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Bradbury Stories: 100 of His Most Celebrated Tales #1-4
Bradbury Stories: 100 of His Most Celebrated Tales
For more than sixty years, the imagination of Ray Bradbury has opened doors into remarkable places, ushering us across unexplored territories of the heart and mind while leading us inexorably toward a profound understanding of ourselves and the universe we inhabit. In this landmark volume, America's preeminent storyteller offers us one hundred treasures from a lifetime of words and ideas. The stories within these pages were chosen by Bradbury himself, and span a career that blossomed in the pulp magazines of the early 1940s and continues to flourish in the new millennium. Here are representatives of the legendary author's finest works of short fiction, including many that have not been republished for decades, all forever fresh and vital, evocative and immensely entertaining.
912 pages, Paperback
First published August 5, 2003
2751 people are currently reading
10831 people want to read
About the author
Ray Bradbury
2,560 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 - 30 of 279 reviews
June 20, 2015
Dear Mr. Bradbury,
I took a lot of time to finish your book. Not because the stories were complicated to read or because this collection was a big one, it was for the simple reason that I wanted to savor the aftertaste of each and every one of the tales. After I finished a tale, I closed the book and my eyes to relive those images you so vividly explained. You made me relive my childhood days of carefree wanderings and never ending hours of play. How as a child you never feel the sun as you play on and on for hours altogether and yet come back home still raring to go. As you grow up, an hour outside in the sun wrings you out like a dishrag and you wonder where did all that reserve of energy disappear to. Childhood was this magical glen and your words were time machines alighted me on those meadows yet again, even though it was only for a short while.
You did love autumn didn’t you ? The leaves the color of fire, the wind that comes down from the skies, Halloween and of mellow fruitfulness all make an appearance in these stories. I could practically see and feel the melancholy that the season inspires on the human mind. Beyond a set of stories, I was looking forward to just another tale set in autumn..and another…and another…I couldn’t have enough of them. Then there were the sci-fi stories which to me always meant a backbone of science (no matter how impossible it is !) atop which a story it built. What I found in your tales was a gossamer thin thread of science which was only one ingredient of a magnificent set of other constituents. Mars beckoned to me after these tales ! Mars with its glorious civilizations and never ending wonders and Mars which was left a broken land by the greedy humans who colonized it. It was a Mars of your imagination and yet those stories set on the red planet are tinged with a sadness which can never be fully explained. Those magic days of Mars are now past us, never to be regained !
A look at the future as seen from your eyes is at times a bleak one. True villainy in your future takes the form of ignorance and appears as men hell bent on burning and destroying all the books they can find. A later novel of yours had its entire premise on the topic of burning books and this was truly a horrifying glimpse at a future devoid of imagination, art and literature. A wide variety of characters make their cameos in your stories : Poe, Bierce, Melville, Thomas Wolfe and Hemingway came alive and talked to me. I walked with them and comprehended but a tiny glimpse of their majestic and intimidating world of words. A book can never be forgotten Mr.Bradbury, it can never be mishandled and can never be taken anywhere near a flame ! Books may be mortal but the ideas they plant inside our heads, those are immortal and those can never be burned or stamped away. I believe in this and it is my guiding light. There was also the odd horror story in between the others with the moment of terror slowly building up and creeping up to me in all its fiendish glory. Nothing bloody or gore filled, just the plain unsettlement of having been a witness to something quite extraordinary.
The feel of being in love is a spell that you can never fully recreate as you age. The first time you held hands with your love, the endless conversations on seemingly inconsequential subjects, the first hurried (and mostly awkward) kiss are all vivid memories you can never fully wipe out of your mind and yet you capture them perfectly. The naïve days of first love, the heartbreaks, the late bloomers in love, simple companionship : all of it find a place in your stories. A steady companion and a long conversation are rather blissful facts of life and sometimes we take them for granted, which we really shouldn’t ain’t it so ?
There is so much more I could write about your stories : Of Dublin, Heeber Finn’s pub, quiet towns in America, the fireworks on the fourth of July, time machines, cathedrals…. It is a long list of wonders.
I will close this letter with an apology to you Mr.Bradbury. I always thought of you as a writer of sci-fi and horror and now I realize how grossly off the mark I was. You are way beyond all these stereotypes for you are a wizard. Someone who weaves spells with your tales. A wizard with words. Where ever you are right now sir, here’s to you !
Yours Truly
My top picks from the hundred are these stories :
1. The Rocket
2. The Beggar On O’Connell Bridge
3. The Flying Machine
4. Banshee
5. The Illustrated Man
6. The Dragon
7. The Kilimanjaro Device
8. Bless Me, Father, For I Have Sinned
9. Death & The Maiden
10. All On A Summer’s Night
Note : Read this book ! Just pick this up and start reading NOW !
