Top 10 Ray Bradbury Short Stories (Ranked & Reviewed)

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Hardcore Literature Lecture Series
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Happy reading!

[bigphilly]

Currently trying to do his challenge of writing one short story per week because, as he said, “it’s impossible to write 52 bad short stories in a row.” I love his work.

[MsPilgrim]

Ray Bradbury was responsible for me becoming a voracious reader as a child. Like him, I spent a lot of time in public libraries. I was in the sixth grade when I Read "All Summer in a Day." As a twelve-year-old the sadness and irony of that story struck me hard. From then on I read as much Bradbury as I could get my hands on. To this day as a sixty-two-year-old woman Ray Bradbury remains one of my favorite authors. I was fortunate to see him in person twice before he died. He was in his eighties by then but still sharp lucid and kind. I had a couple of books signed by him.

It's refreshing to see a young person like yourself embrace Bradbury's work. Thank you for such captivating and intelligent commentary.

[dec.]

Ray Bradbury was a genius.His stories stay with me like no other writer.Your picks are great ones.

[deeesher]

I was in 4th grade (maybe 5th?) when I discovered Ray Bradbury. I had a magazine that printed his story Fever Dream. It absolutely terrified me! But not so much that I didn't want more. From there, I read Fahrenheit 451 in 6th grade, then Martian Chronicles in 7th grade, and Something Wicked in 8th grade. And obviously I've enjoyed his short stories along the way. He always had a certain poetic styling that I have never found in any other author, and it just makes it such a comfortable read, no matter the content. Thank you for this list.

[justme]

My elementary class had an assignment to read this short story. I read it, and read it again and again. I felt Margo's pain for a month after I read this wonderful story!! I woke up thinking about her and felt so bad for her. I cried and thought how could kids be so mean to her. 30 years later, I read the story once again and I loved it just as much as I did when I read it the first time. It made such an impact on me!! And although it's fictitious, I felt like it was the real thing! And still do!! Love the author!

[royboy]

And last but not least ; ' The Thing At The Top Of The Stairs ", from The Toynbee Convector almost gave me nightmares. Outstanding journey into a childhood fear we have often shared growing up .Superbly done...." It had waited years for him..." Wow.

[raymondhummel]

Child like sense of wonder I like that! Like Ray I love to spend time at the library. He self educated himself without going to college. Such self motivation! I really respect that. The things he conceived in his mind are so amazing!

[galay]

My favorite writer and a big spiritual influence since childhood. The following two short stories impessed me the most - 'All summer in a day' and 'The April Witch'

[drdem]

OMG I SO AGREE ! ... Ray Bradbury is so Creative & Underappreciated !! i SOO Loved how he ended the "Martian Chronicles" ...

[angelicablue]

My favorite collection is The October Country, & The Next In Line is probably my favorite tale in that collection. Something about the thought of burial practices in a foreign country, a place you do not know or understand; even if they are antiquated practices, is just beyond unsettling to me.

[mrwoodandmrtin]

Sound of thunder.. what a story.. what a title.. Blows your mind as a kid.

[mint_marigold]

The first Ray Bradbury short story I ever read was "There Will Come Soft Rains" in seventh grade and the idea of an autonomous house continuing to live even after its owners' deaths stuck with me. We read a few more stories too, and all of them filled me with dread and curiosity and wanderlust. Bradbury's stories always make me think-- he may not be my favorite author (that'd be Madeline L'Engle) of all time, but he's definitely the best author I've ever read, objectively, and I love his work.

[lynjazz]

I sooo love "The Emissary"! It beautifully captures the essence o' autumn...

[FrankJMarr]

The Lake was the first Bradbury story I read, when I was 13 or 14. The Ray Bradbury Theater is a great TV series.

