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S Is for Space
S is for science fiction, spine-tingling, supernatural and sublime! S is for stories from a "Star Wilderness that stretched as far as eye and mind could see and imagine".
Chrysalis
Pillar of Fire
Zero Hour
The Man
Time in Thy Flight
The Pedestrian
Hall and Farewell
Invisible Boy
Come into My Cellar
The Million-Year Picnic
The Screaming Woman
The Smile
Dark They Were, and Golden-Eyed
The Trolley
The Flying Machine
Icarus Montgolfier Wright
Chrysalis
Pillar of Fire
Zero Hour
The Man
Time in Thy Flight
The Pedestrian
Hall and Farewell
Invisible Boy
Come into My Cellar
The Million-Year Picnic
The Screaming Woman
The Smile
Dark They Were, and Golden-Eyed
The Trolley
The Flying Machine
Icarus Montgolfier Wright
211 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 1966
38 people are currently reading
1990 people want to read
About the author
Ray Bradbury
2,558 books25.4k 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 112 reviews
June 9, 2012
A few years ago, I reread The Martian Chronicles, and wished I hadn't, because the best book in the world when you're in seventh grade isn't necessarily the best book in the world when you're in your forties. However, with Bradbury's death the other day, and all the tributes I've been seeing, I've been curious to reread some more. I found S is for Space on my shelves. The title is a misnomer, as most of its stories are actually firmly earthbound, but it's a collection which includes many of my old favorites, and I'm glad I chose it.
It's peculiar to inhabit a future where there's lots of cigarette smoking going on, where the atomic bomb is a bigger worry than global warming or economic catastrophe, and where seemingly most women are housewives. But science fiction is, of course, always very much a product of its time. I skipped the mushrooms in the basement story, but I took great joy in "Pillar of Fire" (one undead man vs. a world that's abolished horror), "The Pedestrian" (a lead-up to Fahrenheit 451, which poses a very good question), "The Screaming Woman" (both the one buried-alive story that doesn't make me *entirely* claustrophobic, and a pitch perfect inquiry into why nobody ever listens to kids), and "Dark They Were and Golden-Eyed" (the best of Bradbury's Mars stories). "The Man" and "The Smile" scan as absurdly naive to my older self, but I feel a certain sentimental regard connected to my childhood memories of reading them. Others work less well, but there are very few short story collections where everything works for every reader.
I even have a new favorite, "The Trolley," about the last trolley ride in a small town. Now knowing the history of public transportation in America, and the concerted effort that was made mid-century to limit/decimate it outside of major cities, this story pressed all kinds of buttons it hadn't when I'd read it years ago. If I ever get to teach my environmental literature class again, this might very well make it onto the syllabus.
The book, a mass-market paperback with a 1981 print date, was my original copy and began to deconstruct itself as I read it; the spine is cracking and the pages have gone beyond yellowed into browned. I'm going to respect that and let the book go. However, we've still got copies of Dandelion Wine, Fahrenheit 451, and Something Wicked This Way Comes on our shelves (the latter two not even crumbling), so I may revisit Bradbury again soon.
It's peculiar to inhabit a future where there's lots of cigarette smoking going on, where the atomic bomb is a bigger worry than global warming or economic catastrophe, and where seemingly most women are housewives. But science fiction is, of course, always very much a product of its time. I skipped the mushrooms in the basement story, but I took great joy in "Pillar of Fire" (one undead man vs. a world that's abolished horror), "The Pedestrian" (a lead-up to Fahrenheit 451, which poses a very good question), "The Screaming Woman" (both the one buried-alive story that doesn't make me *entirely* claustrophobic, and a pitch perfect inquiry into why nobody ever listens to kids), and "Dark They Were and Golden-Eyed" (the best of Bradbury's Mars stories). "The Man" and "The Smile" scan as absurdly naive to my older self, but I feel a certain sentimental regard connected to my childhood memories of reading them. Others work less well, but there are very few short story collections where everything works for every reader.
