Ray Bradbury Himself Reads 19 Complete Stories: The Grand Master of Inner Space and Outer Space [Audiobook, Unabridged] [Audio Cassette]

Ray Bradbury (Reader)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 10, 1993

It is a rare treat to hear an author of Ray Bradbury's magnitude read these entertaining, provocative tales. This new package of two previously released story collections--The Martian Chronicles and The Illustrated Man--showcases his international reputation as a master storyteller. Bradbury's own introduction to The Martian Chronicles adds significant insights to this work that first established the brilliance of his writing. 4 cassettes.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"These audio renditions are well worth hearing, even by those who long ago pursued the book cover to cover. Bradbury's audio treatment highlights scenes and dramas which listeners may be surprised they passed over in an initial story reading. This is what makes an audio version so valuable: the ability to emphasize nuances and scenes which may have been missed or understated by the naked eye." -- Midwest Book Review, August 1991

"These four cassettes...which he reads with great charm, explain why Bradbury is an American legend." -- Gold Rush, November 1992

"[Bradbury's] own narration makes these cassettes far more entertaining than the print versions." -- Library Journal, December 1992

About the Author

Ray Bradbury is known as "The Grand Master of Inner and Outer Space." His extensive list of published books includes Fahrenheit 451, Dandelion Wine, and Green Shadows, White Whale.

Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: Audio Partners, The; Unabridged edition (February 10, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0945353707
• ISBN-13: 978-0945353706
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 4.5 x 1.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,430,099 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #5 in Books > Books on Cassette > Authors, A-Z > ( B ) > Bradbury, Ray

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ray Bradbury creates magical worlds in his readers own homes, April 2, 1998

By 

"helternr" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ray Bradbury Himself Reads 19 Complete Stories: The Grand Master of Inner Space and Outer Space (Audio Cassette)

The only thing better than reading a Ray Bradbury story is having that story read to you by Ray Bradbury, himself. In this collection of nineteen stories from The Martian Chronicles and The Illustrated Man, this "grand master of inner and outer space" (as the cover of this collection dubs him) comes home with his readers to tell his tales of Mars and the Earth, of the future and the present, of human behavior and human nature.

The passion and honesty of Bradbury's work has found its perfect medium in the audio recording; in no other way could the reader's imagination interact as actively and imaginatively with Bradbury's stories than by listening to him. Every one of his stories is more than just something to be passively experienced by reading. Bradbury would not be the successful writer that he is if it was not for the imaginations which his readers bring with them to his work. These nineteen stories read by Bradbury himself epitomize the accessiblity and the liveliness of his writing style. His written words, coupled with his own voice, take his stories into a new dimension of experience for his readers.

Few authors can create the magical and believable worlds that Bradbury can. This collection of tapes enables the reader to experience these worlds through the compassionate guidance and infintite wisdom of Ray Bradbury. This collection's appeal is not limited only to his die-hard fans; anyone who can appreciate an original tale which is creatively narrated will find these stories entertaining as well as thought-provoking. Whether the story is about Martians or the active imaginations of children, Ray Bradbury's enchanted voice draws his readers into the story, asks them to participate by imagining along with him, and gives them a new perspective on life and on themselves.

5.0 out of 5 stars Loved It!!!!!, June 19, 2008

By 

C. Smith - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ray Bradbury Himself Reads 19 Complete Stories: The Grand Master of Inner Space and Outer Space (Audio Cassette)

When I frist saw this on Amazon I was so excited I screamed. My excitement only increased when I heard Ray Bradbury read his own work. There is a certain magic hearing any author read their own work and Ray Bradbury is no exception. I have listened to it numerous times and I find it thrilling each and every time. A must have for any Bradbury fan.

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Stories Read by the Author, April 1, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (sfsite) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ray Bradbury Himself Reads 19 Complete Stories: The Grand Master of Inner Space and Outer Space (Audio Cassette)

Back in the late 1970s, Ray Bradbury performed several short stories on record. This collection is comprised of four tapes, two of which feature stories from The Martian Chronicles and two feature short stories which were released in the 70s under the title The Illustrated Man, although the stories came from a variety of sources.

Of course, all the stories have been published before, so if you are familiar with Bradbury's work, there is a good chance you have already read most of the stories contained on these tapes. In fact, reading The Martian Chronicles will give you eleven of the stories. "There Will Come Soft Rains," included on The Illustrated Man tapes, is actually a late chapter of The Martian Chronicles.

However, listening to a story on tape is different than reading a story, and many of these stories are short enough that you can practically listen to an entire story while driving to the corner story. What you gain from hearing these stories on tape is the sound of Bradbury's voice reciting his own stories and giving them the inflections and patterns in which he conceived the stories. Bradbury's voice is good for reading, without an annoying accent. Furthermore, the technicians set the sound levels properly.

The stories, of course, are vintage Bradbury. Although usually labelled a science fiction author, Bradbury's writings tend more towards the horrific. The terror inherent in "The Illustrated Man," "The Crowd" or "The Third Expedition" ranks with anything traditionally labelled "horror." The unthinking cruelty shown in "The Dwarf" is as applicable in the 1990s as it was when Bradbury published the story in 1953.

In fact, many of these stories by Bradbury have aged quite well and read better in the 1990s than many of the stories published in his most recent collection, Driving Blind.

Although a minority of The Martian Chronicles stories are represented on these tapes, they were chosen well enough that there is still a narrative quality running through those tapes. While The Illustrated Man tapes don't have the same narrative coherence, the stories form a sort of "Best of Ray Bradbury" collection.