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The Golden Apples of the Sun
by
Ray Bradbury
Only Ray Bradbury could make plausible a deep sea monster's infatuation with a flirtatious foghorn, or a misunderstood man with a perfectly reasonable explanation for murdering his house, or a nubile young witch who works out an ingenious method for experiencing human love, or a space ship captain determined to gather a cupful of sun, or...18 other bizarre and wonderful ta...more
Hardcover, First Edition, 250 pages
Published
1953
by Garden City: Doubleday
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How does one review a book of tiny short stories? Do I describe the stories individually? Or do I just mention a couple favorites, like the one about the last dinosaur and the lighthouse, or the pedestrian, or The Sound of Thunder, the time travel story that everyone knows even if they don't know the name of?
I'm one of the few people that didn't have to read Fahrenheit 451 in school so the only exposure I had to Ray Bradbury before this was issues of Tales from the Crypt where they adapted his s...more
I'm one of the few people that didn't have to read Fahrenheit 451 in school so the only exposure I had to Ray Bradbury before this was issues of Tales from the Crypt where they adapted his s...more
7 likes · like · see review
view all 5 comments
I enjoyed most of the stories in this book, particularly; "The Murderer," which I found to be so appropriate to life today! This is one of few stories that hasn't got an initial publication date noted, but I guess it would be early 1950. Even though the technology that drives the main character to "murder" is not exactly as Bradbury imagined it would be, it is close enough to make me go "Wow!; "Sun and Shadow," which made me feel guilty about the times I've found life that is on the verge of abj...more
2 likes · like · see review
Jul 01, 2011
Nikki
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
short-stories-novellas,
speculative-fiction
Not all of the stories in this collection of Bradbury's short fiction are great, or even that memorable, but one or two of them will stick with me -- I particularly enjoyed 'Embroidery', which was well-structured and had a lovely final paragraph. Perfect, even, almost.
Even if a few of them didn't really get to me, it's worth noting that I received it in the mail just today, and I read it in two sittings. I've been rather wrapped up in video games lately (hey, I just got the news that I got a fir...more
Even if a few of them didn't really get to me, it's worth noting that I received it in the mail just today, and I read it in two sittings. I've been rather wrapped up in video games lately (hey, I just got the news that I got a fir...more
4 likes · like · see review
Half of these short stories are fantasy, and half are the kind I love - about outer space, post or pre-apocalyptic life, and Mars.
My favorites:
The Wilderness: Two women ready for a move to mars, one makes a very long distant phone call and receives the encouragement she needs to take that step.
The Murderer: In the 1950's, Bradbury predicted the state we are in today - instant communication, too much communication brought about by technology that never shuts up. "There sat all the tired commuters...more
My favorites:
The Wilderness: Two women ready for a move to mars, one makes a very long distant phone call and receives the encouragement she needs to take that step.
The Murderer: In the 1950's, Bradbury predicted the state we are in today - instant communication, too much communication brought about by technology that never shuts up. "There sat all the tired commuters...more
I was, of course, familiar with Ray Bradbury's most known work "Fahrenheit 451" and appreciated him for his contribution to sci-fi, but then I read this collection of short stories and was blown way.
The title comes from a line of Yeats:
And pluck till time and times are done,
The silver apples of the moon,
The golden apples of the sun.
For that I have to thank Bradbury doubly, once for writing such a wonderful collection of short stories, and again for introducing me to Yeats, a poet whom I unexc...more
The title comes from a line of Yeats:
And pluck till time and times are done,
The silver apples of the moon,
The golden apples of the sun.
For that I have to thank Bradbury doubly, once for writing such a wonderful collection of short stories, and again for introducing me to Yeats, a poet whom I unexc...more
I was really excited to read some Ray Bradbury after reading "The Crowd" in The Dark Descent. Also, I'd recently been reading about a little story called "A Sound of Thunder," which I gathered was supposed to be one of the original butterfly-effect stories. So I put in an order at the library, and here we are.
You may have noticed this book is on my "Abandoned" shelf, not my "Read" shelf. The problem is that a lot of the stories in this collection don't have any sort of speculative fiction elemen...more
You may have noticed this book is on my "Abandoned" shelf, not my "Read" shelf. The problem is that a lot of the stories in this collection don't have any sort of speculative fiction elemen...more
Golden Apples of the Sun by Ray Bradbury is a collection of short stories first published in 1953 with 22 short stories. Published again in 1997, this later edition contains the original stories as well as 10 more previously released stories by the Grand Master. These stories serve as a representative sample of Bradbury’s unique and far ranging talent, blending elements of several genres into a cohesive universe of speculative fiction, as well as a demonstration of his mastery of the short ficti...more
Loved it!
