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Shadow Show: New Short Stories and Fantasy from Neil Gaiman, Joe Hill, and 24 Writers – A Ray Bradbury Tribute
"What do you imagine when you hear the name" . . . Bradbury?
You might see rockets to Mars. Or bizarre circuses where otherworldly acts whirl in the center ring. Perhaps you travel to a dystopian future, where books are set ablaze . . . or to an out-of-the-way sideshow, where animated illustrations crawl across human skin. Or maybe, suddenly, you're returned to a simpler time in small-town America, where summer perfumes the air and life is almost perfect . . . "almost."
Ray Bradbury--peerless storyteller, poet of the impossible, and one of America's most beloved authors--is a literary giant whose remarkable career has spanned seven decades. Now twenty-six of today's most diverse and celebrated authors offer new short works in honor of the master; stories of heart, intelligence, and dark wonder from a remarkable range of creative artists.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Sam Weller and Mort Castle - Introduction
Ray Bradbury - Second Homecoming
Neil Gaiman - The Man Who Forgot Ray Bradbury
Margaret Atwood - Headlife
Jay Bonansinga - Heavy
Sam Weller - The Girl In The Funeral Parlor
David Morrell - The Companions
Thomas F. Monteleone - The Exchange
Lee Martin - Cat on a Bad Couch
Joe Hill - By The Silver Water Of Lake Champlain
Dan Chaon - Little America
John McNally - The Phone Call
Joe Meno - Young Pilgrims
Robert McCammon - Children Of The Bedtime Machine
Ramsey Campbell - The Page
Mort Castle - Light
Alice Hoffman - Conjure
John Maclay - Max
Jacqueline Mitchard - Two Of A Kind
Gary Braunbeck - Fat Man And Little Boy
Bonnie Jo Campbell - The Tattoo
Audrey Niffenegger - Backwards In Seville
Charles Yu - Earth: (A Gift Shop)
Julia Keller - Hayleigh's Dad
Dave Eggers - Who Knocks?
Bayo Ojikutu - Reservation 2020
Kelly Link - Two Houses
Harlan Ellison - Weariness
You might see rockets to Mars. Or bizarre circuses where otherworldly acts whirl in the center ring. Perhaps you travel to a dystopian future, where books are set ablaze . . . or to an out-of-the-way sideshow, where animated illustrations crawl across human skin. Or maybe, suddenly, you're returned to a simpler time in small-town America, where summer perfumes the air and life is almost perfect . . . "almost."
Ray Bradbury--peerless storyteller, poet of the impossible, and one of America's most beloved authors--is a literary giant whose remarkable career has spanned seven decades. Now twenty-six of today's most diverse and celebrated authors offer new short works in honor of the master; stories of heart, intelligence, and dark wonder from a remarkable range of creative artists.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Sam Weller and Mort Castle - Introduction
Ray Bradbury - Second Homecoming
Neil Gaiman - The Man Who Forgot Ray Bradbury
Margaret Atwood - Headlife
Jay Bonansinga - Heavy
Sam Weller - The Girl In The Funeral Parlor
David Morrell - The Companions
Thomas F. Monteleone - The Exchange
Lee Martin - Cat on a Bad Couch
Joe Hill - By The Silver Water Of Lake Champlain
Dan Chaon - Little America
John McNally - The Phone Call
Joe Meno - Young Pilgrims
Robert McCammon - Children Of The Bedtime Machine
Ramsey Campbell - The Page
Mort Castle - Light
Alice Hoffman - Conjure
John Maclay - Max
Jacqueline Mitchard - Two Of A Kind
Gary Braunbeck - Fat Man And Little Boy
Bonnie Jo Campbell - The Tattoo
Audrey Niffenegger - Backwards In Seville
Charles Yu - Earth: (A Gift Shop)
Julia Keller - Hayleigh's Dad
Dave Eggers - Who Knocks?
Bayo Ojikutu - Reservation 2020
Kelly Link - Two Houses
Harlan Ellison - Weariness
464 pages, Paperback
First published July 10, 2012
382 people are currently reading
4189 people want to read
About the author
Sam Weller
32 books51 followersSam Weller is the author of The Bradbury Chronicles: The Life of Ray Bradbury (William Morrow, 2005) winner of the Society of Midland Author's Award for Best Biography of 2005. The book was also a finalist for the prestigious Bram Stoker Award. Sam is the former Midwest Correspondent for Publishers Weekly. He is a contributing writer for the Chicago Public Radio program, 848 and his work has appeared on the National Public Radio program, All Things Considered. Sam is a regular contributor to the Chicago Tribune Magazine, a frequent literary critic for the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, as well as Punk Planet magazine. During his tenure as managing editor of Columbia College's Gravity, the publication was given Newsweek magazine's Robert Sibley award for best college magazine. As a staff writer for the Chicago alternative weekly, Newcity, Sam was the recipient of the Peter Lisagor Award for arts criticism. Sam is also a frequent lecturer. In 2006, he spoke across the country as part of the National Endowment for the Arts "Big Read" initiative. He is the author of Secret Chicago: The Unique Guidebook to Chicago's Hidden Sites, Sounds & Tastes (ECW Press) and his short fiction has appeared in Spec-Lit. He received his MFA in Fiction from Columbia College Chicago. Sam lives in Chicago with his family.
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April 23, 2017
When I was 11 years old, Ray Bradbury changed my life.
One Saturday morning, when I was 11, I encountered Mr. Bradbury for the first time in the science fiction section of the San Luis Obispo public library, when I pulled his short story collection The Illustrated Man off the shelf to read while I waited for my mother to get done with her grocery shopping. The first story I read was "The Veldt", which had such a profound impact on my prepubescent brain that to this day I still think of it with awe. Even my unsophisticated 11-year-old self knew I had stumbled onto something miraculous.
From that point forward, I read every Bradbury story I could find in the public library and the school library. I traveled far and wide with S Is For Space and R Is For Rocket; drank Dandelion Wine with abandon; romped through Greentown with Jim and Will in Something Wicked This Way Comes; I wrote very very bad derivative stories inspired by The Martian Chronicles for English and Creative Writing classes in junior high and high school. Writing my own stories made me appreciate the sheer artistry and genius of the man: how precise his word choices; how well he conveyed an entire world in 20 pages or less.
That chance encounter at age 11 enriched my life in more ways that I can count. Bradbury opened the door that led me to Asimov and Clarke and Heinlein and Ellison, to Tolkien and LeGuin and Donaldson, to Poe and King and Lovecraft and McCammon, to all the masters of science fiction and fantasy and horror, and all the worlds they created.
My world would have been so confined, so diminished, so impoverished, without Ray Bradbury.
The authors of this collection of short stories feel much the same way. Twenty-six authors, each a writing great on his own; 26 stories, each after the manner of The Great Man; and 26 essays on how Ray Bradbury influenced, inspired, and awed each of these writers in turn.
And while there are too many stories to review or synopsize each one, I want to spotlight a few. Neil Gaiman's tale of "The Man Who Forgot Ray Bradbury" is so perfect it defies description. "Children of the Bedtime Machine" by Robert McCammon brought tears to my eyes. "The Tattoo" by Bonnie Jo Campbell pays just and due homage to that other, more famous, story about ink and skin and humanity. In each of the stories, we find bits and pieces of Bradbury in mood, in tone, in setting; each story is unsettling and off-kilter by that much, by the teeniest tiniest littlest bit, by just enough to set the reader starting at the shadow by the door or the shape half-glimpsed by the corner of the eye.
This collection was published in July 2012. Sadly, the Great Man Himself passed away just weeks before its publication. 'Tis a fitting tribute to my favorite author, and possibly the greatest author of all time. Sweet dreams, Mr. Bradbury. I'll miss you, and cherish you, forever and ever and ever.
Thank you to Library Thing's Early Reviewers for the opportunity to read this book.
One Saturday morning, when I was 11, I encountered Mr. Bradbury for the first time in the science fiction section of the San Luis Obispo public library, when I pulled his short story collection The Illustrated Man off the shelf to read while I waited for my mother to get done with her grocery shopping. The first story I read was "The Veldt", which had such a profound impact on my prepubescent brain that to this day I still think of it with awe. Even my unsophisticated 11-year-old self knew I had stumbled onto something miraculous.
From that point forward, I read every Bradbury story I could find in the public library and the school library. I traveled far and wide with S Is For Space and R Is For Rocket; drank Dandelion Wine with abandon; romped through Greentown with Jim and Will in Something Wicked This Way Comes; I wrote very very bad derivative stories inspired by The Martian Chronicles for English and Creative Writing classes in junior high and high school. Writing my own stories made me appreciate the sheer artistry and genius of the man: how precise his word choices; how well he conveyed an entire world in 20 pages or less.
That chance encounter at age 11 enriched my life in more ways that I can count. Bradbury opened the door that led me to Asimov and Clarke and Heinlein and Ellison, to Tolkien and LeGuin and Donaldson, to Poe and King and Lovecraft and McCammon, to all the masters of science fiction and fantasy and horror, and all the worlds they created.
My world would have been so confined, so diminished, so impoverished, without Ray Bradbury.
The authors of this collection of short stories feel much the same way. Twenty-six authors, each a writing great on his own; 26 stories, each after the manner of The Great Man; and 26 essays on how Ray Bradbury influenced, inspired, and awed each of these writers in turn.
