Tenochtitlan is a good word.

quote:

Originally posted by Doug Spaulding:
Tenochtitlan is a good word.

That's easy for you to say...

dark they were and golden eyed

Ray has written so many incredible stories that it is probaby an impossible task to say which is his best. Today, though, I'll go with 'The Lake'. I remember reading it many years ago and just being floored by the beauty and wisdom of it. To me, it has everything I want in a Ray Bradbury story and it is one (admittedly of many) that I revisit frequently.

quote:

Originally posted by Billy:
Ray has written so many incredible stories that it is probaby an impossible task to say which is his best. Today, though, I'll go with 'The Lake'. I remember reading it many years ago and just being floored by the beauty and wisdom of it. To me, it has everything I want in a Ray Bradbury story and it is one (admittedly of many) that I revisit frequently.

My favorite has always been "The Laurel and Hardy Love Affair."

quote:

Originally posted by Billy:
...Today, though, I'll go with 'The Lake'...

Some days it's my favourite story, too. Bradbury has said (something to the effect that) this is the story that convinced him he was a writer.

I, too, am a huge fan of "The Laurel and Hardy Love Affair".

If ever there were a great fire (no pun intended), and I could save only ten of Ray's stories, I think that would be one of them.

The two best-remembered/most mentioned are "A Sound of Thunder" and "All Summer in a Day." My favorite is "Homecoming."

Our family just traveled to visited Gettysburg, PA. Mr. B's "Drummer Boy of Shiloh" continually came to mind as we walked the grounds, read the names, viewed the landscapes, sensed the immensity, and saw the images of July 1-2-3, 1863...

While in Gettysburg, we camped adjacent one portion of the battlegrounds. Late one evening while driving to get some items in preparation for our return to NNY, we took a road suggested as a shortcut.

It was 10pm. The road proved to be narrow, single-laned, oak and maple canopied, and rock fence lined for several miles. Needless to say, we did not stop to get out and enjoy the summer evening! The hallowed region was thick with silence. Fireflies seemed perpetual guards for memories still wandering and those forever lost.

A twist: I have always loved "Drummer Boy." A year ago I was reading this story aloud to a class of sophomores. I paused mid-story to cross-reference the actual date of the event (April 6 and 7, 1862). I was literally chilled - and my students quite amazed as well - when we realized I had chosen to present this classic story -with complete randomness (?!)- on "April 6," the exact day of the battle.

Best/Most favorite? Difficult! Difficult! Difficult!

But the top 5, that's a little easier. Not necessarily in that order.
...a) The Women
...b) The Illustrated Woman
...c) Death and the Maiden
...d) The Scythe
...e) The Tombling Day
...(heck, must add a 6th): And the Sailor, Home from the Sea

An interesting set of stories there, Nard. Most of them with strong female characters, too.

fjp, "Drummer Boy..." is interesting, but doesn't really work too well for me. Being a non-American, I don't have the necessary familiarity with the historical background of the story.

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fjp, "Drummer Boy..." is interesting, but doesn't really work too well for me. Being a non-American, I don't have the necessary familiarity with the historical background of the story.

Sorry to hear that. It struck a chord with Americans when it appeared in The Saturday Evening Post and a number of readers wrote in claiming to have personally known "the" drummer boy (not taking into account the large number of union military outfits in the battle!)

All Summer In a Day will always be my favorite because it was how I was first introduced to Mr. Bradbury, other than the TV show... not sure which I came across first. *shrug*

Two personal favorites for me would be the melancholy "Fog Horn" and the magnificently haunting "There Will Come Soft Rains."
btw...does anyone out there have the full listing of all the stories contained in "The Stories of Ray Bradbury" and "Bradbury Stories: 100 of His Most Celebrated Tales?"
I am strongly considering ordering both, but I hope they contain most or all of my all time favorite short stories from the old master.

Hi oldpink and welcome to the boards. You can find the contents listing on my website - see link below.