I even have a new favorite, "The Trolley," about the last trolley ride in a small town. Now knowing the history of public transportation in America, and the concerted effort that was made mid-century to limit/decimate it outside of major cities, this story pressed all kinds of buttons it hadn't when I'd read it years ago. If I ever get to teach my environmental literature class again, this might very well make it onto the syllabus.
The book, a mass-market paperback with a 1981 print date, was my original copy and began to deconstruct itself as I read it; the spine is cracking and the pages have gone beyond yellowed into browned. I'm going to respect that and let the book go. However, we've still got copies of Dandelion Wine, Fahrenheit 451, and Something Wicked This Way Comes on our shelves (the latter two not even crumbling), so I may revisit Bradbury again soon.
November 13, 2024
Chrysalis - 4/5
Pillar of Fire - 4/5
Zero Hour - 3/5
The Man - 2/5
Time in Thy Flight - 3/5
The Pedestrian - 4/5
Hail and Farewell - 4/5
Invisible Boy - 2/5
Come into My Cellar - 4/5
The Million-Year Picnic - 3/5
The Screaming Woman - 4/5
The Smile - 3/5
Dark They Were, and Golden-Eyed - 3/5
The Trolley - 2/5
The Flying Machine - 4/5
Icarus Montgolfier Wright - 1/5
Pillar of Fire - 4/5
Zero Hour - 3/5
The Man - 2/5
Time in Thy Flight - 3/5
The Pedestrian - 4/5
Hail and Farewell - 4/5
Invisible Boy - 2/5
Come into My Cellar - 4/5
The Million-Year Picnic - 3/5
The Screaming Woman - 4/5
The Smile - 3/5
Dark They Were, and Golden-Eyed - 3/5
The Trolley - 2/5
The Flying Machine - 4/5
Icarus Montgolfier Wright - 1/5
January 21, 2020
Es ist eine Freude, diese Geschichten des Altmeisters zu lesen. Es mag SF sein, aber die kleinbürgerliche Vorstadtidylle der USA der fünfziger Jahre ist sehr oft präsent.
June 26, 2022
I've always treasured S is for Space for collecting two of Ray Bradbury's best long-form stories. The first, "Chrysalis," discusses a scientist exposed to extraterrestrial radiation who sinks into a coma which renders his body petrified and immobile. The story unfolds with slow-burn, horrified wonder as his colleagues try to figure out what's stirring inside the chrysalis, and whether the man is even alive. That's an aperitif before the book's real highlight, the long-form tale "Pillar of Fire," which takes Bradbury's obsessions with literary preservation and the dumbing-down of modernity to an extreme. An undead man wakes up in a sterile future with no literature and little concept of crime, death or unreason, determining to destroy the world singlehandedly in hopes of restoring the society he knew. Similar to "The Exiles" and "Usher II," Bradbury relishes this tribune of superstition battling the forces of Cold Logic, though some might find the protagonist's high body count destroying their sympathy. Even so, the mixture of bleakness, dark humor and the sense that Man's worst impulses can take two directions - either violent destruction and irrationality or conformist destruction of intellect and individuality - makes "Pillar of Fire" among his most vivid work. Most of the remaining volume contains solid, but oft-collected works - most readers have encountered such tales as "Zero Hour," "Dark They Were, and Golden-Eyed" and "The Pedestrian" in other story collections, though there's certainly no harm in revisiting them here.
August 20, 2013
DO NOT READ THIS BOOK. I repeat: do not read it. Just because Bradbury wrote it, doesn't mean that it will be as great as Fahrenheit 451. It is only my opinion after all, but I suffered through every short story and I really dreaded having to read another one. A little bit of a disappointment, Ray.
August 22, 2022
3.5/5 estrellas.
Que me encanta todo lo que escribió este hombre.
Que me encanta todo lo que escribió este hombre.
February 22, 2010
This collection of short stories was a companion piece to R is for Rocket which I read last year and adored. I found this cheap on Ebay and was really looking forward to reading it. Unfortunately, I came away somewhat disappointed. This is almost the antithesis of Rocket in that where that book looked to the future joyously and used the rocket as a symbol of exploration and freedom, this book feels dystopian, and almost bitter and anti-scientific in a way. I wondered if it was because of when the stories were written, in the '40s and '50s and the influence of the War, but looking back at Rocket the stories there were from about the same time.
Technically these stories are great, perhaps not all Bradbury at his best but stories like Time in Thy Flight (about a school trip in a time machine), The Million-Year Picnic (a family escape Earth for Mars just before the atomic war breaks out) and The Smile (a boy is touched by art in a post-apocalyptic future) show Bradbury's talent in full swing but are also all, in their own way, somewhat dystopian.
Overall, these are more cautionary tales and backward-looking fables than the exciting, forward-looking Rocket. I preferred the former the former, but depending on your temperament you may prefer this one.
Technically these stories are great, perhaps not all Bradbury at his best but stories like Time in Thy Flight (about a school trip in a time machine), The Million-Year Picnic (a family escape Earth for Mars just before the atomic war breaks out) and The Smile (a boy is touched by art in a post-apocalyptic future) show Bradbury's talent in full swing but are also all, in their own way, somewhat dystopian.
Overall, these are more cautionary tales and backward-looking fables than the exciting, forward-looking Rocket. I preferred the former the former, but depending on your temperament you may prefer this one.
September 18, 2021
"S is for Space" is quite an uneven collection of Ray Bradbury's stories, many of which have nothing to do with space. I liked some that grabbed me and made me willingly suspense my disbelieve and couldn't care less for others that seemed forced and unconvincing. Most of the stories are variations on the same topics: weird ailiens secretly taking control over Earth; humans on Mars after an apocalyptic war on the Earth; weird life on Earth in the future.
My favorite story is perhaps the less fantastic but most humane of all: about a lonely old witch whose magic never works and who has to stoop to cheating to convince a boy, her young relative and her last hope against loneliness, that she can make him invisible.
My favorite story is perhaps the less fantastic but most humane of all: about a lonely old witch whose magic never works and who has to stoop to cheating to convince a boy, her young relative and her last hope against loneliness, that she can make him invisible.
February 5, 2018
Some stories were gripping, some eerie, some poetic; tales of death and life, rockets and time machines, witches who had lost powers and vampires who walked in the sun, Mars and Earth, walking for pleasure and flying for fun, Jesus on others planets and a woman hidden in the ground. Not Bradbury at his best, but authentic Bradbury.
January 8, 2023
1950s Midwest science fiction in all its naivete, tackiness and outrageousness... I love it. Inspired me to work on a few short stories of my own.
October 16, 2025
Η "ελευθεριακά συντηρητική" ματιά του Bradbury επανέρχεται εδώ σε θέματα που απασχόλησαν το σύνολο του έργου του: η - σχεδόν μοιρολατρικά - προδιαγεγραμμένη πορεία της ανθρωπότητας προς τον όλεθρο (άλλοτε από τη σκοπιά μιας μελλοντικής δυστοπίας , άλλοτε από τον κοντινό πλανήτη Άρη που υποδέχεται τους νέους μετανάστες σαν αχαρτογράφητη Ουτοπία), η μοναξιά όσων διαισθάνονται την καταστροφή αλλά σπάνε κατω απο το βαρος της ίδιας τους της αθωότητας, απομονωμένοι σε τόπους ομοιόμορφης πειθαρχίας, η αμφίσημη σχέση του με την τεχνολογία και την "πρόοδο". Σε αυτά τα διηγήματα, διάστικτα με μια έντονη νοσταλγία για ο,τι οριστικά χάνεται, διέκρινα και μια ακόμα εμμονή του Bradbury: την τρυφερή του ματιά προς τα παιδιά, συχνά πρωταγωνιστές των ιστορίων του, την ανάγκη του να περιγράψει και να χαθεί μέσα "σ'αυτήν τη μαγική ησυχία της παιδικής ζωής λίγο πριν αρχίσεις να ζεις".
