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Fever Dream
A young boy's illness comes alive taking over his body bit by bit until he dies--but the virus remains alive in his body. A portion of each illustration glows in the dark.
31 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 1948
4 people are currently reading
205 people want to read
About the author
Ray Bradbury
2,561 books25.1k followersRay Douglas Bradbury was an American author and screenwriter. One of the most celebrated 20th-century American writers, he worked in a variety of genres, including fantasy, science fiction, horror, mystery, and realistic fiction.
Bradbury is best known for his novel Fahrenheit 451 (1953) and his short-story collections The Martian Chronicles (1950), The Illustrated Man (1951), and The October Country (1955). Other notable works include the coming of age novel Dandelion Wine (1957), the dark fantasy Something Wicked This Way Comes (1962) and the fictionalized memoir Green Shadows, White Whale (1992). He also wrote and consulted on screenplays and television scripts, including Moby Dick and It Came from Outer Space. Many of his works were adapted into television and film productions as well as comic books. Bradbury also wrote poetry which has been published in several collections, such as They Have Not Seen the Stars (2001).
The New York Times called Bradbury "An author whose fanciful imagination, poetic prose, and mature understanding of human character have won him an international reputation" and "the writer most responsible for bringing modern science fiction into the literary mainstream".
Bradbury is best known for his novel Fahrenheit 451 (1953) and his short-story collections The Martian Chronicles (1950), The Illustrated Man (1951), and The October Country (1955). Other notable works include the coming of age novel Dandelion Wine (1957), the dark fantasy Something Wicked This Way Comes (1962) and the fictionalized memoir Green Shadows, White Whale (1992). He also wrote and consulted on screenplays and television scripts, including Moby Dick and It Came from Outer Space. Many of his works were adapted into television and film productions as well as comic books. Bradbury also wrote poetry which has been published in several collections, such as They Have Not Seen the Stars (2001).
The New York Times called Bradbury "An author whose fanciful imagination, poetic prose, and mature understanding of human character have won him an international reputation" and "the writer most responsible for bringing modern science fiction into the literary mainstream".
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
May 26, 2018
A boy with scarlet fever presents a novel idea about the evolution of the particles colonizing his body, then moves through the next day as if driven by an instinct to further spread the disease. Unsettling!
September 26, 2018
" احلام الحمى" قصة قصيرة كتبها راي برادبري في عام 1948.
يعاني صبي يبلغ من العمر خمسة عشر عاما يعاني من مرض شديد يشخصها الطبيب على أنها حمى قرمزية. لكن تشارلز يحتج بأن يده "تغيرت" ولم تعد تحت سيطرته، ويدعي أنه مصاب بالميكروبات التي لا تسبب المرض فحسب ، بل تتسلل إلى جسده وتشكل كيانًا جديدًا. ومع ذلك ، يؤكد الطبيب لآباء تشارلز أن هذا كله خيال من الحمى التي إصابته.
لا يزال تشارلز يفقد السيطرة على جسده - أول يده الأخرى ، ثم ساقيه - ولكن الطبيب لا يزال يطمئنه على خلاف ذلك ، ويعطيه مضادات حيوية للتعامل مع مشاكله. بعد أن حاول تشارلز خنق نفسه ، يتم تقييده على السرير من قبل والديه. وفِي إحدى الليالي ، بدأ تشارلز يفقد السيطرة على جسده ، ويشعر أن الميكروبات تستولي على جسده .
في صباح اليوم التالي ، يبدو تشارلز متعافي تماما ويؤكد الطبيب تعافيه تماما. يخرج تشارلز الى مدرسة و يدوس بقدميه على طابور طويل من النمل وفِي عينيه نظرة شر.
يمكن تفسير هذه القصة في رايي تفسيران
الاول يدور حول مخاوف الطفولة من العزلة وانعدام ثقته في الكبار ، فالطبيب يهون من مرضه ووالد تشارلز لا يبذل اي جهد لمساعدة تشارلز في وضعه. و الحقيقة ان الخوف من عدم تفهم الكبار لمشاكل المراهقة وأنهم لن يأخذوا مشاعر الصغار على محمل الجد ، ومن ثم عدم تقديمهم لأي مساعدة لمشاكل ابنائهم هو قلق شائع عند الاطفال والمراهقين .
يؤدي التفسير الحرفي للقصة إلى الاعتقاد بأن تشارلز قد تحول حرفياً إلى مرض متجسد يمشي على الارض يمكن أن يقتل الكائنات الحية الأخرى بمجرد ملامستها .
والحقيقة ان طريقة كتابة القصة تتركها مفتوحة للتأويل، فمن المحتمل أن تكون القصة أحلام أو هلاوس الحمى التي يشعر بتا تشارلز ، أو أنه يعاني من اضطرابات عصبية مثل "متلازمة اليد الغريبة"، والتي تجعل المريض يشعر ان يده تعمل بشكل مستقل عن بقية جسمه.
ومع ذلك ، فإن المقاطع الأخيرة من القصة التي تتضمن تعافي تشارلز تشير بقوة الى ان انتعاش تشارلز الى ان التفسير الحرفي هو ما قصده برادبري.
يعاني صبي يبلغ من العمر خمسة عشر عاما يعاني من مرض شديد يشخصها الطبيب على أنها حمى قرمزية. لكن تشارلز يحتج بأن يده "تغيرت" ولم تعد تحت سيطرته، ويدعي أنه مصاب بالميكروبات التي لا تسبب المرض فحسب ، بل تتسلل إلى جسده وتشكل كيانًا جديدًا. ومع ذلك ، يؤكد الطبيب لآباء تشارلز أن هذا كله خيال من الحمى التي إصابته.
