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Frost and Fire
The Creatures That Time Forgot • novella by Ray Bradbury (variant of Frost and Fire) - First published in Planet Stories (August 1946.)
- Placed there by a past rocket ship that crashed, the people of the storied land are within sight of another rocket ship on a distant mountain plateau. The plot follows Sim, the protagonist of this story, and his apparently short life on a planet where people are cursed by radiation to live only eight days.
- Placed there by a past rocket ship that crashed, the people of the storied land are within sight of another rocket ship on a distant mountain plateau. The plot follows Sim, the protagonist of this story, and his apparently short life on a planet where people are cursed by radiation to live only eight days.
50 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 11, 1946
About the author
Ray Bradbury
2,580 books25.8k 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 - 30 of 119 reviews
December 14, 2014
I will always love Ray Brabury's books.
They are never boring, never the same, they never have long descriptions or silly dialogues.
It's simply a beautiful story.
They are never boring, never the same, they never have long descriptions or silly dialogues.
It's simply a beautiful story.
April 4, 2023
Bradbury's books always feel like I am reading a dream. His voice is very calm even when something hectic or exciting is happening.
This is the story of a species stranded on a planet not their own. Because of the severe climate and radiation their life span has been reduced to eight days in some areas and 11 days in others. In the spirit of evolution they have "adapted." In that handful of days they grow, mature, breed, age and die. This is accepted by most. Not Sim.
Sim is our hero and he is hellbent on finding a way to expand those eight days. First for himself. Later for those who come after him. He is an unselfish hero and eventually succeeds.
This is short, which is fitting, but I think it could have been 300 pages and Bradbury would have told the story in an engrossing way. Some short stories are obviously MEANT to be so. Others...you wish were not. This is one where I wish it was not.
This is the story of a species stranded on a planet not their own. Because of the severe climate and radiation their life span has been reduced to eight days in some areas and 11 days in others. In the spirit of evolution they have "adapted." In that handful of days they grow, mature, breed, age and die. This is accepted by most. Not Sim.
Sim is our hero and he is hellbent on finding a way to expand those eight days. First for himself. Later for those who come after him. He is an unselfish hero and eventually succeeds.
This is short, which is fitting, but I think it could have been 300 pages and Bradbury would have told the story in an engrossing way. Some short stories are obviously MEANT to be so. Others...you wish were not. This is one where I wish it was not.
June 21, 2017
Loved it, except for the ending. Was it supposed to convey hope? Optimism? Too rushed, poorly handled - unlike the rest of the story.
April 9, 2022
A short but deeply thought-provoking story. Written beautifully and with depth and passion. This is not just a compelling narrative of life on another planet, but an introspection into the human experience and what drives us, divides us, and the purpose of life - whether on earth over 80 years or some distant planet over 8 days. Exceptional from start to finish.
August 30, 2021
A group of human ancestors have been stranded on a deadly planet. Due to the inhospitable environment their metabolism is in overdrive which means the lifespan is reduced to 8 days. That means most of your life is just eating and dying, not much different than what I’m doing! Every minute is valuable, and much thought is focused on living a meaningful life and how transient life is. Eventually Sim, the protagonist, bravely ventures to a ship on the horizon and cures aging with science!
There’s a metaphor in here, I know it. If I just had more time to figure it out...
There’s a metaphor in here, I know it. If I just had more time to figure it out...