And while there are too many stories to review or synopsize each one, I want to spotlight a few. Neil Gaiman's tale of "The Man Who Forgot Ray Bradbury" is so perfect it defies description. "Children of the Bedtime Machine" by Robert McCammon brought tears to my eyes. "The Tattoo" by Bonnie Jo Campbell pays just and due homage to that other, more famous, story about ink and skin and humanity. In each of the stories, we find bits and pieces of Bradbury in mood, in tone, in setting; each story is unsettling and off-kilter by that much, by the teeniest tiniest littlest bit, by just enough to set the reader starting at the shadow by the door or the shape half-glimpsed by the corner of the eye.
This collection was published in July 2012. Sadly, the Great Man Himself passed away just weeks before its publication. 'Tis a fitting tribute to my favorite author, and possibly the greatest author of all time. Sweet dreams, Mr. Bradbury. I'll miss you, and cherish you, forever and ever and ever.
Thank you to Library Thing's Early Reviewers for the opportunity to read this book.
July 19, 2020
“His name will once more become synonymous with small American towns at Halloween, when the leaves skitter across the sidewalk like frightened birds, or with Mars, or with love.”
In the introduction to this anthology, Bradbury discusses how from the age of 8, he was inspired by Edgar Allan Poe and numerous other authors. He refers to Poe as his “true papa”. But now Bradbury himself has become the father, and this anthology is a family reunion of sorts, full of stories by those who subsequently looked to him as Papa. As he says, linking it back to his own story, The Homecoming, “a family of beautiful creatures - loving, winged uncles, doting telepathic aunts, and fantastic brethren from all over the world - gather to give thanks, of course, on Halloween.”
Here’s the thing - if you’re a Bradbury fan, the Robert McCammon story alone is worth the price of admission. It was simply incredible. In Children of the Bedtime Machine he perfectly encapsulates how Bradbury’s work is timeless. It will transcend generations as parents and grandparents share the joy of Bradbury’s storytelling with their kids and grandkids. Love!!
Another standout was The Girl in the Funeral Parlour by Sam Weller, which was very reminiscent of the vignette in Dandelion Wine when Bill and Helen fall in love with each other’s minds, but cannot be together as Helen nears death. Perhaps they will be together in a different life. In this story, Weller beautifully reflects on the possibility of meeting your soulmate after they have died.
Gaiman’s story about a man who has forgotten Bradbury is as imaginative as I would expect, peppered with little references that fans will love picking up on. The Exchange was a very interesting mash-up of Lovecraft and Bradbury, whereas By the Silver Water of Lake Champlain is Joe Hill’s tribute to my most favourite Bradbury story, The Fog Horn.
Of course, not every story hits the mark, but the great heavily outweighed the bad. I wouldn’t say you’d need to be a fan of Bradbury to enjoy this collection, the stories stand on their own, but it’s a joy to witness other authors celebrate his works. 3.5 stars.
In the introduction to this anthology, Bradbury discusses how from the age of 8, he was inspired by Edgar Allan Poe and numerous other authors. He refers to Poe as his “true papa”. But now Bradbury himself has become the father, and this anthology is a family reunion of sorts, full of stories by those who subsequently looked to him as Papa. As he says, linking it back to his own story, The Homecoming, “a family of beautiful creatures - loving, winged uncles, doting telepathic aunts, and fantastic brethren from all over the world - gather to give thanks, of course, on Halloween.”
Here’s the thing - if you’re a Bradbury fan, the Robert McCammon story alone is worth the price of admission. It was simply incredible. In Children of the Bedtime Machine he perfectly encapsulates how Bradbury’s work is timeless. It will transcend generations as parents and grandparents share the joy of Bradbury’s storytelling with their kids and grandkids. Love!!
Another standout was The Girl in the Funeral Parlour by Sam Weller, which was very reminiscent of the vignette in Dandelion Wine when Bill and Helen fall in love with each other’s minds, but cannot be together as Helen nears death. Perhaps they will be together in a different life. In this story, Weller beautifully reflects on the possibility of meeting your soulmate after they have died.
Gaiman’s story about a man who has forgotten Bradbury is as imaginative as I would expect, peppered with little references that fans will love picking up on. The Exchange was a very interesting mash-up of Lovecraft and Bradbury, whereas By the Silver Water of Lake Champlain is Joe Hill’s tribute to my most favourite Bradbury story, The Fog Horn.
Of course, not every story hits the mark, but the great heavily outweighed the bad. I wouldn’t say you’d need to be a fan of Bradbury to enjoy this collection, the stories stand on their own, but it’s a joy to witness other authors celebrate his works. 3.5 stars.
October 3, 2015
"Do you believe people are wicked?" Abbey asked.
"Certainly some people are," Mrs. Fanning said. "But there'd be no interesting novels without them, would there?"*
An all-star roster pays tribute to the legend - such big names, yet such blah stories.
While most of the writers did a terrific job of capturing the tone and spirit of Bradbury's writing, the stories are forgettable.
Two notable exceptions are The Man Who Forgot Ray Bradbury which I first read and loved in Gaiman's Trigger Warning: Short Fictions and Disturbances and Children of the Bedtime Machine a lovely story by Robert McCammon about the power of reading to children.
*from CONJURE by Alice Hoffman
"Certainly some people are," Mrs. Fanning said. "But there'd be no interesting novels without them, would there?"*
An all-star roster pays tribute to the legend - such big names, yet such blah stories.
While most of the writers did a terrific job of capturing the tone and spirit of Bradbury's writing, the stories are forgettable.
Two notable exceptions are The Man Who Forgot Ray Bradbury which I first read and loved in Gaiman's Trigger Warning: Short Fictions and Disturbances and Children of the Bedtime Machine a lovely story by Robert McCammon about the power of reading to children.
*from CONJURE by Alice Hoffman
August 31, 2016
I didn't get around to starting this review until I'd listened for quite a while & there are a lot of stories. I probably won't review them all & certainly not in detail, but figure they were at least decent stories & well read.
Sam Weller and Mort Castle - Introduction - Not the best intro, but serviceable, especially if you're not familiar with Bradbury's history.
Ray Bradbury - Second Homecoming - Quite good, especially the talk about it.
Neil Gaiman - The Man Who Forgot Ray Bradbury - Apparently unmemorable after just a few days. I really can't even though I listened to bits of it again. It's read in a British accent, probably by Gaiman, so it will probably catch his fans' interest.
Margaret Atwood - Headlife - This was VERY disappointing, especially from 2 big names doing homage to another. The story wasn't innovative, surprising, creepy, or compelling. It was obvious & better handled on Futurama. Then George Takei overacted his reading horribly which made a poor story even worse. He was unintelligible at times. They should have just pissed on Bradbury's grave, but added insult to injury by wasting my time on this.
:(
Jay Bonansinga - Heavy - Now this was a Bradburian tale! Kudos! Surprises, suspense, & black humor every step of the way.
Sam Weller - The Girl In The Funeral Parlor - Ditto! Every bit as creepy as anything Bradbury has done & yet there is an understandable longing, too.
David Morrell - The Companions - Same as above, excellent! I've read a lot of Morrell's books since he first rocked me with First Blood, which Stallone did a great job in, too. (Yes, the sequels sucked.) Morrell's other spy novels are really good too, but they're tough guy books so it was surprising to see him handle subtle creep & love so well.
Thomas F. Monteleone - The Exchange - is an oft overlooked author. It's been years since I've read anything of his. Nice to see this story in the collection.
Lee Martin - Cat on a Bad Couch - sigh. Show, don't tell. He even says so in his afterword. Not a bad story, but a little less telling would have made it better.
Joe Hill - By The Silver Water Of Lake Champlain - was pretty close to fantastic. Can't say much without spoilers, so I'll leave it at that.
Dan Chaon - Little America - Interesting story, but the afterword, what Bradbury meant to him, was even better.
John McNally - The Phone Call - Wow, Twilight Zone script! Shades of Rod Sterling & Bradbury. Another good afterword.
Joe Meno - Young Pilgrims - This one & the next few are all ditto the above. Perfect Bradbury & all have great afterwords.
Robert McCammon - Children Of The Bedtime Machine -
Ramsey Campbell - The Page -
Mort Castle - Light -
Alice Hoffman - Conjure -
John Maclay - Max -
Jacqueline Mitchard - Two Of A Kind -
Up to this point, the stories were pretty wonderful. After this, I didn't care for them much. Missed the points, if they had any. George Takei read another & wasn't too bad, but he'll never be a favorite reader of mine. Some of the afterwords were quite good, though. Bradbury obviously made a huge difference.
Gary Braunbeck - Fat Man And Little Boy -
Bonnie Jo Campbell - The Tattoo -
Audrey Niffenegger - Backwards In Seville -
Charles Yu - Earth: (A Gift Shop) -
Julia Keller - Hayleigh's Dad -
Dave Eggers - Who Knocks? -
Bayo Ojikutu - Reservation 2020 -
Kelly Link - Two Houses -
Harlan Ellison - Weariness - Yuck. Ellison has gotten even worse.
Sam Weller and Mort Castle - Introduction - Not the best intro, but serviceable, especially if you're not familiar with Bradbury's history.
Ray Bradbury - Second Homecoming - Quite good, especially the talk about it.
Neil Gaiman - The Man Who Forgot Ray Bradbury - Apparently unmemorable after just a few days. I really can't even though I listened to bits of it again. It's read in a British accent, probably by Gaiman, so it will probably catch his fans' interest.