لا يزال تشارلز يفقد السيطرة على جسده - أول يده الأخرى ، ثم ساقيه - ولكن الطبيب لا يزال يطمئنه على خلاف ذلك ، ويعطيه مضادات حيوية للتعامل مع مشاكله. بعد أن حاول تشارلز خنق نفسه ، يتم تقييده على السرير من قبل والديه. وفِي إحدى الليالي ، بدأ تشارلز يفقد السيطرة على جسده ، ويشعر أن الميكروبات تستولي على جسده .
في صباح اليوم التالي ، يبدو تشارلز متعافي تماما ويؤكد الطبيب تعافيه تماما. يخرج تشارلز الى مدرسة و يدوس بقدميه على طابور طويل من النمل وفِي عينيه نظرة شر.
يمكن تفسير هذه القصة في رايي تفسيران
الاول يدور حول مخاوف الطفولة من العزلة وانعدام ثقته في الكبار ، فالطبيب يهون من مرضه ووالد تشارلز لا يبذل اي جهد لمساعدة تشارلز في وضعه. و الحقيقة ان الخوف من عدم تفهم الكبار لمشاكل المراهقة وأنهم لن يأخذوا مشاعر الصغار على محمل الجد ، ومن ثم عدم تقديمهم لأي مساعدة لمشاكل ابنائهم هو قلق شائع عند الاطفال والمراهقين .
يؤدي التفسير الحرفي للقصة إلى الاعتقاد بأن تشارلز قد تحول حرفياً إلى مرض متجسد يمشي على الارض يمكن أن يقتل الكائنات الحية الأخرى بمجرد ملامستها .
والحقيقة ان طريقة كتابة القصة تتركها مفتوحة للتأويل، فمن المحتمل أن تكون القصة أحلام أو هلاوس الحمى التي يشعر بتا تشارلز ، أو أنه يعاني من اضطرابات عصبية مثل "متلازمة اليد الغريبة"، والتي تجعل المريض يشعر ان يده تعمل بشكل مستقل عن بقية جسمه.
ومع ذلك ، فإن المقاطع الأخيرة من القصة التي تتضمن تعافي تشارلز تشير بقوة الى ان انتعاش تشارلز الى ان التفسير الحرفي هو ما قصده برادبري.
Read
April 13, 2020Read for Introduction To Fiction
July 18, 2020
The story is an ok Bradbury story with a cool gimmick. It's fun seeing the glow in the dark images, but really doesnt add much to the story (as it promises).
February 7, 2022
This has special relevance during a global pandemic.
April 4, 2022
I find it creepier that a part of the illustrations does glow in the dark, and then it doesn't when I look at it again? What's happening why is it not working with my eyes lol
September 11, 2022
Sinister.
November 30, 2022
Yikes! This short story is like a COVID story, lol, especially when he is excited to visit libraries! Gah!
Thanks for the recommendation, Colette Bezio!
Thanks for the recommendation, Colette Bezio!
May 14, 2024
Amazing! Spot-on! So many purely evil politicians (a tautology) had similar fevers when young. Based on “Wilber and His Germ” (1941).
August 6, 2012
This is an odd children's book version of one of Bradbury's more famous (and more creepy) short stories. At first, I was surprised by the fact that this story was chosen for such a treatment, but then I gave some thought to the kinds of freaky and far out books I liked to read as a pre-teen and then it didn't seem so strange.
The illustrations are fine, and the story is a classic. What makes the book additionally unusual is the "night light" aspect of the pictures. When you turn out the lights, there are glowing elements that can only be seen clearly in the dark.
The illustrations are fine, and the story is a classic. What makes the book additionally unusual is the "night light" aspect of the pictures. When you turn out the lights, there are glowing elements that can only be seen clearly in the dark.
Read
February 24, 2016I highly recommend these other 'scary' short stories;
"Pig" by Roald Dahl
"The Witch" by Shirley Jackson
"The Man in the Black Suit" by Stephen King
SPOILERS:
Fever Dream is indefinitely a good-scare for a short-story... oblivious Charles is always misunderstood by those silly adults. Just assuming he's faking the sickness for sake of skipping class. Little do they know, something much darker resides within the 'simple' cold infecting him. Nonetheless, it is up to the reader to decide whether or not he had a 'good' ending. Good luck.
"Pig" by Roald Dahl
"The Witch" by Shirley Jackson
"The Man in the Black Suit" by Stephen King
SPOILERS:
Fever Dream is indefinitely a good-scare for a short-story... oblivious Charles is always misunderstood by those silly adults. Just assuming he's faking the sickness for sake of skipping class. Little do they know, something much darker resides within the 'simple' cold infecting him. Nonetheless, it is up to the reader to decide whether or not he had a 'good' ending. Good luck.
June 2, 2012
I'm not very big on horror, but I can't resist Bradbury. And his horror is more mental than almost anyone's. This is a short, scary, wonderful book that has glow-in-the-dark illustrations. The illustrations are not as effective as they might be, because one must hold them up to a light then turn off the light. And when the light is off, the text is gone. Creepy, haunting, and recommended.
Bradbury on his worst day is a splendid writer, and this is far from his worst day.
Bradbury on his worst day is a splendid writer, and this is far from his worst day.
August 16, 2010
I loved this book when I was about 12 or so. And I thought it was cool that parts of the pages glowed in the dark.
May 28, 2013
πάντα υπέροχα περιγραφικός.
IN that case i would like some more of him.
IN that case i would like some more of him.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews