Reviews

Quicker Than the Eye by Ray Bradbury

jmtaylor1981's review

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3.0

There's just something about Bradbury's prose.

Quicker Than the Eye is another collection of short stories. I enjoyed over half of them, could have done without a few & liked the rest. Exchange, The Very Gentle Murders, Dorian in Excelsus, Another Fine Mess & Unterderseaboat Doktor were all really well done.

"I don't write these stories, they write me."

andyshute's review against another edition

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3.0

Another collection of short stories, some great, some good and a few not so much. An interesting selection though and worth reading. I particularly enjoyed 'A very gentle murder'.

biberbart's review against another edition

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  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

secluded's review against another edition

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4.0

Overall, I liked it. Haven't read Bradbury for a long time, and I forgot how zany and creative his construction is. Though these stories were all short, they all had so much life. Will try to put together a list of my favs/least favs.

_mox_'s review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

logickat's review against another edition

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5.0

I have always thought of Bradbury as a SF writer, so I was pleasantly surprised to find this mixed collection of short stories and poems. These stories are quirky and quick- you have to keep up or you will be left behind. A few notables:

"The Finnegan" A giant trapdoor spider is hunted by a man who himself is fascinated by doors.

"The Very Gentle Murders" Husband and wife "joke" about killing each other.

"The Witch Door" A witch is transported from the past through a magic portal, but then a fugitive is lost through it.

"Last Rites" (My favorite) A man invents a time-travel machine and visits his favorite authors on their deathbeds to let them know that they will become famous and loved in the future.


sowalsky's review against another edition

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4.0

Yet another excellent collection of short stories by one of the all-time masters of the form, this volume, from the mid 90s, shows that Bradbury had not slowed down one whit, more than fifty years into his career. Not all of these nuggets are masterpieces, but those that fall short are flawed gems, and still a joy to read. "Zaharoff/Richter Mark V"; "The Finnegan"; "Dorian In Excelsus"; "The Ghost In The Machine"; "Bug"; and "Once More, Legato" are all either too far-fetched or too rough around the edges to move the reader as fully as the best stories found here, but even these are just shy of his stronger efforts. And there are some very strong efforts here: "Remember Sascha?"; "Hopscotch"; "No News"; "The Witch Door"; "Exchange"; and "Last Rites" all compare favorably with Bradbury's best tales. Perhaps the biggest treat, however, is the elder statesman's afterword ("Make Haste To Live") in which brother Ray breaks the fourth wall and speaks directly to his fans and fellow writers with such warmth and conviction that the reader is set aglow. As with all of his work, this will be time well spent.

gladys_enmarte's review against another edition

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3.25

“Más rápido que la vista” (o el ojo, según la traducción) es una de las antologías que Bradbury publicó en los años 90, esta es de 1996. Contiene en total 21 cuentos y cierra con un epílogo en el que el autor comenta brevemente sobre alguno de ellos. Por ejemplo, de “¿Te acuerdas de Sasha?” explica que lo escribió cuando estaba por nacer su primera hija, Alexandra, y a nadie anteriormente le interesó publicarlo; “Más rápido que la vista” está inspirado en una función de magia a la que asistió y ponían en ridículo a alguien muy similar a él; otros cuentos se nota que son ligeramente autorreferenciales; explica también el porqué del título de esta antología. Sobre el contenido, hay dos cuentos con los que rinde homenaje a sus autores favoritos, así que nos encontramos con Thomas Wolfe, Poe, Melville y Wilde; y hay cuentos que tienen la esencia “Bradburiana”, pero son muy estrambóticos, como el primero de la lista, “Unterderseabot doktor”, o uno de los últimos, “Dorian in excelsius”. Si Bradbury no hubiera sido ya un escritor de renombre en esa época no creo que esos cuentos hubieran pasado a formar parte de alguna antología. 


 Como siempre, nombro los cuentos que me gustaron:
 • “Rayuela”: nostálgico, sobre el primer enamoramiento
 • “Los asesinatos muy considerados”: una pareja de ancianos se odia e intenta matarse mutuamente urdiendo pequeñas trampas que podrían pasar por accidentes. Está muy divertido como se pelean los viejitos 🤭
 • “Sin novedades o de qué murió el perro”: reflexión sobre la vida y la muerte luego de que el perro de la familia muriera de viejo
 • “La puerta de la bruja: viajes en el tiempo entre el presente y el 1600 con la caza de brujas. Analogía entre las brujas de Salem y la persecución de judíos en la SGM.

No es mi antología favorita, pero como fan obvio que quiero leer todo. Algunos cuentos están buenos, otros pasables y otros olvidables. Peldóm, señor Bradbury 🫣.

heidipolkissa82's review against another edition

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challenging funny mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

lyonnesse16's review against another edition

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dark hopeful reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0