Stories Volume 2

by Ray Bradbury

A scintillating collection of stories from the master of science fiction.

Since the beginning of his career in the 1940s, Ray Bradbury has become synonymous with great science fiction from the pulp comic books of his early work to his adaptations for television, stage and screen and most notably for his masterpiece, ‘Fahrenheit 451’.

Bradbury has done a rare thing; to capture both the popular and literary imagination. Within these pages the reader will be transported to foreign and extraordinary worlds, become transfixed by visions of the past, present, and future and be left humbled and inspired by one of most absorbing and engaging writers of this century, and the last.

This is the second of two volumes offering the very best of his short stories including 'The Garbage Collector', ‘The Machineries of Joy’ and ‘The Toynbee Convector’.

Genres: Short Stories, Science Fiction, Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, Classics, Anthologies

869 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Ray 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".

Reviews

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve lived with this collection of short stories for a long time; dipping in and out. I really enjoyed most of them. Some lacked plot causing me not to be as absorbed as I was with the first collection. Definitely a great read and many thought provoking and disturbing stories 😊

[Manuel Alfonseca · Rating 3 out of 5]

ENGLISH: This collection contains 100 short stories by Ray Bradbury. I had read before 65 of them. I decided to exclude the 9 stories in "The Martian Chronicles", which I have read many times; re-read the 17 I had liked most among the others; and read for the first time the 35 I hadn't read before. This is my review of the best among those new for me:
Colonel's... truly Egyptian mummy: A funny-ha-ha story of how a bored young boy and a retired Colonel make fun of a town.
Bless me, father, I have sinned: A priest is pardoned of old sins he had never confessed.
The exiles: An antecedent to "Fahrenheit 451" with the classical authors exiled on Mars.
The poems: A fine depiction of how intellectual power can destroy a genious.

Among the best-liked 17 re-read, I'd like to mention the following story: The whole town's sleeping, a perfectly built terror story, collected later in the novel "Dandelion Wine."
Plus the best of all 100, for me: The rocket; The man; The dragon; The meadow; The smile; The wonderful death of Dudley Stone and Getting through Sunday somehow.
Plus an original story: Any friend of Nicholas Nickleby is a friend of mine.

ESPAÑOL: Esta colección contiene 100 relatos cortos de Ray Bradbury, de los que ya había leído 65. Decidí excluir los 9 de "Crónicas marcianas", que he leído muchas veces; releer entre los demás los 17 que más me habían gustado; y leer por primera vez los 35 que no había leído antes. Esta es mi reseña de los mejores entre los que no había leído:
La momia egipcia del Coronel: Gracioso relato cómo un chico aburrido y un coronel retirado toman el pelo a una ciudad.
Ave María Purísima: A un sacerdote se le perdonan antiguos pecados que nunca confesó.
Los exiliados: Un antecedente de "Fahrenheit 451", con los autores clásicos refugiados en Marte.
Los poemas: Una excelente descripción de cómo el poder intelectual puede destruir a un genio.

Entre los 17 relatos releídos que más me gustaron, me gustaría mencionar la siguiente: Mientras toda la ciudad duerme, un cuento de terror deconstrucción perfecta, incluido en la novela "Vino de diente de león".
Y los mejores entre los 100, para mí: El cohete; El hombre; El dragón; La pradera; La sonrisa; La muerte maravillosa de Dudley Stone y Tratando de pasar el domingo.
Y un cuento muy original: Cualquier amigo de Nickolas Nickleby es amigo mío.

[Andrew Corsini · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recall a few years ago reading a Guardian article which had put authors' vocabularies through a processor and come up with their most used words. As suspected, Bradbury's most used words were these luscious, sensuous ones to describe taste and scent. That is on full display here in this book with writing that feels like it needs to be experienced in Taste-O-Vision or Smell-O-Vision. Also on display is Bradbury's exemplary taste in cinema, having been part of the movie business for a while, and his love for old silents like Chaplin and Laurel and Hardy soars through. This all gives Stories Volume 2 something quite unique for science-fiction; an old-fashioned, gentle whimsy that, at the same time, looks ahead to the future.

[Leonie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I actually finished this last week and forgot to update! Another wonderful collection of Bradbury's superb stories. They have aged a little badly in places, some very outdated attitudes and some of the writing isn't quite as good as you'd expect, but Bradbury's sheer fervour for storytelling and the ability to spin a compelling yarn always shines through. A masterclass for the aspiring writer, not just in SF but in all genres.

[Johnny · Rating 2 out of 5]

Many of the stories in this book are very human. In which not much really occurs to create a compelling plot. Detailing a day in the life of one person or something similar. Other stories and there are many in this book, are quite interesting. One of two stories which I like involves in very strange and extremely dangerous land, which seems similar to a hostile planet in our solar system, where the humans live a very short life and hurried life due to the harsh rotation and weather hazards of the planet. It's one of the most shocking and interesting stories I have read

[Michaela Holland · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love these stories so much ♡

[Dick Hamilton · Rating 5 out of 5]

All terrific, all the time.

[Bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some of Bradbury's all-time best tales, collected for your convenience.
Superb!

[Sandra]

Took me forever to get ir through. Some of these stories are real spooky.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Took me a while to finish this. It sort of feels unfair to review it given that it's a volume of short stories. And any comments apply to all the works and not just specific pieces.

Some stories are good. Some are amazing. Writing is always solid. But so much of it that it felt a little like climbing a mountain.

[Rowan · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are certain authors who you have to have read by your late teens and I fear Ray Bradbury is one of those. Not through any fault with the writing or stories (as this collection deserves more stars) but because it suffers badly from Casablanca syndrome: an original that becomes an overused cliche. You've seen and read it all before.

[Robert Wagner]

This is NOT the book I am reading. I am reading The Stories of Ray Bradbury. Not Vol. 1 and not Vol. 2. For some reason Goodreads defaulted to this book when I pressed Enter. Not a very good system. I'll critique when I am done reading the correct book.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb, but then that's no surprise.