This is a guest post by Aniya Wells.

June 5, 2011 was a sad day for all lovers of science fiction. The legendary and irreplaceable Ray Bradbury passed away on that day to much media attention, leaving hundreds of stories behind for present and future readers. People will always praise his dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451 as his masterpiece; I anticipate that it’ll be taught in high school and college classrooms for decades to come. But the truth of the matter is that Mr. Bradbury was a master at short fiction, writing over 600 in his lifetime. In these 600 stories, he took readers to distant worlds meeting alien beings, or he showed us an Earth that could be.

His talents will surely be missed, but his stories will be treasured forever. Here are three of his best short fiction stories.
continue reading "Honoring Ray Bradbury: A look at his best short fiction"

“There Will Come Soft Rains” by Ray Bradbury is the story of an automated house. Or
is it the story of the humans who used to live in that automated house? There have been
many discussions circling that question: “Who is the main character of this story?”
continue reading "There Will Come Soft Rains by Ray Bradbury"

The Veldt is a 1950 short story written by Ray Bradbury. It is about a family that lives in an automated house with a virtual nursery. When the children start using the nursery to conjure up images of Africa and lions, the parents decide it’s time for a break. But will their ruling stand?
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The Illustrated Man is a 1951 book by Ray Bradbury which contains 18 science fiction short stories. The stories are loosely tied together by a tattooed guy called “The Illustrated Man.” Apparently each of his tattoos is animated and tells a different story from the book.
continue reading "Book Review: The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury"

“The Fog Horn” is a 1951 science fiction short story by Ray Bradbury. It is about two men in a rural lighthouse who witness an ancient creature rise from the deep ocean.

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“A Sound of Thunder” is a 1952 science fiction short story by Ray Bradbury. It is about a man who travels back in time to hunt a Tyrannosaurus Rex.

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“All Summer in a Day” is a 1954 science fiction short story by Ray Bradbury. It is about a class of children on Venus who are eagerly awaiting the one day every seven years when the rain will briefly stop and the sun will shine.

continue reading "All Summer in a Day by Ray Bradbury"

“The Veldt” is a 1950 science fiction short story by Ray Bradbury. It is about a couple of parents who become concerned when their children use a virtual nursery to recreate an all-too-realistic African veldt.

continue reading "The Veldt by Ray Bradbury"

Marionettes, Inc.

by Ray Bradbury

• Page count: 9

Marionettes, Inc. is a famous short story by the legendary science fiction author Ray Bradbury.

Marionettes, Inc. is a story about two men who feel they are trapped in their marriages, and the desperate and misguided attempts they make to get out of them by replacing themselves with identical robots (hence the “marionettes”). However, not everything turns out as they had hoped!
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