May 3, 2026
CHARACTERS
🔲 mary-sue party
✅ mostly 2D
🔲 great main cast, forgettable side characters
🔲 well-written
🔲 complex and fascinating
🔲 hard to believe they are fictional
PLOT
🔲 you've already heard this exact story a thousand times
🔲 nothing memorable
✅ gripping
🔲 exceptional
🔲 mind=blown
WORLDBUILDING
🔲 takes place in our world
🔲 incoherent
✅ OK
🔲 nicely detailed
🔲 meticulous
🔲 even the last tree in the forest has its own story
ATMOSPHERE
🔲 nonexistent
🔲 fine
🔲 immersive
✅ you forget you are reading a book
PACING
🔲 dragging
🔲 inconsistent
🔲 picks up with time
✅ page-turner
🔲 impossible to put down
🔲 mary-sue party
✅ mostly 2D
🔲 great main cast, forgettable side characters
🔲 well-written
🔲 complex and fascinating
🔲 hard to believe they are fictional
PLOT
🔲 you've already heard this exact story a thousand times
🔲 nothing memorable
✅ gripping
🔲 exceptional
🔲 mind=blown
WORLDBUILDING
🔲 takes place in our world
🔲 incoherent
✅ OK
🔲 nicely detailed
🔲 meticulous
🔲 even the last tree in the forest has its own story
ATMOSPHERE
🔲 nonexistent
🔲 fine
🔲 immersive
✅ you forget you are reading a book
PACING
🔲 dragging
🔲 inconsistent
🔲 picks up with time
✅ page-turner
🔲 impossible to put down
April 20, 2020
A remarkable story
I first read this novella when I first discovered science fiction. I was retelling it to my husband when I began to realize what an impact it had on me. As a young person it taught me about life- it’s preciousness, it’s fleetness, it’s stages, it’s hope and it’s despair. It taught me about courage, about commitment, about the gift of learning and the gift of curiosity and discovery. That’s an awful lot to learn from just one story. I can’t say why this one left me gasping in awareness, but I have never forgotten the utter joy of reading it. It was the right read at the right time and did what good literature is supposed to do. It opened my mind in a flash and expanded my world to infinite horizons.
I first read this novella when I first discovered science fiction. I was retelling it to my husband when I began to realize what an impact it had on me. As a young person it taught me about life- it’s preciousness, it’s fleetness, it’s stages, it’s hope and it’s despair. It taught me about courage, about commitment, about the gift of learning and the gift of curiosity and discovery. That’s an awful lot to learn from just one story. I can’t say why this one left me gasping in awareness, but I have never forgotten the utter joy of reading it. It was the right read at the right time and did what good literature is supposed to do. It opened my mind in a flash and expanded my world to infinite horizons.
January 29, 2022
A thought provoking short story about how we use the time we have.
Serial Reader
Serial Reader
November 17, 2024
"The Creatures That Time Forgot" by Ray Bradbury is set on a planet where time flies by incredibly fast, so much so that people are born, age, and die within a single day. It’s a thought-provoking metaphor for how fleeting life is and the unstoppable march of time.
Bradbury uses this unique premisse to dig into themes like survival, adaptation, and how temporary our achievements really are. It’s a reminder that no matter how hard we try, we're always at the mercy of time. The tale nudges us to appreciate each moment and find meaning in our brief existence.
Surprisingly deep layers for what looks like an ordinary science fiction story.
Bradbury uses this unique premisse to dig into themes like survival, adaptation, and how temporary our achievements really are. It’s a reminder that no matter how hard we try, we're always at the mercy of time. The tale nudges us to appreciate each moment and find meaning in our brief existence.
Surprisingly deep layers for what looks like an ordinary science fiction story.
January 9, 2018
Ateş ve Buz bir distopya diyebiliriz sanırım ya da orta halli bir bilim-kurgu filmi. İnanılmaz akıcı ve dikkat çekici bir konusu var. İnsanların bencilliklerini bir kenara bırakmasının zorluğunu bir kez daha görüyoruz. Sevdiğim bir hikâye oldu.
May 31, 2016
This was a weird short story, I didn't hate it but I certainly wouldn't recommend it.
January 13, 2022
I love when sci-fi is really about being human. The sense of life slipping out, and the daunting idea of work that would take generations, is very well painted.
November 8, 2025
Very quick listen. Kinda strange kinda good as all of his books are.
January 28, 2026
What an insane idea, I love it.
May 27, 2026
Compelling idea hurt by plot convenience and unnecessary sexism. Not much for me to say here except that the execution just didn't entirely work for me, even if I do find the story quick and readable. Also just so sick of stories only being about men and women being reduced to support and prizes to be claimed by men. Also, everything just felt a bit too convenient for the main character in a way that undercut the strength of the story and worldbuilding. Definitely prefer Bradbury's shorter fiction.
June 11, 2021
Öykülerin ustasından kalemini incelikle kullandığı, içe dokunan, şok eden, merak ettiren üç ustaca öykü. Bradbury'nin öykücülüğü edebi hazları garanti eden türden.
February 17, 2025
Life was pushing him, rushing him along toward oblivion.
The ship he had come to for salvation was now slowing his pulse, darkening his brain, poisoning him.