Bradbury got the title from last line of this poem...
THE SONG OF WANDERING AENGUS
by: W.B. Yeats
WENT out to the hazel wood,
Because a fire was in my head,
And cut and peeled a hazel wand,
And hooked a berry to a thread;
And when white moths were on the wing,
And moth-like stars were flickering out,
I dropped the berry in a stream
And caught a little silver trout.
When I had laid it on the floor
I went to blow the fire a-flame,
But something rustled on the floor,
And some one called me by my name:...more
Bradbury got the title from last line of this poem...
THE SONG OF WANDERING AENGUS
by: W.B. Yeats
WENT out to the hazel wood,
Because a fire was in my head,
And cut and peeled a hazel wand,
And hooked a berry to a thread;
And when white moths were on the wing,
And moth-like stars were flickering out,
I dropped the berry in a stream
And caught a little silver trout.
When I had laid it on the floor
I went to blow the fire a-flame,
But something rustled on the floor,
And some one called me by my name:...more
Warning: The following review contains public display of shameless fangirlery
These collected short stories confirmed something I have long suspected; Ray Bradbury is a living breathing writing celestial entity and to me R will always be for Rocket!
“The Murderer”, which was published in 1953, uncannily portrays the impact of information overload before there was Facebook or even the internet. Really spooky stuff. My favorite stories are “The Great Wide World Over There” and the absolutely mind-b...more
These collected short stories confirmed something I have long suspected; Ray Bradbury is a living breathing writing celestial entity and to me R will always be for Rocket!
“The Murderer”, which was published in 1953, uncannily portrays the impact of information overload before there was Facebook or even the internet. Really spooky stuff. My favorite stories are “The Great Wide World Over There” and the absolutely mind-b...more
Thoroughly enjoyable read. I've only read Martian Chronicles previously, and I love the way Bradbury's descriptions and cadence really flow naturally. That's one of the things Stephen King does so well also. All but maybe a couple of these stories are solid little tales. The quality is just so much higher than something like a Richard Matheson collection, which executes interesting ideas in a flat and tiresome manner. It also helps that this collection starts off with a very Lovecraftian story t...more
One of the best collections of American short stories, even if many of them are technically science-fiction. They still have a deeper sense of the struggles of humanity, regardless of setting - which, perhaps, is that makes them even more powerful and hammers the point even deeper.
Sometimes you come across a book that remains on your mind for months, or even longer, after reading. I think this is one of those books.
The Golden Apples of the Sun is a collection of 22 short stories, each exploring a different idea. Although a couple of the ideas have been covered quite a lot in literature or films (the butterfly effect, for example), Bradbury’s work I would suggest is amongst the best. I read this book through in one sitting because I was on the train, but I almost feel like...more
The Golden Apples of the Sun is a collection of 22 short stories, each exploring a different idea. Although a couple of the ideas have been covered quite a lot in literature or films (the butterfly effect, for example), Bradbury’s work I would suggest is amongst the best. I read this book through in one sitting because I was on the train, but I almost feel like...more
Oct 09, 2007
J.P.
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
lovers of short stories, speculative fiction
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.
The Foghorn ****o
The Pedestrian *****
The April Witch ***oo
The Wildnerness ***oo
The Fruit at the Bottom of the Bowl ***oo
Invisable Boy ***oo
The Flying Machine ***oo
The Murderer ***oo
The Golden Kite, The Silver Wind ***oo
I See You Never ***oo
Embroidery ***oo
The Big Black and White Game ***oo
A Sound of Thunder ****o
The Great Wide World Over There ***oo
Powerhouse ***oo
En la Noche ***oo
Sun and Shadow ***oo
The Meadow ****o
The Garbage Collector ***oo
The Great Fire ***oo
Hail and Farewell ***oo
The Golden...more
The Pedestrian *****
The April Witch ***oo
The Wildnerness ***oo
The Fruit at the Bottom of the Bowl ***oo
Invisable Boy ***oo
The Flying Machine ***oo
The Murderer ***oo
The Golden Kite, The Silver Wind ***oo
I See You Never ***oo
Embroidery ***oo
The Big Black and White Game ***oo
A Sound of Thunder ****o
The Great Wide World Over There ***oo
Powerhouse ***oo
En la Noche ***oo
Sun and Shadow ***oo
The Meadow ****o
The Garbage Collector ***oo
The Great Fire ***oo
Hail and Farewell ***oo
The Golden...more
I love Ray Bradbury's writing - his well-chosen words and creative use of imagery, as well as the human depth to his characters that anchors his stories. All I'd read of his before was sci-fi, and I think it's his strongest genre - here, he also explores general fiction, as well as some historical and fairy-tale pieces, which I didn't find as compelling. A few of these pieces were really touching - the sea monster, and the boy who doesn't grow up. His stories occasionally feel a little cliche, b...more
I love short stories. You get a satisfying fiction fix in an economical span of time and move on with the cares and obligations of your day. The title of this story collection is from a Yeats’ poem and, let’s face it, Bradbury was a master of language, ideas, and character fifty years ago—when he was in his forties! The vaunted style may read a touch on the Victorian side—I well remember the minimalist style preferred when I was starting my writing career. You could not have sold to, say, Omni (...more
"That's life for you...someone always waiting for someone who never comes home. Always someone loving some thing more that that thing loves them. And after a while you want to destroy whatever that thing is, so it can't hurt you no more". Re: sea creature that destroys the lighthouse and the fog horn that mimics it's own lonesome cry.