I took a lot of time to finish your book. Not because the stories were complicated to read or because this collection was a big one, it was for the simple reason that I wanted to savor the aftertaste of each and every one of the tales. After I finished a tale, I closed the book and my eyes to relive those images you so vividly explained. You made me relive my childhood days of carefree wanderings and never ending hours of play. How as a child you never feel the sun as you play on and on for hours altogether and yet come back home still raring to go. As you grow up, an hour outside in the sun wrings you out like a dishrag and you wonder where did all that reserve of energy disappear to. Childhood was this magical glen and your words were time machines alighted me on those meadows yet again, even though it was only for a short while.
You did love autumn didn’t you ? The leaves the color of fire, the wind that comes down from the skies, Halloween and of mellow fruitfulness all make an appearance in these stories. I could practically see and feel the melancholy that the season inspires on the human mind. Beyond a set of stories, I was looking forward to just another tale set in autumn..and another…and another…I couldn’t have enough of them. Then there were the sci-fi stories which to me always meant a backbone of science (no matter how impossible it is !) atop which a story it built. What I found in your tales was a gossamer thin thread of science which was only one ingredient of a magnificent set of other constituents. Mars beckoned to me after these tales ! Mars with its glorious civilizations and never ending wonders and Mars which was left a broken land by the greedy humans who colonized it. It was a Mars of your imagination and yet those stories set on the red planet are tinged with a sadness which can never be fully explained. Those magic days of Mars are now past us, never to be regained !
A look at the future as seen from your eyes is at times a bleak one. True villainy in your future takes the form of ignorance and appears as men hell bent on burning and destroying all the books they can find. A later novel of yours had its entire premise on the topic of burning books and this was truly a horrifying glimpse at a future devoid of imagination, art and literature. A wide variety of characters make their cameos in your stories : Poe, Bierce, Melville, Thomas Wolfe and Hemingway came alive and talked to me. I walked with them and comprehended but a tiny glimpse of their majestic and intimidating world of words. A book can never be forgotten Mr.Bradbury, it can never be mishandled and can never be taken anywhere near a flame ! Books may be mortal but the ideas they plant inside our heads, those are immortal and those can never be burned or stamped away. I believe in this and it is my guiding light. There was also the odd horror story in between the others with the moment of terror slowly building up and creeping up to me in all its fiendish glory. Nothing bloody or gore filled, just the plain unsettlement of having been a witness to something quite extraordinary.
The feel of being in love is a spell that you can never fully recreate as you age. The first time you held hands with your love, the endless conversations on seemingly inconsequential subjects, the first hurried (and mostly awkward) kiss are all vivid memories you can never fully wipe out of your mind and yet you capture them perfectly. The naïve days of first love, the heartbreaks, the late bloomers in love, simple companionship : all of it find a place in your stories. A steady companion and a long conversation are rather blissful facts of life and sometimes we take them for granted, which we really shouldn’t ain’t it so ?
There is so much more I could write about your stories : Of Dublin, Heeber Finn’s pub, quiet towns in America, the fireworks on the fourth of July, time machines, cathedrals…. It is a long list of wonders.
I will close this letter with an apology to you Mr.Bradbury. I always thought of you as a writer of sci-fi and horror and now I realize how grossly off the mark I was. You are way beyond all these stereotypes for you are a wizard. Someone who weaves spells with your tales. A wizard with words. Where ever you are right now sir, here’s to you !
Yours Truly
My top picks from the hundred are these stories :
1. The Rocket
2. The Beggar On O’Connell Bridge
3. The Flying Machine
4. Banshee
5. The Illustrated Man
6. The Dragon
7. The Kilimanjaro Device
8. Bless Me, Father, For I Have Sinned
9. Death & The Maiden
10. All On A Summer’s Night
Note : Read this book ! Just pick this up and start reading NOW !
March 7, 2022
What can one say about the works of Ray Bradbury that hasn't already been said, are these his 100 most celebrated tales, who's to say not I! They are great though, some of my favorites are not represented here though, but as an introduction to or for those already familiar with and love the work of Ray Bradbury. You can't go wrong with this collection.
Some of my favorites presented here are:
The Rocket
The Flying Machine
The Exiles
The Toynbee Convector
The Illustrated Man
The Dwarf
and The Machineries of Joy
But in my honest opinion you can't go wrong with any of them.
Some of my favorites presented here are:
The Rocket
The Flying Machine
The Exiles
The Toynbee Convector
The Illustrated Man
The Dwarf
and The Machineries of Joy
But in my honest opinion you can't go wrong with any of them.
