The Stories of Ray Bradbury Volume 2

by Ray Bradbury

One hundred classic stories from the celebrated author of Fahrenheit 451.

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

685 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1980

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

[Johann (jobis89) · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I was in love, then, with monsters and skeletons and circuses and carnivals and dinosaurs and, at last, the red planet, Mars.”

If anyone knows how to effectively review a book containing 100 short stories, please hit me up. I’ve just been sitting with this caption open for about 5 minutes, blankly staring at it...

Where to begin! I will say that the range of genres covered by Bradbury is incredibly broad. You’ve got science fiction, fantasy, horror, and those stories that I just adore where Bradbury delivers little slices of American life. Those are my personal favourites.

But I’ll highlight a few that stood out for me:
- The October Game was an incredibly dark story centred on a game being played on Halloween night. I was almost taken aback at how dark it was...
- The Fog Horn. I had read this before but it is still one of the best short stories I’ve ever read. Just go into this one knowing nothing!
- The Black Ferris was clearly Bradbury’s inspiration for Something Wicked This Way Comes. A Ferris wheel capable of turning back the years, or moving them forward...
- The Emissary was another one that I was happy to revisit - a sweet little tale about a sick young boy and his dog that turns quite dark...
- There Will Come Soft Rains is considered to be one of the best sci-fi stories and I can see why. A house is completely controlled and managed by machines whilst it’s inhabitants have perished.

It was extremely difficult to even whittle down the 100 stories to pick out a few highlights. Ray Bradbury was a genius, his imagination blows my mind and I find his writing to be some of the most beautiful I’ve ever read.

This collection has solidified Bradbury as one of my top 3 favourite authors. I’d highly recommend this to ANY reader - the perfect collection to dip in and out of! 5 stars

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an amazing collection of stories! A good 1/4 of the stories were from The Martian Chronicles, which I enjoyed reading again! If I was to choose a favourite it would probably be…
The Rocket Man 🚀

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are so many stories in this collection it’s difficult to sum up as they fall into different categories. There are quite a few that didn't hold my interest and I gave a quick skim through, the majority fell within the 'pretty good' range.
There’s a dozen tales that truly stand out, leaving me a bit gobsmacked. These are the ones that display remarkable creativity and impeccable writing. Some even evoked genuine emotions and spine-tingling chills. Regrettably, a handful veer into the realm of being overly sentimental, plodding along with minimal impact or just weird.

[Shawn · Rating 1 out of 5]

It seems almost blasphemy to make a bad comment about Bradbury's work, given how he is so highly rated, but I found most of these stories pointless. I find he reads like Dickens - why use two words, when twenty would do? And these stories felt very much like he had to hit a word count; repetition or unnecessary detail seem to be the norm.

[Lostaccount · Rating 5 out of 5]

Working through this volume to find stories by Bradbury that I haven't read, having read most of his stories over the years. Wonderful writer and wonderful (in the true sense of the word) stories.

[Miss Bookiverse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nach über einem Jahr habe ich dieses 950-Seiten-Biest endlich beendet. 100 Kurzgeschichten kenne ich nun von Bradbury und ich fand sie so toll, dass ich Volume 2 mit 100 weiteren bereits im Regal habe. Es sind zwei Dinge, die ich an diesem Autor schätze: zum einen sein farbenfroher, greifbarer Schreibstil, der jede Szene zum Leben erweckt und noch mal ganz anders zeichnet als ich es aus dem Alltag gewohnt bin. Zum anderen seine Ideenvielfalt: von Mars- und Weltraumexpeditionen über Zeitreisen zu den Dinosauriern bis zu gespenstischen Riesenrädern oder einen Hemingway-zitierenden Papageien. Die Geschichten sind so kreativ und mischen immer wieder übernatürliche Elemente in Alltagsszenarien oder spinnen die technischen Möglichkeiten der Zukunft ein entscheidendes Stück weiter. Ein bisschen Scifi, ein bisschen Grusel oder einfach Beobachtungen aus dem und über das Leben.

Meine Favoriten: The Coffin, The Scythe, The Crowd, The Veldt, The Long Rain, A Sound of Thunder, The Fog Horn, The Emissary, Jack-in-the-Box, Interval in Sunlight

[William Riverdale · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fantastic collection of Bradbury's stories. From the fantastic to the scientific to the emotional to the horrific to the nostalgic, this anthology is chokeful in many genres, showing Bradbury's versatility. Not all of the stories are of the same calibre though. However, the lows are seldom, and even them Bradbury writes with such sincerity that you cannot help but excuse his shortcomings in that. And the highs? There are some majestic highs inside here, highs that will have you soar above clouds until the sky is no more blue. One of the best collection of short stories out there.

