My rating is based on my enjoyment of this work as a story, not on my enjoyment of it as an exposition of an idea and problem. This is because, as far as I can see, this story is little more than an essay that points out and examines the modern annihilation of free time. If it had been written as an essay outright I would give it a hight rating, but the attempt to clothe this essay with characters and a plot appeared thin to me.

This Ellison classic is quintessential short fiction produced by the incomparable Yuri and with a cast topped by Williams? dramatic and zany performance as the revolutionary Harlequin. Any well-read reader will hear echoes of Huxley, Orwell, Heinlein, and Vonnegut in this excellent, thought-provoking, and entertaining fiction. It is one of the best of the 2000x series.

The performance on this recording was very poor and thoroughly disjointed. It seemed like the script was thrown together the night before recording. Defintely not something to waste one's money on.

PRODUCTION:
This is a full AudioDrama/Audio Play (as opposed to a "supplemented reading") done by Yuri Rosofsky. It is a clean, professional production using professional voice talent and clean sound engineering.

CONTENT:
IF you consider the "Science Fiction Hall of Fame" series (at least vol I) required reding or have a soft spot in your heart for classic/golden-age Sci-Fi..this should be part of your collection.

I do feel Robin Williams (the lead) may overplay the part a little (note : the protagonist IS an outlandish character), I wouldn't say it detracts from the piece, it's just a little frenzied (personal taste thing).

It is a very strong contribution to the series.


The entire series is VERY worthwhile. If you enjoyd the production values of Seeing Ear Theatre, you will enjoy these production