Quicker than the Eye

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Summary: Book Review For Quicker Than The Eye, by Ray Bradbury
Review: The book Quicker Than The Eye by Ray Bradbury is a collection of short stories. Written by the critically acclaimed author of such books as Farenheit 451, Something Wicked This Way Comes, and The Martian Chronicles, this book continues Bradbury's outstanding tradition of phenomenal writing. In Quicker Than The Eye, Bradbury shows us the fine literary elements in his stories, from setting and plot to character development. In such stories as "If MGM Is Killed, Who Gets The Lion?", Bradbury immediately develops a rich setting and time-frame, as well as characters and their personality traits. While reading this book, I was thoroughly impressed with the diverse nature of his writing. Some of his stories can be dark and macabre, while the next story is lighthearted and witty. Some of his stories simply leave us with a smile on our face as we finish them. Bradbury exhibits knowledge of many different subjects, such as marine technology in "Underderseaboat Doktor", of music in "Once More, Legato", and also much more in the many stories to come. He even delves into fantasy, leaving a sort of feeling that jumps at the edge of our perception. Clearly, it seems as though Bradbury has taken all of his knowledge from the best of his writing and expanded it, refined it, and delivered it in a book that is almost sure to please the reader. To put this book on a scale of 1-10, I would rate this book a 9.5. Don't get me wrong, I would recommend this book thoroughly, however, if one is a long time fan of Bradbury, one might find his writing to be just a small bit repetitive, all in spite of it's descriptive nature. However, one might be pleased as this book offers a lighter approach as opposed to some of his darker writing, such as The Halloween Tree, and Something Wicked This Way Comes. The descriptiveness is most captivating, however, as well as his extreme diversity of writing, so should one get bored of one story in the book, there is ample selection of other stories to choose from. In conclusion, I should say that from my perspective, this is a must read book. It has something almost for everyone. Unlike some stories, his are captivating from the first few words, and are nearly sure to hook the reader, making this a very hard book to put down.

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Summary: Entertaining, but Bradbury has done better.
Review: The stories of Quicker Than the Eye tend to be entertaining and will hold your attention. However, there is little here that can compare to his classics of the past. It is also interesting to note how Bradbury seems to have an interest in writing stories in which people of yesteryear (writers, movie stars, moms, librarians, old friends) are visited and reminded, or told, that they have not been forgotten ("Another Fine Mess," "Last Rites," "That Woman on the Lawn," "Bug," "Exhcange") . One has to wonder Bradbury fears that people will no longer remember him 100 years from now. Fortunately, Bradbury should have nothing to worry about.

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Summary: The old master still at it.....
Review: This compilation of stories is outstanding by normal standards and so-so by Bradbury's. There are some highlights, inculding "The Finnegan," "Once More, Legato" and "Exchange," but "Quicker than the Eye" does not quite measure up to previous Bradbury works such as "The October Country." One cannot help but notice the recurring theme of death in this book. Nary a story is written without Grim Reaperish-like sentiment. Nevertheless, Bradbury remains a foremost romantic in the world of fiction. You could do worse than picking up "Quicker than the Eye" and reading it. One gets an enriched view of life, especailly after reading the Afterword.

Rating:
Summary: The old master still at it.....
Review: This compilation of stories is outstanding by normal standards and so-so by Bradbury's. There are some highlights, inculding "The Finnegan," "Once More, Legato" and "Exchange," but "Quicker than the Eye" does not quite measure up to previous Bradbury works such as "The October Country." One cannot help but notice the recurring theme of death in this book. Nary a story is written without Grim Reaperish-like sentiment. Nevertheless, Bradbury remains a foremost romantic in the world of fiction. You could do worse than picking up "Quicker than the Eye" and reading it. One gets an enriched view of life, especailly after reading the Afterword.

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Summary: Fascinating short stories.
Review: This is his best short story collection. Each story is innovative and the book is not repetitively themed and toned like his _Golden Apples of the Sun_. More than half the stories are originals, and the rest ran in magazines ranging from Omni to Playboy.

Rating:
Summary: Fascinating short stories.
Review: This is his best short story collection. Each story is innovative and the book is not repetitively themed and toned like his _Golden Apples of the Sun_. More than half the stories are originals, and the rest ran in magazines ranging from Omni to Playboy.

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Summary: Bradbury returns in strong form
Review: Typical of Bradbury's collections, this one can not be categorized as horror, sci-fi, fantasy or reality...but as a melting pot of all of them. With nine original stories in this collection, it should definitely find its way onto the bookshelf of any Bradbury fan. While not every story is a standout, he's got enough here to satisfy anyone who enjoys the short story format. Highlights include "The Finnegan", one of the few out-and-out horror stories; the title piece, which packs a punch while remaining firmly grounded in reality, and "The Very Gentle Murders" a completely twisted and funny tale about an elderly couple competing to do each other in. With stories ranging from the gentle ("Last Rites") to the brutal ("Electrocution") it ultimately satisfies in a number of genres. Hopefully, it won't be another decade before his next collection