[Ingo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't envy the editors of this collection. There are easier tasks than deciding what to choose from the 500+ stories Brad Bradbury has written in his 90+ years. These two volumes combine about 150 of them (stories, not years), so this is the biggest collection to date.

There are some classics in here that have been anthologized quite a few times: "There Will Come Soft Rains", "A Sound of Thunder", "Mars Is Heaven" among others.

From the lesser known stories I particularly enjoyed some of the creepy ones: e.g. "The Town Where No One Got Off", "Marionettes, Inc." and the wonderfully twisted "Night Call, Collect".

Some of the rocket-and-aliens-imagery may seem a little quaint today but I'd argue they only reinforce (if unintentionally) the nostalgia that has always pervaded the fiction of Ray Bradbury.

[Sumant · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have focused on short story lot last year, as I was not ready to invest in another science fiction or fantasy book series, and I generally don't like to read stand alone books. For me the short story format is really unique because in space of few pages a author has not only create a whole world to his user, but also has to reach a user. and doing this especially is really difficult in an science fiction genre because you have many questions to answer.

But this collection of short stories manages to do that almost every time, and the short stories in this book are not only about sci-fi but they cover a wide spectrum like fantasy and horror too.

It is really hard to review this book as a whole because there about 100 short stories in this book, and it's not possible to remember each and every story and write a review about it. I was able to enjoy most of the stories in this huge collection, but I think Bradbury shows you his magic when starts writing about mars.

The martian stories are best stories of this collection for me as I really enjoyed reading all of them.

I give this book 4/5 stars.

[Charles Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many, many years ago my cousin gave me a copy of Bradbury's "Martian Chronicles." That was about all I ever read of Bradbury until now. I liked the "Martian Chronicles." They were imaginative, exciting, and different in a Twilight Zone
These stories are much broader, of course, but I think represent a very creative mind at work. I have a theory that you get a better idea about the author's thinking and imagination by reading collections of short stories. Instead of having to develop a few ideas to the nth degree, we get a chance to see their minds bounce from idea to idea. I think with some collections you get a better idea of the writer's ability to twist and turn a plot and characters without having to do so much plot weaving.

Bradbury seemed to notice things I didn't. And because these stories have now matured forty years they give a bit of insight into what the populations were thinking back then. His stories range from the very quirky to just a homespun tale but always with an unexpected ending. For such short works he obviously worked extra hard to make them count.

The result are a collection of excellent tales of a huge variety of insights and observations of the world.

[Henrik]

June 6, 2012:

Reading some of Bradbury's short stories on this day, the day he passed away, leaving the world at the age of 91.


"A medicine for Melancholy": Read this one first. A very fine, downplayed story set in the 1700s -- and quite a bold story. What a cure for melancholy!

Up next now: "Fever Dream"...

"Fever Dreams": Reading this was strange, strange indeed. Because it resembled an unpublished story of mine quite some. And I know I've never read this Bradbury tale before. Of course, "Fever Dreams" is vastly better than my own wee tale ("The Hand") and with an ending that sends shivers down your back. (Mine was an attempt to couple a boy's experiences with a kind of cosmic horror... and I failed.)

"The TOwn Where No One Got Off": A nice little, creepy tale. Wonderful atmosphere and, for a long while, uncertainty. A story that really says something about the human nature when it comes to our relation with other people. Dark? You bet.

As always, more reviews coming, as I read new stories. Since there are 100 stories just in this volume that may take quite a number of years;-)

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

In a collection of this size, there are bound to be a few repeats, but that wasn't a big deal when compared with the fact that I finally got a chance to read 'There Will Come Soft Rains' and 'Mars Is Heaven', two of the best short stories I have ever read. It is always a pleasure to read 'The Rocket Man' as well, and whenever Doug Spaulding shows up, something magical follows close behind. Another I will be re-reading in the future.

[Stef Smulders · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three and a half *. Read about 15 stories of this collection. In the introduction Bradbury explains that the main reason for him to write is the sheer joy he has in doing it and that is exactly what these stories radiate: the intense pleasure of storytelling. Funny, chilling, surprising they often are, the only drawback being the setting that is often repeated: vampires, time travel, space adventures.

