Rating: 
Summary: Bradburry's classic collection of short stories.
Review: I first read "The Golden Apples of the Sun" when I was in grade school, loving it then for the adventure and sense of wonder Bradbury always brings to his work. I have since read and reread it through the years until my tired old copy was so dog-eard and broken as to be almost unreadable. I'm glad to see it still in print.
No one can infuse so much tension, or wring as much drama out of a short story as can Ray Bradbury, and "Golden Apples," in my opinion, is his best collection, easilly rivalling "The Martian Chronicles" in sweep and vista. Just to read the classic time-travel story "The Sound of Thunder" is reason alone to pick up a copy.
I honestly think Mr. Bradbury could write ingrediant lists on cereal boxes and make them spell-binders.
Rating: 
Summary: Bradbury on qualudes
Review: I found it difficult to want to finish this collection. I absolutely loved his collection _Quicker_than_the_Eye_, but _Golden_Apples_ has an entirely different feel to it. All the stories have this nostalgic airy utopic tone that makes all the characters unbelievable. It's almost victorian. And all the stories seem to revolve around one single idea, and that's all the story has to it, is that one single idea. My expectations of Bradbury are very high, and this collection didn't meet them.
Rating:
Summary: Bradbury on qualudes
Review: I found it difficult to want to finish this collection. I absolutely loved his collection _Quicker_than_the_Eye_, but _Golden_Apples_ has an entirely different feel to it. All the stories have this nostalgic airy utopic tone that makes all the characters unbelievable. It's almost victorian. And all the stories seem to revolve around one single idea, and that's all the story has to it, is that one single idea. My expectations of Bradbury are very high, and this collection didn't meet them.
Rating:
Summary: great book!!!
Review: i read this book so many times by now and i still fall in love with it every time i read a story in it!!!
he is really one of the best writers, and this is one of his best books!!
buy it and see for youself.
Rating:
Summary: Another Bradbury Treat
Review: I'll admit I haven't finished this book but what I've read has taken my breath away. The writing is classic Bradbury, poetic and enticing. The stories themselves surprised me a little since I don't think I'd yet read a Bradbury story that wasn't science fiction or fantasy. "The Fruit at the bottom of the bowel" is one of these and is fantastic. Of course, it seems to me that Bradbury's preoccupation has always been with people rather than magic or technology. Thus it makes sense that his "realistic" fiction would be just as effective as his other. In any case, Bradbury is a masterful storyteller and anyone would deprive themselves if they didn't read his work, including this collection.
Rating:
Summary: Another Bradbury Treat
Review: I'll admit I haven't finished this book but what I've read has taken my breath away. The writing is classic Bradbury, poetic and enticing. The stories themselves surprised me a little since I don't think I'd yet read a Bradbury story that wasn't science fiction or fantasy. "The Fruit at the bottom of the bowel" is one of these and is fantastic. Of course, it seems to me that Bradbury's preoccupation has always been with people rather than magic or technology. Thus it makes sense that his "realistic" fiction would be just as effective as his other. In any case, Bradbury is a masterful storyteller and anyone would deprive themselves if they didn't read his work, including this collection.
Rating: 
Summary: Strong Collection, but Not Extraordinary
Review: I've read mostly all of Bradbury's lengthier fiction repretoire, and have only begun dipping into his collections of short stories. As a writer during the "Golden Age" of science fiction, Bradbury is unsurpassed: All at once, he manages to show the reader a future of hope, of surprise and of brightness. His writing style is simple and terse, and it takes some time to get used to the cadance with which he writes. One of the aspects I've always appreciated about Bradbury's writing is that his stories extend beyond the "science fiction" genre. Encapsulated within the SF exterior, Bradbury manages to capture portraits of humanity - throughout all of his stories, it is apparent that he prescribes to the idea that the more things change, the more they stay the same. Thus, while he writes about space travel and other fantastical subjects, he retains a sense of humanity which transcends the differences in environment. Without a doubt, my favorite story in this anthology is "R is for Rocket." This story alone is worth buying the book for...I am enraptured with the way Bradbury tells of the carefree summers the boys enjoy, and then juxtapose it to the pressure of a career in space exploration. Generally, I find Bradbury's fantasy to be somewhat boring (though this can also be attributed to my lack of enthusiasm for fantasy as a whole). Don't let this faze you - this is a very strong collection, and excellent introduction, to Bradbury's short story abilities. About 90% of the stories in this book are really excellent..But the other 10% almost seem like simple writing exercises and are no way indicative of Bradbury's true talants as a writer.
