Pillar of Fire

Written by Ray Bradbury

Narrated by B. J. Harrison

300 years after his death, William Lantry awakes from his coffin. One thing is very clear to him – this sterile world without superstition, fear, or imagination must be destroyed. ¶Ray Bradbury was one of the best-known writers of our time. He was a master storyteller, a champion of creative freedom, and a space-age visionary. He was a close friend of Ray Harryhausen, the stop motion special effects pioneer. Bradbury’s most noteworthy works include The Martian Chronicles, Fahrenheit 451, and Something Wicked This Way Comes. “Pillar of Fire” was originally released in the summer issue of the fiction magazine Planet Stories in 1948.

• Language: English
• Publisher: B.J. Harrison
• Release date: Jun 13, 2021
• ISBN: 9781950524808

Ray Bradbury

Ray Bradbury (22 August 1920 – 5 June 2012) published some 500 short stories, novels, plays and poems since his first story appeared in Weird Tales when he was twenty years old. Among his many famous works are 'Fahrenheit 451,' 'The Illustrated Man,' and 'The Martian Chronicles.'

Reviews for Pillar of Fire

[Danielle Whitney · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

Plot: William Lantry awakens hundreds of years after his death when his body is one of many removed from a cemetery for disposal. William is at first confused by this new world, with it's strong moral code, and lack of violence and lying; then, a burning rage lights inside of him and he decides that all of these futuristic people do not deserve to live...

Genre: Science fiction, supernatural.

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Thoughts While Reading:
Thoughts at 100%:
1. This was an unusual story, but an interesting one. I was rooting for Lantry, but also happy when his reign of destruction was put to a stop. I don't want to give too much away, but for a short sci-fi novella, this ticked all the boxes, and had a clear beginning, middle, and end (so many novellas don't seem to which drives me insane).

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Conclusion and Recommendation:
I'm giving this 3.5 stars rounded down to 3. This might not sound like a good rating, but I don't give novellas as high ratings as full length novels just due to the fact that they can't have as much anything (character development, plot, etc. etc.). Still, this is worth a listen even just for the thought provoking nature of the story.

[Justin · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Really don't appreciate the over-emoting of the narrator. The emphasis he gives to the most banal lines is incredibly jarring.

[Wayne Gile · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What a delightfully macabre story! Bradbury manages to channel Lovecraft and Poe all the while making the story very much a Bradbury masterpiece. The concept was original , the imagery was wonderful and the pace was perfect. I don’t know how I’ve managed to not have read this before. As the story moved along I feared that the ending would disappoint ( the only disappointment was that it ended) but it did not disappoint It will be a Halloween tradition for me from now on.

[Kinley · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

An excellent "throw back" to "soft" macabre from Ray Bradbury.

[bnielsen_30 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Indeholder "Straf uden forbrydelse", "Puppe", "Medicin mod melankoli", "Ægteskabsfornyeren", "I tidens flugt", "Parykken", "Den første aften i fastetiden", "Hele sommeren på en dag", "Det store sammenstød sidste mandag", "De små mus", "Jordbær-vinduet", "Dagen med evig regn", "Kvinden der skreg", "Ildsøjlen"."Straf uden forbrydelse" handler om ???"Puppe" handler om ???"Medicin mod melankoli" handler om ???"Ægteskabsfornyeren" handler om ???"I tidens flugt" handler om ???"Parykken" handler om ???"Den første aften i fastetiden" handler om ???"Hele sommeren på en dag" handler om ???"Det store sammenstød sidste mandag" handler om ???"De små mus" handler om ???"Jordbær-vinduet" handler om ???"Dagen med evig regn" handler om ???"Kvinden der skreg" handler om ???"Ildsøjlen" handler om ???