Margaret Atwood - Headlife - This was VERY disappointing, especially from 2 big names doing homage to another. The story wasn't innovative, surprising, creepy, or compelling. It was obvious & better handled on Futurama. Then George Takei overacted his reading horribly which made a poor story even worse. He was unintelligible at times. They should have just pissed on Bradbury's grave, but added insult to injury by wasting my time on this.
:(
Jay Bonansinga - Heavy - Now this was a Bradburian tale! Kudos! Surprises, suspense, & black humor every step of the way.
Sam Weller - The Girl In The Funeral Parlor - Ditto! Every bit as creepy as anything Bradbury has done & yet there is an understandable longing, too.
David Morrell - The Companions - Same as above, excellent! I've read a lot of Morrell's books since he first rocked me with First Blood, which Stallone did a great job in, too. (Yes, the sequels sucked.) Morrell's other spy novels are really good too, but they're tough guy books so it was surprising to see him handle subtle creep & love so well.
Thomas F. Monteleone - The Exchange - is an oft overlooked author. It's been years since I've read anything of his. Nice to see this story in the collection.
Lee Martin - Cat on a Bad Couch - sigh. Show, don't tell. He even says so in his afterword. Not a bad story, but a little less telling would have made it better.
Joe Hill - By The Silver Water Of Lake Champlain - was pretty close to fantastic. Can't say much without spoilers, so I'll leave it at that.
Dan Chaon - Little America - Interesting story, but the afterword, what Bradbury meant to him, was even better.
John McNally - The Phone Call - Wow, Twilight Zone script! Shades of Rod Sterling & Bradbury. Another good afterword.
Joe Meno - Young Pilgrims - This one & the next few are all ditto the above. Perfect Bradbury & all have great afterwords.
Robert McCammon - Children Of The Bedtime Machine -
Ramsey Campbell - The Page -
Mort Castle - Light -
Alice Hoffman - Conjure -
John Maclay - Max -
Jacqueline Mitchard - Two Of A Kind -
Up to this point, the stories were pretty wonderful. After this, I didn't care for them much. Missed the points, if they had any. George Takei read another & wasn't too bad, but he'll never be a favorite reader of mine. Some of the afterwords were quite good, though. Bradbury obviously made a huge difference.
Gary Braunbeck - Fat Man And Little Boy -
Bonnie Jo Campbell - The Tattoo -
Audrey Niffenegger - Backwards In Seville -
Charles Yu - Earth: (A Gift Shop) -
Julia Keller - Hayleigh's Dad -
Dave Eggers - Who Knocks? -
Bayo Ojikutu - Reservation 2020 -
Kelly Link - Two Houses -
Harlan Ellison - Weariness - Yuck. Ellison has gotten even worse.
June 8, 2020
"The tragedy of life is not that men die, but rather that most allow their dreams to expire while they still live."
Ray Bradbury certainly let his dreams run wild, and anyone who has had the opportunity to explore his beautifully crafted stories knows he is special. I love alot of the authors featured in this collection and have discovered a handful I want to read more of. In short if you love Bradbury this book is a must read!
Ray Bradbury certainly let his dreams run wild, and anyone who has had the opportunity to explore his beautifully crafted stories knows he is special. I love alot of the authors featured in this collection and have discovered a handful I want to read more of. In short if you love Bradbury this book is a must read!
December 26, 2025
I was lucky to come across this collection of short stories published in 2012. It was one of many books withdrawn from my local library's shelves and, as it was so old (!), it was tossed into a cart to be taken to be recycled. At least, they weren't burning the books! I was able to retrieve the book and I enjoyed reading it over a couple of hot summer afternoons here, not in Green Town, but in Brookfield, Illinois.
The book includes twenty-six stories all written to honor "peerless storyteller" Ray Bradbury (August 22, 1920-June 5, 2012). Bradbury wrote an introduction to the collection and, as he died the same year this book was published, it must be one of the last things he wrote.
Not surprisingly, two of my favorite stories in the collection were written by well-known authors. In "By the Silver Water of Lake Champlain," Joe Hill writes about some kids finding a dead dinosaur by the shores of Lake Champlain. It's a story that reminded me of one of my favorite Bradbury stories, "The Fog Horn." Alice Hoffman writes a story that echoes "Something Wicked This Way Comes," in "Conjure."
One story that really sticks with me (for some reason) is "The Companions" by Dave Morell, in which a man encounters two guardian angels. Morell says in his afterword to the story that it's a take on a Bradbury tale, "The Crowd"--which I have not read. I'll have to look for it! I also really liked "The Tattoo" by Bonnie Jo Campbell, about an illustrated woman.
Overall, a good collection of stories and almost as good ( or just as good) are the afterwords that the authors wrote concerning the influence that Bradbury had upon their lives and their writing.
The book includes twenty-six stories all written to honor "peerless storyteller" Ray Bradbury (August 22, 1920-June 5, 2012). Bradbury wrote an introduction to the collection and, as he died the same year this book was published, it must be one of the last things he wrote.
Not surprisingly, two of my favorite stories in the collection were written by well-known authors. In "By the Silver Water of Lake Champlain," Joe Hill writes about some kids finding a dead dinosaur by the shores of Lake Champlain. It's a story that reminded me of one of my favorite Bradbury stories, "The Fog Horn." Alice Hoffman writes a story that echoes "Something Wicked This Way Comes," in "Conjure."
One story that really sticks with me (for some reason) is "The Companions" by Dave Morell, in which a man encounters two guardian angels. Morell says in his afterword to the story that it's a take on a Bradbury tale, "The Crowd"--which I have not read. I'll have to look for it! I also really liked "The Tattoo" by Bonnie Jo Campbell, about an illustrated woman.
Overall, a good collection of stories and almost as good ( or just as good) are the afterwords that the authors wrote concerning the influence that Bradbury had upon their lives and their writing.
February 28, 2021
I absolutely loved everything about this collection of short stories, from start to finish! I was a little hesitant to read it at first because I love Bradbury so much and I was worried that these stories would just be poor imitations of his work. Those fears were completely unfounded and I adored it. The authors did such a wonderful tributes to Bradbury’s style and it was just breathtaking. It's difficult for me to pick a favourite story out of the bunch, each of them was unique and captivating in its own way and I thoroughly enjoyed them all. After finishing this collection I am positively itching to revisit some of Bradbury’s work. I can’t stress enough how good this collection is, it is a must read for any Bradbury fan!
January 29, 2014
You should always be just a little suspect when the editor(s) of a collection of short stories have work in it. You should be even more suspect when one of the editors' stories is merely okay and the other is quite bad (and seemingly way off topic/style).
Most of this book was mediocre genre pulp, with a few "literary" folks thrown in for good measure. The stories I liked the best (mostly from the "literary" folks) were too short--they often felt like drafts of stories, added in as a favor or afterthought. The stories I didn't care about all seemed to drag on for 20+ pages.
Fans of Bradbury think of him variously as both sci-fi and nostalgic/wistful. The editors both focus on the latter in their own stories, so it's not surprising that most of the stories in the collection are also more steeped in Bradbury-esque nostalgia (a al Dandelion Wine, say) than Bradbury-esque sci-fi (Fahrenheit 451, Martian Chronicles).
While none of the stories were bad, per se, the overall effect was kind of unpleasant. If this book is truly a reflection of Bradbury's style and content, was he a dimestore pulp hack? Have I totally misremembered the experience of reading Bradbury?
I think no, and that this book merely fails to sync up with my own experience of Bradbury. Given its largely positive reviews, it may be that my experience is the outlier. Still, in the spirit of writing reviews, I'd say not only that fans of Bradbury could skip this one, but rather that they should.
Most of this book was mediocre genre pulp, with a few "literary" folks thrown in for good measure. The stories I liked the best (mostly from the "literary" folks) were too short--they often felt like drafts of stories, added in as a favor or afterthought. The stories I didn't care about all seemed to drag on for 20+ pages.
Fans of Bradbury think of him variously as both sci-fi and nostalgic/wistful. The editors both focus on the latter in their own stories, so it's not surprising that most of the stories in the collection are also more steeped in Bradbury-esque nostalgia (a al Dandelion Wine, say) than Bradbury-esque sci-fi (Fahrenheit 451, Martian Chronicles).
While none of the stories were bad, per se, the overall effect was kind of unpleasant. If this book is truly a reflection of Bradbury's style and content, was he a dimestore pulp hack? Have I totally misremembered the experience of reading Bradbury?
I think no, and that this book merely fails to sync up with my own experience of Bradbury. Given its largely positive reviews, it may be that my experience is the outlier. Still, in the spirit of writing reviews, I'd say not only that fans of Bradbury could skip this one, but rather that they should.
March 8, 2025
My go-to genre to read when a child was almost exclusively science-fiction and fantasy. As I aged, I became more eclectic in my choices as many will affirm from my book reviews. However, there is one author whose stories and novels I have frequently returned: Ray Bradbury. When I have been asked to give my ten top books of all time, I always include his Fahrenheit 451, which I have read several times. I can't profess to have read his complete oeuvre, but have read many of his short stories and novels.
This was why I gravitated to this anthology of short stories written by twenty-six authors, including Margaret Atwood, Alice Hoffman, and Neil Gaiman, who pay tribute to Bradbury's work in inspiring them to become writers and storytellers. Each contributor's short story is followed by a short afterword detailing Bradbury's influence.