- I really wish I didn't read this story as a kid.
The ship he had come to for salvation was now slowing his pulse, darkening his brain, poisoning him.
- I really wish I didn't read this story as a kid.
May 25, 2020
2.5*
Just like with many other Bradbury stories, the idea was better than execution. This is the short story which meant to convey the fast-fleeing life of one person, commenting on the mortality, purpose of life, place of an individual within society. However, as is the issue with his other work, the author just jumps from one point to another, making the story and characters seem inconsistent and illogical.
Just like with many other Bradbury stories, the idea was better than execution. This is the short story which meant to convey the fast-fleeing life of one person, commenting on the mortality, purpose of life, place of an individual within society. However, as is the issue with his other work, the author just jumps from one point to another, making the story and characters seem inconsistent and illogical.
July 22, 2024
Well, this was a weak one.
It was a fun idea that didn’t really make sense.
But I get it. It’s an Allegory.
It’s the human condition in fast forward.
Except he left a lot of things out.
Except it doesn’t make sense. Oh, sure, he uses the old excuse of “radiation” to give people superpowers.
Except the only Noble people are the Scientists (oh, so selfless).
The very conscious-of-his-impending-death protagonist wants three more days, but the minute he gets it he forgets about it and throws them away. The Author doesn’t even bother with a reason.
The protagonist hurts his leg and then goes for an impossible run just fine. The Author doesn’t even bother with a reason.
At the last few pages, during the sprint to survive, the love interest is described to have “smooth white skin”. That was a weird aside.
I also don’t like it when authors use a single sentence to describe the death of hundreds of people for no reason other than a dramatic whim.
This is the old story of an author bending everything to his will. He has an idea, he has a plot, and everything else be damned.
This is a story where you can skimm and not lose much.
A funny coincidence since the characters themselves are running fast to get to the end.
The Heroic protagonist doesn’t even give those that he is leaving behind to suffer and die another thought.
Typical 1946 Adventure problems.
It was a fun idea that didn’t really make sense.
But I get it. It’s an Allegory.
It’s the human condition in fast forward.
Except he left a lot of things out.
Except it doesn’t make sense. Oh, sure, he uses the old excuse of “radiation” to give people superpowers.
Except the only Noble people are the Scientists (oh, so selfless).
The very conscious-of-his-impending-death protagonist wants three more days, but the minute he gets it he forgets about it and throws them away. The Author doesn’t even bother with a reason.
The protagonist hurts his leg and then goes for an impossible run just fine. The Author doesn’t even bother with a reason.
At the last few pages, during the sprint to survive, the love interest is described to have “smooth white skin”. That was a weird aside.
I also don’t like it when authors use a single sentence to describe the death of hundreds of people for no reason other than a dramatic whim.
This is the old story of an author bending everything to his will. He has an idea, he has a plot, and everything else be damned.
This is a story where you can skimm and not lose much.
A funny coincidence since the characters themselves are running fast to get to the end.
The Heroic protagonist doesn’t even give those that he is leaving behind to suffer and die another thought.
Typical 1946 Adventure problems.
May 6, 2024
Like modern art which is puerile, idiotic, rubbish; but brilliant in its puerility, idiocy, and rubbishness; Bradbury cooks up a world so stupid, so absurd, so incredibly moronic that it parallels this world uncannily. A little known sci-fi classic piece of trashcan genius. The only flaw: why would any female stick with one male when there were an abundance of males? Females only stick with one male when there’s a paucity of males. What goes for fruit flies…
February 8, 2014
Ray Bradbury's short story "Frost and Fire" is one of my all-time favorites - one that I first read as a young adult and really stimulated my imagination. I recently listened to an old audio performance of this story, but nothing beats the written version in my view!
April 18, 2026
Mehh, måske ikk helt noget for mig alligevel
April 30, 2016
Interesting premise, but a super weak love interest female character kind of ruined it for me.
April 20, 2024
Pretty shit ending, but aside from that it was a strong read.
Interesting concept - a hot/cold planet where the people's life span is 8 days. They spend 1 hour of that day outside, and the rest of their time in caves. They eat ALL the time. They choose their lovers based on eye contact/short glimpses that are seconds long. Enemies are made through nicking each other's food.