August 13, 2019
Science fiction and fantasy fans are familiar with seeing oodles of anthologies and collections of short stories from the Grandmaster on bookshelves. Bradbury was a great writer and while Fahrenheit 451 is his masterpiece, I submit here that his other great contribution to our literature was his prolific short story writing.
This is exceptional in that it collects stories from across his fifty plus years of putting ink on paper, from the 1950s to just before he died in 2012. We also see the spectrum of his great range – from the fantastic Martian stories, to horror, to the mundane. Some of these are tied in with his other world building like Green Town and other are mere sketches, describing a scene of some note.
Bradbury’s uncommon charm and enormous talent shines throughout.
This collection includes:
The Whole Town’s Sleeping
The Rocket
The Flying Machine
The Dwarf
The Wind
The Kilimanjaro Device
I especially enjoyed that many of these were published later in life, and / or were more obscure than others so I was able to read many for the first time. And of course I was also able to reread some of my favorites.
This is exceptional in that it collects stories from across his fifty plus years of putting ink on paper, from the 1950s to just before he died in 2012. We also see the spectrum of his great range – from the fantastic Martian stories, to horror, to the mundane. Some of these are tied in with his other world building like Green Town and other are mere sketches, describing a scene of some note.
Bradbury’s uncommon charm and enormous talent shines throughout.
This collection includes:
The Whole Town’s Sleeping
The Rocket
The Flying Machine
The Dwarf
The Wind
The Kilimanjaro Device
I especially enjoyed that many of these were published later in life, and / or were more obscure than others so I was able to read many for the first time. And of course I was also able to reread some of my favorites.
February 13, 2013
It's always hard to review a collection of short stories. It's especially hard with a collection like this. For one, it's massive. 100 short stories, nearly 900 pages, and a lethal weapon in eleven states. This is a long term investment of reading time. Probably it's better to keep it on your bedside table and read a story or two a night, but it can be read straight through.
There are many impressive things about this collection, but the consistent quality has to top the list. Even the stories that I didn't like as much are still really good. This is especially impressive because the stories were written over a period of more than 50 years (the earliest story is from 1943, the latest from 1999). Also impressive is how Bradbury seemed to be able to move through genres, from the science fiction he's probably best known for to fantasy to nostalgic realism and even bittersweet romance.
I love Bradbury's writing, especially in short stories. I had already read more than a few of the stories (much of Dandelion Wine and The Martian Chronicles is here, for example) and I'm familiar with his voice and style. He's very good at writing characters who live and breathe on the page after just a few lines. Really, I can't say enough good about Bradbury's short stories in general. My only criticism of the book, which is petty, is that it doesn't include "There Will Come Soft Rains", a nostalgic favorite of mine since it was the first of Bradbury's short stories that I ever read.
There are many impressive things about this collection, but the consistent quality has to top the list. Even the stories that I didn't like as much are still really good. This is especially impressive because the stories were written over a period of more than 50 years (the earliest story is from 1943, the latest from 1999). Also impressive is how Bradbury seemed to be able to move through genres, from the science fiction he's probably best known for to fantasy to nostalgic realism and even bittersweet romance.
I love Bradbury's writing, especially in short stories. I had already read more than a few of the stories (much of Dandelion Wine and The Martian Chronicles is here, for example) and I'm familiar with his voice and style. He's very good at writing characters who live and breathe on the page after just a few lines. Really, I can't say enough good about Bradbury's short stories in general. My only criticism of the book, which is petty, is that it doesn't include "There Will Come Soft Rains", a nostalgic favorite of mine since it was the first of Bradbury's short stories that I ever read.
July 20, 2007
I am no where near being done, BUT I love it too much not to start raving about Ray Bradbury and his magical writing. My current favorites are "Banshee", "Midnight In the Month of June", and "The Whole Town is Sleeping." His stories are full of rich-sensory images, and an almost child-like wonder towards things that go bump in the night.
January 7, 2017
Харесвам разказите на Бредбъри. Някои от тях са свързани помежду си, други пък са препратки към негови творби. За мен беше удоволствие да си припомня някои преживявания от "Вино от глухарчета", скрити сред сборника с разкази.
November 9, 2020
Bradbury is a pleasure to read, but this has been a tough few months overall, and has made completing these 100 stories a bit of a slog.
Of critical note were the award winning, or award recommended, "The Dragon" (1956 Hugo short story nomination) and “The Poems” (1971 Seiun Award foreign short story winner).
Which is a shame -- there is so much of Bradbury that captures the the magic and wonder of human beings. Of personal note, then, were "And the Rock Cried Out" (1953), "The Laurel and Hardy Love Affair" (1987), "Colonel Stonesteel's Genuine Home-Made Truly Egyptian Mummy" (1981), "The Exiles" (1949), "The Kilimanjaro Device" (1965), and "Way in the Middle of the Air [The Martian Chronicles] (1950).
