Killer, come back to me : the crime stories of Ray Bradbury / Ray Bradbury.

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Title:

Author:

Bradbury, Ray, 1920-2012

ISBN:

9781789095395

Edition:

First Hard Case Crime edition

Publication Information:

London, England : Hard Case Crime, 2020.

Physical Description:

330 p.

Contents:

Introduction / by Jonathan R. Eller -- A touch of petulance -- The screaming woman -- The trunk lady -- "I'm not so dumb!" -- Killer, come back to me! -- Dead men rise up never -- Where everything ends -- Corpse carnival -- And so died Riabouchinska -- Yesterday I lived! -- The town where no one got off -- The whole town's sleeping -- At midnight, in the month of June -- The smiling people -- The fruit at the bottom of the bowl -- The small assassin -- Marionettes, Inc. -- Punishment without crime -- Some live like Lazarus -- The utterly perfect murder -- Afterword: Hammett? Chandler? Not to worry!

Abstract:

The new collection contains 20 stories, including classics of the genre and rare, little-known gems such as the title story, Bradbury's first published mystery. A number of the stories were adapted by the author for his popular TV series, The Ray Bradbury Theater, and fans of Bradbury's work will recognize his touch with crime stories about circus sideshow performers and ventriloquists' dummies, sunken cathedrals, time travelers, and robots that look just like people. But they will also discover plenty that is startling and unfamiliar, such as the original short story that inspired a portion of Bradbury's famous novel Dandelion Wine, as well as that story's dark and psychologically disturbing sequel, written at the prompting of no less a figure in the mystery field than Ellery Queen. No one ever wrote like Bradbury. And as this lavish collection demonstrates, when he turned his hand to this genre, he produced some of the most unforgettable crime stories ever told.

Subject Term:

Murder -- Fiction.

Short stories.

Genre:

Detective and mystery stories.

Available:*

Library	Material Type	Item Barcode	Shelf Number	Status
Searching... Avon-Washington Township Public Library	Adult Fiction Book Hardback	120791002822181	F BRA	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

Celebrating Ray Bradbury's centennial, a deluxe illustrated commemorative collection of his finest crime stories -- tales as strange and wonderful as his signature fantasy.

Time travelers...dark carnivals...living automata...and detectives? Honoring the 100th birthday of Ray Bradbury, renowned author of Fahrenheit 451, this new, definitive collection of the master's less well-known crime fiction, published in a high-grade premium collectible edition, features classic stories and rare gems, a number of which became episodes of ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS and THE RAY BRADBURY THEATER, including the tale Bradbury called "one of the best stories in any field that I have ever written."

Is it murder to destroy a robot if it looks and speaks and thinks and feels like a human being? Can a ventriloquist be incriminated by the testimony of his own dummy? Can a time traveler prevent his younger self from killing the woman they both loved? And can the survivor of a pair of Siamese twins investigate his own brother's murder? No other writer has ever rivaled the imagination and narrative gifts of Ray Bradbury, and the 20 unforgettable stories in this collection demonstrate this singular writer's extraordinary range, influence and emotional power.

Reviews (2)

Publisher's Weekly Review

The 20 worthy tales in this diverse collection of crime stories from Bradbury (1920--2012) originally appeared in popular lifestyle magazines, fantasy and horror pulps, and mystery and detective magazines during the 1940s and 1950s. Naturally, science fiction elements underpin several, most notably the opener, "A Touch of Petulance," in which a remorseful time traveler attempts to alter his past. Elsewhere, devilish black humor boosts heart-pounding horror in chilling gems like "The Screaming Woman," in which a child is adamant she hears the screams of a woman buried alive, but is unable to persuade others to initiate a rescue. Other highlights include the title tale, in which a gangster's moll grooms a man into becoming a replica of her deceased boyfriend, and "And So Died Riabouchinska," in which a ventriloquist's dummy holds the answer to a cold case. Bradbury's flair for dazzling imagery elevates pulp fiction fare like "Dead Men Rise Up Never," a kidnapping yarn. Quirky tales concerning robots and talking marionettes, though not to everyone's taste, showcase the author's inventiveness. This tribute volume should appeal to more than just Bradbury fans. (Aug.)

Booklist Review

We know better now, but Ray Bradbury's stories and novels, mainly science fiction, were labeled right off as low-rent relatives of real literature. Younger readers knew better, sensing that Bradbury was working the same themes as high-status fictioneers, plus a few they hadn't thought of yet. And he was more fun to read. This anthology is grounded in Bradbury's origins as a crime writer in the forties. He could do the hard-boiled strut with the best of them, then enhance it with what the editor calls "the emotional fire of his prose." As when he writes of a breath sounding like "a sword hissing in its shield." While he was earning his bones in the pulps, the unsettling elements that mark his later work emerge clearly. If you could see the horrible future and could change it, would you? You have a chance to work out your rage by killing a stranger. Will you? If you murder a simulacrum of your spouse, are you still a murderer? All told in an intense, poetic language that leaves disturbing echoes.