Many of these author's captured Bradbury's poetic prose, vivid imagery of imaginary worlds, the innocence of youthful wonder, and wistful nostalgia. Some of my favorite anthology stories include "Young Pilgrims" by Joe Meno, a return to paradise story for two young children from a space outpost colony; "Children of the Bedtime Machine" by Robert McCammon about a woman in a dystopian world looking to find entertainment from her dreary life and discovers a storytelling machine; and, "The Tattoo" by Bonnie Jo Campbell about a soon-to-be-married young man who encounters the Illuminated Woman at a carnival side show and becomes enthralled by and envies her animated tattoos. The last reminded me of Ray Bradbury's The Illustrated Man.
The collection was a fitting tribute to Ray Bradbury, a paragon of literary imagination which was able instill in me a lifelong search for the next story to read.
This was why I gravitated to this anthology of short stories written by twenty-six authors, including Margaret Atwood, Alice Hoffman, and Neil Gaiman, who pay tribute to Bradbury's work in inspiring them to become writers and storytellers. Each contributor's short story is followed by a short afterword detailing Bradbury's influence.
Many of these author's captured Bradbury's poetic prose, vivid imagery of imaginary worlds, the innocence of youthful wonder, and wistful nostalgia. Some of my favorite anthology stories include "Young Pilgrims" by Joe Meno, a return to paradise story for two young children from a space outpost colony; "Children of the Bedtime Machine" by Robert McCammon about a woman in a dystopian world looking to find entertainment from her dreary life and discovers a storytelling machine; and, "The Tattoo" by Bonnie Jo Campbell about a soon-to-be-married young man who encounters the Illuminated Woman at a carnival side show and becomes enthralled by and envies her animated tattoos. The last reminded me of Ray Bradbury's The Illustrated Man.
The collection was a fitting tribute to Ray Bradbury, a paragon of literary imagination which was able instill in me a lifelong search for the next story to read.
March 7, 2013
WOW. This is a very high 4 that I am rounding up to 5.
I very rarely read short story collections mostly because I lose interest after three or four stories, but I am proud to say that I finished all 27. I was taken aback at how many good ones were in here. What an incredible tribute to Ray Bradbury, perhaps the most versatile writer in history. I urge everyone to read it.
One of the stand-out aspects of this compilation was the brief reflection by each of the author following his or her story. Each author ruminated on how Ray Bradbury transformed their own writing from an early stage and offered some insight into what inspired the story they wrote for the anthology. I felt like I was at 27 different author events hearing the "behind the scene" story. A glimpse into the diverse imaginations that created this fantastic anthology. I was in heaven!
I find story-by-story ratings very helpful so here are mine:
A Second Homecoming - 5/5 - Ray setting the scene for this collection perfectly
The Man Who Forgot Ray Bradbury - 4/5 - Makes you think carefully of the power of the written word and how future generations of readers determine the mortality or immortality of great stories.
Headlife - 5/5 - Great one. Reminded me of the Twilight Zone BIG time. Who doesn't have a soft spot for the Twilight Zone? Apparently, Margaret Atwood does.
Heavy - 3/5 - I liked where the author was going with this one, but I think the ending was a little lost in translation for me. Maybe you all will have a better time at puzzling it out.
The Girl in the Funeral Parlor - 4/5 - Eerie, but beautiful and sad. Brought me back to my Six-Feet-Under-watching days. A great reflection on death and soul mates.
The Companions - 5/5 - One of my top five favorites in the collection. As I was reading the others, my mind kept returning to this one. It was a deeply effecting story. The idea in itself isn't entirely original but the way the author gets us there is really unique and memorable.
The Exchange - 3/5 - Again, I liked where the author was going but then it ended rather abruptly. It needed to be developed a bit more.
Cat on a Bad Couch - 5/5 - Loved this one. Great characters and themes. Phantom garage doors, escaped cockatoos, bad furniture and a relationship that could have been. What's not to love? Many discussion points here. Definitely read the author's comments at the end.
By The Silver Water of Lake Champlain - 5/5 - Another gem. So imaginative and beautiful. The author leaves you with a great moral lesson about how the honesty of children is so often overlooked to the detriment of their parents.
Little America - 4/5 - What would a Ray-Bradbury-inspired collection be without a little post-apocalyptic seasoning? I wish this author would turn this short story into an entire novel. If you liked Justin Cronin's The Passage, you'll like this one.
The Phone Call - 5/5 - GREAT ONE, perhaps my favorite. An edge of your seat suspense story about a young man who accidentally makes contact with his dead mother via telephone time travel and attempts to alter his horrible past. I could gush about this story forever. Just read it, please.
Young Pilgrims - 2/5 - Not a super big fan of this one. I liked the Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden theme the author was using here, but the action sequence made no sense.
Children of the Bedtime Machine - 3/5 - Sweet story. This would be on the Lifetime Channel of the future for sure.
The Page - 5/5 - This one was almost poetic. I found it so beautiful and thought-provoking. I loved the author's original idea for this story. Definitely read his comments afterwards.
Light - 4/5 - A little gimmicky but a great insight into the tragic life of a famous movie star. The author clearly knows Ray Bradbury was a life-long fan of motion pictures. A nice touch.
Conjure - 4/5 - Good one. Stand by Me (aka "The Body") meets The Lovely Bones.
Max - 3/5 - Interesting idea, but it needed a bit more.
Two of a Kind - 1/5 - One of the only ones to skip in the collection. It was too confusing.
Fat Man and the Little Boy - 5/5 - This one also stayed with me. This would be a good one to read to a class and discuss the ethical issues it raises about the judgment of individuals based on their health.
The Tattoo - 4/5 - A very original rendering of The Illustrated Man. The author did a great job of introducing the strange into a very ordinary setting and playing on darker side of human nature.
Backwards in Seville - 2/5 - I didn't dislike this one, it just wasn't particularly memorable.
Earth (A Gift Shop) - 5/5 - Absolutely hilarious. Consumerism at its most extreme. If Ray Bradbury and Douglas Adams co-authored a story... this would be it.
Hayleigh's Dad - 5/5 - I don't want to give away the story by disclosing my reaction to the ending...but read it. It's one of the best ones.
Who Knocks? - 4/5 - The kind of vintage horror you read to each other under the covers at a big sleep over. Definitely some subtle notes of Stephen King.
Reservation 2020 - 3/5 - I liked how the author set the scene but it felt like only a small piece in a much longer novel. I needed more.
Two Houses - 1/5 - This one was just weird, protracted and made no sense. Also, I found the diction of the characters off-putting.
Weariness - 3/5 - Good story to put at the end of the collection.
Honestly, the best collection of short stories I've come across in a long time. It is totally worth buying even if you only intend on dipping into a few of the above.
I very rarely read short story collections mostly because I lose interest after three or four stories, but I am proud to say that I finished all 27. I was taken aback at how many good ones were in here. What an incredible tribute to Ray Bradbury, perhaps the most versatile writer in history. I urge everyone to read it.
One of the stand-out aspects of this compilation was the brief reflection by each of the author following his or her story. Each author ruminated on how Ray Bradbury transformed their own writing from an early stage and offered some insight into what inspired the story they wrote for the anthology. I felt like I was at 27 different author events hearing the "behind the scene" story. A glimpse into the diverse imaginations that created this fantastic anthology. I was in heaven!
I find story-by-story ratings very helpful so here are mine:
A Second Homecoming - 5/5 - Ray setting the scene for this collection perfectly
The Man Who Forgot Ray Bradbury - 4/5 - Makes you think carefully of the power of the written word and how future generations of readers determine the mortality or immortality of great stories.
Headlife - 5/5 - Great one. Reminded me of the Twilight Zone BIG time. Who doesn't have a soft spot for the Twilight Zone? Apparently, Margaret Atwood does.
Heavy - 3/5 - I liked where the author was going with this one, but I think the ending was a little lost in translation for me. Maybe you all will have a better time at puzzling it out.
The Girl in the Funeral Parlor - 4/5 - Eerie, but beautiful and sad. Brought me back to my Six-Feet-Under-watching days. A great reflection on death and soul mates.
The Companions - 5/5 - One of my top five favorites in the collection. As I was reading the others, my mind kept returning to this one. It was a deeply effecting story. The idea in itself isn't entirely original but the way the author gets us there is really unique and memorable.
The Exchange - 3/5 - Again, I liked where the author was going but then it ended rather abruptly. It needed to be developed a bit more.
Cat on a Bad Couch - 5/5 - Loved this one. Great characters and themes. Phantom garage doors, escaped cockatoos, bad furniture and a relationship that could have been. What's not to love? Many discussion points here. Definitely read the author's comments at the end.
By The Silver Water of Lake Champlain - 5/5 - Another gem. So imaginative and beautiful. The author leaves you with a great moral lesson about how the honesty of children is so often overlooked to the detriment of their parents.
Little America - 4/5 - What would a Ray-Bradbury-inspired collection be without a little post-apocalyptic seasoning? I wish this author would turn this short story into an entire novel. If you liked Justin Cronin's The Passage, you'll like this one.
The Phone Call - 5/5 - GREAT ONE, perhaps my favorite. An edge of your seat suspense story about a young man who accidentally makes contact with his dead mother via telephone time travel and attempts to alter his horrible past. I could gush about this story forever. Just read it, please.