-----
From the final story, Doug Spaulding of Green Town: "In winter, he trudged home through icelands of magic, in summer through bakery winds of sorcery...".
Which is why one does not simply read Bradbury.
Of critical note were the award winning, or award recommended, "The Dragon" (1956 Hugo short story nomination) and “The Poems” (1971 Seiun Award foreign short story winner).
Which is a shame -- there is so much of Bradbury that captures the the magic and wonder of human beings. Of personal note, then, were "And the Rock Cried Out" (1953), "The Laurel and Hardy Love Affair" (1987), "Colonel Stonesteel's Genuine Home-Made Truly Egyptian Mummy" (1981), "The Exiles" (1949), "The Kilimanjaro Device" (1965), and "Way in the Middle of the Air [The Martian Chronicles] (1950).
-----
From the final story, Doug Spaulding of Green Town: "In winter, he trudged home through icelands of magic, in summer through bakery winds of sorcery...".
Which is why one does not simply read Bradbury.
November 8, 2017
This is an excellent collection. Like everything else Bradbury, I find some of the stories simply exquisite: finely written, chilling, clear, nothing extraneous, unique (especially in their time); others, I find sentimental and reveling in a kind of aching nostalgia whose absolute sweetness I cannot believe in: ode to the shiny, unblemished American Midwest boyhood, circa 1930s. Nevertheless, there is something worth savoring in the least of Bradbury's works. And the best of his works are small masterpieces.
June 21, 2018
Great navigation and no errors noted. Will make notes and highlights here but review short stories over the title book page.
Read
March 2, 2015After rewatching the carnival X-Files episode, I remembered Something Wicked This Way Comes. After reading that again, I went on a huge Bradbury binge, which culminated in reading all 100 of the stories in the mammoth Bradbury Stories, without getting distracted by any other books during the reading.
He had a peerless imagination and took such joy in writing. This book is an absolute treasure, and will serve as a perfect way to revisit (or discover) his best short work. Also, if you’re a Bradbury fan, Sam Weller’s Bradbury-bio-via-Bradbury-interviews is worth a read. — Josh Hanagarne
From The Best Books We Read in February: http://bookriot.com/2015/03/02/riot-r...
He had a peerless imagination and took such joy in writing. This book is an absolute treasure, and will serve as a perfect way to revisit (or discover) his best short work. Also, if you’re a Bradbury fan, Sam Weller’s Bradbury-bio-via-Bradbury-interviews is worth a read. — Josh Hanagarne
From The Best Books We Read in February: http://bookriot.com/2015/03/02/riot-r...
February 25, 2024
4.5⭐
Вълшебен изказ има Рей Бредбъри и доста богато въображение - сред тези страници могат да се намерят разкази, звучащи като прототип или вдъхновение за някои от най-известните съвременни сериали и игри като Westworld и The last of us. Разказите за живота на Венера, Меркурий и Марс също са безкрайно интересни, но аз бях впечатлена и от няколкото хорър истории - например, "Скелет" и "Площадката".
Вълшебен изказ има Рей Бредбъри и доста богато въображение - сред тези страници могат да се намерят разкази, звучащи като прототип или вдъхновение за някои от най-известните съвременни сериали и игри като Westworld и The last of us. Разказите за живота на Венера, Меркурий и Марс също са безкрайно интересни, но аз бях впечатлена и от няколкото хорър истории - например, "Скелет" и "Площадката".
September 25, 2014
I quit while almost half-way though this book.
Life is too short.
These stories are not his hit records, but rather the B-sides.
I can't take it anymore. Every story in this book makes you
wish you were reading something else.
Maybe there are better stories later in the book.
I am not caring anymore.
I'm actually a fan of Bradbury too, but these stories are just soooooo weak.
Life is too short.
These stories are not his hit records, but rather the B-sides.
I can't take it anymore. Every story in this book makes you
wish you were reading something else.
Maybe there are better stories later in the book.
I am not caring anymore.
I'm actually a fan of Bradbury too, but these stories are just soooooo weak.
October 13, 2007
Everything a short story should be: succinct, unique, and perfectly written. Plus, Bradbury does it 100 times! Easily one of the best writers of the last century.
