The Cat's Pajamas: Stories

This book is a collection of magical stories. Ray Bradbury writes with eloquence, and all his stories touch the heart. His intelligent, welcoming, and transporting style of writing never ceased to amaze me as I slid myself into the pages of this book day after day. Better than just inducing amusement or entertainment, these stories made me think about my world, my relationships, and myself. This is a wonderful collection of tales that will stand the test of time. It's a tremendous work of contemporary literary art.

Ray Bradbury has been writing short stories for the better part of 60 years. Most of his work is going to last a long long time after his death. Even the material that does not move into the future is still better than 95% of what is now available. The collection proves the rule. The Cat's Pajamas is a collection of his work for the entirety of his career. It could alsmost be called a greatest hits, except only two stories have been previously published. So this is not his "best" work. The problem with this statement is that there is not a miss among the stories. Everyone is a winner and that is not easy. "The House" was written in 1948 is every bit as fresh today as when he wrote it and it holds up against "The Cat's Pajamas" from 2003. Bradbury is still chasing the metaphor and it is a good thing for us that he still does. He still has the power. One thing that should not be missed is his introduction. Bradbury writes about the death of this wife and the reader finds out that she was his muse. It is very short and touching at the same time. Highly Recommended.

There are some great stories in Ray Bradbury's latest collection. Not every piece included here is top-drawer stuff, but there's more than enough that is to make the book worth your time. One of my favorites was the light-hearted but still relevant "Hail to the Chief," about twelve drunk senators gambling away every state of the union one at a time at an Indian casino. Some of Bradbury's later work may be too allegorical or not gritty enough for modern sensibilities, but it's clear from the better stories included here that Bradbury hasn't lost the spark of imagination that has ignited the hearts and minds of readers for more than half a century.

Ray Bradbury is the consummate short story writer of the twentieth century, and this due in large part to the remarkable sense of time and place that he brings to his work. Pick up a copy of "The Illustrated Man" or "The October Country" or "Dandelion Wine" and you will immediately find yourself nostalgic for a time and place that maybe never was. Moreover, his ability to tie his collections together with common thematic elements makes reading any one of these books feel like something greater than the sum of its parts. "The Cat's Pajama's" however, is a collection that spans some sixty years of his writing, and as such, the stylistic and thematic elements that usually lend cohesion to Bradbury's collections are noticeably absent. The result is a book better nibbled at than devoured. The lack of cohesion can be jarring, and in some ways distracts from the quality of the individual works, but when properly approached, these stories are everything a Bradbury fan could want. This eclectic collection features some vintage Bradbury, as well as some interesting departures. Examples of the former are the classically creepy "Sometime Before Dawn" and the quirky science fiction of the "Mafioso Cement-Mixing Machine". While written some fifty years apart, they nonetheless share Bradbury's classic sense of style and timing. At the opposite end of the spectrum is the satirical "Hail to the Chief" in which some bad bets reverse five hundred years of American history, and the powerful, but definitely unexpected look at a marriage in "Where's My Hat, What's My Hurry?". Other highlights include the noir-ish "A Careful Man Dies", as well as "The Ghosts" which explores the supernatural in a way only Bradbury can. "The Transformation" is a remarkably blunt (given that it was written in 1948) look at racial prejudice and violence in the south, albeit from a startlingly different angle. Finally, there are the touchingly sweet "The Cats Pajamas" and "(A Remembrance)" the latter of which is most reminiscent the bittersweet nostalgia of "Dandelion Wine". There are a few head-scratchers in this collection, mostly because of an overabundance of ambition for a short work rather than flawed premise. However, overall "The Cat's Pajama's" is a unique retrospective on the evolution of Bradbury's work. As such, it is a real treat for longtime fans, but also a great introduction for new readers. Jake Mohlman

What do you think the odds are that a guy who started writing sci-fi stories for 1 cent a word would end up one of the greatest writers of the 20th and 21st centuries? Well, Ray has. And, despite a stroke, despite the loss of his wife, he's still at it, doing what he loves best: WRITING. And this is a very good collection of his stories. And, God love him, I hope he keeps on as long as he is able. His stories have changed my life. Even though I've never had a chance to meet him, God bless you, Ray Bradbury. You are one of a kind.