There Will Come Soft Rains (1950) [pdf]

I’ll always upvote Bradbury; what a master. Isaac Asimov used to talk about “the big 3” of science fiction of his era: himself (natch), Arthur C Clarke, and Ray Bradbury. The more I read of all those cats, and boy have I read them, I came to see that Asimov was wrong, and that Bradbury was a different and better writer altogether.

Bradbury’s stories are about people, deeply real and deeply feeling people. This thread is young and already comments are about how Bradbury made folks feel. He was a humanist, like Ursula LeGuin, and less interested in exactly how the ray guns worked. Frank Herbert seems like this to me as well, very humane, opposite of Greg Bear and Kim Stanley Robinson and (later stage) Neal Stephenson.

If you love Bradbury then take a look at Ian McDonald. When I read “Rainmaker Cometh” for the first time I had to do a double-take, so sure I was that it was a new Bradbury story.

Re: There Will Come Soft Rains (1950) [pdf]

#7

Post by mrec » Thu, Feb 05, 2026, 8:07 PM UTC

sonofhans wrote: post #6

I’ll always upvote Bradbury; what a master. Isaac Asimov used to talk about “the big 3” of science fiction of his era: himself (natch), Arthur C Clarke, and Ray Bradbury. The more I read of all those cats, and boy have I read them, I came to see that Asimov was wrong, and that Bradbury was a different and better writer altogether. Bradbury’s stories are about people, deeply real and deeply feeling people. This thread…

> take a look at Ian McDonald

+1. I loved Desolation Road in particular; a sort of 100 Years of Solitude but on Mars and with more than 2 names for its 3000 characters.

Re: There Will Come Soft Rains (1950) [pdf]

#8

Post by srean » Thu, Feb 05, 2026, 8:15 PM UTC

sonofhans wrote: post #6

I’ll always upvote Bradbury; what a master. Isaac Asimov used to talk about “the big 3” of science fiction of his era: himself (natch), Arthur C Clarke, and Ray Bradbury. The more I read of all those cats, and boy have I read them, I came to see that Asimov was wrong, and that Bradbury was a different and better writer altogether. Bradbury’s stories are about people, deeply real and deeply feeling people. This thread…

Thank you for suggesting Ian Mcdonald, have not read any of his.

I absolutely rever and adore Bradbury, probably because he has a knack of articulating so well, the emotions and esthetics that we have in common, that I leave unarticulated, more so now that I am no longer a teenager.

Re: There Will Come Soft Rains (1950) [pdf]

#9

Post by focusedone » Thu, Feb 05, 2026, 8:16 PM UTC

wow

Re: There Will Come Soft Rains (1950) [pdf]

#10

Post by pixl97 » Thu, Feb 05, 2026, 8:18 PM UTC

aebtebeten wrote: post #2

the soviet cartoon version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LNHYz89sNc

Did the wall clock say 2027? There still time for our in house robots then.