Kaleidoscope by Ray Bradbury

What's it all about? How does one live their life so that when death comes it is not filled with regret? Common thoughts for soul-searchers, and Ray Bradbury.

And so it is with Bradbury's astronauts in Kaleidoscope, who are free-falling through space to their death after their rocket explodes. One of the astronauts, Hollis, feels a streak of misery and malice, and begins to put down the others, especially Lespere who is content having lived a full life. Hollis contends that they are all the same: dead. But Lespere argues that he lived a full life and has his thoughts and memories, so he refuses to get mean like Hollis. Hollis realizes his indignity, and that there was a difference in lives. Lespere has memories of a full life and Hollis simply has dreams of things undone.

Thus is the brilliance of Bradbury: looking us dead in the eyes (or hearts) and challenging us to live a fulfilled life, to have our memories when we pass on, and have our peace. Like many of his stories, Kaleidoscope searches the recesses of our souls and encourages the reader to grab life by the reigns as Bradbury most certainly did. Great read, great therapy.

A Tale of the Ragged Mountains by Edgar Allan Poe

A tale of mesmerism about a young man named Bedloe who may be the reincarnation of a man who lived years earlier named Oldeb (In his obit, his name was misspelled "Bedlo").

Contains Poe's  sharp tongue, but not his best work. Very ambiguous, which leads to some plot confusion.

Beyond the Door by Philip K. Dick

Larry buys a cuckoo clock for his wife, but is snide about how he got it wholesale. This upsets Doris, who has been having an emotional affair with Bob. Bob comes over and Doris shows him the clock, but Larry shows up and kicks them both out, saying that the clock stays because he paid for it. Larry grows to disdain the clock, which will not chime for him, ever. He goes to destroy it with a hammer, giving it one last chance to come out. The bird does come out, and flies straight into Larry's eye, breaking his neck.

Feeding Time by James Gunn

A woman's therapy session leads to her releasing an inner monster (literally) that devours her therapist.

Pretty quirky and oddly frightening fantasy story.

Devlin's Dream by George Clayton Johnson

Cowboy Cooney Devlin wakes from a nightmare in which he had no right arm and he watched a hawk circle in judgement. He is immensely disturbed, especially because that is the hand he uses to draw and shoot his side arm. He practices drawing with his left arm and when satisfied, rides into town and picks a fight in a bar with a Swede . He draws from his left and shoots the Swede dead. Satisfied that he can draw quick enough if he ever loses his primary hand, he switches the gun back to his right. Just then, the sheriff enters and the two men have a standoff. Cooney reaches for his hip, his left hip, and is shot by the sheriff. The narrator steps outside as Cooney's right arm is removed at the shoulder. A lone hawk circles in the night sky.

What a great western short! Dark and foreboding. Such a great little read.

Climacteric by Avram Davidson

A young man takes his date on a drive up to the mountains and he tells her of his dreams as a child: saving a beautiful girl like herself from dragons. Then he takes her to a path where "no one can see them" and feeds her to his dragon.

Twisted.

Chalk Talk by Edward Wellen

An English professor cannot profess his love for a revival professor until his lecture notes on Chomsky literally leap from the chalk board, run down the hall, and rearrange themselves on the rival's board in a Freudian love note.

Fantastic flights of fun Freudian fantasy.

A Dozen of Everything by Marion Zimmer Bradley

Marcie is granted one wish from a Djinn that is freed from an old bottle she received from stingy aunt as a wedding gift. She wishes for a "dozen of everything" so that her and her husband Greg can get started on the right foot. When she gets home, she is welcomed by twelve husbands.

"Be careful what you wish for."

More importantly: "Be sure to say what you mean."

Clever little short.

Icarus Montgolfier Wright by Ray Bradbury

This is a story about the first man to fly a rocket ship. He figuratively gives up his real name (Jedediah Prentiss) for the name Icarus Montgolfier Wright. Icarus is a character in Greek mythology known for his attempt to escape Crete by flight. The Montgolfier brothers were the inventors of the montgolfière style hot air balloon. And we all know the Wright Brothers contribution to flight. The story concerns his dreaming of, and preparation for the first rocket flight in history.

Tough read if you don’t know the history, but made me go and fetch it. Thanks Ray.

Adapted into a short animated film in 1962. Nominated for an Oscar. Recently restored.

Dark They Were, and Golden-Eyed by Ray Bradbury

The Bittering family lands on Mars. Earth is being ravaged by war and soon they get word that all the rockets on earth are destroyed. They are stuck there forever. Soon the Bitterings and the rest of the inhabitants notice changes. They are getting thinner, taller, darkened skin, and yellowish eyes. Mr. Bittering’s family begins to use Martian words and don Martian names. He attempts to build a rocket to return to earth, but soon gives it up. The inhabitants of the small town all decide to move amongst the old Martian villas and leave the humanized town. Five years later, a rocket arrives from earth. They are surprised to find no humans, only dark, golden-eyed Martians that live amongst the villas.

Fantastic sci-fi story. Subtly creepy.

Adapted into a radio drama for The Twilight Zone Radio.

Boys! Raise Giant Mushrooms in Your Cellar! (Come into My Cellar) by Ray Bradbury

Fortnum believes that the mushrooms his son is growing in the cellar may be part of a well strategized invasion by intelligent beings that infiltrate earth through bacteria that grows into mushrooms. Humans who consume the mushrooms are taken over by the Martians. Fortnum’s own son has eaten some and planted a plate of the mushrooms in the refrigerator to be consumed by mom and dad.

Great original Martian story. Bradbury is always finding clever ways to make his reader uneasy or chill them to the bone. Clever and imaginative; Taunt and suspenseful.

Ray Bradbury Theater

Time in Thy Flight by Ray Bradbury

Students from the future take a field trip through time to 1928. It is apparent they are from a very strict society where they work and are forced to grow up much too quickly. Mr. Fields tries to conjure disgust in his students at the barbaric circus, the moronic Fourth of July celebration, and the horrible Halloween rituals. Janet decides she wants to be apart of this world and runs off with Robert. The story ends with Mr. Fields threatening to fail those children remaining behind, but they don’t hear because they are being served warm cider inside.

Classic Bradbury theme: fear of the loss of childlike innocence. Good story.

Pillar of Fire by Ray Bradbury

William Lantry emerges from his grave in the year 2349. He finds a utopian society where crime, murder, and fear doesn’t exhist. On top of that, all forms of horror literature have been lost. Corpses are burnt in incinerators instead of buried. Lantry launches a vendetta to destroy the incinerators, murder, and bring fear back to the world. After killing many, he is found out, and taken to the incinerator to be burnt, reciting lines from Poe’s The Cask of Amontillado.

Classic Bradbury! Terrifying, smart, and heartfelt. Great tribute to Poe and other writers who obviously influenced Bradbury in a great way.

Chrysalis by Ray Bradbury

Scientists anxiously watch over their fellow scientist, Smith, who is enclosed in a mysterious green chrysalis. Rockwell hypothesizes that Smith is undergoing a metamorphosis and will emerge a superhuman. Hartley is doubtful and wants to destroy the cocoon. Finally, Smith emerges without any superpowers, much to the chagrin of Rockwell. Disappointed the scientists disperse. Alone, on the top of a hill, Smith flies away towards the stars.

Mysterious, imaginative, and surprising. Ending really pays off.

Made into a movie in 2008: Chrysalis Movie