December 26, 2022
Ray Bradbury has been one of my favorite authors since I was assigned to read Dandelion Wine in high school, and I’ve long wanted to tackle this collection. I struggle with story collections though (investing myself in new worlds and characters every five pages is a demand), so I gave myself the year to read it. There was still some struggling, but that’s not the worst thing. Like all collections, some of the stories are hit and miss even if you happen to adore the writing style. Most of my favorites I had already read before, and there were only a couple others I felt in my soul. Altogether, there were 20/100 of stories I’d like to reread v. ones I probably wouldn’t, but that seems a little higher than a lot of collections.
My absolute favorite stories were “The Kilimanjaro Device,” “The Swan,” and “April 2005: Usher II,” all of which I’d read multiple times before. The first two are breathtakingly beautiful and sad as they wrangle with “right” deaths and love that comes in all forms regardless of timing. I always cry through them, but there’s a kind of rightness in the sadness that only Bradbury can manage. “Usher II” is a delightfully ironic revenge story for book and horror lovers, and I enjoy all the fun cameos of Edgar Allan Poe stories. Some other favorites were “No News, or What Killed the Dog?” (a story that has comforted me in the past when I lost my own beloved pets), “The Finnegan” (a delightfully well-plotted horror story), and “The Pedestrian” (Bradbury’s dystopia at its best). In general, I tended to love the horror stories, the small town Dandelion Wine-style stories, and the ones that bring a kind of rightness to otherwise sad life events. (For a more complete list, see below.)
There were plenty more I had to drag myself through though. Occasionally, Bradbury gets fixed on a rather silly concept that doesn’t get less silly by digging deeper into it. I found most of the stories that take place in Ireland difficult to get through too. Although there’s a palpable sense of place and culture in them, the plots typically end up being a bit ridiculous. There’s also a theme of space and Mars-related stories that I enjoyed more but also, mostly, weren’t my favorites (sci-fi still isn’t really my genre). Another theme is the old Hollywood stories, which are often fun and, again, give an excellent sense of time and place.
Collections like this show a great array of Bradbury’s range, interests, and common themes, things that recur over and over again throughout his work. (I did notice a couple well-loved favorites that were missing, such as “There Will Come Soft Rains,” “All Summer in a Day,” and “A Sound of Thunder.”) I highly doubt all the stories would appeal to everyone, but the nice thing about it is that there’s likely something in here for everyone. While I found it satisfying to finish, I don’t really recommend reading it cover to cover like I did. Instead, I found it more fun to do as I’d been doing when I was younger and choose titles that sounded interesting to me at random, and to skip anything that doesn’t catch my interest on the first page. I’m glad I read them all, but I’ll probably just return to my favorites in the future.
I review regularly at brightbeautifulthings.tumblr.com.
---
Favorites (in order they appear in the book)
“The Whole Town’s Sleeping”
“The Rocket”
“Lafayette, Farewell”
“No News, or What Killed the Dog?”
“Colonel Stonesteel’s Genuine Home-made Truly Egyptian Mummy”
“The Witch Door”
“The Watchers”
“The Sound of Summer Running”
“The Finnegan”
“On the Orient, North”
“The Kilimanjaro Device”
“The Pedestrian”
“The Swan”
“April 2005: Usher II”
“A Far-away Guitar”
“Bright Phoenix”
“April 2026: The Long Years”
“Death and the Maiden”
“Last Rites”
“All on a Summer’s Night”
My absolute favorite stories were “The Kilimanjaro Device,” “The Swan,” and “April 2005: Usher II,” all of which I’d read multiple times before. The first two are breathtakingly beautiful and sad as they wrangle with “right” deaths and love that comes in all forms regardless of timing. I always cry through them, but there’s a kind of rightness in the sadness that only Bradbury can manage. “Usher II” is a delightfully ironic revenge story for book and horror lovers, and I enjoy all the fun cameos of Edgar Allan Poe stories. Some other favorites were “No News, or What Killed the Dog?” (a story that has comforted me in the past when I lost my own beloved pets), “The Finnegan” (a delightfully well-plotted horror story), and “The Pedestrian” (Bradbury’s dystopia at its best). In general, I tended to love the horror stories, the small town Dandelion Wine-style stories, and the ones that bring a kind of rightness to otherwise sad life events. (For a more complete list, see below.)
There were plenty more I had to drag myself through though. Occasionally, Bradbury gets fixed on a rather silly concept that doesn’t get less silly by digging deeper into it. I found most of the stories that take place in Ireland difficult to get through too. Although there’s a palpable sense of place and culture in them, the plots typically end up being a bit ridiculous. There’s also a theme of space and Mars-related stories that I enjoyed more but also, mostly, weren’t my favorites (sci-fi still isn’t really my genre). Another theme is the old Hollywood stories, which are often fun and, again, give an excellent sense of time and place.
