[.ca] Stories of Ray Bradbury (ISBN 0394513355)

From Amazon.com:
The Stories of Ray Bradbury--a hundred of his best stories, selected by the author himself--is the definitive collection of one of the greatest fantasists the world has ever known. Published in 1980, the volume contains stories selected from the first four decades of Bradbury's career. There are his unique stories of Mars, which later landed in The Martian Chronicles. There are nostalgic stories of Green Town, Illinois, which Bradbury later brewed into Dandelion Wine. The treasures here also include his regional tales of Ireland and of rural Mexico, classic science fiction such as "The Fog Horn," and the rarely reprinted novella "Frost and Fire." Among the half dozen previously uncollected stories are a few of his earliest--and most terrifying. These include the unforgettable "October Game" (which the author regards as perhaps his most shocking story amongst the thousand that he's written), and "Black Ferris," later to be transformed into the classic Something Wicked This Way Comes. Bradbury also contributes a revealing and highly informative look back at his own career. If you can possess only one book by the legendary Ray Bradbury, this is it. --Stanley Wiater

Terrific but Not Timely Anymore:
This is a great collection of the early stories of Ray Bradbury. I say early because this collection was published in 1980 and Mr. Bradbury has thankfully been very productive in the last twenty-odd years. Still, as a compendium of his short work before 1980, you could do no better. Also included is an inspiring essay on the art of writing, "Drunk and In Charge of a Bicycle."

I Sing the Body(of work)BRADBURY!:
There are two Major MAJOR collections of Ray Bradbury short stories currently available: this one-published in 1980;and a brand new selection- "100 Celebrated Tales"(2003). The author is principal editor of both. Readers valuing excellence in literature or "simply" wishing to be bedazzled by America's greatest story teller,will find the BODY BRADBURY galvanizing. "Old" stories of August Derleth, WEIRD TALES(Dark Carnival;The October Country;The Golden Apples of the Sun)days dominate this anthology.THE NEXT IN LINE; THE SMALL ASSASSIN;THE SKELETON; some "Ray Harryhausen" Dinosaur allegories (THE FOGHORN;and soon-to-be-released film...portending coming of Anti-Christ...of his classic anti-myth, A SOUND OF THUNDER).As well as tales the author elaborated in THE ILLUSTRATED MAN and consummated in SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES(The Black Ferris)... Who is Ray Bradbury like? Besides being remarkably like Ray Bradbury,I propose him as the American C.S. Lewis. C.S.Lewis employed fantasy...astounding stories...steeped in horror;sci-fi and the occult as moral parables. He openly declared himself Christian philosopher and fabulist(mythologist). Unlike the erudite Don, Mr.Bradbury modestly describes himself, "lover of books". And so he is. As allegorical epic,FAHRENHEIT 451, profoundly and scathingly prophecizes (1951)abortion-ridden,TV-corrupted,Yuppie-narcissist PM Culture of Death comprising Western Society today . So-called literati are "rediscovering" the Bradbury they originally consigned to middle-school and ninth grade reading lists.(I guarantee PC Police never studied "The Grand Inquisitor" parody, pp.86-92: Fahrenheit 451...40th Aniversary Edition.)In a word: Ray Bradbury is this nation's preeminent literary moralist and--greater than C.S. Lewis in craft--POET. Again:I Sing the Body(electrifying) that is literary canon/edifice of Ray Bradbury. Do yourself a favor and acquaint your sensibility with his genius \oThis collection is excellent place to start; or renew yourself by a virtual Baptism by/in Bradbury). Hurry:451/PC Police are already in action!

Dated but essential:
This collection includes the best of Ray Bradbury's (RB) short stories prior to the 80s. As such you dont have to go and buy the separate short story collections. This edition has them all. It is difficult to determine in which category to put RB. Is he a horror writer? Sci-fi author? Suspense? Drama? He's all that. What his short stories have in common is that they all have twists in the end. My particular favourites are "The Fog Horn", "The October Game" and the stories about the "Family" (no, not the Mafia...THIS family resembles the Addamses rather than the Sopranos).

DAMNED GOOD STUFF! -:
Bradbury seems always to be toying with an alternate reality that's only a thought away from being, the real -- The Stories of Ray Bradbury by Ray Bradbury Bradbury's best short stories are gathered together here for your pleasure! I found it to be be a wonderful way to get an overview of the author's best short story work. Well worth the price. Many of these stories (65 of them) have been produced for television's, Ray Bradbury Theater. Some of which, are available on VHS. Trouble with Bradbury is that, he's so good at writing! The subtlety of his writing, the mood, the poetry of his descriptions. It all seems to demand a cinema solution or costly stage production or, both. I'm fascinated by Bradbury's imaginative stories. They seem ideal for cinema, ideal vehicles to communicate the pall of illusion swept over the Nation by the Bush White House and, so wide spread as to be assumed normal (a paraphrase of John Trudell, RCD 10223). By contrast, Bradbury seems always to be toying with an alternate reality, the abnormal which, is only a thought away from being, the real.

Classic collection:
This collection of stories affected my writing. At least one story I've written has been professionally compared to Ray Bradbury's style. While I never sought to mimic him, I believe I was drawn to his stories because of my writing style and childhood daydreams. This collection is a prime example of Bradbury's work. It's inspiring, startling, spooky, and just plain hypnotic. Even though I first borrowed this collection from my local library, (and having read some of these stories in others collections), I tracked down a used copy to own just so I could pull it down and revisit my favorite people and places. A must have for any Bradbury fan... novice or cult-like follower.