Now and Forever (2007)

Now and Forever (2007)

Author: Ray Bradbury  |  Page Count: 240

'For even the thundering rocket, which rips the soul on Earth, walks silently some few miles high, treads the stars without footfall, as if in awe of the great cathedral of space.'

The book contains two previously unpublished Ray Bradbury novellas, both of which are preceded by a short introduction from the author, just a few pages in length, giving a brief but welcome insight into some of the circumstances, people, or locations that influenced each story's genesis and evolution. Thereafter the stories themselves do the work, split into perfectly structured chapters, not too short and not too long.

The first novella is titled Somewhere a Band is Playing, a bittersweet story set in a small town in Arizona. The second is Leviathan '99, set far above any town, aboard a ship in deep space. They're really quite different from each other, but both are thoroughly entertaining.

Somewhere a Band is Playing

A lone traveller arrives in Summerton, Arizona, a quiet, remote town with a small but friendly population. But Summerton has an odd secret that the traveller strives to uncover.

When Bradbury describes the town and its inhabitants it's like taking a woodland ramble on a quiet autumn morn; you can rush through it effortlessly or you can take your time, pause at opportune moments to look around and appreciate the beauty of your surroundings. There are words, sentences, paragraphs so perfect that it'd be a crime against literature not to take note of the organic way in which everything complements everything else. It's a beautiful thing.

There's an excellent chapter in the latter half that made me feel once again the pangs of loss that I experience when I'm reminded that Ray is gone from the world. But also, luckily, it contained a phrase that suddenly made the sadness less emptying. His remarkable ability to reach inside a reader's heart and stir their emotions so acutely is a gift given and gratefully received.

It comes to a bittersweet end on page 135. Once upon a time that figure would've been considered enough to be called a novel and not a novella, but the formatting is such that it could've easily come in at less than 100 if it had been typeset more efficiently - all of which means that, yes, the publisher has stretched it to a page count higher than was necessary.

Leviathan '99

It's Herman Melville's Moby Dick (1851) novel re-imagined, first-person but filtered through Bradbury's lyrical mind and relocated to space as a rocket-ship adventure. The whale is a monstrous comet with a great white tail, as referenced on the book's cover art.

Unusually for a Bradbury story the dialogue is where the most affecting observations are found; typically, for me, at least, it's more often housed in the descriptive passages.

There's an odd turn of events near the end that I wasn't completely swept along by, but it justified itself accordingly, so I can see why it was used as a device.

The introduction to Leviathan '99 is a fascinating read in itself. I won't go into details, but will say that as a fan of Christoper Lee I'm now determined to seek out the BBC Radio play version.