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Selected from Dark They Were, and Golden-Eyed
As Harry Bittering and his family, new colonists to Mars, start adapting to their new home, they find themselves forgetting their past, non-Martian lives.
64 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1990
2 people are currently reading
191 people want to read
About the author
Ray Bradbury
2,576 books24.9k 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 - 16 of 16 reviews
July 18, 2018
8/10
May 29, 2018
Ray Bradbury always makes you think and brings science fiction to a new level by combining it with the life we live every day.
October 26, 2018
There is a big 'what if' in this, although rather bleak, it does address certain social and political issues even today. I do like sci-fi, and this is a story that could be quite believable because it deals with the 'human' element and an 'us and them' philosophy that is timeless. Read this if you want to ponder what it is to be human.
March 28, 2015
I've been teaching a small social studies methods course. This story was assigned to us by one of the students in the class. We agreed to read it, even though it had already been read by literally half of the class.
I should add here that the class was composed of 2 students.
It was good. The goodreads file is obviously incorrect. It wasn't first published in 1990. I'm sure it's saying that it was first published by this publisher in 1990, but to me that seems misleading.
Lines like "One day the atom bomb will fix Earth. Then we'll be safe here." are a dead give-away that this is a piece of Cold War Sci-Fi. Indeed, it was first published as "The Naming of Names" in 1949.
I may read this with my students next year if we're allowed to have social studies and language arts back-to-back. (I'm pulling for this.)
It'd be a nice little addition to our unit on colonization. We could also address cultural assimilation, and refugees.
I didn't like certain sections of Bradbury's writing, though. Parts came across like he himself didn't know how he wanted to say what he wanted to say.
I can get away with that... I'm some random guy writing a rambling review online. ...He's Ray Bradbury.
It's also timely, because of the Mars One Mission (2025). (Although, I much preferred the book The Martian.)
A couple last thoughts: I read this from THIS LINK. It had some nice added materials which helped me pick up things I might have missed: the use of wind, water, and sun in the story.
I kept thinking of Gone With the Wind's "Red Earth of Tara" as well. That story too is of dramatic change. And Mars is the Red planet. The land is what they clung to. Also, Gone With the Wind was first published in 1936, and the movie premiered in 1939.
Could I not think of (if you know your history, this might give something away, so:
And, maybe I'm reading into this, but again, it was written in '49. Did it have anything to do with integration and segregation?
I should add here that the class was composed of 2 students.
It was good. The goodreads file is obviously incorrect. It wasn't first published in 1990. I'm sure it's saying that it was first published by this publisher in 1990, but to me that seems misleading.
Lines like "One day the atom bomb will fix Earth. Then we'll be safe here." are a dead give-away that this is a piece of Cold War Sci-Fi. Indeed, it was first published as "The Naming of Names" in 1949.
I may read this with my students next year if we're allowed to have social studies and language arts back-to-back. (I'm pulling for this.)
It'd be a nice little addition to our unit on colonization. We could also address cultural assimilation, and refugees.
I didn't like certain sections of Bradbury's writing, though. Parts came across like he himself didn't know how he wanted to say what he wanted to say.
I can get away with that... I'm some random guy writing a rambling review online. ...He's Ray Bradbury.
It's also timely, because of the Mars One Mission (2025). (Although, I much preferred the book The Martian.)
A couple last thoughts: I read this from THIS LINK. It had some nice added materials which helped me pick up things I might have missed: the use of wind, water, and sun in the story.
I kept thinking of Gone With the Wind's "Red Earth of Tara" as well. That story too is of dramatic change. And Mars is the Red planet. The land is what they clung to. Also, Gone With the Wind was first published in 1936, and the movie premiered in 1939.
Could I not think of (if you know your history, this might give something away, so:
And, maybe I'm reading into this, but again, it was written in '49. Did it have anything to do with integration and segregation?
June 9, 2020
Dark they were and Golden-Eyed is a short story about the people of Earth going to other planet. They were stranded their due to war on Earth. It was a short tragic story which portrayed the message that we only have one peaceful planet to live-Earth. So the countries must not fight among themselves and protect planet Earth.