Young Pilgrims - 2/5 - Not a super big fan of this one. I liked the Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden theme the author was using here, but the action sequence made no sense.
Children of the Bedtime Machine - 3/5 - Sweet story. This would be on the Lifetime Channel of the future for sure.
The Page - 5/5 - This one was almost poetic. I found it so beautiful and thought-provoking. I loved the author's original idea for this story. Definitely read his comments afterwards.
Light - 4/5 - A little gimmicky but a great insight into the tragic life of a famous movie star. The author clearly knows Ray Bradbury was a life-long fan of motion pictures. A nice touch.
Conjure - 4/5 - Good one. Stand by Me (aka "The Body") meets The Lovely Bones.
Max - 3/5 - Interesting idea, but it needed a bit more.
Two of a Kind - 1/5 - One of the only ones to skip in the collection. It was too confusing.
Fat Man and the Little Boy - 5/5 - This one also stayed with me. This would be a good one to read to a class and discuss the ethical issues it raises about the judgment of individuals based on their health.
The Tattoo - 4/5 - A very original rendering of The Illustrated Man. The author did a great job of introducing the strange into a very ordinary setting and playing on darker side of human nature.
Backwards in Seville - 2/5 - I didn't dislike this one, it just wasn't particularly memorable.
Earth (A Gift Shop) - 5/5 - Absolutely hilarious. Consumerism at its most extreme. If Ray Bradbury and Douglas Adams co-authored a story... this would be it.
Hayleigh's Dad - 5/5 - I don't want to give away the story by disclosing my reaction to the ending...but read it. It's one of the best ones.
Who Knocks? - 4/5 - The kind of vintage horror you read to each other under the covers at a big sleep over. Definitely some subtle notes of Stephen King.
Reservation 2020 - 3/5 - I liked how the author set the scene but it felt like only a small piece in a much longer novel. I needed more.
Two Houses - 1/5 - This one was just weird, protracted and made no sense. Also, I found the diction of the characters off-putting.
Weariness - 3/5 - Good story to put at the end of the collection.
Honestly, the best collection of short stories I've come across in a long time. It is totally worth buying even if you only intend on dipping into a few of the above.
August 17, 2012
http://www.rantingdragon.com/shadow-s...
When the Ranting Dragon was first contacted about reviewing Shadow Show, I was intrigued. A collection of short stories honoring Ray Bradbury? Neat! However, once I got my review copy, I realized how very special this collection is. While Shadow Show was published a little over a month after Bradbury’s June 2012 death, this anthology was not thrown together at lightning speed to commemorate him. This book is actually a carefully curated collection of all original stories and was started well before Bradbury’s death; it even includes a secondary introduction from him. This anthology is meant to honor and celebrate not only Bradbury’s work, but also the influence he’s had on modern literature and current authors.
For those who are unfamiliar, Ray Bradbury was an American author who was extremely influential within his own lifetime. He published twenty-seven novels (the most famous of which is the dystopian Fahrenheit 451), screenplays for movies and TV shows, as well as over six hundred short stories. Bradbury’s earliest work was in the science fiction genre, though he also published in the mystery and horror genres. His work appeared in numerous publications, from niche SF magazines to The New Yorker. This wide diversity has been credited with giving the entire speculative fiction movement greater exposure as more mainstream readers sought out Bradbury’s less mainstream work.
Nothing short of epic
Editors Sam Weller and Mort Castle certainly set themselves a herculean task with this collection. How do you celebrate the work of such a prolific and varied writer? And remarkably, there are twenty-seven short stories and two introductions in fewer than five hundred pages. My original thought with this review was to tell you about a few of my favorite stories, but some of them are so short that to spend more than a sentence or two on them would give away the entire story! And I don’t want you to read my three sentence reduction, but the original tale. Don’t worry if you don’t like extremely short fiction; there are some longer, twenty-page stories included as well. They are all exquisitely written by masters at their craft. The SF world is represented by none other than Neil Gaiman, Margaret Atwood, Harlan Ellison, Kelly Link, and Audrey Niffenegger. The authors coming from the mystery, adventure/suspense/thriller, and horror genres also read like a who’s who of modern publishing. You literally cannot go wrong with this crowd.
One of the best parts of this collection is the notes attached to each story by its author. Some are inspired by Bradbury’s work as a whole, but many are tributes to a single short story. For instance, David Morrell’s “The Companion” is a reverse of Bradbury’s tale “The Crowd.” Audrey Niffenegger’s “Backwards in Seville” is in response to Bradbury’s “The Playground.” For those who may be experiencing much of Bradbury vicariously for the first time in this anthology, these notes offer an interesting roadmap to various works they may enjoy. Often in these notes, the authors will tell you just what Bradbury and his work mean to them. For some he served as inspiration throughout their careers, and for others he was a dear friend and mentor. I can’t imagine a more touching tribute for any writer.
Why you should read this book
I will be honest with you: short fiction is not my favorite reading. I was sold on doing this review by the list of the authors involved, and I have not been disappointed. If ever there was a short story collection you could not go wrong with, this is it. It’s a literary buffet filled with dishes prepared by award winning chefs. Even if a story is not to your particular taste, you can still sit back and appreciate the craft that went into it. Also, what better way to sample genres you may have read sparingly than with a collection that also includes pieces in genres you’re sure to love?
When the Ranting Dragon was first contacted about reviewing Shadow Show, I was intrigued. A collection of short stories honoring Ray Bradbury? Neat! However, once I got my review copy, I realized how very special this collection is. While Shadow Show was published a little over a month after Bradbury’s June 2012 death, this anthology was not thrown together at lightning speed to commemorate him. This book is actually a carefully curated collection of all original stories and was started well before Bradbury’s death; it even includes a secondary introduction from him. This anthology is meant to honor and celebrate not only Bradbury’s work, but also the influence he’s had on modern literature and current authors.
For those who are unfamiliar, Ray Bradbury was an American author who was extremely influential within his own lifetime. He published twenty-seven novels (the most famous of which is the dystopian Fahrenheit 451), screenplays for movies and TV shows, as well as over six hundred short stories. Bradbury’s earliest work was in the science fiction genre, though he also published in the mystery and horror genres. His work appeared in numerous publications, from niche SF magazines to The New Yorker. This wide diversity has been credited with giving the entire speculative fiction movement greater exposure as more mainstream readers sought out Bradbury’s less mainstream work.
Nothing short of epic
Editors Sam Weller and Mort Castle certainly set themselves a herculean task with this collection. How do you celebrate the work of such a prolific and varied writer? And remarkably, there are twenty-seven short stories and two introductions in fewer than five hundred pages. My original thought with this review was to tell you about a few of my favorite stories, but some of them are so short that to spend more than a sentence or two on them would give away the entire story! And I don’t want you to read my three sentence reduction, but the original tale. Don’t worry if you don’t like extremely short fiction; there are some longer, twenty-page stories included as well. They are all exquisitely written by masters at their craft. The SF world is represented by none other than Neil Gaiman, Margaret Atwood, Harlan Ellison, Kelly Link, and Audrey Niffenegger. The authors coming from the mystery, adventure/suspense/thriller, and horror genres also read like a who’s who of modern publishing. You literally cannot go wrong with this crowd.
One of the best parts of this collection is the notes attached to each story by its author. Some are inspired by Bradbury’s work as a whole, but many are tributes to a single short story. For instance, David Morrell’s “The Companion” is a reverse of Bradbury’s tale “The Crowd.” Audrey Niffenegger’s “Backwards in Seville” is in response to Bradbury’s “The Playground.” For those who may be experiencing much of Bradbury vicariously for the first time in this anthology, these notes offer an interesting roadmap to various works they may enjoy. Often in these notes, the authors will tell you just what Bradbury and his work mean to them. For some he served as inspiration throughout their careers, and for others he was a dear friend and mentor. I can’t imagine a more touching tribute for any writer.
Why you should read this book
I will be honest with you: short fiction is not my favorite reading. I was sold on doing this review by the list of the authors involved, and I have not been disappointed. If ever there was a short story collection you could not go wrong with, this is it. It’s a literary buffet filled with dishes prepared by award winning chefs. Even if a story is not to your particular taste, you can still sit back and appreciate the craft that went into it. Also, what better way to sample genres you may have read sparingly than with a collection that also includes pieces in genres you’re sure to love?
December 21, 2014
In most of the anthologies that I've read there are often some good stories, some bad stories, and some in between. The end result is that I usually feel ambivalent. When I first started reading Shadow Show, I thought this anthology would be more of the same after reading the first story, which was written by Neil Gaiman As it turns out, Gaiman's story was the weakest in the anthology, which is chocked full of quality writing and quality stories. Shadow Show is a tribute to Ray Bradbury, one of the greatest science fiction writers to ever live. Some of the stories clearly struck a chord in giving a definite Bradbury feel. Even the ones that didn't still were generally high quality and entertaining.
There were so many good and interesting stories that it's hard to say which ones were the best. If I had to single out two stories that really stood out were "The Girl in the Funeral Parlor" by Sam Weller, which had a great haunting quality, and "The Companions" by David Morrell, which is one of the best short stories I've ever read, the sort that stays with you long after you read it. The list of authors is quite impressive including Joe Hill, Robert McCammon, and Ramsey Campbell. If you are a fan of Bradbury or quality speculative fiction, this is an anthology that you will want to read. The vision that Sam Weller and Mort Castle had in creating this was definitely fulfilled, and it is a fitting tribute to Bradbury.
