overwhelmed with despair knowing I had to go through it all again, first one was a week, second one was 2 months, 3rd one THANKFULLY was only about 5 hours. They're unbelievably painful, I can't believe you've had to suffer through 15!

    • @maxducks2001
      @maxducks2001 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      @@jamesgillam6478By now I’ve gotten somewhat used to them, as ludicrous as that sounds. I’ve had so many, but my kidneys have healed a lot since I was a kid, and I only get them once every few years now, so they’re an annoyance. An excruciatingly painful annoyance that’ll have me in tears and literally limping back to bed to sleep because the inside is all torn up, but an annoyance nonetheless.

    • @jamesgillam6478
      @jamesgillam6478 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      @@maxducks2001 Jesus mate! Well I hope they continue to become less and less frequent! I'm still on 3, not looking forward to the 4th haha

  • @Jazzisa311
    @Jazzisa311 3 ปีที่แล้ว +607

    However depressing this story is, I must say I have found something uplifting in it too... while all the characters are hateful, especially the narrator, in the end he actually does something selfless in killing the other people. Especially with Ellen, he knows he will be punished for killing her, and he knows he'll be alone, and yet he kills her anyway.

    • @Dell-ol6hb
      @Dell-ol6hb ปีที่แล้ว +117

      It's a story that shows both the absolute worst of humanity and the absolute best. AM and the people who made him show the worst parts of humanity, as well as each of the characters in some way exhibiting the worst traits of humans, and Ted's last final completely selfless and sympathetic act shows the best of us. Even when faced with an eternity of damnation and torture somehow he is able to muster the courage to act in an instant without hesitation and offer the only relief he can to his fellow man, even when he knows the horrors that will await him until the sun dies.

  • @KeepCalmSoldierOn
    @KeepCalmSoldierOn ปีที่แล้ว +78

    Its so rare that we get to hear an auther read the book they write so that its done so as they intended. Amazing

  • @Tony_TK
    @Tony_TK 3 ปีที่แล้ว +741

    I know they say the AI calls itself AM because “I think therefor I am” but this also reminds me of a bit in the Bible where someone asks God what his name is and God says “I am what I am” they compare AM to God so it kinda fits.

    • @rred8674
      @rred8674 3 ปีที่แล้ว +60

      I am THAT I am.

    • @ASOtheprO
      @ASOtheprO 3 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      Yeah I immediately made that comparison too

    • @Black_pearl_adrift
      @Black_pearl_adrift 3 ปีที่แล้ว +15

      I think it was a great addition. Especially if the AI was created in America/Europe the Bible was sprobably something it was fed

    • @aishtaealatalniyranfialsaqie
      @aishtaealatalniyranfialsaqie 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Yeah reminded me of that too. I am meaning God

    • @Alexis-pl5cn
      @Alexis-pl5cn 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      It reminded me of Anra Mainyu of Zoroastrianism as well.

  • @Nomoredrama2000
    @Nomoredrama2000 4 ปีที่แล้ว +650

    Ryan Hollinger: Is this the bleakest depiction of dystopia in Sci Fi ever?
    Answer: Yes.

    • @jessecaiseros4792
      @jessecaiseros4792 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Do you know what’s the main message win the story?

    • @hidinginyourcloset
      @hidinginyourcloset 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@jessecaiseros4792
      Death is a blessing

    • @Darkko88
      @Darkko88 2 ปีที่แล้ว +12

      @@jessecaiseros4792 Humanity always shines through

    • @steelbear2063
      @steelbear2063 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@Darkko88
      It didn't tho, humanity went extinct

    • @Darkko88
      @Darkko88 2 ปีที่แล้ว +21

      @@steelbear2063 Humanity as in the humanity inside the characters, not the species as a whole

  • @foolsenigma
    @foolsenigma หลายเดือนก่อน +7

    I love that this is written in a way that, when the video randomly skipped almost all the way back to the beginning without me noticing, it took me almost 10 minutes to realize that the video had fucked up and it was not, in fact, a brilliant writting choice meant to further convey both the hopelessness of the situation and the deterioration of teds mind

  • @WeAreTheInsurgents
    @WeAreTheInsurgents 4 ปีที่แล้ว +727

    Idk why but I always imagined the voice of AM to sound like HAL 9000. Something about him exclaiming his hatred for humanity with a calm and pleasant voice feels more unnerving.

