Shadow Show: All-New Stories in Celebration of Ray Bradbury

In Shadow Show, 26 acclaimed writers have come together to pay tribute to the work of the one and only Ray Bradbury with never before published stories inspired by the master. The incomparable literary artist who has given us such timeless classics as Fahrenheit 451, The Martian Chronicles, The Illustrated Man, and Dandelion Wine, is being honored by some of the most notable names in the writing world — including Neil Gaiman, Joe Hill, Audrey Niffenegger, Margaret Atwood, Alice Hoffman, Robert McCammon, and more — with new short fiction that thrills, frightens, moves, and dazzles in the great Bradbury tradition. Edited by Sam Weller and Mort Castle, with an introduction by the man, Ray Bradbury himself, Shadow Show pays well-deserved homage to one of America’s greatest, most celebrated authors.

"Ray Bradbury's recent death renders this loving tribute anthology — a 'homecoming' of 'fantastic brethren from all over the world,' as Bradbury writes in the introduction — all the more poignant. The nameless narrator of Neil Gaiman's 'The Man Who Forgot Ray Bradbury' has forgotten Bradbury's name, but not his stories. The heroine of Alice Hoffman's 'Conjure' has her destiny and her closest friendship changed by Something Wicked This Way Comes. Bonnie Jo Campbell tells the origin story of an illustrated man in 'The Tattoo,' and Bayo Ojikutu's 'Reservation' describes a dystopia that is a near cousin to that of Fahrenheit 451. Some of the best stories pay tribute in their evocation of Bradburyian themes: the vast possibilities and indescribable melancholy of childhood in Joe Hill's 'By the Silver Water of Lake Champlain,' the profundity of loss in John McNally's 'The Phone Call,' and the renewing power of storytelling in Robert McCammon's 'Children of the Bedtime Machine.' Bradbury biographer Weller and horror doyen Castle have produced a fine remembrance of a great writer, a deeply moving testament to his enduring appeal. (July)" Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

"Ray Bradbury is without a doubt, one of this, or any century's greatest and most imaginative writers. Shadow Show, a book of truly great stories, is the perfect tribute to America's master storyteller." Stan Lee, legendary comic book writer and former president and chairman of Marvel Comics

"Great new tales of imagination in the Bradbury tradition." Hugh Hefner, publisher and founder of Playboy Enterprises

"Shadow Show is a treasure-trove for Ray Bradbury enthusiasts as for all readers who are drawn to richly imaginative, deftly plotted, startlingly original and unsettling short fiction." Joyce Carol Oates, New York Times bestselling author

"This anthology reflects the high imagination, visionary ideas, and fantastic writing that Ray is loved and known for around the world." Former public school teacher, librarian, and First Lady Laura Bush

"Editorial interest and experience converge here to produce an exciting book." Booklist (starred review)

What do you imagine when you hear the name ...Bradbury?

You might see rockets to Mars. Or bizarre circuses where otherworldly acts whirl in the center ring. Perhaps you travel to a dystopian future, where books are set ablaze... or to an out-of-the-way sideshow, where animated illustrations crawl across human skin. Or maybe, suddenly, you're returned to a simpler time in small-town America, where summer perfumes the air and life is almost perfect... almost.

Ray Bradbury — peerless storyteller, poet of the impossible, and one of America's most beloved authors — is a literary giant whose remarkable career has spanned seven decades. Now twenty-six of today's most diverse and celebrated authors offer new short works in honor of the master; stories of heart, intelligence, and dark wonder from a remarkable range of creative artists.

Sam Weller is the authorized biographer of Ray Bradbury and a two-time Bram Stoker Award finalist. He is the author of The Bradbury Chronicles: The Life of Ray Bradbury (William Morrow, 2005), and Listen to the Echoes: The Ray Bradbury Interviews (Melville House Publishers/Stop Smiling Books, 2010). Weller has written for the Paris Review, National Public Radio, and is the former Midwest Correspondent for Publishers Weekly. His short fiction has been published in numerous journals and magazines.

Mort Castle is a horror author and a writing teacher who has published over 500 short stories. Twice a winner of the Black Quill award, seven times a Bram Stoker Award nominee, Castle edited On Writing Horror, the primary reference work for dark fiction authors. He lives near Chicago with Jane, his wife of 40 years.