Carl Alves - author of Reconquest: Mother Earth
There were so many good and interesting stories that it's hard to say which ones were the best. If I had to single out two stories that really stood out were "The Girl in the Funeral Parlor" by Sam Weller, which had a great haunting quality, and "The Companions" by David Morrell, which is one of the best short stories I've ever read, the sort that stays with you long after you read it. The list of authors is quite impressive including Joe Hill, Robert McCammon, and Ramsey Campbell. If you are a fan of Bradbury or quality speculative fiction, this is an anthology that you will want to read. The vision that Sam Weller and Mort Castle had in creating this was definitely fulfilled, and it is a fitting tribute to Bradbury.
Carl Alves - author of Reconquest: Mother Earth
October 9, 2012
The timing of this book might make you think that it's some hastily compiled posthumous tribute to Bradbury. Not so. The loving introduction and the even more loving opening essay by Bradbury himself show that this was meant as a living tribute. And it's excellent. The Kelly Link ghost-stories-on-a-spaceship story is beautifully done. There are a number of stories by authors I wasn't really familiar with that I would count among my favorites here: "Children of the Bedtime Machine," by Robert McCammon; "Young Pilgrims," by Joe Meno; "The Companions," by David Morrell; "By the Silver Water of Lake Champlain," by Joe Hill.
At museums, I often get so distracted by the great text on the walls that I forget about the works themselves. I like the sculpture, but I like it even more in conjunction with the story of how it is the only sculpture that its maker ever made, carved out of a log of applewood that he found in the woods on the grounds of the asylum. The notes that accompany these stories are like that. I particularly like that there are multiple writers in the anthology who describe having written to Mr. Bradbury at a young age and getting personal responses. This is a quality anthology that shows the depth and breadth of Mr. Bradbury's influence on contemporary fiction.
At museums, I often get so distracted by the great text on the walls that I forget about the works themselves. I like the sculpture, but I like it even more in conjunction with the story of how it is the only sculpture that its maker ever made, carved out of a log of applewood that he found in the woods on the grounds of the asylum. The notes that accompany these stories are like that. I particularly like that there are multiple writers in the anthology who describe having written to Mr. Bradbury at a young age and getting personal responses. This is a quality anthology that shows the depth and breadth of Mr. Bradbury's influence on contemporary fiction.
August 12, 2019
A solid collection of stories celebrating Ray Bradbury! I especially enjoyed reading each writer's end note about Bradbury's influence in their lives.
Stand-outs for me were:
The Man Who Forgot Ray Bradbury by Neil Gaiman
The Girl in the Funeral Parlor by Sam Weller
The Phone Call by John McNally
The Tattoo by Bonnie Jo Campbell
Earth (A Gift Shop) by Charles Yu
"Ray Bradbury taught me that the secret of writing was the secret of life. Look closely. Be generous. Be honest with genuine emotion. Remember the details. Observe the impossible through the filter of the possible. Show but don't manipulate." -Jacquelyn Mitchard
Stand-outs for me were:
The Man Who Forgot Ray Bradbury by Neil Gaiman
The Girl in the Funeral Parlor by Sam Weller
The Phone Call by John McNally
The Tattoo by Bonnie Jo Campbell
Earth (A Gift Shop) by Charles Yu
"Ray Bradbury taught me that the secret of writing was the secret of life. Look closely. Be generous. Be honest with genuine emotion. Remember the details. Observe the impossible through the filter of the possible. Show but don't manipulate." -Jacquelyn Mitchard
January 24, 2020
Muhteşemdi! 27 yazardan 27 Bradbury öyküsü! Bitmesin istedim. Bu methiyeyi okuyup Bradbury'e bir kez daha hayran olmamak bence imkansız. Her yazar, kendi öyküsünün sonuna Ray'la ilgili anılarını ve öyküsünün çıkış noktasını eklemiş. Bradbury'nin bir çok yazarı çocukluğundan itibaren teşvik etmiş olması hayranlık uyandırıcıydı. Öykülerse şiir gibiydi. Şiddetle tavsiye ederim📚☕❤️
January 25, 2013
(Reprinted from the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography [cclapcenter.com]. I am the original author of this essay, as well as the owner of CCLaP; it is not being reprinted illegally.)
I know a number of the people involved with this book, so it wouldn't really be ethically right for me to purport to do an "objective" review of it; but I at least wanted to make a mention of it here at the blog, mostly because it finally came up to the top of my to-read list last week, after first entering way back in July. (July! Shame on me! I am so sorry to all you authors that it's taking me so long to get through your books right now; but we're about to start bringing on additional reviewers soon, so we'll finally be getting that list whittled down to size before too long.) Anyway, this is an anthology of all-new work by some incredibly impressive writers, and edited by genre heroes Sam Weller and Mort Castle, all in honor of the recently passed Ray Bradbury, a Chicago-area native (for those who didn't know) who had one of the most interesting and varied literary careers of the entire Mid-Century Modernist era. And indeed, I think a big reason why it was so easy for Weller and Castle to attract the likes of such heavy hitters as Margaret Atwood, Dave Eggers, Harlan Ellison, Neil Gaiman, Joe Hill, Alice Hoffman, Kelly Link, Audrey Niffenegger, Joe Meno, Bonnie Jo Campbell and a lot more is precisely because Bradbury had a career that was so hard to define, a man who dipped his influential toes into horror, science-fiction, crime, Young Adult, even hippie weirdness without ever being trapped in one or another, and I think it's natural for writers to be inspired by this and want to occasionally do some Bradburian walking off the beaten path themselves. It's such a fitting and loving tribute because it's so smart and dense on its own, and Weller and Castle are to be commended for putting together one of the most entertaining compilations I've read in a while. It comes strongly recommended.
Out of 10: N/A
I know a number of the people involved with this book, so it wouldn't really be ethically right for me to purport to do an "objective" review of it; but I at least wanted to make a mention of it here at the blog, mostly because it finally came up to the top of my to-read list last week, after first entering way back in July. (July! Shame on me! I am so sorry to all you authors that it's taking me so long to get through your books right now; but we're about to start bringing on additional reviewers soon, so we'll finally be getting that list whittled down to size before too long.) Anyway, this is an anthology of all-new work by some incredibly impressive writers, and edited by genre heroes Sam Weller and Mort Castle, all in honor of the recently passed Ray Bradbury, a Chicago-area native (for those who didn't know) who had one of the most interesting and varied literary careers of the entire Mid-Century Modernist era. And indeed, I think a big reason why it was so easy for Weller and Castle to attract the likes of such heavy hitters as Margaret Atwood, Dave Eggers, Harlan Ellison, Neil Gaiman, Joe Hill, Alice Hoffman, Kelly Link, Audrey Niffenegger, Joe Meno, Bonnie Jo Campbell and a lot more is precisely because Bradbury had a career that was so hard to define, a man who dipped his influential toes into horror, science-fiction, crime, Young Adult, even hippie weirdness without ever being trapped in one or another, and I think it's natural for writers to be inspired by this and want to occasionally do some Bradburian walking off the beaten path themselves. It's such a fitting and loving tribute because it's so smart and dense on its own, and Weller and Castle are to be commended for putting together one of the most entertaining compilations I've read in a while. It comes strongly recommended.
Out of 10: N/A
January 2, 2019
I very much hoped to give this a 5-star rating. (Some may think I'm too generous with those anyway - but what can I tell you? Reading a book is a commitment, so naturally I'm going to try to choose books I'm going to end up loving or find totally satisfying for one reason or another. Why waste time on books that will end up wasting your time?)
The truth, though, is that - for me - this collection comes to about a 4.5.
If you include his touching introduction, there are 27 writers pooled together here for this 'celebration' of Bradbury's work; this recognition of his vast influence. As I've suggested, the bulk of the stories here are just terrific. Quite a few of them are, indeed, Bradbury-esque... while a number of others are Bradbury-informed.
Particular favorites (*denotes standouts):
Heavy / Jay Bonansinga*
The Girl in the Funeral Parlor / Sam Weller*
The Companions / David Morrell
The Exchange / Thomas F. Monteleone*
Cat on a Bad Couch / Lee Martin
Little America / Dan Chaon*
The Phone Call / John McNally*
Young Pilgrims / Joe Meno*
Children of the Bedtime Machine / Robert McCammon*
Conjure / Alice Hoffman*
Max / John Maclay
Fat Man and Little Boy / Gary A. Braunbeck
The Tattoo / Bonnie J. Campbell*
Earth (A Gift Shop) / Charles Yu*
Hayleigh's Dad / Julia Keller*
Who Knocks? / Dave Eggers
The overall best quality in the best of these stories is economy - as well as knowing what to leave out (and up to the readers' imaginations).
Some of the tales I didn't mention I at least appreciated on some level- while a few others I found wanting and too long for the stories they were telling.
I think I'd like to make my way back to some more Bradbury stories, though.
The truth, though, is that - for me - this collection comes to about a 4.5.
If you include his touching introduction, there are 27 writers pooled together here for this 'celebration' of Bradbury's work; this recognition of his vast influence. As I've suggested, the bulk of the stories here are just terrific. Quite a few of them are, indeed, Bradbury-esque... while a number of others are Bradbury-informed.