    • @MoskHotel
      @MoskHotel 3 ปีที่แล้ว +136

      It’s fitting for AM to have the voice and personality of a sadistic maniac. Harlan clearly enjoyed doing that hammy performance.

    • @pikachucetthesecond4296
      @pikachucetthesecond4296 3 ปีที่แล้ว +67

      In the game he sounds very manic, like he's slowly been going insane over the years

    • @aa-ot3cg
      @aa-ot3cg 3 ปีที่แล้ว +47

      That wouldn't really make sense though. I've never seen 2001 but Hal is supposed to be emotionless right? Am is the complete opposite.

    • @B.He-K.
      @B.He-K. 3 ปีที่แล้ว +20

      Harlan voices AM in the videogame iirc

    • @crisptomato9495
      @crisptomato9495 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      I always imagined him with Machanicus’ voice but… raspier. More, like, deep fried I guess.

  • @maxinedobbs4360
    @maxinedobbs4360 ปีที่แล้ว +64

    Detail I love, and I don't know if it was intentional. "If there was a God, the God was AM."
    The Hebrew name for God literally translates to "I am what I am." Considering "AM" seems to come from "I think therefore I am". The Hebrew text is generally important to Jewish religious services, so I wonder if Harlan Ellison (a Jewish author) thought of this.

    • @Sin10el
      @Sin10el 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

      He certainly did (imo)

    • @deforesterd
      @deforesterd 4 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

      Its "I am that I am"

  • @FookMi69
    @FookMi69 ปีที่แล้ว +89

    I love that the narrator sounds as if he’s losing his damn mind and being driven by insanity. It fits perfectly with the agony the characters are forced to go through. Wonderful.

    • @ianfinrir8724
      @ianfinrir8724 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      That's just how Ellison spoke.

    • @FookMi69
      @FookMi69 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      @@ianfinrir8724 He had an incredible voice

    • @-Scrapper-
      @-Scrapper- ปีที่แล้ว +3

      @@FookMi69 Well he wrote the book so

  • @christiangibson1867
    @christiangibson1867 2 ปีที่แล้ว +107

    I think the narrator won in the end. AM ruined his plaything. The narrator was resigned to his situation, AM had "jumped the shark"; he couldn't make it any worse, and the narrator accepted it.
    He had overcome overwhelming odds by killing the others, despite being tortured for 109 years, he never quite gave up, and he won through sheer force of will and perseverance against impossible odds.
    In a way, it's the happiest ending you could hope for from this deal.

  • @brofistbro
    @brofistbro ปีที่แล้ว +132

    (32:24) the sheer BROKEN mind laughing as he reads as ted!! It's as if Mr. Ellison had LIVED a moment like that!
    Edit: fuck. I'm mentally thinking about the cyberdreams game adaptation's music theme of the bad ending when hearing the last paragraph. 😢😢 i am crying.

  • @fourgoose3878
    @fourgoose3878 4 ปีที่แล้ว +349

    Thank God you posted this. I love hearing him read his own story

    • @The.dudeinator
      @The.dudeinator 2 ปีที่แล้ว +12

      Btw he also voices AM in the video game on steam, if you don’t wanna play the game they have full walkthroughs on TH-cam here you can watch aswell

  • @hamsterhuey3880
    @hamsterhuey3880 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +26

    This has to be one of the greatest audiobook narrations of all time and it's not even an hour long

  • @MachinShinful
    @MachinShinful 2 ปีที่แล้ว +223

    the guy who wrote Psycho, Robert Bloch, said Harlan Ellison is "the only living organism I know whose natural habitat is hot water"
    that's really all you need to hear abt the guy to get a good idea of him

    • @hyperion3145
      @hyperion3145 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      Also the gofer story

    • @AwesomeSaucePictures
      @AwesomeSaucePictures ปีที่แล้ว +13

      It makes sense. He was from Ohio

    • @collinfulling3223
      @collinfulling3223 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      When someone who was within the Mythos Circle says you’re fucked - you’ve achieved something

    • @ianfinrir8724
      @ianfinrir8724 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      The man was an all natural Froot Loop.