"Silence happened next. God, it was beautiful...I just rode around feeling of the silence. It's a big bolt of the nicest, softest flannel ever made. Silence...I jus...more
"Silence happened next. God, it was beautiful...I just rode around feeling of the silence. It's a big bolt of the nicest, softest flannel ever made. Silence...I jus...more
Dec 25, 2012
Gray
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
science-fiction,
fantasy
Four of my longtime favorite Bradbury stories are in this collection -- "The Long Rain," "The Strawberry Window," "Frost and Fire," and "A Sound of Thunder" -- unforgettable tales that have stayed with me from childhood. The rest of the collection varies from marvelous to mediocre, with Bradbury rehashing his favorite themes (for example in the contrived rant of "The Exiles" -- I prefer "Usher II" in The Martian Chronicles) or dripping too densely with sentiment.
Since I started rereading Bradbu...more
Since I started rereading Bradbu...more
This is a collection of SF and non-genre short stories that Bradbury wrote in the 'forties and 'fifties, all with the general theme of characterisation, people and the desires of men and monsters. The tales are told with Bradbury's trademark flare and style, something that captivates me every time, even when the story itself fails to engage.
As well as containing classic Bradbury shorts like A Sound of Thunder, The Pedestrian, and The Fog Horn, non-SF stories such as The Flying Machine, The Golde...more
As well as containing classic Bradbury shorts like A Sound of Thunder, The Pedestrian, and The Fog Horn, non-SF stories such as The Flying Machine, The Golde...more
Ray Bradbury's somewhat famous "A Sound of Thunder" is the first legitimately disturbing piece of fiction I've read for quite a while, and in the nine-page span of 1953's "The Murderer" not only does he manage to predict cell phones, social networking in general and Twitter in particular, but also he extrapolates them into smartphone addiction. (He also imagines the Roomba, but not the cat riding it.) My 60-year-old paperback copy fell apart in my hands as I read it, which would feel like a trag...more
The collection of short stories. The point here - to read them slowly, not one by one, maybe one or to in a day, to enjoy every of them. To understand everyone. Earlier I didn't like short stories; however, now I can see the beauty of them.
This collection brings you both to the future and to the past, to China, to dinosaurs, to Sun - wherever you want. I am still surprised how precisely Bradbury guessed our present then, 50 years ago.
With some exceptions, each story made me think - about time,...more
This collection brings you both to the future and to the past, to China, to dinosaurs, to Sun - wherever you want. I am still surprised how precisely Bradbury guessed our present then, 50 years ago.
With some exceptions, each story made me think - about time,...more
From the frontispiece:
“. . . And pluck till time and times are done
The silver apples of the moon,
The golden apples of the sun.”
W.B. Yeats
I am fascinated by the work of Ray Bradbury. If you’re not sure what constitutes excellent writing in modern times, read Bradbury
This collection of short stories, published as whole in 1953, obviously reflect the time and places described, but with the essential Bradbury twist, stepping outside of the cultural parameters. He asks, in dozens of different wa...more
“. . . And pluck till time and times are done
The silver apples of the moon,
The golden apples of the sun.”
