Driving Blind

This book was a compilation of short stories by Ray Bradbury. Unlike most of Bradbury's other books, this one is not based in the future. If I were to make a guess of the time frame of the book in the mid 1940's. I would say that they were put in the same book because they were all focused on the art of deception. One of the better stories in the book was "Hello, I Must Be Going". It is about one of two men, one of whom is a friend of the other. The "other" was/ is a man who is actually dead! He talks to his friend over a long series of drinks, and neither of them can make sense of either of them. The dead man, Henry, is telling his friend, Steve, that he has been very sad, of late, because his poor wife is no longer weeping for him. It would seem as if he did not exist. As Henry got up to leave Steve started to weep. This made Henry feel much better. Henry fell a little happier with himself because at least someone wept for him. The wit an the fun of the book makes it very pleasurable to read. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to be slightly baffled, yet walk away with a smile on their faces. It is very cleverly crafted; the reader cannot have a complete understanding of it. But nonetheless, it gives the reader enough to get the jokes and find out what is happening. In a sense, the book is almost in command of the reader.

As with most short story collections the quality varies here a little bit but the great thing is that it doesn't vary all that much. Most of the stories here are prime Bradbury, part nostalgia, part fantastic but possessing a charm that nobody else can really quite emulate. Science fiction fans won't find much here to please them if that's all they're looking for but everyone else should be able to find something to satisify them. The stories ran the gamut from funny to senimental to slightly creepy to serious to just downright weird, all of them told in his by now fairly unique style. Most of the stories read very quickly and some come off as slight because of that, like they're sketches for an idea that might have been expanded into a short story later but even the slimmest tales have something to recommend them. For a man who should be years past his peak, this isn't bad at all and borders on excellent, many of these stories are tales you'll remember long after you've closed the book and set it aside. A fine addition to his canon and the best example that the truly great writers never stop producing fine stuff.

In this volume, Bradbury delivers his best short fiction since his remarkable collection, The Toynbee Convector. Some stories in Driving Blind are a bit bolder than much of Bradbury's previous work in the 1990s. Driving Blind has proven that Bradbury is still able to dish out some of the best short fiction of all time. He is truly a living legend.

If you are accustomed to Bradbury's Science Fiction writing and are expecting more of the same, you will be apt to be disappointed by Driving Blind. With the exception of the short story "Mr. Pale" this book deals with pure earth-bound fiction with bits of American trivia thrown in the mash. Incidentally, Mr. Pale may be one of the stronger stories of the book, but most stories are thinkers. Some may leave you wondering "what was that all about?" (Only to discover what it was about a few hours later when it registers.) The book when read complete and finished with Bradbury's "Brief Afterward" will make a lot more sense after completion, perhaps. I have a hard time ranking it either a 3 or 4, being generous I give it a four but I'd prefer a 3.5 for this effort. The writing is strong and often critiques, albeit vaguely, modern life. This is no Fahrenheit 451 but it's worth reading and it's light and easy to pick up on the commuter train without stressing your brain cells too much. Somewhat serious, somewhat funny, it covers a broad range of topics.

Bradbury, eighty this year, continues to produce imaginative, entertaining fiction. The stories in DRIVING BLIND resound earlier themes and concerns - youth encountering experience, the destructiveness of technology, and the mysteries and wonders of a small time circus - but Bradbury renders it all with the same loving detail and love of language that have made him one of the most distinguished American storytellers of the last half century. Recommended for a hot summer evening.