The implied explanation for the 8 day lifespan is the power of the sunrays. These sunrays also cause the people's heart rates to sky rockets. The people have to be eating constantly for nutrition. Perhaps the only good thing about their short lives is that wounds/injuries heal fast.
The ideas are fascinating, and the story is told pretty well. There's some predictive elements - the protagonist being the mary sue who finds the hidden ship and leads his people to it in order to save their lifespans. They then go on to fix the ship to leave their nightmarish planet.
man that ending was pure horror..'it was all a dream' - Bradbury's taking the absolute piss
despite it and because im feeling generous, this gets an honourable 4 stars.
Interesting concept - a hot/cold planet where the people's life span is 8 days. They spend 1 hour of that day outside, and the rest of their time in caves. They eat ALL the time. They choose their lovers based on eye contact/short glimpses that are seconds long. Enemies are made through nicking each other's food.
The implied explanation for the 8 day lifespan is the power of the sunrays. These sunrays also cause the people's heart rates to sky rockets. The people have to be eating constantly for nutrition. Perhaps the only good thing about their short lives is that wounds/injuries heal fast.
The ideas are fascinating, and the story is told pretty well. There's some predictive elements - the protagonist being the mary sue who finds the hidden ship and leads his people to it in order to save their lifespans. They then go on to fix the ship to leave their nightmarish planet.
man that ending was pure horror..'it was all a dream' - Bradbury's taking the absolute piss
despite it and because im feeling generous, this gets an honourable 4 stars.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 18, 2024
it surprised me how average the writing was. i can understand the hype behind it and why people enjoy it so much, but i personally don't consume enough scifi to find the writing style enjoyable. like, you can't tell me that i'm supposed to take "his eyes, squeezed tight, were pushing tears out from the hot, quivering lids" or "lyte fell and did not rise, sucking her breath, her breasts quivering" seriously.
overall, the plot was kinda cool and i liked the vibe, although everything felt very generic and very much as if ray bradbury was just following an outline on how to write a story. obviously, the hero's journey and characters who are against the hero's ultimate motive to break free from long-time forced tradition are going to be a common motif, but bradbury really didn't try to make anything feel unique.
guess he must've been able to write as much as he did for a reason, and that's that this is a very obviously "+1 to the collection" type story without its independent identity.
overall, the plot was kinda cool and i liked the vibe, although everything felt very generic and very much as if ray bradbury was just following an outline on how to write a story. obviously, the hero's journey and characters who are against the hero's ultimate motive to break free from long-time forced tradition are going to be a common motif, but bradbury really didn't try to make anything feel unique.
guess he must've been able to write as much as he did for a reason, and that's that this is a very obviously "+1 to the collection" type story without its independent identity.
October 9, 2022
I read this book quite some time ago, but it was an experience I don’t think I’ll ever forget.
This story is simply about the time we have to live, and the lengths we’ll go to have more time, as it explores a group of people abandoned on an alien planet that are doomed to live an entire lifespan in just a few days. It’s immersive and actively compelling to read because you know in this short story that life itself is short and at any moment the main character (sim) might falter or give up, and die from hesitating for only a few short days.
The immersion works to make the ending far more effective, as you start to accept the idea of living for 5 days as normal, so that at the end when sim proclaims “imagine that we could live for 10 days! 30 days! Maybe 50!” (Or something like that), it makes you realize how precious each one of your days are.
This story is simply about the time we have to live, and the lengths we’ll go to have more time, as it explores a group of people abandoned on an alien planet that are doomed to live an entire lifespan in just a few days. It’s immersive and actively compelling to read because you know in this short story that life itself is short and at any moment the main character (sim) might falter or give up, and die from hesitating for only a few short days.
The immersion works to make the ending far more effective, as you start to accept the idea of living for 5 days as normal, so that at the end when sim proclaims “imagine that we could live for 10 days! 30 days! Maybe 50!” (Or something like that), it makes you realize how precious each one of your days are.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 17, 2024
I agree with many here that this story is wonderful in conception, flawed in execution...it's very early Bradbury, written before his style and thought had matured a bit, and marred by many of the tropes especially common in science fiction of its era. Parts are downright embarrassing, reminiscent of the worst of Edgar Rice Burroughs in its shallowness of personality, and (mercifully brief and large inessential) references to sex, gender, and appearance. The ending is a disappointing deus ex machina--too easy and complete in contrast to the grim struggle preceding it. Still, it's highly worth reading for the idea alone. I would encourage anyone who finds this intriguing to also look at Nick Bostrum's "The Fable of the Dragon-Tyrant," which is a similar mythical allegory about mortality. (https://nickbostrom.com/fable/dragon), or Thornton Wilder's play "The Long Christmas Dinner."
