Bradbury Stories: 100 of His Most Celebrated Tales

I've read some Bradbury stories and novels over the years, but the chance to read 100 of Bradbury's stories in a single collection - to say nothing of the fact that they were chosen by Bradbury himself - seemed too good to pass up. And as you might expect, the resulting collection is a wonderful read, giving you both a sense of Bradbury's wide range - with stories both optimistic and chilling, both realistic and futuristic, both whimsical and horrifying - and his fixations and tropes, whether that be stories about a small pub in Ireland, men named Douglas, great authors of the fantastic, or his stand-in for a prototypical American town, here named Green Town. More than that, reading this anthology of stories, which doesn't hew to a time period like one of his published collections normally would, allows you to see Bradbury's prose as it developed and changed over time. I've made the comment in the past that Bradbury was a fairly simple writer, and while that's true in some ways, there's little denying that he's capable of much more, something that especially shines in his tales of Dublin life and the playful prose that he brings to bear on these passages. Moreover, look at the impact he can bring out in a single sentence - look, for instance, at the final sentence of "The Whole Town's Sleeping", which ends the story on a perfectly chilling note without going very far at all. Or look at the wonder that Bradbury subtly weaves into "And the Moon Be Still as Bright", the tale of a man horrified by the boorish behavior of the men with whom he finds himself exploring the utterly alien world of Mars. Sometimes, he can be hilarious, like his satirical look at trendsetters, "The Watchful Poker Chip of H. Matisse"; other times, as with "Zero Hour", he slowly undermines his usual small-town optimism to unnerving effect. But most often, as with the surprisingly moving "Toynbee Convector", Bradbury inspires, battling against his own grim worries for humanity and the present to try to find hope - a quality that infuses so many of his stories, and one that sets him apart from many science-fiction authors. Bradbury may be capable of chilling darkness, but you'd never consider him a purveyor of darkness or horrific tales. He's a man who loves humanity, even as he worries for it, and finds the humor and warmth in more situations than most authors ever would. And his stories are always, forever, and inescapably human to their core, leaving me as a reader moved by his deeply thoughtful spirit and keen observation, and in awe of his immense talent, range, ability, and gift for spinning tales.

For the dedicated Ray Bradbury fan, this is a masterful compilation of 100 of his short stories. Experienced readers will have their personal favorites (just like fans of The Twilight Zone or The Outer Limits will have their favorite episodes), and it's impossible not to because Bradbury used his stories to explore so many different aspects of the human condition. Some of these aspects will have a deeper personal impact than others - just depends on the individual and his or her life. This is a great big tome to put on your bedside table, or your coffee table on your screen porch, anywhere you can pick up the book, savor a couple of stories, and then take the quiet time to reflect on the stories and little subtle lessons about humanity. And these are worth coming back to every so often. I first read them in elementary school, and every decade you get a little more insight into their messages. For the reader new to Bradbury, this is a wonderful place to start, as he is one of the most approachable science fiction writers in this particular format. Best advice would be to go online, find a list or two of his more classic stories, and start there so you get an overall sense of his writing style. Then you can use this compilation to continue to explore some of his lesser known stories and maybe discover a favorite of your own. Can't recommend this volume enough to fiction lovers!

You can't go wrong with Ray Bradbury and this collection of short stories is a winner. Some of the stories were published in some of his previous books but It has been many years since I read the books. It was a pleasure to get reacquainted with the few stories I had read before. Mr. Bradbury has always been one of my favorite authors and I really enjoyed this book. It is a great book to read before bed since they are short stories. If I start a good book, I will be up most of the night if I can't put it down. At least with this I can stop at the end of a story and get to bed. Or can I? Lol

I bought this compilation of short stories because it is a good idea to have them all in one book. However, there is always some great story missing in any compilation (it's like buying a Greatest Hits cd), so I bought "A medicine for melancholy and other stories" which had a couple of stories I wanted to read again. This compilation is excellent. The only comment I'd like to make is that all the stories are mixed in cronological terms. I would have been a good idea to group them by year or book in which they were published or something like that. All in all, it's a great book from my favorite writer.

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: [...] 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.

Ray Bradbury is classic and a very good read. And it's Erie how relevant he still is

Great collection of more obscure short stories!

Una edición sencilla pero de calidad que concentra lo mejor de la narrativa de Bradbury. La relación calidad/precio vale la pena.

This book hosts a plethora of amazing stories, written by a master of his craft. Bradbury’s imagination runs wild and he does character so well! As any beginning writer should read widely, they should include as many Bradbury stories as they can!

If you like Bradbury's world and his art of fiction, you should possibly find here a compelling work. The introduction by the author himself is a short guided tour through the layers of his writing. The stories have that undefinable weird "it" and, if you are a good reader, you find the craft of writing, in dialogues and the right choice of the words. Nothing is there by accident. In the Kindle version provides even the so-called "Word Wise": a dictionary embedded in the text that helps you to learn the meanings of words. An excellent purchase, both for studying and enjoying tales For me, a must-have.

What a purchase for a most imaginative author - covers just about everything Ray Bradbury wrote.

sf ist ein Genre, das von den Autoren Phantasie und politische Haltungen verlangt. Und bei den politischen Werten, mit denen ein Autor die möglichen Zukünfte betrachtet, gefallen mir als Sozialistin natürlich solche, die Freiheit, Sollidarität und Gerechtigkeit thematisieren. Bradburys Utopien fallen in diese Kategorien. Außerdem hat er eine gute Sprache.