May 12, 2020
Mir haben genau drei der Kurzgeschichten gut gefallen: Stunde Null, die mit dem Keller, und die Schreiende Frau. Alle anderen waren bestenfalls okay.
Das hat mehrere Gründe. Zum Einen war mir vor dem Lesen nicht bewusst, dass die Geschichten 1966 zum ersten Mal gesammelt veröffentlicht wurden, und dass die Science-Fiction damals andere thematische Schwerpunkte hatte (vor allem Marsmenschen, wie es scheint). Des Weiteren werden viele der Geschichten von einer Botschaft dominiert, die von einer religiösen bis zu einer fortschritsspessimistischen reicht. Vielleicht interpretiere ich zu viel hinein; vielleicht würden mir die Geschichten besser gefallen, hätte ich mich auf "ernstere" Literatur eingestellt.
Was ich aber beachtlich finde, ist das Unverständnis gegenüber Wissenschaft, das in einigen der Geschichten mitschwingt. Besonders gut zu erkennen an der, in der sich ein Mensch verpuppt. Bis zu einem gewissen Grad lässt sich das wohl der Entstehungszeit zurechnen, aber eben nur bis zu einem gewissen Grad.
Ob es daran liegt, dass ich mich nicht auf ernstere Kurzgeschichten aus einer anderen Zeit eingestellt hatte oder nicht - "S is for Space" ist leider nichts für mich.
Das hat mehrere Gründe. Zum Einen war mir vor dem Lesen nicht bewusst, dass die Geschichten 1966 zum ersten Mal gesammelt veröffentlicht wurden, und dass die Science-Fiction damals andere thematische Schwerpunkte hatte (vor allem Marsmenschen, wie es scheint). Des Weiteren werden viele der Geschichten von einer Botschaft dominiert, die von einer religiösen bis zu einer fortschritsspessimistischen reicht. Vielleicht interpretiere ich zu viel hinein; vielleicht würden mir die Geschichten besser gefallen, hätte ich mich auf "ernstere" Literatur eingestellt.
Was ich aber beachtlich finde, ist das Unverständnis gegenüber Wissenschaft, das in einigen der Geschichten mitschwingt. Besonders gut zu erkennen an der, in der sich ein Mensch verpuppt. Bis zu einem gewissen Grad lässt sich das wohl der Entstehungszeit zurechnen, aber eben nur bis zu einem gewissen Grad.
Ob es daran liegt, dass ich mich nicht auf ernstere Kurzgeschichten aus einer anderen Zeit eingestellt hatte oder nicht - "S is for Space" ist leider nichts für mich.
January 11, 2018
Another excellent anthology from the master of the short SF story. Honestly I don't think Ray Bradbury has written a bad story!
The only reason this doesn't get 5* is that I didn't feel that all the stories included here were Space/SF enough to warrant being in a book entitled S is for Space - stories such as Invisible Boy, Hail and Farewell, The Screaming Woman, The Flying Machine and the Trolley aren't particularly SF.
Highlights are the metamorphic tale The Chrysalis - which if you like, definitely check out the 2008 film.
Zero hour and Come into my cellar - where alien invasion begins by targeting children....
The dystopian future tales in the vein of Fahrenheit 451 (Pillar of Fire, the pedestrian, the smile)
And of course the Martian chronicles such as the million year picnic and dark they were and golden eyed.
Overall this is an excellent anthology, showing off Bradbury's skill and versatility as a storyteller, it's just not as tightly themed as some of his other anthologies.
The only reason this doesn't get 5* is that I didn't feel that all the stories included here were Space/SF enough to warrant being in a book entitled S is for Space - stories such as Invisible Boy, Hail and Farewell, The Screaming Woman, The Flying Machine and the Trolley aren't particularly SF.
Highlights are the metamorphic tale The Chrysalis - which if you like, definitely check out the 2008 film.
Zero hour and Come into my cellar - where alien invasion begins by targeting children....