Some of my all-time favourites not mentioned in your video are (of course this is only a partial list):

Gotcha!, Fever Dream, The Visit, The Day it Rained Forever, The April Witch, Zero Hour, The October Game, A Story of Love, All Summer in a Day, Trapdoor, Tomorrow's Child, The Fog Horn, Embroidery, The Blue Bottle, The Wind, The Scythe, Long After Midnight, The Thing at the Top of the Stairs, The Man Upstairs, The Fruit at the Bottom of the Bowl, Touched with Fire, Jack-in-the-Box, At Midnight in the Month of June, Someone in the Rain, Heavy-Set, The Golden Apples of the Sun, The Twilight Greens, A Matter of Taste, and The Great Wide World Over There.

What an imagination!

[misty_doi]

The Veldt is also the first ever Ray Bradbury story I ever read, and my first thought was how utterly amazing it was that a story written in 1950 could be so scarily accurate and relevant today, not only in terms of sheer consequences but also in terms of the desires and fantasies people have. Who wouldn't want such a technological marvel as that playroom in their house? And what you said about Black Mirror, that was my second thought. That if Black Mirror wanted to revive another season, all they need to do to get a string of hit episodes is to adapt Bradbury's short stories such as The Veldt.

I also recently read A Sound of Thunder a few days ago, and was blown away. Aside from the obvious dystopia, the staggering scale of capitalism and human arrogance that encourages people to spend thousands to go back in time and risk changing the course of history just for trophy hunting, is amazing. And yes, I thought of the butterfly effect too! Thanks for informing me that it was popularised by Bradbury first.

I also read There Will Come Soft Rains around the same time I read The Veldt, so I drew the similarities of a "smart house", a technological dream and marvel. It was so depressing and the death of that poor dog remained with me for years after that. Starving to death in a house which automates the cooking of delicious meals that go to waste, because there is no one to consume them or offer them to a starving dog.

I read The Lake recently, around the same time I read A Sound of Thunder. It was hauntingly sad and beautiful, which shows the author dabbling in possible horror. I have a fear of drowning, so it triggered me a little bit.

The Pedestrian! Read it a few years ago, around the same time I read The Veldt and There Will Come Soft Rains. And yes, you're right, just like those two stories, this one makes a scarily accurate prediction which is so relevant today.

Read The Kaleidoscope today. Wonderfully, beautifully written, exploring regret and contemplation in the midst of hurtling towards an inevitable death.

Will read the others you recommended.

[mangalapalliv]

I run a story reading club for a group of 20 children. We meet up twice a week in both offline/online modes to read a story per session. Till date we have read 110 stories 24 of which are Ray Bradbury stories. Children simply love Ray....

[ivatorres]

I don't know whether you will believe me or not, but something short of miracle has just happened to me. I was listening to you - l often do - talking about Ray Bradbury, whose presence in my library is well-grounded, when my mind started wondering and my thoughts focused on one particular book l had lost, lent, misplaced, and l misses very much. DANDELION WINE!
I will not go into details to tell you what l have done over the years to get another copy, neither will l say why l cherished that book só much.
Suddently l saw it. I went downstairs to a library where more than 5.000 books managed to find its place, and
.... there it was
Happy as a child who still believes in miracles, l sat on the floor and started reading..

[curtjarrell]

I first read stories by Ray Bradbury when I was in junior high or high school. One of the books to choose from on our reading list was 'The Illustrated Man.' I fell in love with his work after reading "The Veldt." and "There Will Come Soft Rains." Years later I enjoyed 'The October Country' which includes "The Emissary." Though not story collections I'm also a huge fan of 'The Halloween Tree, ' 'Dandelion Wine, ' and its' sequel 'Farewell Summer.'

[sandraelder]

Dandelion Wine!!!!
I also loved Something Wicked This Way Comes, Martian Chronicles, Fahrenheit 451, and Illustrated Man. I couldn’t possibly choose a story. Too many gems.

[cierragill]

The Illustrated Man has been my favorite book since I was in high school. I couldn’t even tell you how many times I’ve read it. Thank you for this 😊