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's 100 stories so some will be better than others. I would describe them as imaginative, thrilling, moving, thought provoking, prescient, nostalgic and extremely well written; I love the way he uses language.
I will never 'finish' this collection or Volume 2; I have been reading and re-reading these stories for forty years and see no reason to stop now.

[Salimbol · Rating 4 out of 5]

A rather amazing collection of stories from Bradbury, showcasing his imagination, his ability to shift tone and topics, and his fantastic use of language. (As a side note: I think I deserve a medal for accomplishing the Herculean task of getting through this nearly-1000 page tome ;-).

[Jak · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like any collection of short stories there will be good and bad. Fortunatly there was more good than bad in these two volumes.

[Sho · Rating 3 out of 5]

About time I checked him out. Not as good as I thought it would be.

[John Herbert · Rating 3 out of 5]

So many stories - a mixture of good and indifferent.
But good if you want short sharp reads.

[Michael Reilly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many of Ray Bradbury’s stories are from another time and place – a 1950s melancholy America of memories and longing where fact, fantasy and the coming future collide. The 100 stories in this fine collection reveal simple truths and personal desires, often exploring the slow rhythm of life in small-town communities or the alien emptiness of other worlds.

I fully embraced the Bradbury style when in my 20s, and although I’m not always in the right mood for a Bradbury story, when it’s his voice I want to hear inside my head, there’s deep satisfaction to be found within his elegantly arranged, often musical words. Bradbury’s true gift is that he’s able to capture the universal familiarity of emotion and remembrance, the sometimes unspoken realities of the family unit, and the inner comfort gained by many insignificant, minor events. Youthful hope and wonder through to middle age or end of life weariness – Bradbury covers all with deft flourishes that encapsulate the difficult romances of living.

I’ve always enjoyed short fiction, and found that most of these tales were very good, excellent or splendidly memorable – none were truly disliked, and all had plenty of style. Also, many are very short in length (<10 pages) so even a brief reading session can contain a lot of variety. I’m sure to enjoy the second volume, too!

[The Usual · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I must be a bit odd. Ray Bradbury is best known as a writer of science fiction, but I much prefer him when he doesn't. I prefer him when he's being a bit gothic - straight or tongue in cheek, it doesn't matter - or comic, to when he's trying to be all philosophical and elegiac and Martian-strange. That means this gets a mean-minded three.

There are some wonderful little stories here: just not the science fiction.

[Erdem E · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never doubt the quality and pleasure a short story of Bradbury will gives me. Though it is not deeply encapsulating as much as Philip K. Dick if you ask me, I never regretted any story of Bradbury. It is like a tranquil view you enjoy silently. Pleasent seconds passes with every step in these pages. Any Bradbury' story - I believe highly of - will make you glad that you read it. It is between 15-25 pages so I highly reccommend to give it an effortless try.

[Alastair Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

100 short stories from Ray Bradbury, a mixture of lengths, some just a couple of pages, others 30-40. Overall they're really enjoyable, there are very few repeated ideas which is remarkable, exploring humanity in a range of scenarios. Initially I thought it would be solely science-fiction, but actually most are not, some of the longer pieces struggle slightly, they almost would be better as either a shorter piece or a full novel, but overall very enjoyable.

[Luc Lefere · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was probably mislead by his most famous Martian Chronicles, but whilst the stories are not bad, there are relatively few SciFi stories and what also surprised me was that most of the stories are rather bleak with very few happy endings and most (even the SciFi ones) verging on horror.
I am only about 60% in, and I will finish the book, just with vastly revised expectations.

[Kieran McAndrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

A writer as prolific and of such high quality as Ray Bradbury is that rarest of beings and this bumper collection of stories is a treat for readers everywhere. Bradbury's writing defies genre, rising above and beyond tropisms to ask fundamental questions of what it is to be human.

[James Marshall · Rating 4 out of 5]

A huge collection of his short stories (956 pages) that stretch from Carnivals in the Mid-West to the rocky mountains of Mars. It's a mixed bag: some are very good, others are just ok. I read it in chunks between other novels.

[kevin taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Devastatingly good writing from old Ray. I always wondered where they got their cigarettes from when marooned on a desolate, dying planet, light years from earth.

[Jon Mountjoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of fabulous stories in here. Several that werne't to my liking, but that's not unexpected.

[Mr Hattington (Alistair) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredibly intriguing and well written sci-fi short stories. Well worth a read.

[Michaela Holland · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love all of his stories so much. I've been back to them again and again.

[Adrian · Rating 4 out of 5]

An intriguing collection, including many early works which show the development of his distinctive voice and vision.