The dystopian future tales in the vein of Fahrenheit 451 (Pillar of Fire, the pedestrian, the smile)
And of course the Martian chronicles such as the million year picnic and dark they were and golden eyed.
Overall this is an excellent anthology, showing off Bradbury's skill and versatility as a storyteller, it's just not as tightly themed as some of his other anthologies.
December 14, 2025
abwechslungsreich, phantastisch und angemessen unheimlich
Ich weiß nicht, wieso ich so lange gewartet habe, dieses Buch und seine 16 Kurzgeschichten zu lesen. Viele Jahre stand es in meinem Regal und wird auch definitiv wieder dorthin wandern und einen permanenten Platz bekommen.
Vor Bradbury hat man ja immer ein bisschen Angst — hier aber unbegründet. 16 Geschichten mit 16 individuellen Erzählstilen. Keine Geschichte glich der anderen (abgesehen von der amerikazentristischen Sicht einer Zukunft, aber man möge es Bradbury nachsehen) und stellenweise waren sie so unheimlich, dass sie mich mit einem Verlangen nach 20.-Jahrhundert-Schauergeschichten á la Lovecraft zurückließen.
So liebe ich mein Sci-Fi. Mit der unbeantworteten Frage, wer wir Menschen in diesem gigantischen Kosmos eigentlich sind — und sein wollen.
Ich weiß nicht, wieso ich so lange gewartet habe, dieses Buch und seine 16 Kurzgeschichten zu lesen. Viele Jahre stand es in meinem Regal und wird auch definitiv wieder dorthin wandern und einen permanenten Platz bekommen.
Vor Bradbury hat man ja immer ein bisschen Angst — hier aber unbegründet. 16 Geschichten mit 16 individuellen Erzählstilen. Keine Geschichte glich der anderen (abgesehen von der amerikazentristischen Sicht einer Zukunft, aber man möge es Bradbury nachsehen) und stellenweise waren sie so unheimlich, dass sie mich mit einem Verlangen nach 20.-Jahrhundert-Schauergeschichten á la Lovecraft zurückließen.
So liebe ich mein Sci-Fi. Mit der unbeantworteten Frage, wer wir Menschen in diesem gigantischen Kosmos eigentlich sind — und sein wollen.
November 26, 2017
Ray Bradbury ist einer der großen Autoren der SF, der mit "Fahrenheit 451" und "Die Mars-Chroniken" zwei Klassiker des Genres geschrieben hat. Nun bringt der Knaur-Verlag seine, im Jahre 1966 zusammengestellte, Kurzgeschichtensammlung, zum ersten Mal in der deutschen Orginalzusammenstellung heraus.
Er bedient mit seinen 16 Geschichten ein breites Spektrum abwechslungsreicher Phantastik-Stories, die auch handwerklich herausragend geschrieben wurden. Mir fällt es schwer, einen Favoriten zu nennen. Auf jeden Fall fällt auf, dass diese Ikone der amerikanischen Literatur großen Spaß an der spekulativen Thematik hatte und zusammen, mit seinem feinen, subtilen Humor gute und nachdenkenswerte Geschichten der kurzen Form in diesem Band zuwege brachte.
Auf alle Fälle absolut empfehlenswert...
Er bedient mit seinen 16 Geschichten ein breites Spektrum abwechslungsreicher Phantastik-Stories, die auch handwerklich herausragend geschrieben wurden. Mir fällt es schwer, einen Favoriten zu nennen. Auf jeden Fall fällt auf, dass diese Ikone der amerikanischen Literatur großen Spaß an der spekulativen Thematik hatte und zusammen, mit seinem feinen, subtilen Humor gute und nachdenkenswerte Geschichten der kurzen Form in diesem Band zuwege brachte.
Auf alle Fälle absolut empfehlenswert...