Collections like this show a great array of Bradbury’s range, interests, and common themes, things that recur over and over again throughout his work. (I did notice a couple well-loved favorites that were missing, such as “There Will Come Soft Rains,” “All Summer in a Day,” and “A Sound of Thunder.”) I highly doubt all the stories would appeal to everyone, but the nice thing about it is that there’s likely something in here for everyone. While I found it satisfying to finish, I don’t really recommend reading it cover to cover like I did. Instead, I found it more fun to do as I’d been doing when I was younger and choose titles that sounded interesting to me at random, and to skip anything that doesn’t catch my interest on the first page. I’m glad I read them all, but I’ll probably just return to my favorites in the future.
I review regularly at brightbeautifulthings.tumblr.com.
---
Favorites (in order they appear in the book)
“The Whole Town’s Sleeping”
“The Rocket”
“Lafayette, Farewell”
“No News, or What Killed the Dog?”
“Colonel Stonesteel’s Genuine Home-made Truly Egyptian Mummy”
“The Witch Door”
“The Watchers”
“The Sound of Summer Running”
“The Finnegan”
“On the Orient, North”
“The Kilimanjaro Device”
“The Pedestrian”
“The Swan”
“April 2005: Usher II”
“A Far-away Guitar”
“Bright Phoenix”
“April 2026: The Long Years”
“Death and the Maiden”
“Last Rites”
“All on a Summer’s Night”
April 17, 2013
This collection of Bradbury shorts contains 100 stories spread over 888 pages. Though Bradbury is best known for Sci Fi, the stories range widely beyond that.
I tried to read the book straight through, but gave up after about 350 pages. There were too many weak stories that I did not enjoy, and too little of the Sci Fi that I was most looking forward to. A challenge with stories whose average length is 8.8 pages is that many are short and so it isn't easy to 'give up' on the weak stories before they are done.
There is no doubt that Bradbury is an interesting writer with some fascinating ideas, and that his output is quite impressive. But this collection would be a lot better had it focused on quality over quantity.
Not worth reading unless you have recommendations from others of specific good stories to read.
I tried to read the book straight through, but gave up after about 350 pages. There were too many weak stories that I did not enjoy, and too little of the Sci Fi that I was most looking forward to. A challenge with stories whose average length is 8.8 pages is that many are short and so it isn't easy to 'give up' on the weak stories before they are done.
There is no doubt that Bradbury is an interesting writer with some fascinating ideas, and that his output is quite impressive. But this collection would be a lot better had it focused on quality over quantity.
Not worth reading unless you have recommendations from others of specific good stories to read.
December 18, 2008
Not a complete collection (there are several glaring omissions, like "The Veldt" and "A Sound of Thunder"), but it's the biggest one I've found so far. A nice mix of his Martian, Irish, sci-fi and childhood stories, ranging from the '40s to the '90s (!).
August 23, 2012
What can I possibly say? There are some stories that you want to skip over...but not many in 100, so I'm giving this a 5 star review. So very comprehensive, and the thought that he wrote even more than THESE stories is mind-boggling...
July 3, 2012
It's taken me a few days to get around to writing this review. As soon as I completed the book, we went on a short vacation.
I don't think I'm old, but some of you may disagree. The last time I read a book by Bradbury was in High School back in roughly 19xx. So, it's been a while and I had forgotten when a great writer he was.
Bradbury stories is very long, almost 1,000 pages, including 100 of his best short stories. The reading is easy, quick and enjoyable. In fact, I have on only a few occasions in my life read a story where I can imagine the voice of the characters. There were several of his stories where I experienced that. If you have never "heard" a character in a story, you have not experienced a feeling that I cannot entirely describe. Suffice it to say that it was beautiful and all consuming.
A listing of all of the stories in the book can be found here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bradbury...
With 100 stories, I cannot go into specifics. But, the genres of the stories run the gambit from suspense to horror to science fiction to drama, and just about everything in between.
This was a great book. Can't say anything more.
I don't think I'm old, but some of you may disagree. The last time I read a book by Bradbury was in High School back in roughly 19xx. So, it's been a while and I had forgotten when a great writer he was.
Bradbury stories is very long, almost 1,000 pages, including 100 of his best short stories. The reading is easy, quick and enjoyable. In fact, I have on only a few occasions in my life read a story where I can imagine the voice of the characters. There were several of his stories where I experienced that. If you have never "heard" a character in a story, you have not experienced a feeling that I cannot entirely describe. Suffice it to say that it was beautiful and all consuming.
A listing of all of the stories in the book can be found here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bradbury...
With 100 stories, I cannot go into specifics. But, the genres of the stories run the gambit from suspense to horror to science fiction to drama, and just about everything in between.
This was a great book. Can't say anything more.
