Bradbury Speaks: Too Soon from the Cave, Too Far from the Stars

From Barnes & Noble

St. John of God is the patron saint of booksellers, but for many moderns, Ray Bradbury, the creator of Fahrenheit 451, deserves nearly equal status. This collection of nonfiction essays reveals the diverse interests of this beloved author. The topics of the pieces include space travel and science fiction; books, television and film; and even the great cities of the world. Other essays cover personal topics such as influences on Bradbury's life and his writing. An intimate view of an SF great.

Deseret News

"Wonderful . . .This book is vintage Bradbury.

Washington Times

"Mr. Bradbury brings immense satisfaction . . . These pieces will prove more than rewarding."

Washington Times

“Mr. Bradbury brings immense satisfaction . . . These pieces will prove more than rewarding.”

Deseret News

“Wonderful . . .This book is vintage Bradbury.

Publishers Weekly

The grand master's many fans will delight in behind-the-scenes stories about the creation of such science fiction classics as The Martian Chronicles and Something Wicked This Way Comes (which began as a film project for Gene Kelly), but that's just one of Bradbury's many facets on display in this collection of 37 essays. We also learn about his encounters with famous men, from Walt Disney to Bertrand Russell; adventures in Hollywood; and even his love for going out in the rain. Some of these stories may be familiar, and some are told twice, but Bradbury's friendly, conversational tone always makes them worth hearing again. (The tale of how he overcame his fear of flying especially benefits from the jocular narration.) Some of the essays haven't been seen in decades, like an introduction to a paperback edition of Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, which cleverly juxtaposes captains Nemo and Ahab, and a dozen are being published for the first time. Whether Bradbury is talking about cross-country train trips or manned flight to Mars, his enthusiasm remains as contagious as ever. The intimate connection many readers already feel through Bradbury's fiction will be strengthened by these highly personal reminiscences. (Aug.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

In this collection of 36 informal essays, an unassuming man from Waukegan, IL-and one of the most widely read authors of the 20th century-invites readers to join him in a quest for immortality. Topics range from a meeting with Bertrand Russell to overcoming a fear of flying. The individual selections, some previously unpublished, are both insightful and playful. In one, Bradbury identifies Sherwood Anderson's Winesburg, Ohio as the inspiration for The Martian Chronicles. In another, he confesses that in order to write a screenplay of Moby-Dick, he became Melville. Reflecting Bradbury's optimism and enthusiasm as well as his sense of joy and wonder in life's possibilities, this book is a glimpse into the past and a paean to the future. When Bradbury speaks, we should listen. A worthwhile addition for every library. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 4/15/05.]-Anthony Pucci, Notre Dame H.S., Elmira, NY Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

In three dozen pieces sometimes prickly and always passionate, SF/fantasy legend Bradbury fires off opinions galore on books, movies, SF and the people and places in his life. As a rule, Bradbury prefers essays that "wake me at dawn and ask to be finished by noon" rather than ones requiring extensive research. Such "familiar essays" can lead to spontaneity but also, at times, as here, to preening and ranting. Though Bradbury diehards will clamor for this uneven collection (especially the dozen unpublished pieces), others may be frustrated. There are glimpses of the lyricism of the author's best writing (a Kansas train ride a half century ago: "So the night went, the train gliding among stilts of fire, huge laboratory experiments of electric flame, then rumbling coughs of thunder as great blind hands of shocked air clapped tight, the night's echoing applause for its own words"), showing that the octogenarian hasn't lost his child-like capacity for wonder. And some anecdotes hold great potential: encountering Al Jolson, W.C. Fields and George Burns while roller-skating through Hollywood as a starstruck 14-year-old; visiting a polite Lord Bertrand Russell and his chilly wife as a young novelist; wrestling over the screenplay for Moby-Dick with John Huston. But Bradbury skimps so much on detail that he sounds less interested in these figures for themselves than in the fact that they crossed his path. Even hymns of praise to Paris and Los Angeles end up inevitably about himself. Sometimes he unapologetically toots his own horn ("No one else had noticed, or written about, the fact that Jules Verne had probably read Herman Melville"), at other times groans about the sorry state of the moviebusiness, science fiction and the media ("Shut off the set. Write your local TV newspeople. Tell them to go to hell"). Essays made up mainly of declamation. Stick with the novels and stories that ensure Bradbury's place in the pantheon.