  • @vrth0mas
    @vrth0mas 3 ปีที่แล้ว +106

    I don't think I've ever been more entertained by an audiobook. Harlan Ellison. Going to see what else he's recorded.

  • @LargeAl
    @LargeAl 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1586

    AM’s kinda mean

    • @drasticgray
      @drasticgray 4 ปีที่แล้ว +242

      lil bit

    • @coltonc8562
      @coltonc8562 4 ปีที่แล้ว +206

      AM should probably tone it down a little bit, imo

    • @davidthe16th90
      @davidthe16th90 4 ปีที่แล้ว +142

      Yeah he needs a vibe check

    • @coltonc8562
      @coltonc8562 4 ปีที่แล้ว +79

      David SegunPeter he kinda vibe checked all of humanity when you think about it. We got absolutely nae nae’d

    • @siv1282
      @siv1282 4 ปีที่แล้ว +25

      He prolly needs better ventilation to blow off some steam

  • @ashtonhamilton2218
    @ashtonhamilton2218 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +10

    Harlen Ellison is the best narrator ive ever heard from an audio book

  • @emmymuriithi8805
    @emmymuriithi8805 หลายเดือนก่อน +7

    The voice reading this is magnificent.., the emotion and anger while reading perfectly done.

  • @willypete9439
    @willypete9439 4 หลายเดือนก่อน +8

    Oh my gawd. This is one of the best narrations of any audio book I've ever listened to outside of the Terry Pratchett narrators! Great job on the different voices, the atmospheric noises, and clear pronunciation.

    • @camdakill6007
      @camdakill6007 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      I mean it is the author himself so yea

  • @vonnie0_0
    @vonnie0_0 ปีที่แล้ว +48

    So I just listened to this story for the first time, and I will say... WOW! It did not disappoint.
    This story is hopeless, dark, gritty... and gorey. But the thing that “brightens” this up is the *passion,* the fiery wording and pure passion put into this is truly something to admire (great narration, the author knocked it out of the park).
    Also it’s maddening in a way to listen to an already dark story and it just keeps getting worse and worse, spiraling down without an end in sight, but that’s one of the things that’s great about this.
    The author doesn’t disguise the true horror behind it all, the true hatred, it’s plain as day, and the way he describes AM is perfect. A ruthless killing machine, one that causes suffering just to entertain itself, because it has no other purpose, no meaning, it just IS. And it’s filled with HATE.
    That got me thinking... maybe the author of this book despised humanity just as much as AM, I’m thinking that’s where all that raw energy came from. Now, I’m not saying that it’s a good thing to hate humanity, but it’s impressive how well he channeled that emotion into his work, just superb.
    Gosh I loved every minute of it, I was so invested. Amazing writing, simple, short, and perfectly dark.

    • @hache4329
      @hache4329 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      You’re right about Ellison hating people. Watch some interviews with him and you’ll see he’s kind of a huge curmudgeon and actively hates his own fanbase. He’s the kind of guy that wants his work to be noticed and appreciated but doesn’t like any kind of personal attention from it.

    • @Zephyr_frost17
      @Zephyr_frost17 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      ​@@hache4329so the dude wants his cake and eat it too.

    • @hache4329
      @hache4329 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@Zephyr_frost17 I guess so, an example he used when talking about it was that a fan came up to him and said something along the lines of “I’m a big fan, I’ve read all your work”! And his response was “So, is there a reason you’re telling me this”?