Rating:
Summary: Strong Collection, but Not Extraordinary
Review: I've read mostly all of Bradbury's lengthier fiction repretoire, and have only begun dipping into his collections of short stories. As a writer during the "Golden Age" of science fiction, Bradbury is unsurpassed: All at once, he manages to show the reader a future of hope, of surprise and of brightness. His writing style is simple and terse, and it takes some time to get used to the cadance with which he writes. One of the aspects I've always appreciated about Bradbury's writing is that his stories extend beyond the "science fiction" genre. Encapsulated within the SF exterior, Bradbury manages to capture portraits of humanity - throughout all of his stories, it is apparent that he prescribes to the idea that the more things change, the more they stay the same. Thus, while he writes about space travel and other fantastical subjects, he retains a sense of humanity which transcends the differences in environment. Without a doubt, my favorite story in this anthology is "R is for Rocket." This story alone is worth buying the book for...I am enraptured with the way Bradbury tells of the carefree summers the boys enjoy, and then juxtapose it to the pressure of a career in space exploration. Generally, I find Bradbury's fantasy to be somewhat boring (though this can also be attributed to my lack of enthusiasm for fantasy as a whole). Don't let this faze you - this is a very strong collection, and excellent introduction, to Bradbury's short story abilities. About 90% of the stories in this book are really excellent..But the other 10% almost seem like simple writing exercises and are no way indicative of Bradbury's true talants as a writer.
Rating:
Summary: Read this book - then read it again!
Review: If you have never read a Ray Bradbury story, I am almost envious of the treat you have in store. The word "genius" is tossed around all too frequently, but Bradbury really deserves the title. Since Isaac Asimov's death, he is the only consistently excellent short-story writer in any genre. What makes Bradbury's work in general, and this collection in particular, so praiseworthy? For one thing, he is a completely original thinker. He can take something as mundane as a lighthouse or a summer flirtation and make it into an unforgettable gem. You do not forget Bradbury's stories, and you find something new each time you read them. "Ah, but I'm not a science fiction fan," you say. Well, neither am I. But even when Bradbury takes you into the future, he does not lose sight of the humanity of his characters. Even his non-human characters are so fully created that your heart breaks for them. As a bonus, Bradbury is obviously well-read; if you are, too, you will appreciate his literary references. If you are not, don't worry - he'll make you that way, painlessly! Since these are short stories, it is not really posible to discuss them fully without spoiling them (an offense for which the death penalty is not nearly severe enough). But any way you want to read them - one a day (and they'll do you more good than vitamins) or as an all-day orgy of the imagination - they are a treat. This edition, which has twice as many stories as the original collection of the same name, is a generous gift for yourself, or for someone you really love. Then, especially if you are not already familiar with it, get his collection "I Sing the Body Electric," and read the title story. It may be about an electric grandmother, but it's about my grandma, too - who understood that "loving" and "paying attention" were really the same thing. The review for any Bradbury book, whether a novel or a collection of short stories, is t! he same - read it, then read it again.
Rating:
Summary: Read this book - then read it again!
Review: If you have never read a Ray Bradbury story, I am almost envious of the treat you have in store. The word "genius" is tossed around all too frequently, but Bradbury really deserves the title. Since Isaac Asimov's death, he is the only consistently excellent short-story writer in any genre. What makes Bradbury's work in general, and this collection in particular, so praiseworthy? For one thing, he is a completely original thinker. He can take something as mundane as a lighthouse or a summer flirtation and make it into an unforgettable gem. You do not forget Bradbury's stories, and you find something new each time you read them. "Ah, but I'm not a science fiction fan," you say. Well, neither am I. But even when Bradbury takes you into the future, he does not lose sight of the humanity of his characters. Even his non-human characters are so fully created that your heart breaks for them. As a bonus, Bradbury is obviously well-read; if you are, too, you will appreciate his literary references. If you are not, don't worry - he'll make you that way, painlessly! Since these are short stories, it is not really posible to discuss them fully without spoiling them (an offense for which the death penalty is not nearly severe enough). But any way you want to read them - one a day (and they'll do you more good than vitamins) or as an all-day orgy of the imagination - they are a treat. This edition, which has twice as many stories as the original collection of the same name, is a generous gift for yourself, or for someone you really love. Then, especially if you are not already familiar with it, get his collection "I Sing the Body Electric," and read the title story. It may be about an electric grandmother, but it's about my grandma, too - who understood that "loving" and "paying attention" were really the same thing. The review for any Bradbury book, whether a novel or a collection of short stories, is t! he same - read it, then read it again.
| 
