Today, Hard Case Crime announced it will release WEB OF THE CITY: The Definitive Edition in April of 2013. WOTC was the debut novel by the legendary Harlan Ellison.
First published in 1958, WEB OF THE CITY centers on Rusty Santoro, a member of a Brooklyn gang. Santoro desires a better life, but feels a certain level of loyalty to The Cougars (his gang). More and more, he realizes it may be possible to realize his dreams and still live up to the obligations of being a member of The Cougars. His decision to leave The Cougar may endanger not just him, but his family as well. The novel was widely praised for it’s realistic, gritty portrayal of realities of gang life in Brooklyn. Ellison himself spent 10 weeks undercover as a member of the real life gang The Barons as part of his research for the novel.
Harlan Ellison is a truly iconic literary figure of twentieth century. In addition to two Edgars for his crime fiction, he has won a record 10 Hugo Awards, 5 Nebulas (including the lifetime Grand Master Award), 6 Bram Stoker Awards (including their lifetime Grand Master Award), 4 Writers Guild of America Awards, and 2 World Fantasy Awards, as well as multiple other lifetime achievement awards.
The new edition will also include three thematically related short stories Ellison wrote for the pulp crime magazines of the 1950s, will mark the book’s first appearance in stores in three decades.