Particular favorites (*denotes standouts):
Heavy / Jay Bonansinga*
The Girl in the Funeral Parlor / Sam Weller*
The Companions / David Morrell
The Exchange / Thomas F. Monteleone*
Cat on a Bad Couch / Lee Martin
Little America / Dan Chaon*
The Phone Call / John McNally*
Young Pilgrims / Joe Meno*
Children of the Bedtime Machine / Robert McCammon*
Conjure / Alice Hoffman*
Max / John Maclay
Fat Man and Little Boy / Gary A. Braunbeck
The Tattoo / Bonnie J. Campbell*
Earth (A Gift Shop) / Charles Yu*
Hayleigh's Dad / Julia Keller*
Who Knocks? / Dave Eggers
The overall best quality in the best of these stories is economy - as well as knowing what to leave out (and up to the readers' imaginations).
Some of the tales I didn't mention I at least appreciated on some level- while a few others I found wanting and too long for the stories they were telling.
I think I'd like to make my way back to some more Bradbury stories, though.
February 11, 2017
Shadow Show: All-New Stories in Celebration of Ray Bradbury is what an anthology should be. The stories were all well written and interesting, but the best part of this book was that at the end of each story the author took the time to explain how and why the story was influenced by Ray Bradbury.
Ray Bradbury is the perfect author for this kind of anthology. His writing spans all the genres of speculative fiction, so an anthology of stories influenced by him can include horror, magical realism, traditional science fiction, all of which is included in this book. There really is something for everyone in this book, and that is more of a testament to Mr. Bradbury than anything.
Ray Bradbury is the perfect author for this kind of anthology. His writing spans all the genres of speculative fiction, so an anthology of stories influenced by him can include horror, magical realism, traditional science fiction, all of which is included in this book. There really is something for everyone in this book, and that is more of a testament to Mr. Bradbury than anything.
June 17, 2015
Short stories in honor of Ray Bradbury. More interesting than most of the stories, actually, are the afterwords in which the authors tell about their encounters with Bradbury's fiction -- I surely would not have predicted that Margaret Atwood or Kelly Link was working under the Bradbury influence.
Unfortunately, most of the stories range from forgettable whimsies to amateurish imitations; because it's Bradbury, the authors mostly seem to be straining for (1) vivid and beautiful descriptive writing and (2) the Twilight Zone-ish "what if." And those are things that very few writers can do well -- especially at the same time.
Joe Hill's "By the Silver Water of Lake Champlain" is probably the best in the collection. It finds an excellent Bradbury-esque moment of great childhood discovery and captures it well, so that the supernatural and the natural are tinged with the same nostalgic sadness.
I wasn't familiar with Dan Chaon, but his "Little America" is quite good -- you think you know where it's going, and it's very satisfying to find out you're wrong.
Kelly Link's "Two Houses" is ghost stories within a ghost story, but it felt incomplete, as though it wanted to be a novel.
Unfortunately, most of the stories range from forgettable whimsies to amateurish imitations; because it's Bradbury, the authors mostly seem to be straining for (1) vivid and beautiful descriptive writing and (2) the Twilight Zone-ish "what if." And those are things that very few writers can do well -- especially at the same time.
Joe Hill's "By the Silver Water of Lake Champlain" is probably the best in the collection. It finds an excellent Bradbury-esque moment of great childhood discovery and captures it well, so that the supernatural and the natural are tinged with the same nostalgic sadness.
I wasn't familiar with Dan Chaon, but his "Little America" is quite good -- you think you know where it's going, and it's very satisfying to find out you're wrong.
Kelly Link's "Two Houses" is ghost stories within a ghost story, but it felt incomplete, as though it wanted to be a novel.
October 2, 2025
This is one of those books I picked up on a whim during the pandemic, as we were trying to keep our local independent bookseller in business and it has sat on my shelf, waiting for me for all these years. I’ve always loved Bradbury and was curious to see what some of these authors could do in tribute and celebration of his genre-bending stories.
I came away with two big takeaways. 1) Nobody can write like Bradbury. He definitely had a unique sense of prose and storytelling which, while some of these authors get close, is very hard to replicate. 2) It’s amazing how differently he inspired every single one of these authors. The Author Notes after each story were as interesting as the stories themselves. Each writer took away something different or had a different story resonate with them from Bradbury’s vast catalog. It’s really neat for someone to have had such a varied impact on literature. Also fascinating that The Veldt and The Fog Horn come up as frequently as they do in the afterwords – firmly agreed on my end, those are two of Bradbury’s most iconic short stories.
Like most anthologies, there are a lot of average stories in this one. Some that had a lot of promise and then fizzled, and a couple that are just completely pointless, boring, and poorly written.
My favorites all came in couplets. First was David Morrell’s The Companions and Thomas F. Monteleone’s The Exchange. The former starts out as a fairly cliché ghost story before taking a gorgeous turn into tenderness. The latter captures the perfect amount of whimsy and humanity in a chance encounter.
The next one-two punch starts with Joe Meno’s Young Pilgrims, which feels like it would be at home nestled within the pages of The Martian Chronicles. It tackles the innocence and exploration of youth, as our titular pilgrims explore an alien planet while living under the veil of religious fervor. Robert McCammon’s Children Of The Bedtime Machine fuses dreamlike technology and the power of storytelling into a hopeful look at an apocalyptic future.
The last combo starts with Bonnie Jo Campbell’s The Tattoo, which is the obvious companion piece to Bradbury’s narrative framework in The Illustrated Man. It takes the allegory of wearing our stories on our skin and captures the sorrowful hope of the dreamer. Audrey Niffenegger’s Backwards In Seville is a perfect embodiment of Bradbury’s short, sweet, and haunting stories. No spoilers, but it’s a particularly poignant tale.
And last but not least, special shoutout to Kelly Link’s Two Houses as the penultimate story. I had no clue where this one was going, as a blend of science fiction and ghost stories, but I loved it.
I came away with two big takeaways. 1) Nobody can write like Bradbury. He definitely had a unique sense of prose and storytelling which, while some of these authors get close, is very hard to replicate. 2) It’s amazing how differently he inspired every single one of these authors. The Author Notes after each story were as interesting as the stories themselves. Each writer took away something different or had a different story resonate with them from Bradbury’s vast catalog. It’s really neat for someone to have had such a varied impact on literature. Also fascinating that The Veldt and The Fog Horn come up as frequently as they do in the afterwords – firmly agreed on my end, those are two of Bradbury’s most iconic short stories.
Like most anthologies, there are a lot of average stories in this one. Some that had a lot of promise and then fizzled, and a couple that are just completely pointless, boring, and poorly written.
My favorites all came in couplets. First was David Morrell’s The Companions and Thomas F. Monteleone’s The Exchange. The former starts out as a fairly cliché ghost story before taking a gorgeous turn into tenderness. The latter captures the perfect amount of whimsy and humanity in a chance encounter.
The next one-two punch starts with Joe Meno’s Young Pilgrims, which feels like it would be at home nestled within the pages of The Martian Chronicles. It tackles the innocence and exploration of youth, as our titular pilgrims explore an alien planet while living under the veil of religious fervor. Robert McCammon’s Children Of The Bedtime Machine fuses dreamlike technology and the power of storytelling into a hopeful look at an apocalyptic future.
The last combo starts with Bonnie Jo Campbell’s The Tattoo, which is the obvious companion piece to Bradbury’s narrative framework in The Illustrated Man. It takes the allegory of wearing our stories on our skin and captures the sorrowful hope of the dreamer. Audrey Niffenegger’s Backwards In Seville is a perfect embodiment of Bradbury’s short, sweet, and haunting stories. No spoilers, but it’s a particularly poignant tale.
And last but not least, special shoutout to Kelly Link’s Two Houses as the penultimate story. I had no clue where this one was going, as a blend of science fiction and ghost stories, but I loved it.
June 7, 2024
Great book with a lot more hits than misses. Bradbury has inspired so many authors by putting earnest human desire & longing into far flung galaxies & hometown nightmares. I want to remember the compassion of Bradbury, his ability to find the pulse of a characters longing, & his capacity to imagine the present unfurling into the future, human nature & all its cultures awash and tricking in the tendrils of our galaxy.
MUST READ
- “Cat on a bad couch” (Lyrical, lonely, lovely, simply profound writing)
- “By the Silver Water” (HEARTFELT, IMPOSSIBLE IMPOSSIBLE & REAL)
- “Children of the Bedtime Machine” (achingly hopeful & dashed my cynical heart.)
EXCELLENT
- “Conjure” (The best and most loving imitation of the Bradbury I know. Beautiful & harrowing ending)
- Two of a Kind (A honest to God good story that I could read for another 100 pages. Its symbols are haunting)
- “Backward in Seville” (A very honest story whose basic conceit is so strong that it will never leave me)
- “Young Pilgrims” (Wonderful remix of Eden that is equal parts magic & despair. Filled with awe & incandescent with love, darkened by its shadow.
Good
- Little America (Reading McNally’s afterward is very worth it!)
- Who Knocks?
- Light
- Heavy
- A Second Homecoming
MUST READ
- “Cat on a bad couch” (Lyrical, lonely, lovely, simply profound writing)
- “By the Silver Water” (HEARTFELT, IMPOSSIBLE IMPOSSIBLE & REAL)
- “Children of the Bedtime Machine” (achingly hopeful & dashed my cynical heart.)