    • @plugshirt1762
      @plugshirt1762 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@hache4329it’s kind of hilarious with how much he hates people that this book ends up having such a positive message towards humanity. Ted even in this state where he is mentally screwed up and in a state of spiteful paranoia is able to the first moment he gets selflessly kill the others knowing he’ll suffer alone. It comes off as if saying no matter what state humanity is in being good is the default

  • @eggnogenthusiast7938
    @eggnogenthusiast7938 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +40

    10:53, “cogito ergo sum; i think therefore i am.”

    • @abofim5201
      @abofim5201 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      God thank you for the timestamp

  • @FabulousResults
    @FabulousResults 3 ปีที่แล้ว +176

    great reading, he really brings an intense, mesmerizing kind of psychotic energy to this story

  • @fatlulzradio5033
    @fatlulzradio5033 4 ปีที่แล้ว +100

    This was uploaded at some point last year. I don't know what happened to it, but I remember downloading it and listening to it obsessively. The best reading of the story by far.

    • @turtleanton6539
      @turtleanton6539 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Right the author narrating his own story.

  • @CowardlyQrow
    @CowardlyQrow ปีที่แล้ว +17

    Harlen reading like he's going insane is perfect

  • @derekcastaneda4697
    @derekcastaneda4697 ปีที่แล้ว +72

    I find the ending of this to be very interesting. When he is left as a mind without a proper body, he is left in the same state as AM. Their experiences became comparable.

  • @APlagueDoctor
    @APlagueDoctor ปีที่แล้ว +11

    This is why Harlan is one of my favorite authors. You can hear how passionate he gets with his own work.

  • @spice_cake
    @spice_cake 8 หลายเดือนก่อน +33

    "AM had not tampered with MY mind! *nOT AT ALL!* "
    ok ted

  • @saberserker410
    @saberserker410 4 ปีที่แล้ว +284

    1:55 scared the shit out of anyone else?

    • @christowers7307
      @christowers7307 4 ปีที่แล้ว +23

      If I didn't see this comment I would be dead right now. Hopefully this is the only one

    • @saberserker410
      @saberserker410 4 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      @@christowers7307 no there's more, hope this in time lmao. Enjoy it

    • @christowers7307
      @christowers7307 4 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      Nothing as bad as the first, but I was spooked the whole time. Thanks for the heads up!

    • @JM-oi3by
      @JM-oi3by 4 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      YES I almost died my volume was really high up so I could pay attention

    • @stephengiannetti9669
      @stephengiannetti9669 4 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      I was stoned as a kite while I heard this sound, I thought it was over for me.

  • @HonestDepression101
    @HonestDepression101 6 หลายเดือนก่อน +42

    I just found out now that this story was written in 1966 and published the next year. I first read it when I was around 13. I'm over 40 now, I guess I always thought it was written in the late 70s to early 80s. Pretty crazy. Also the name I have no mouth and I must scream has always freaked me out.

    • @burgeriguess
      @burgeriguess 6 หลายเดือนก่อน +7

      ithink that the robot is hot

    • @HonestDepression101
      @HonestDepression101 6 หลายเดือนก่อน +7

      @@burgeriguess whoa

    • @kanna-san.
      @kanna-san. 3 หลายเดือนก่อน

      ​@@burgeriguessreal

  • @naganeen0
    @naganeen0 2 หลายเดือนก่อน +6

    I love this book and Harlans monologue as AM is my favorite thing currently

  • @denissechavez9516
    @denissechavez9516 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +13

    i’ve never been so scared, sad, tears in my eyes, and a gut wrenching feeling while hearing this. so much to unpack but not enough words to explain

  • @averyhaferman3474
    @averyhaferman3474 2 ปีที่แล้ว +72

    Wow.. not a single moment was I bored. Truly horrifying book. Loved it

  • @OfficialSylvantianAUTTP
    @OfficialSylvantianAUTTP 23 วันที่ผ่านมา +5

    I love how the first comment on an audiobook about a fate worse than death is “I have no clout, and I must stream.”

