There's not really any rhyme or reason to my Ray Bradbury reading order. Having decided to read all of his books, I'm just reading them as I happen to get ahold of a copy. This time the library happened to have "Now and Forever" on the shelves. (To anyone else in Hampshire trying to read Ray Bradbury books, I'm really sorry. If you can't find them at the library, it's probably because they're at my house.)
"Now and Forever" is actually two unrelated stories published together.
The first is "Somewhere a Band is Playing". This story has a feeling of timelessness which fits with the theme of the story. Is it possible for people to stop aging? If so, what would their lives be like? It's a slow-paced, understated bit of writing, but I enjoyed it.
The second story is "Leviathon '99". This story is Bradbury's scifi adaptation of "Moby Dick". I don't regret reading it, but I'm honest enough to admit that this is my least favorite of Bradbury's work (at least that I've read so far). I have a feeling Bradbury knew it wasn't his strongest piece as well because this story has been through a lot of different versions and revisions. Rather than being satisfied with it, I feel like he just gave up and published it so that his time wouldn't be wasted. As an author it's a little bit reassuring to realize that Bradbury has his off moments too, and that not every single thing he writes blows my socks off. It makes me hope that in my very imperfect writings I'll still be able to create something meaningful and enjoyable.
Only 55 more Ray Bradbury books to go.
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