October 23, 2018
second read - 5 May 2003 - **** I knew that I read this book once before a long long time ago, because all of the stories in it were just slightly familiar during my re-read this past week. A few of the stories are actually taken from of The Martian Chronicles or Dandelion Wine, and so those were very familiar. All in all though, this is an enjoyable collection of some favorite Bradbury stories.
first read - June 1971 - estimated date
first read - June 1971 - estimated date
November 29, 2020
As thought provoking as it is entertaining. I’m no science fiction enthusiast but Bradbury’s mastery of the genre makes it significant for any reader.
October 30, 2023
Besides space (as the title implies), there are recurring themes of censorship, speculation, and children. Some bits felt like extensions/precursors to Fahrenheit 451 or Dandelion Wine. Others were completely different. Was cool to see such a variety of ideas packed into one book. ‘Tis the power of short stories!
April 12, 2025
This was a wonderful introduction to Ray Bradbury. I missed reading Fahrenheit 451 in High School but I think I’ll have to read it and more Bradbury stuff. 10/10 would recommend this collection of short stories
March 12, 2013
A mixed bag, where the best stories soar, but some fall flat under the weight of the author's idees fixes. The collection starts with the perfectly fine "Chrysalis," followed by the brilliant and flawed "Pillar of Fire." It introduces a theme repeated throughout the book. Bradbury writes disturbing stories set in 'utopian' futures and hopeful ones set in post-apocalyptic futures.
Interestingly, "Zero Hour" presages Betty Friedan. I find this funny as some of the other stories have pontificating heroes and wives that seem like cardboard decorations. The ninth story, "Come into my Cellar," deals with similar issues from a father's perspective. Lastly, the eleventh story, "The Screaming Woman" also deals with an alienated (but seemingly "nice" and functional) family, but from a child's perspective. "The Screaming Woman" was by far the best of the three, and still feels fresh today.
"The Man" and "Dark They Were, With Golden Eyes" both deal with men who have launched into space, only to feel terror when they find everything they were looking for. The second of these is far superior, and may be the best story in the collection.
"Time in Their Flight" has a certain treacly nostalgia Bradbury is known for. Next comes "The Pedestrian," which has a certain faded type of paranoia Bradbury is known for. It is odd that "The Pedestrian" feels so dated, when the problem it describes is current.
Thank goodness they are followed by "Hail and Farewell," which shows Bradbury knows we cannot live in an eternal, innocent childhood and by "Invisible Boy," which reveals the dark side of parental longing. Bradbury shows how Old Lady's behavior comes from extreme loneliness, but that does not make it any less abusive.
"The Million Year Picnic" has a pontificating, pompous father and feels straight from the '50s (or earlier). Again, I preferred "Dark They Were, and Golden-Eyed." "The Smile" is a post-apocalyptic story that feels cliched because so many Hollywood writers have tried stealing the premise.
I loved "The Trolley." Here, Bradbury's nostalgia matches my own. I am a DC native and I have always mourned the loss of DC's trolley lines. I have traveled so many places where I have seen abandoned tracks, where it would be magical for the trains to return. For instance, it would be lovely if train (or trolley) service returned to Wolfville, NS. This story only has one fantastical detail, and it is killer. The story's trolley's "seats prickle with cool green moss." Magical!
"The Flying Machine" is a great meditation on power. The last story is "Icarus Montgolfier Wright," more poetry than prose. Not my favorite. It is interesting to note that reality came true before the dates in his fantasy.
If someone wants to read just the highlights, I recommend "Pillar of Fire" (with some reservations), "The Screaming Woman", "Dark They Were, and Golden-Eyed," "The Trolley," and "The Flying Machine." These five stories are first-rate.
Interestingly, "Zero Hour" presages Betty Friedan. I find this funny as some of the other stories have pontificating heroes and wives that seem like cardboard decorations. The ninth story, "Come into my Cellar," deals with similar issues from a father's perspective. Lastly, the eleventh story, "The Screaming Woman" also deals with an alienated (but seemingly "nice" and functional) family, but from a child's perspective. "The Screaming Woman" was by far the best of the three, and still feels fresh today.
"The Man" and "Dark They Were, With Golden Eyes" both deal with men who have launched into space, only to feel terror when they find everything they were looking for. The second of these is far superior, and may be the best story in the collection.
