Nemo! by Ray Bradbury
reviewed by Richard A. Lupoff
"Little Nemo in Slumberland" chronicled the experiences of a little boy in his dreamworld. Each night he would
don his pajamas, climb into his brass bed, and soar off to fabulous adventures in marvelous cities populated by
fascinating characters and weird monsters. Time and space were annihilated. Even Nemo's bed came to life,
lengthening and stretching its legs and carrying the youngster away from his home.
The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury
an audiobook review by Ivy Reisner
This is a collection of short stories, only loosely tied together in the frame story of a man covered with
tattoos. Each tattoo moves, and each tells a story. That is one of the many images Ray Bradbury re-imagines
over and over again. The illustrated man who serves as the frame story is likely not the same illustrated
man who serves as protagonist in the last story in the collection.
The Golden Apples of the Sun and Other Stories by Ray Bradbury
an audiobook review by Stephen Brandt
In this short story collection, Ray Bradbury shows us the full range of his abilities, covering everything
from science fiction to fantasy, horror to psychological thriller, and almost everything in-between. Originally
published in 1953, this latest edition contains 32 short stories from the master story teller.
Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury
an audiobook review by Ivy Reisner
At the midnight edge of 13, two boys -- Bill Halloway and Jim Nightshade -- discover that the carnival which has
just rolled into town has dark designs on the residence of Green Town, Illinois. The freaks have supernatural
powers, and the carousel can travel a person through time, making them older or younger depending on how it runs.
Where Everything Ends by Ray Bradbury
reviewed by Mario Guslandi
Widely famous as a SF writer, Ray Bradbury is an eclectic author who in the course of his long career
has been dealing with various fiction genres, including mystery.
Bookended by the short, previously unpublished and rather unremarkable title story, Where Everything Ends,
the present volume collects Bradbury's three mystery novels in a hefty volume.
The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury
an audiobook review by Ivy Reisner
This isn't a novel so much as it is a series of poems and vignettes that that run together, with
little continuity between the characters except at the very end, when the war starts on Earth, and
several characters are brought back to react to it. This book doesn't succeed because of its plot
or characters. It achieves greatness through its language and its lyrical beauty.
Masks by Ray Bradbury
reviewed by Mario Guslandi
Fascinated by carved masks (of which he had assembled a remarkable collection) and intrigued by the concept of
masks as a symbol of the way people conceal their true nature and their deepest feelings when facing, day in
day out, the cruelty of the world they are living in, Bradbury conceived and tried to write a novel in the
period between 1945 and 1950.
Summer Morning, Summer Night by Ray Bradbury
reviewed by Mario Guslandi
Lazy summer days and nights are the common ground for a collection featuring some Ray Bradbury stories from the 50s and a
bunch of new short stories (the latter -- alas -- mostly little more than sketchy vignettes).
Summer is the season and Green Town, Illinois, apparently the constant location for stories which may not be equal to
Bradbury's masterpieces but which manage to subtly move and think about the secret meaning of human life with its glory
and its miseries.
Moby Dick: A Screenplay by Ray Bradbury
reviewed by Steven H Silver
In 1956, director John Huston released a film adaptation of Moby Dick.
Moby Dick had been adapted twice before, in 1926 and 1930, both times starring John Barrymore
and both very loose adaptations of the Herman Melville novel. Huston approached a young screenwriter with about
ten scripts to his credit to adapt Melville's novel, ignoring the earlier Barrymore vehicles. The result was a film
starring Gregory Peck with a screenplay by Ray Bradbury.
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Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
reviewed by Chris Przybyszewski
It is one of the more remarkable books of our time. Sure, the text has its share of warts. The
characters are more like caricatures, over the top and thin in their complexity. The auhtor indulges his inner high-school
writer with his strong use of comparisons. Moreover, the ending is simplistic and idealistic, where the well read of society emerge
from their homeless shelters to save a post-apocalyptic world. But still.
Dinosaur Tales by Ray Bradbury
reviewed by Steven H Silver
Ever since dinosaurs were identified as actual creatures rather than
merely a mythified monsters such as dragons, they have captured the
imagination of children and adults alike. In 1925, a young man
fell in love with dinosaurs after seeing the film The Lost World,
based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's novel. Willis O'Brien's film thusly
inspired the author to write an half dozen stories focusing on dinosaurs,
which have been collected here.
From the Dust Returned by Ray Bradbury
reviewed by Trent Walters
The overarching plot is fairly simple: a "family" -- or, rather, a group
of societal misfits like loping werewolves, living gargoyles, ghosts who
starve in a world without belief, vampires and
other winged creatures of the night who can no longer fly at night but must
etch out a new meaningful existence, and Egyptian mummies who can bestow
knowledge of the dead -- congregates every now and again at a haunted house
and decides how to define who they are and what they should do, pausing to
tell individual tales of the family members.
Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury
reviewed by Georges T. Dodds
Rather than giving you a list of the reminiscences in the book, or a dry
pedantic analysis as a series of sensory-rich vignettes of Bradbury's life
as a youngster, Georges takes a similar approach to that of the author.
Besides, it seems unlikely that he'd say anything reviewers and literary
scholars haven't been saying over the last 40 years.
Green Shadows, White Whale by Ray Bradbury
reviewed by David Soyka
This book is neither memoir, nor novel. While it ostensibly parallels
Bradbury's work in Ireland on the screenplay for Moby Dick, it is
actually a series of vaguely connected short stories that primarily concern
the slightly surreal adventures of the "boyos" who hang out in Finn's Pub.
Ahmed and the Oblivion Machines by Ray Bradbury
reviewed by David Soyka
David thinks Bradbury had a lot of fun writing this. And, Chris Lane's
illustrations add a dimension that, curiously, Bradbury's own
magical descriptions don't convey: namely that the lost god apparently
looks like some tousled and overweight WWI aviator.
Driving Blind by Ray Bradbury
reviewed by David Soyka
If you're a fan, you'll be as enchanted as you were when you
first picked-up Dandelion Wine and were transported to a place
in which the ordinary somehow became extraordinary, and it
didn't matter that the space travel of The Martian Chronicles
or the futuristic setting of Fahrenheit 451 were missing.
Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury
reviewed by James Seidman
This story is definitely one of the "must-read" classics of fantasy fiction.
For those who have never read this nightmarishly gripping page-turner, this
Avon reprint offers you a perfect opportunity to add it to your library.
The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury
reviewed by Tim Krauskopf
Guest reviewer Tim Krauskopf suggests Bradbury is a
retro-William Gibson. Bradbury's work can be just as hard-hitting and prophetic.
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