EXCELLENT
- “Conjure” (The best and most loving imitation of the Bradbury I know. Beautiful & harrowing ending)
- Two of a Kind (A honest to God good story that I could read for another 100 pages. Its symbols are haunting)
- “Backward in Seville” (A very honest story whose basic conceit is so strong that it will never leave me)
- “Young Pilgrims” (Wonderful remix of Eden that is equal parts magic & despair. Filled with awe & incandescent with love, darkened by its shadow.
Good
- Little America (Reading McNally’s afterward is very worth it!)
- Who Knocks?
- Light
- Heavy
- A Second Homecoming
did-not-finish
May 4, 2025Read like 7 or 8 of the stories in here and didn't like a single one of them, so I'm DNFing this.
February 10, 2019
As some of you may know, I adore Ray Bradbury. I was one of those creepy kids that devoured any books that looked like they might spook me. I read many typical scary stories for kids, with only a few truly standing out. Ray Bradbury's, Something Wicked This Way Comes was one such story. It stayed in my brain and never quite left me alone. It captured the way Halloween felt, not just what it looks like. So, Ray definitely captured my imagination at a very early age.
Since I have loved Ray Bradbury for many years, I was very excited to see this book on the shelves of my local library, especially because several of my favorite authors contributed stories to this collection including: Alice Hoffman, Joe Hill, Neil Gaiman, and (of course) the man himself, Ray Bradbury.
This collection was marvelously fun to read with just the right combination of chills and thrills for anyone to read, even if you don't like spooky stories. If you love Ray Bradbury, you'll love this collection.
Since I have loved Ray Bradbury for many years, I was very excited to see this book on the shelves of my local library, especially because several of my favorite authors contributed stories to this collection including: Alice Hoffman, Joe Hill, Neil Gaiman, and (of course) the man himself, Ray Bradbury.
This collection was marvelously fun to read with just the right combination of chills and thrills for anyone to read, even if you don't like spooky stories. If you love Ray Bradbury, you'll love this collection.
January 30, 2018
Para mi gusto personal, sobresalen sólo un par de relatos. El resto tienen un nivel medio-bajo. También se echa en falta un poco más de mimo en la edición del texto... En fin. A otra cosa, mariposa.
August 8, 2012
Ray Bradbury is a giant in literature, so tagging his name onto things sets the bar pretty high. This collection lives up to the expectations, although my favorite part isn't the stories themselves: instead I particularly enjoyed how after each story the authors discuss the influence Ray Bradbury has had on them. Touching, funny, and personal, these brief essays are a gem.
As for the stories, there are a few duds, but many more amazing successes. Some stand outs for me were: "Heavy," "The Girl in the Funeral Parlor," "Young Pilgrims", "The Tattoo," and "Fat Man and Little Boy." These five of the twenty-six stories really stood out to me as truly celebrating Ray Bradbury, his work and his themes.
"Heavy" is the story of friendship found unexpectedly.
"The Girl in the Funeral Parlor" is a story of unrequited love and questions all the little choices of the day-to-day.
"Young Pilgrims" takes us to another world which is of course, not so different from our own.
"The Tattoo" explores another carnival, love, and the human heart and need for self-expression.
"Fat Man and Little Boy" once again touches on friendship, censorship, and government control of ideas.
The only really disappointing story was from Dave Eggers, which surprised me as I usually enjoy his work. However, "Who's Knocking?" seems completely cliche, I know I've read almost the exact same story in some collection of ghost tales somewhere before, and if most of my books weren't boxed up in storage while I'm away at college, I'd go find exactly where it was.
All in all, this is an excellent collection of short stories and well worth adding to your collection, whether you are a lifelong Bradbury fan or just enjoy short fiction.
As for the stories, there are a few duds, but many more amazing successes. Some stand outs for me were: "Heavy," "The Girl in the Funeral Parlor," "Young Pilgrims", "The Tattoo," and "Fat Man and Little Boy." These five of the twenty-six stories really stood out to me as truly celebrating Ray Bradbury, his work and his themes.
"Heavy" is the story of friendship found unexpectedly.
"The Girl in the Funeral Parlor" is a story of unrequited love and questions all the little choices of the day-to-day.
"Young Pilgrims" takes us to another world which is of course, not so different from our own.
"The Tattoo" explores another carnival, love, and the human heart and need for self-expression.
"Fat Man and Little Boy" once again touches on friendship, censorship, and government control of ideas.
The only really disappointing story was from Dave Eggers, which surprised me as I usually enjoy his work. However, "Who's Knocking?" seems completely cliche, I know I've read almost the exact same story in some collection of ghost tales somewhere before, and if most of my books weren't boxed up in storage while I'm away at college, I'd go find exactly where it was.
All in all, this is an excellent collection of short stories and well worth adding to your collection, whether you are a lifelong Bradbury fan or just enjoy short fiction.
November 23, 2017
26 hikayenin içinden yalnızca beş tanesini beğendiğim ve bunlardan da sadece üç tanesini çok çok sevdiğim için iki yıldız. Ray Bradbury'nin bir kitabını okudum bugüne kadar : Fahrenheit 451. Yani onun yazar kişiliği hakkında çok şey bilmiyorum. Bu derlemeyi okumaya başlama sebebim dürüst olmak gerekirse, Neil Gaiman'ın adını görmemdi, ki onun yazdığı hikaye de beklediğim gibi değildi. kısacası kitabın bana verdiği tek şey, şu beş güzel hikaye dışında, Ray Bradbury'den etkilenen bunca yazarı görüp ondan daha fazla eser okumak istemem oldu. Özellikle Mars Yıllıkları'nı çok merak ediyorum. Öyle işte..
August 17, 2013
Yaşamında Ray Bradbury'nin önemli yer tuttuğu pek çok yazarın, Ray Brudbury öykülerine öykünerek kaleme aldığı ve öykünün sonuna neden böyle bir öykü yazdığını eklediği müthiş bir kitap.
Türkçe çevirisi mükemmel. Öyküler birbirinden keyifli. Korku, fantastik, bilimkurgu, ütopya,... Bradbury'de ne varsa, Gölge Oyunu'nda da var. Yayınevi ölüm yıldönümünde bundan güzel bir şekilde anamazdı usta yazarı.
Türkçe çevirisi mükemmel. Öyküler birbirinden keyifli. Korku, fantastik, bilimkurgu, ütopya,... Bradbury'de ne varsa, Gölge Oyunu'nda da var. Yayınevi ölüm yıldönümünde bundan güzel bir şekilde anamazdı usta yazarı.
April 2, 2015
A wonderful collection of illustrated short stories, each one of them a tribute to Ray Bradbury. I loved every single one of them!
Thanks to Netgalley and Diamond Book Distributors for the preview!
Una magnifica raccolta di racconti brevi a fumetti, ognuno è un tributo a Rray Bradbury. Uno più bello dell'altro!
Grazie a Netgalley e a Diamond Book Distributors per l'anteprima!
Thanks to Netgalley and Diamond Book Distributors for the preview!
Una magnifica raccolta di racconti brevi a fumetti, ognuno è un tributo a Rray Bradbury. Uno più bello dell'altro!
Grazie a Netgalley e a Diamond Book Distributors per l'anteprima!
January 22, 2022
I love Ray Bradbury, especially his short stories, so I thought this collection of stories written in celebration of his work would be absolutely perfect. Turns out that most of the tales in here, despite including beloved names like Margaret Atwood and Neil Gaiman, neither conveyed the typical atmosphere a Bradbury story creates nor had the heart Bradbury includes in his stories and that make them feel less bleak and more comforting. Most of the stories are bland or depressing. For some the author's note after each story is the most interesting thing to read and I kept wondering whether an essay collection about Bradbury's influence on writers wouldn't have made a better book. The two stories I would recommend from in here are By the Silver Waters of Lake Champlain by Joe Hill (which writes back to one of my favorite Bradbury stories, The Fog Horn) and Two Houses by Kelly Link (which is an early draft of the later version published in Get in Trouble), they get it right. Overall, I also think this collection is too big and many stories would've profited from stricter editing (including the author's note that spanned from half a page to more than three).
August 31, 2021
‘My family is a family of circus people, a strange and wonderful midnight carnival of performers, lion tamers, magicians, and beautiful freaks. They make this reunion remarkable’. (From Ray Bradbury’s Introduction).
Twenty-six writers are gathered in this collection to celebrate Ray Bradbury with a short story. They tell their tale by the fire, their face illuminated, darkness all around them. Stories are Bradbury’s legacy, stories are the best way to pay homage to him. This volume is something you don’t want to miss if you love Ray and his family.
My fab 5:
The man who forgot Ray Bradbury (Neil Gaiman)
The girl in the funeral parlor (Sam Weller)
The phone call (John McNally)
Children of the bedtime machine (Robert McCammon)
The Tattoo (Bonnie Jo Cambell)
Twenty-six writers are gathered in this collection to celebrate Ray Bradbury with a short story. They tell their tale by the fire, their face illuminated, darkness all around them. Stories are Bradbury’s legacy, stories are the best way to pay homage to him. This volume is something you don’t want to miss if you love Ray and his family.
My fab 5:
The man who forgot Ray Bradbury (Neil Gaiman)
The girl in the funeral parlor (Sam Weller)
The phone call (John McNally)
Children of the bedtime machine (Robert McCammon)
The Tattoo (Bonnie Jo Cambell)
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