W.B. Yeats
I am fascinated by the work of Ray Bradbury. If you’re not sure what constitutes excellent writing in modern times, read Bradbury
This collection of short stories, published as whole in 1953, obviously reflect the time and places described, but with the essential Bradbury twist, stepping outside of the cultural parameters. He asks, in dozens of different wa...more
This book has been sitting on the shelves with my other Bradbury books since 1971 which means it made the move from Minnesota to Pennsylvania and eventually New Jersey! Yes I was a librarian before I got my MLS. I organized most of my books by author and hard or paperback back in high school. My brother Michael use to think my books were his to read and would "borrow" (take with out asking). I do recall nailing him rather well when one book falled to find its way back. haha. But life has moved o...more
Jan 19, 2011
notgettingenough
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
science-fiction,
changed-my-life
Bradbury on the sea:
...more
"One day many years ago a man walked along and stood in the sound of the ocean on a cold sunless shore and said "We need a voice to call across the water, to warn ships; I'll make one. I'll make a voice that is like an empty bed beside you all night long, and like an empty house when you open the door, and like the trees in autumn with no leaves. A sound like the birds flying south, crying, and a sound like November wind and the sea on the hard, cold shore. I'll make a sound
6 likes · like · see review
I once said that Bradbury was "trash, but exquisite trash. Like the pizza boxes and soda cans of the gods". (Is it okay to quote one's self? I'm okay with it) I stand by the statement. He's good not great, although I think back to Something Wicked This Way Comes and some of the stories in The Illustrated Man and I want to argue with myself. He's got a great, flexible sort of an imagination, which is kind of humanist and romantic and childish all at once. That being said, this collection isn't hi...more
To my mind, there are two great stories here. They both provide insight and emotional resonance that have stayed with me since reading them, and rank with the best of Bradbury’s other, phenomenal, work. More on them later!
By way of contrast, “In The Meadow” features a watchman whose sentimentality for retired movie sets comes across as maudlin and embarrassingly overwrought, and his influence on the heart of a high profile, flimsily-written movie producer is unbelievable and silly.
This is a prob...more
By way of contrast, “In The Meadow” features a watchman whose sentimentality for retired movie sets comes across as maudlin and embarrassingly overwrought, and his influence on the heart of a high profile, flimsily-written movie producer is unbelievable and silly.
This is a prob...more
When I was 17 years old Ray Bradbury was my favourite writer and *The Golden Apples of the Sun* was my favourite book of his. Even then I knew that the very best Bradbury stories('Homecoming', 'The Scythe', 'Kaleidoscope', etc) could be found in his other collections, but *Apples* had a kind of magic that I couldn't quite put my finger on. Plus it had the best cover!
I've just re-read this volume -- almost 25 years after I first read it. It's not quite as brilliant as I remember. Yes, 'The Fruit...more
I've just re-read this volume -- almost 25 years after I first read it. It's not quite as brilliant as I remember. Yes, 'The Fruit...more
Goodbye Ray Bradbury. He was the first author I loved, he was a natural for me with his heart on his sleeve and his absolute belief in the power of words and the religion of wonder. His brilliant restless short stories set off puffballs of astonishment in my brain, I slept on Mars and woke up in Green Town, I grew giant mushrooms for fun and profit and I was the illuminated boy, Ray Bradbury illuminated me with death, calliopes, mechanical houses, ice cream suits, towns where no one got off, dwa...more
31 likes · like · see review
I read "The Golden Apples Of The Sun" when I was 12 - a friend lent it to me. The title itself caught my whole attention. Hadnt heard of Yeats yet!
I simply loved it. I couldn`t stop reading.
"The Fruit at the Bottom of the Bowl" was a mind-blowing story and even now, when I get lost in some cleaning, the story strikes my head from behind!
I had a long and beautiful romance with Bradbury, of course. But this book is very dear to me.
I know this is not probably a good review.
I am simply an avid r...more
I simply loved it. I couldn`t stop reading.
"The Fruit at the Bottom of the Bowl" was a mind-blowing story and even now, when I get lost in some cleaning, the story strikes my head from behind!
I had a long and beautiful romance with Bradbury, of course. But this book is very dear to me.
I know this is not probably a good review.
I am simply an avid r...more
Because this book is a collection of short stories I have to rate this based on how many I liked and unfortunately there was only about four that I thought were good. Some left me scratching my head wondering if pages were missing. I like Bradbury but most of the short stories in this collection were pretty weak. I was trying to put myself in the 50's while reading this and I still don't think I would have liked some of them. I will say though that the short story "The Murderer" was awesome and...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What's The Name o...: Science fiction short story- rejection of technology. [s] | 8 | 52 | Dec 13, 2012 06:19pm | |
| Septober with Bra...: The Golden Apples of the Sun | 9 | 15 | Aug 23, 2012 07:53pm |
American novelist, short story writer, essayist, playwright, screenwriter and poet, was born August 22, 1920 in Waukegan, Illinois. He graduated from a Los Angeles high school in 1938. Although his formal education ended there, he became a "student of life," selling newspapers on L.A. street corners from 1938 to 1942, spending his nights in the public library and his days at the typewriter. He bec...more
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“Poverty made a sound like a wet cough in the shadows of the room.”
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