- Paperback
- Publisher: Bantam Books (Mm); Reissue edition (Jan 1983)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 055324695X
- ISBN-13: 978-0553246957
- Product Dimensions: 17.3 x 10.7 x 1.8 cm
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 3,903,716 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Plus, get an extra £5 Gift Certificate when you trade in books worth £10 or more before June 30, 2012. Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. |
Product details |
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organise and find favourite items. |
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Reviews
There are no customer reviews yet on Amazon.co.uk.
5 star
4 star
3 star
2 star
1 star
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
1 review
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Stories that are a joy to read
13 July 2000
Format:Paperback
Ray Bradbury is one of the finest short story writers of his era, and this book is a marvelous showcase of the depth and breadth of his work. Bradbury is often pigeon-holed as a science fiction writer, because of the enormous popular success of his futuristic novel Fahrenheit 451 and the excellent short story collection The Martian Chronicles, but much of his work transcends science fiction and fantasy altogether. In this collection (as with several others), Bradbury shows us his more human side, with offerings that range from the fantastic to the everyday, but always with the emphasis on people, and how they react to the sometimes difficult situations they find themselves in. There are a couple good science fiction yarns, including "The One Who Waits" with its menacing feel, and the casually apocalyptic "Boys! Raise Giant Mushrooms in Your Cellar!" but even these feature protagonists who are nothing like the standard types. Unlike the driven loners who populate many works of science fiction, Bradbury's characters are members of families, visit with friends, and even play active parts in their communities. Bradbury chooses to make his characters human not with cruelty and vulgarity, but with compassion and simplicity, as in "The Beggar on O'Connell Bridge." Bradbury narrates in a muted tone, making the reader listen closely to hear him; his stories are quieter than perhaps any modern writer's. Into this reverent hush, he places small nuggets of story, sometimes with very little action, or with the action delineated, but not actually taking place within the story, such as the quiet evening before the battle in "The Drummer Boy of Shiloh." Some of the stories are almost like prose poems, extolling the wonders of nature, as in "A Miracle of Rare Device" or offering subtle social commentary, as in "Almost the End of the World." As such, Bradbury is not for everyone; action-lovers may find his work boring or even frustrating, and fans of science fiction and fantasy will discover that much of his work is both reality-based and non-scientific. Instead, he searches out some obscure corner of personal morality, and asks us to accept it for what it is. Bradbury believes in the essential goodness of human beings, despite their occasional lapses, and makes us feel good to be part of the human race. He is willing to forgive humanity its foibles, and hopes with us for a better tomorrow. For today, that seems cause enough for joy.
Was this review helpful?
Let us know
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