"Time in Their Flight" has a certain treacly nostalgia Bradbury is known for. Next comes "The Pedestrian," which has a certain faded type of paranoia Bradbury is known for. It is odd that "The Pedestrian" feels so dated, when the problem it describes is current.
Thank goodness they are followed by "Hail and Farewell," which shows Bradbury knows we cannot live in an eternal, innocent childhood and by "Invisible Boy," which reveals the dark side of parental longing. Bradbury shows how Old Lady's behavior comes from extreme loneliness, but that does not make it any less abusive.
"The Million Year Picnic" has a pontificating, pompous father and feels straight from the '50s (or earlier). Again, I preferred "Dark They Were, and Golden-Eyed." "The Smile" is a post-apocalyptic story that feels cliched because so many Hollywood writers have tried stealing the premise.
I loved "The Trolley." Here, Bradbury's nostalgia matches my own. I am a DC native and I have always mourned the loss of DC's trolley lines. I have traveled so many places where I have seen abandoned tracks, where it would be magical for the trains to return. For instance, it would be lovely if train (or trolley) service returned to Wolfville, NS. This story only has one fantastical detail, and it is killer. The story's trolley's "seats prickle with cool green moss." Magical!
"The Flying Machine" is a great meditation on power. The last story is "Icarus Montgolfier Wright," more poetry than prose. Not my favorite. It is interesting to note that reality came true before the dates in his fantasy.
If someone wants to read just the highlights, I recommend "Pillar of Fire" (with some reservations), "The Screaming Woman", "Dark They Were, and Golden-Eyed," "The Trolley," and "The Flying Machine." These five stories are first-rate.
June 5, 2020
I never cared much for Bradbury. And reading him again after a while I can see why. Here we get stories ranging from the boring to the annoying. On the boring side, a family on Mars picnicking. But really Earth is in a mess and so they need to start a colony. In the beginning, son asks whether he will see Martians. Yes, Father says, and in the end, they look at a canal(!) seeing their own images. Seems like I have read that a million times before, and 950000 times by Bradbury. Then there is the story of "The Man", who gets all the attention from the people instead of the crew of the arriving space ship. Reference is, of course, to Jesus. And the Captain now decides to go to the next planet to be there in place for His arrival. This is so silly. I will miss him by an hour and then by half an hour, then by 5 seconds. Mildly interesting the story of the corpse awakening in the future without crime. So he kills people. No Poe in the library. They burned him. And Lovecraft, and Lord Dunsay. And then Bradbury continues to name-drop the writers he apparently liked. Again and again and again.
No more Bradbury for the next ten years.
No more Bradbury for the next ten years.
August 28, 2009
I loved this book. I didn't know when I bought it that it was a collection of short stories, but I was so glad when I found out. Each story is bizarre in its own way and makes a statement about our culture and rituals, how we perceive (or ignore) things and people, or what we deem important in our lives. My favorite was about the man who awoke dead in a future with no dead people and no fear and his plan to turn things upside down. Even the space adventures, which I'm not usually into, contain gems of relevant truth.
October 30, 2017
A bit of a mixed bag but very positive on the whole. Recurring themes, young protagonists, children versus parents, amusing space invaders and... book burning. This not the brilliant Bradbury you may know but there are many, many signs of what is to come. Some stories are adventurously entertaining but there a lot of disillusionment and irony.
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March 16, 2008again, awesome, but superfluous, partly because they share the same themes, and partly because they print the same stories in many of his short story collections.
July 25, 2008
Some of Bradbury's early stories. Very good collection.
November 1, 2009
Early Bradbury short stories. Bradbury is a master of mood.
December 3, 2009
Fucking awesome short stories. Andrew Bond should read this.
November 4, 2011
Ray Bradbury is another of the grand masters of science fiction whose work is always a delight to read.
January 10, 2020
One of my favorite collections of short sci-fi stories.
February 22, 2016
This was the book that made me fall in love with science fiction.
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