March 17, 2014
It seems that Ray Bradbury and I disagree as to what his best short stories are. Some of these stories I had never read before, and were pretty interesting to read, but many of them were quite forgettable (at least in my opinion), even if they were beautifully written. I love Bradbury's writing style.
I'm also doing some spring cleaning, and had to make some pretty tough decisions as to which books I'm keeping, and which ones are going to new homes. This book ended up in my "To Loving New Home" pile.
I think that next time, I'll just check out one of his more famous anthologies, like The Illustrated Man or The October Country.
I'm also doing some spring cleaning, and had to make some pretty tough decisions as to which books I'm keeping, and which ones are going to new homes. This book ended up in my "To Loving New Home" pile.
I think that next time, I'll just check out one of his more famous anthologies, like The Illustrated Man or The October Country.
December 17, 2021
Бредбъри е майстор на разказа, независимо дали пише фантастика или нещо съвсем реално и банално. Невероятно уоволствие е този сборник, в който има доволно количество и от двете, макар някои от текстовете да са леко наивни (може би от телескопа на времето, а може би и съвсем нарочно). Някои от разказите бях чел и преди в други издания, но до тази книга стигнах точно десет години, след като се сдобих с нея с голям ентусиазъм. Може би обемът ме е стряскал при изборите ми на ново четиво, може би подсъзнателно съм искал да мине време, за да видя дали с възрастта Бредбъри няма да поевтинее. Не е поевтинял - ни най-малко. Само е натрупал няколко слоя повече носталгия, но тя, в умерени количества и навлечена в изящен стил, е полезна.
April 18, 2016
Things I learned from this collection:
1. Mars would be a crappy place to live.
2. Lots of things happen at Heber Finn's pub.
3. Don't trust anyone you know; they might be a robot doppelganger.
1. Mars would be a crappy place to live.
2. Lots of things happen at Heber Finn's pub.
3. Don't trust anyone you know; they might be a robot doppelganger.
February 6, 2017
Въпреки че ми отне 2 години /поради многото прекъсвания/ да прочета сборника с разкази от Бредбъри, няма как да не му дам максималната оценка! Невероятен автор! С всичкото четене речникът ми все пак е недостатъчно богат да опиша възхищението си и чувствата, предизвикани от разказите му у мен! Разбира се, сред тези 100 има и няколко, които не ме грабнаха кой знае колко, но на фона на всички останали... С романите му засега съм 50/50 като впечатления, но съвсем заслужено му давам титлата "Крал на късия разказ", редом до Стивън Кинг. :) :)
October 11, 2023
Look no further for Bradbury short stories. This book is comprised of 100 of Ray Bradbury's stories picked out by the author himself as his own favorites. This is the essential Bradbury collection to read. It contains many of the greatest stories from across his entire bibliography.
October 6, 2020
Reading 100 stories, I came to expect mind-expanding twists and take them for granted.
Then, near the end, I was emotionally blown away by two of them.
Forever and the Earth, in which a time travelling visits Thomas Wolfe minutes before he will die, and takes him a couple hundred years into the future, for a brief visit, during which he writes more masterpieces, before he must return to his own time and time as and when scheduled.
Last Rites, in which another time traveler goes back and visits great writers when they are old and dying, without recognition, without audience, and tells them after death they will have many readers and their works will be revered. Hermann Melville, Edgar Allan Poe... Tears came to my eyes when reading that one.
Then, near the end, I was emotionally blown away by two of them.
Forever and the Earth, in which a time travelling visits Thomas Wolfe minutes before he will die, and takes him a couple hundred years into the future, for a brief visit, during which he writes more masterpieces, before he must return to his own time and time as and when scheduled.
Last Rites, in which another time traveler goes back and visits great writers when they are old and dying, without recognition, without audience, and tells them after death they will have many readers and their works will be revered. Hermann Melville, Edgar Allan Poe... Tears came to my eyes when reading that one.
September 5, 2016
This book took a while. Part of that was because it is massive (888 pages); part of it is because this is the kind of book that you savor. It you read too much of it in a stretch, then you start losing the beauty of the writing. Bradbury paints pictures in his stories. Some of these are science fiction, some are fantasy, and other have just a touch of horror. It isn't the horror that leaves nothing to the imagination, but rather the one that you just know that what happens after the last word is going to be unpleasant.
Many of the stories I knew from other collections, still others were new to me. All of them are good. I'd suggest if you are reading to meet a goal of "X" number of books that you save this until after you've met your goal or that you read it in between books. You'll want to dip in and enjoy it.
Who will like this book? Anyone who enjoys fantasy or enjoys reading beautifully drawn stories. I think you will find it rewarding.
