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carrionlibrarian's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.0
I've learned that while I like Ray Bradbury's writing in general, I find rockets incredibly boring.
Seriously, all the stories I enjoyed were the ones that had nothing to do with space travel. The Fog Horn, A Sound of Thunder, and Uncle Einar were probably my favourites. Though I will say A Sound of Thunder was particularly harrowing given this 2024 election.
Uncle Einar also gets points for having the only female character I could stand in this entire collection. Here's to you, Brunilla! Of the other stories, I actually preferred the ones that had zero female characters to the ones that had some, because then I could at least pretend they were all out there somewhere, self-actualized and three dimensional, just choosing not to hang out with all these awful men. When they appear, women are wives and mothers and behave like subservient dependents (Brunilla being the only exception and even she gets married and has four kids).
We won't even go into The Time Machine . As others have pointed out, that story aged so poorly it's almost comically bad. It manages to cover all your classic flavours of casual racism with just a sprinkle of sexism at the end as garnish.
Seriously, all the stories I enjoyed were the ones that had nothing to do with space travel. The Fog Horn, A Sound of Thunder, and Uncle Einar were probably my favourites. Though I will say A Sound of Thunder was particularly harrowing given this 2024 election.
Uncle Einar also gets points for having the only female character I could stand in this entire collection. Here's to you, Brunilla! Of the other stories, I actually preferred the ones that had zero female characters to the ones that had some, because then I could at least pretend they were all out there somewhere, self-actualized and three dimensional, just choosing not to hang out with all these awful men. When they appear, women are wives and mothers and behave like subservient dependents (Brunilla being the only exception and even she gets married and has four kids).
We won't even go into The Time Machine . As others have pointed out, that story aged so poorly it's almost comically bad. It manages to cover all your classic flavours of casual racism with just a sprinkle of sexism at the end as garnish.
apocalyptus's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexism, Violence, and War
jerushae's review against another edition
4.0
A delightful collection of short stories. Some better than others (as is usually the case with short stories), with a mix of science-fictiony-ness.
readmore's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
gimpyknee's review against another edition
4.0
It's hard to believe I first read this book 55 years ago. A wonderful collection of short sci-fi stories.
scotthartman's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
waldowade's review against another edition
4.0
The Rocket
A Sound of Thunder
Frost and Fire
Uncle Einar
A Sound of Thunder
Frost and Fire
Uncle Einar
grrr8_catsby's review against another edition
2.5
R Is For Rocket is a collection of 17 (17!) short stories by acclaimed science fiction author Ray Bradbury.
Bradbury's writing style throughout is unparalleled and remains a pioneer of the science fiction genre to date. This collection of short stories spans from the 1940's and 1950's and, while often showing multiple instances of aging, captures the heart and excitement of exploration. The volume includes all short stories about rocket ships, except for the ones that inexplicably... do not.
Consistency is the biggest fault with this book; 17 short stories in only 184 pages does not grant much room for full thought expansion. Some of the stories contained in this book are truly delightful and charming and fully deserve their inclusion; others feel like a shoo-in solely for their mention of a rocket ship.
Notable entries include the titular "R Is For Rocket", the bittersweet "The Rocket Man", and the longest story included in this book, "Frost And Fire."
Bradbury's writing style throughout is unparalleled and remains a pioneer of the science fiction genre to date. This collection of short stories spans from the 1940's and 1950's and, while often showing multiple instances of aging, captures the heart and excitement of exploration. The volume includes all short stories about rocket ships, except for the ones that inexplicably... do not.
Consistency is the biggest fault with this book; 17 short stories in only 184 pages does not grant much room for full thought expansion. Some of the stories contained in this book are truly delightful and charming and fully deserve their inclusion; others feel like a shoo-in solely for their mention of a rocket ship.
Notable entries include the titular "R Is For Rocket", the bittersweet "The Rocket Man", and the longest story included in this book, "Frost And Fire."