The Long Rain

So I'm unsure what's going on with the player you posted because it shows up as a black bar, but then I don't use compatible browsers more often than not so maybe that's just me.

This started off so slowly. When the monster/storm came in, it was more interesting. I don't see why it took so long to name Picard. I also wonder the time period when this was written because I have trouble imagining men on Venus that weren't wearing space suits or something. The idea seems so novel today. When they got so excited, I knew something was going to be wrong in the dome. This isn't just sci-fi, it's like the end of the world for these men. Honestly, at the end I was pretty invested, I was raelly worried that he was just dreaming.

I'd rather read to someone than be read to I feel. I used audio books to put myself to sleep when staying in hotels and when I had my eye surgery a couple years back, so this is just what I've gotten used to. I feel like I might have liked this more in writing. I usually love short stories.


How'd you finally get to hear it? Sorry you didn't get full enjoyment, due to your prior experiece with audio books.

The slow start discussion here is interesting, but isn't that Bradbury setting the sci-fi scene?

On the ending--deliberately ambiguous, to leave the reader thinking--as it obviously did all of you.

This was actually written in the 60's--and a lot of that earlier sci fi is rougher than the stuff you've read.

He does set the scene. It almost seemed warlike, but I guess it's more nature vs. man than man vs. man. Or even alien vs. man in a sense, since even the nature of the planet is alien to the men.

Ah, yeah, true. I mean, Asimov seemed to cover his bases when it came to protection and such from his "I, Robot" stories, but I think that was also partly to really put the robots to work as he intended to be seen. I've decided I can manage with this, but a part of me is still blown that these men didn't even wear hats or something covering their heads if they knew they'd be in the rain.

So you played it in Windows Media Player? The most comprehensive work-around is to install and use Mozilla Firefox as your browser.

Interesting thoughts on the conflict here, but you get that the "slow" part is exposition--and setting it up as sci fi.

On the other thing, nice (and careful) contrast to Asimov, but isn't the lack of protection integral to the story? This gets off the sci fi as future elements, but Bradbury published the story in the late 40's, and the situation the characters are in mirrors in certain ways that of soldiers in the Pacific conflict during WWII.