June 19, 2026
Mən çox bəyəndim, düzü. Yenə böyük mesajları, maraqlı assosasiyaları olan yığcam bir əsər : ))
Ray Bradbury ilə ilk tanışlığımdı və bu tərzini bəyəndiyim üçün indi hazırda Fahrenheit 451 ilə də davam edirəm.. Görək o necə olacaq. Düzü, Bradburyni oxuyanda məndə qəribə bir hiss yarandı ki, sanki, distopik fantastika oxumuram da, hansısa bir az melanxolik, bir az mistik yuxunun içindəyəm və olanları tamaşa edirəm. Əsərin əvvəli və ortasında əslində insanın tənhalığını, qorxularını, yadlaşmasını, cəsarətini, ideallarını, ehtiyaclarını, bunların toqquşmasını, və özü özünü belə tam anlaya bilməməsini çox qəşəy təsvir edir. Fantastik elementlər belə hiss edirsən ki sadəcə dekor rolunu oynayı və əsl hekayə elə insanın məəhz özüdür. Mən uğurlu alınmış qısa əsərləri daha çox sevirəm, çünki bu təkcə xəyal gücüü yox, yazı istedadı da tələb edir.
Amma buna baxmayraq elə bu əsərin sonluğunda bəyənmədiyim məqam da məhz sonluğu oldu. Elə bil müəllif sona yaxın tıncıxıb və bura qədər yavaş-yavaş qurduğu atmosferi bir anda yola verdi qaralayıb. Düzü mən daha təsirli və daha kəsərli bir final gözləyirdim. Amma yenə də yaxşıdı, oxumağa dəyər
Ray Bradbury ilə ilk tanışlığımdı və bu tərzini bəyəndiyim üçün indi hazırda Fahrenheit 451 ilə də davam edirəm.. Görək o necə olacaq. Düzü, Bradburyni oxuyanda məndə qəribə bir hiss yarandı ki, sanki, distopik fantastika oxumuram da, hansısa bir az melanxolik, bir az mistik yuxunun içindəyəm və olanları tamaşa edirəm. Əsərin əvvəli və ortasında əslində insanın tənhalığını, qorxularını, yadlaşmasını, cəsarətini, ideallarını, ehtiyaclarını, bunların toqquşmasını, və özü özünü belə tam anlaya bilməməsini çox qəşəy təsvir edir. Fantastik elementlər belə hiss edirsən ki sadəcə dekor rolunu oynayı və əsl hekayə elə insanın məəhz özüdür. Mən uğurlu alınmış qısa əsərləri daha çox sevirəm, çünki bu təkcə xəyal gücüü yox, yazı istedadı da tələb edir.
Amma buna baxmayraq elə bu əsərin sonluğunda bəyənmədiyim məqam da məhz sonluğu oldu. Elə bil müəllif sona yaxın tıncıxıb və bura qədər yavaş-yavaş qurduğu atmosferi bir anda yola verdi qaralayıb. Düzü mən daha təsirli və daha kəsərli bir final gözləyirdim. Amma yenə də yaxşıdı, oxumağa dəyər
January 28, 2025
дуже незвичайно. я читала це оповідання у збірці інших його оповідань о навколокосмічних темах це було незабутньо. проте коли читаєш його сайфай твори після першого і єдиного романа який прочитала, яким був "Кульбабове вино" дуже сильно дивуєшся. можу сказати що я була навіть в шоці. дуже гарно легко та доступно написано. таке відчуття що у Рея є можливість писати про дуже складні і не дуже але точно важкі речі максимально просто та легко. звичайно через те, що це не роман а тільки маленьке оповідання, очікувати дуже великого розкриття персонажів, складного сюжету і закінчення просто не варто ( через це мабуть для мене легше оцінювати оповідання, бо планка падає). ціле оповідання переслідували думки про те, як можна було щось такого придумати і що це максимально геніально
Displaying 1 - 30 of 119 reviews