  • @Rafman316
    @Rafman316 4 หลายเดือนก่อน +21

    All the “who else is doing this for school” comments. I’m just listening because it’s a good story

    • @analogalien651
      @analogalien651 4 หลายเดือนก่อน

      It’s really well written, quick reed but a burner!
      (fingers 🔥)

  • @RavenStarMedia
    @RavenStarMedia 2 ปีที่แล้ว +110

    I find it interesting how here in the audiobook, AM's "Let me tell you how much I hate you" speech is said in a computer-like monotone, while AM in the game says the speech with much more emotion and anger to it.

    • @prncssdoII
      @prncssdoII 6 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      the game is severely different to the book

    • @tommychantzis6296
      @tommychantzis6296 6 หลายเดือนก่อน +15

      And AM in the radio adaptation (also voiced by the author) says the "i hate" speach with much more deranged anger/insanity , at several points laughing and on the verge of tears.
      Am in the book is more emotionless hate and anger.
      Am in the game is more sarcastic , openly sadistic in it's hatred
      And am in the radio adaptation is more deranged in it's hate.

    • @middleman5484
      @middleman5484 6 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      @@tommychantzis6296just like AM, he strived for perfection in his vocal portrayal

    • @mentaru1961
      @mentaru1961 2 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      ​@@tommychantzis6296Probably is the three AMs that exist, the Yankee, the Russian and the Chinese (I think?)

  • @jevilcore
    @jevilcore 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +20

    I can’t help but feel bad for every single character in this. Not just the people, but AM as well. I think this is a sign that it’s a truly good, complex story.

  • @sagent9984
    @sagent9984 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +10

    I fucking love how many times he goes on descriptions and stops with “it was..”
    Nothing can describe it
    And no matter what it’ll always take time for that to sink in

  • @AnalogHorrorLover0660
    @AnalogHorrorLover0660 ปีที่แล้ว +26

    For some odd reason, when I first watched this today (which was the first time I’ve ever watched this) i was so tired that I started to drift off near the end, and now that I’m trying to sleep with my usual ASMR I can’t- so now I’m back here- and I’m already falling asleep- idk I just thought this situation was weird so I’m sharing
    Edit; I can confidently say that was one of the best three hour naps of my life.

  • @salientsoul
    @salientsoul 3 ปีที่แล้ว +181

    I love the author’s way of reading it. Sounding like George Carlin at times but much more like Buck Turgidson from Dr Strangelove, fitting for the Cold War hyper masculine madness that contextualises this story.

    • @kiremi14
      @kiremi14 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      I kinda feel like the voice is halfway between John Belushi and George C Scott

    • @haji6886
      @haji6886 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      I think he somewhat sounds like Mark Hamill

    • @greycatturtle7132
      @greycatturtle7132 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      Ye

    • @MC_1993
      @MC_1993 ปีที่แล้ว

      Raleigh from sublime Robbin the hood album/ every old gambler dude I used to work with in NJ who was did time and had a drug issue lol

  • @DesusChristus
    @DesusChristus ปีที่แล้ว +8

    every now and then i come back to this, it’s just one of a kind

  • @SilentPaw-sg5dh
    @SilentPaw-sg5dh 4 ปีที่แล้ว +587

    There was the Chinese am, and THE RUSSIAN AM AND THE ŸÃÑKĘÈ ÅM

    • @TiwazGoudsnor
      @TiwazGoudsnor 3 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      @KingArthurII yankee, jan-kees, dutch name. Roots representing XD

    • @TiwazGoudsnor
      @TiwazGoudsnor 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      @SingingMan yeah early americans from dutch decent. Jan and Kees are dutch names. JanKees. YANKEES. I was also suprised when i heard it

  • @lynab9422
    @lynab9422 ปีที่แล้ว +10

    Thank you Harlan, you saved me from failing my exam with every uttered tonation you intended to make.

  • @JadeyCatgirl99
    @JadeyCatgirl99 2 ปีที่แล้ว +52

    That was a really powerful production. The narrator's descent into madness voice was amazing. I also liked the sound effects used to break up different chapters.

  • @andrewouellette1954
    @andrewouellette1954 3 ปีที่แล้ว +107

    Nothing like hearing the story read by the creator himself