The Dragon on the Bookshelf

"The Dragon on the Bookshelf"
Author	Harlan Ellison, Robert Silverberg
Original title	"The Dragon on the Bookshelf"
Country	United States of America
Language	English
Series	The Ultimate Dragon
Genre(s)	Fantasy short story
Publication type	Short story
Publisher	Griffin Books
Media type	Paper
Publication date	1995

"The Dragon on the Bookshelf" is a short story by American authors Harlan Ellison and Robert Silverberg. The story was originally written and copyrighted in 1995, and appeared in Ellison's 1997 short story collection Slippage.

Plot summary

The story starts with Urnikh (/ˈʊərniːʃ/ OOR-neesh), the young dragon protagonist, sitting on a bookshelf in his love Margaret's home and thinking about how beautiful she is. Outside it is a war of the worlds as unspeakable creatures cross an inter dimensional rift to invade the Earth. After Urnikh reports back to his master, it turns out that Urnikh was sent to repair the rift.

Back at Margaret's apartment, Urnikh is frightened to learn she isn't home. Frantic, he searches the whole city for her, the rift getting larger by the second. He knows he only has a limited time to get Margaret out of danger and save the universe. He alights on her boyfriend's house and waits for her to leave. Finally she boards the bus with him on top of it. Anxious, he casts his eyes skyward. He has failed. Mortal time has come to an end.

Harlan Ellison

Novels & novellas	Web of the City Spider Kiss A Boy and His Dog Mefisto in Onyx

Short story collections	The Deadly Streets Gentleman Junkie and Other Stories of the Hung-Up Generation Ellison Wonderland Paingod and Other Delusions I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream Love Ain't Nothing But Sex Misspelled The Beast that Shouted Love at the Heart of the World Alone Against Tomorrow Approaching Oblivion Deathbird Stories No Doors, No Windows Strange Wine Shatterday Stalking the Nightmare Angry Candy Slippage Can & Can'tankerous

Short stories	Adrift Just Off the Islets of Langerhans The Beast that Shouted Love at The Heart of the World The Deathbird The Diagnosis of Dr. D'arqueAngel The Discarded The Dragon on the Bookshelf From A to Z, in the Chocolate Alphabet Grail How's the Night Life on Cissalda? I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream Jeffty Is Five The Prowler in the City at the Edge of the World "Repent, Harlequin!" Said the Ticktockman The Beast that Shouted Love at the Heart of the World Soldier from Tomorrow The Whimper of Whipped Dogs Paladin of the Lost Hour

Collaborations	Phoenix Without Ashes Mind Fields

Television work	"Soldier" "Demon with a Glass Hand" "The City on the Edge of Forever" "Paladin of the Lost Hour" "Gramma" "Crazy as a Soup Sandwich"

Adaptations	I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream "The Human Operators" "One Life, Furnished in Early Poverty" "Shatterday" A Boy and His Dog (film) "Djinn, No Chaser"

Anthologies edited	Dangerous Visions Again, Dangerous Visions Medea: Harlan's World

Non-fiction	Memos from Purgatory The Glass Teat & The Other Glass Teat Harlan Ellison's Watching The Harlan Ellison Hornbook

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