Many of the stories I knew from other collections, still others were new to me. All of them are good. I'd suggest if you are reading to meet a goal of "X" number of books that you save this until after you've met your goal or that you read it in between books. You'll want to dip in and enjoy it.
Who will like this book? Anyone who enjoys fantasy or enjoys reading beautifully drawn stories. I think you will find it rewarding.
Read
July 13, 2024It’s nothing against RB because he was a wonderful writer and story teller. I just need longer stories and there were two people waiting for the book, and it’s just now for me. Now I need to figure out how to remove from this years count.
January 15, 2014
Прочетох я на мобилния телефон, затова ми отне толкова време. Странни, поетични, изненадващи разкази и развръзки. Понякога имах чувството, че са писани от различни хора - толкова различно настроение и звучене имат.
January 14, 2021
The big thing that strikes me returning to Bradbury after nearly 20 years is how utterly conservative the dude is. Truly does not seem to get enough cred as being like Reverse Lovecraft convinced that Life and Art peaked in 1850 (hmm) and tortured by how the progress of time and society (hmm) will ultimately outlaw/burn/ignore Beauty and then people will just watch TV and screw and crush butterflies in their hands.
That said, for this being the top 10% or whatever of his work, a good 25% of these are just DOGS, like the 15 different riffs on Fahrenheit 451 or the Bazooka Joe jokes stretched out into ten pages (see: How Are Irish Fellas Like Gay Fellas, What If a Cowboy Was Mean to His Barber).
That said, when it works, goddammit he's good. "The Swan" ("lime vanilla ice") is one of my favorite short stories ever, and most of the horror is effortlessly chilling. Just uh maybe toss the Martian stories and the Irish stories and the What If An Old Author Guy Was Alive Today stories and the Censors Deserve to Die stories and the Surprise! They're a Robut stories and ...
That said, for this being the top 10% or whatever of his work, a good 25% of these are just DOGS, like the 15 different riffs on Fahrenheit 451 or the Bazooka Joe jokes stretched out into ten pages (see: How Are Irish Fellas Like Gay Fellas, What If a Cowboy Was Mean to His Barber).
That said, when it works, goddammit he's good. "The Swan" ("lime vanilla ice") is one of my favorite short stories ever, and most of the horror is effortlessly chilling. Just uh maybe toss the Martian stories and the Irish stories and the What If An Old Author Guy Was Alive Today stories and the Censors Deserve to Die stories and the Surprise! They're a Robut stories and ...
December 12, 2021
It took me a while to finish this wonderful short story collection. Not because it was bad or boring but because there are 100 of them in this book. Sometimes I read 5 stories in one go and sometimes I didn't read for a week. But I didn't read anything in between. I wanted nothing to spoil the Bradbury experience, if you know what I mean. In 2020 I read another wonderful short story collection of Bradbury, The stories of Ray Bradbury. The one I have is a beautiful Everyman's Library edition and also contains 100 stories. None of those come back in Bradbury Stories. So you have here 100 new stories from the 40ies till the 90ties. Bradbury pulls you in with every single story. He knows how to write about Mars and how it is to be a 12 or 13 year old boy. So many new favorites in this collection. Experience the world of Ray Bradbury if you can! Of course 5 stars.
August 1, 2021
"There Will Be Soft Rains" by Ray Bradbury is a futuristic story about the actions of an automated house after its inhabitants were destroyed, probably with a nuclear weapon.
Dishes are prepared but not eaten. Bridge games are installed, but no one is playing them. Martinis are made, but not drunk. Poems are read, but there is no one to listen to. An automatic voice recounting times and dates, which has no sense without a human presence.
Instead of describing the moment of the explosion, Bradbury shows readers a charred black wall, except when the paint remains intact in the form of a woman picking flowers, a man moving on a lawn, and two children throwing a ball. These four people were a family who lived in the house.
"There Will Be Soft Rains" is a part of the series“ The Martian Chronicles ” and one of the most famous stories in the world of fiction: touching, fatal, shocking.
This is the link to the text of the story:
https://www.btboces.org/Downloads/7_T...
Dishes are prepared but not eaten. Bridge games are installed, but no one is playing them. Martinis are made, but not drunk. Poems are read, but there is no one to listen to. An automatic voice recounting times and dates, which has no sense without a human presence.
Instead of describing the moment of the explosion, Bradbury shows readers a charred black wall, except when the paint remains intact in the form of a woman picking flowers, a man moving on a lawn, and two children throwing a ball. These four people were a family who lived in the house.
"There Will Be Soft Rains" is a part of the series“ The Martian Chronicles ” and one of the most famous stories in the world of fiction: touching, fatal, shocking.
This is the link to the text of the story:
https://www.btboces.org/Downloads/7_T...
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