June 5, 2020
I came across this story when I was reading Bag of Bones. The story perfectly captures the mood of bag of bones. Good read.
January 13, 2013
It's odd that I love Star Trek and can reference it in detail (I get all of "The Big Bang Theory" jokes). However I never read science fiction; perhaps because other treatments are humourless and pessimistic. It may be actors that give these realms personality. I might not enjoy Star Trek on paper either, or maybe it is uniquely hopeful for the science fiction genre.
I gave "Dark They Were & Golden-Eyed" a whirl because it's short but stand firm that Ray Bradbury’s perspective is bleak. Were it a film, it would be chilling. Dark outcomes can be poignant too; even if this was not my cup of tea. I issue three stars because it is cleverly composed. If storyline elements resemble anything we've encountered before, keep in mind that this emerged in 1949 and was likely first of its kind. Ray introduces a future where we find abandoned towns on Mars, claim, and re-name the region. We form small colonies and try our hand at living there a year or so.
The 'Bitterings', a couple with children, join the fad. The man is too leery to ingest any food except what they brought from Earth and rapidly changes his mind. However they receive word that the space-worthy shuttles at home are destroyed. Until they're re-built, no one can give them a ride back. Paired with the despair of being stuck, are unnerving observations that the empty terrain might be potent. Earth plants take on peculiar colours which leads to an understandable concern: could another planet change our biology too? One might be satisfied with the way things unfurl if they’re a 'go with the flow' person. For believers in 'staying true to yourself', it would amount to horror. I dislike this kind of story but appreciate Ray Bradbury’s creativity.
I gave "Dark They Were & Golden-Eyed" a whirl because it's short but stand firm that Ray Bradbury’s perspective is bleak. Were it a film, it would be chilling. Dark outcomes can be poignant too; even if this was not my cup of tea. I issue three stars because it is cleverly composed. If storyline elements resemble anything we've encountered before, keep in mind that this emerged in 1949 and was likely first of its kind. Ray introduces a future where we find abandoned towns on Mars, claim, and re-name the region. We form small colonies and try our hand at living there a year or so.
The 'Bitterings', a couple with children, join the fad. The man is too leery to ingest any food except what they brought from Earth and rapidly changes his mind. However they receive word that the space-worthy shuttles at home are destroyed. Until they're re-built, no one can give them a ride back. Paired with the despair of being stuck, are unnerving observations that the empty terrain might be potent. Earth plants take on peculiar colours which leads to an understandable concern: could another planet change our biology too? One might be satisfied with the way things unfurl if they’re a 'go with the flow' person. For believers in 'staying true to yourself', it would amount to horror. I dislike this kind of story but appreciate Ray Bradbury’s creativity.
November 5, 2010
Dark They Were, and Golden-Eyed had a very unique mood to it. It was eerie...but at the same time..a little..whimsical? Im not sure how to put it into words. I have never really taken aliens seariously, so it took me a long time to take this seriously. It was a great short story, about twenty pages long, and pretty entertaining, though the ending was a little expected for me because I have read so much science fictoin nad fantasy. Reccomend to readers who want a short short short story.
July 21, 2012
From BBC Radio 4 Extra:
5/5 How do the Earth people living on Mars cope when they discover there is no way back home?
5/5 How do the Earth people living on Mars cope when they discover there is no way back home?
May 29, 2014
I loved how this story resurrected the idea of adaptation. It caused me to ponder whether we lose who we are by adapting to our surroundings or if we are somehow better because of the change we must make. Nice, quick read.
November 28, 2011
It was a great book of humans becoming martians! Lots of details.
August 10, 2013
I've never forgotten the world this created for me. Bradbury took me on a journey so adventurous, I was sad to leave!
November 12, 2013
One of my favorite Ray Bradbury pieces! I first read this in 7th grade.
Read
February 15, 2014it is a good story , exiting
April 8, 2014
G
Incredible.
Incredible.
September 9, 2016
Another short story I read for my science fiction class. Gotta love Ray Bradbury's stories!
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews