Ray Bradbury is a modern cultural treasure. His disarming simplicity of style underlies a towering body of work unmatched in metaphorical power by any other American storyteller. And here, presented in a new trade edition, are thirty-two of his most famous tales--prime examples of the poignant and mysterious poetry which Bradbury uniquely uncovers in the depths of the human soul, the otherwordly portraits of outre fascination which spring from the canvas of one of the century's great men of imagination. From a lonely coastal lighthouse to a sixty-million-year-old safary, from the pouring rain of Venus to the ominous silence of a murder scene, Ray Bradbury is our sure-handed guide not only to surprising and outrageous manifestations of the future, but also to the wonders of the present that we could never have imagined on our own.Ray Bradbury is a modern cultural treasure. His disarming simplicity of style underlies a towering body of work unmatched in metaphorical power by any other American storyteller. And here, presented in a new trade edition, are thirty-two of his most famous tales--prime examples of the poignant and mysterious poetry which Bradbury uniquely uncovers in the depths of the human soul, the otherwordly portraits of outre fascination which spring from the canvas of one of the centurys great men of imagination. From a lonely coastal lighthouse to a sixty-million-year-old safari, from the pouring rain of Venus to the ominous silence of a murder scene, Ray Bradbury is our sure-handed guide not only to surprising and outrageous manifestations of the future, but also to the wonders of the present that we could never have imagined on our own.
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"The most memorable story in this collection, read during high school, is "A Sound of Thunder". I had actually read it in Michigan years before, sitting in the living room at night on the wicker couch across from the fireplace. Although I can find no reference to its publication in such, I am pretty certain that it appeared in a science fiction pulp magazine and had an illustration accompanying it. The night in question may have been around 1964 because I associated the political reference of the tale to the Goldwater wing of the Republican Party, the youth movement of which, The Teenage Republicans, was run in my home town of Park Ridge, Illinois by Hillary Rodham."
— Erik (4 out of 5 stars)
" Wonderfully written short stories, some creepy, some science fiction and some incredibly poignant! "
— Thomas, 2/19/2014" You know that desert island that we all hope to be deserted upon (upon which??)...well this is the one book I would tuck into that plastic bag for safekeeping! "
— Elli, 2/6/2014" i think this is the first collection of Bradbury stories i've read. it's an interesting experience reading them en masse. on balance, i liked the contemporary pieces more - in a way the world they depict is just as fantastical to me as the overt sf and fantasy stories. "
— scarlettraces, 2/3/2014" Reworking some of the stories, and trying to descifer Bradbury's style. As a need and a crave for really good writing. "
— Anna, 1/2/2014" Some body; not very much soul. "
— Claire, 12/30/2013" Bradbury proves yet again that he is a sci-fi master. "
— Kelcey, 12/23/2013" This has to be one of Ray Bradbury's epic books, for it addresses and dwells in the interior world of man through short stories that seem at first glance alien to the typical one. "
— Saiid, 11/22/2013" There is nothing sadder to me than a sea serpent in love with a light house. Vintage Bradbury. "
— Melissa, 11/1/2013" So many great stories. "The Fog Horn." "A Sound of Thunder," one of the great time travel and dinosaur stories (the description of the T-Rex is sublime and awesome). "The Murderer," a great prediction of our always in touch world. And so many more. "
— Erik, 10/31/2013" Not the best collection of his works. There are a few gems in there "Hail and Farewell" and "The Fruit at the Bottom of the Bowl" come to mind as being particularly memorable but before I read this one again I'll pick up Long after Midnight or I Sing The Body Electric first. "
— Daniel, 7/17/2013" Great science fiction. Great speculative fiction. Great American fiction, period. Bradbury wrote a slew of classic stories; this is the cream of the crop. GOLDEN APPLES is another reason I'm a writer today. "
— J.P., 3/13/2013" Apparently I read a lot of these stories before, but I really like Bradbury so I was fine with that. "
— Lauren, 2/26/2013" I picked up this volume of Bradbury's short stories as a kid, and still find myself thumbing through it. Over breakfast, on the train, a transportative bite of sublime fiction. "
— Carolyn, 12/25/2012" Fantasy stories- some are busy, some are quiet "
— Christine, 11/12/2012" The best pieces in this collection were by no stretch sci-fi; they're rather sensitive portraits of everyday people living their lives. "
— Daniel, 6/17/2012" Stunning, captivating, inspiring. "
— Rob, 6/2/2012" This is a great collection of short stories. "
— Rachel, 4/21/2012" Not my favorite collection of short stories by Bradbury, but I still enjoyed most of them. I especially loved "A Sound of Thunder," which I first read when I was 13 years old. "
— April, 11/3/2011" Unfortunately, I think I just wasn't in the right mood when I had the chance to read this book! Mostly character sketches, loosely tied together. "
— Andrea, 5/8/2011" Couldn't get into it. 57 pages, 9 chapters in and had no clue what was going on. Plot was not coming together and it was very hard to follow from the beginning. Confusing and I felt I was reading just to get threw waiting for something to tie everything together.. "
— Justin, 4/2/2011" One of the best tales and mystic novels I've read. It makes you feel every line of the book, the language and metaphors are perfect. It leaves the mysterious weightless feeling of the other world's presence in our life. "
— Tanya, 12/22/2010" It's a book about spirits, ghosts, nebulous and barely existing creatures, and their love, loss, identity, family. And it's actually rather sweet, and gentle. I loved it. "
— Nick, 11/29/2010" Great Later Bradbury. A return to the Family and a perfect tale for Halloween. "
— Lou, 10/27/2010" Bradbury's short stories are much better than his full length novels. "
— Tenaya, 10/5/2010" I know this is more or less a fix-up novel, but I find it impossible to be objective where Bradbury is concerned. If you like Bradbury, you'll like this. If you don't, this won't change your mind. "
— Richard, 9/20/2010" Ray Bradbury's word is worth a thousand pictures. I found myself crying at the most unlikely and unexpected moment in the book. "
— apple, 9/18/2010" Confusing at times, but filled with beautiful prose. "
— Julia, 9/4/2010Ray Bradbury (1920–2012), one of the most popular science fiction writers in the world, wrote more than five hundred short stories, novels, plays, and poems. He won many awards, including the Grand Master Award from the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, the O. Henry Memorial Award, the Benjamin Franklin Award, the World Fantasy Award for Lifetime Achievement, and the PEN Center USA West Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2000, he was the recipient of the National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters.
MacLeod Andrews is a multiple Audie, Earphones, and SOVAS award-winning and Grammy-nominated narrator with hundreds of credits to his name. Perhaps best known for a cinematic approach with full characterizations and intimate deliveries in series such as The Reckoners, Sandman Slim, and Warriors, he’s also been noted for his straight reads ranging from memoirs to modern classics. When not doing books you can hear him in video games, cartoons, commercials, podcasts, and reading you the news on Apple News +. Or check out one of his films.