A NEW RAY BRADBURY NOVELLA WHICH HE HAS BEEN WORKING ON FOR OVER 50 YEARS. THIS EDITION CONTAINS EARLY DRAFTS AND EXCERPTS AS WELL AS THE FINAL NOVELLA.
If I told you that you could obtain a copy of a brand new novella written by Ray Bradbury, would your jaw drop in disbelief? Believe me, when I received a review copy of SOMEWHERE A BAND IS PLAYING, I had to blink and rub my eyes several times. New original fiction from Ray Bradbury? YES! Turns out that Mr. Bradbury began working on this novella back in the 50s and has been tinkering and retooling for decades. And here it is, a gorgeously written and evocative tale that recalls his finest stories describing a sweet summertime America that few of us now remember, but for which all of us yearn. Such is the place called Summerton, where dandelion fluff sails on the warm June breezes and meadows of brilliant yellow sunflowers turn their bright faces toward the Arizona sun. Summerton is not on any map, but a reporter named James Cardiff is convinced he can find it because strange poetry about the place comes to him when he closes his eyes. Cardiff travels by train in search of a story about Summerton, and has to leap from the train as it slows, but doesn't stop, at an old station. Summerton lies hidden in the rural countryside, and it is a place of peace, perfection and beauty beyond dreams. The air is filled with the aroma of freshly baked bread, the streets are spotless, the townsfolk are smiling and friendly. Cardiff takes up residence in a huge Victorian boarding house called The Egyptian View Arms where he is greeted by the alluring proprietress, a young woman named Nefertiti. As Cardiff settles into the community, he starts to notice that things are slightly askew. There are no children at play in the well-tended yards. No doctors. No one seems to age. The reporter in Cardiff begins to suspect that the residents of Summerton are hiding something, and his instincts lead him to the town cemetery. Secrets lie hidden like ancient bones, secrets as silent as the nodding sunflower meadows, secrets that beautiful Nef can reveal to him. But the town of Summerton is due to be razed to make way for an interstate highway. Will Summerton's secrets be lost forever, or will Cardiff reveal what he finds to the world in the story he plans to write? SOMEWHERE A BAND IS PLAYING is Ray Bradbury working at the top of his powers in the dreamlike prose that made him famous. In true Gauntlet Press fashion, the lucky owner of this beautiful signed/limited volume receives many extras: a number of fragments of the story in progress, facsimile drawings and writings, early pages of the novella, and a wonderfully realized teleplay of the story. William F. Nolan of LOGAN'S RUN fame provides a particularly insightful and heartfelt introduction to this breathtaking new Bradbury work. SOMEWHERE A BAND IS PLAYING has been printed and will begin shipping soon, so click on the cover and purchase this signed, limited and exceptionally collectible piece of history before it is gone forever. --
J. L. Comeau, The Tomb of Dark Delights, 2007Ray Bradbury has done something rare among writers: He worked on the same manuscript - on and off - for more than 50 years. It was worth the wait.
SOMEWHERE A BAND IS PLAYING is an evocative, luminous story of reporter James Cardiff's discovery of a place called Summerton and one of its most beautiful residents, the elegant and lovely Nefertiti. Never mind that the town is not listed on any map, nor that the place didn't have any children. Cardiff suspects even stranger truths and senses that Neff can, if she chooses, reveal them to him. The story is riveting and the writing some of Bradbury's best. Accompanying the short novel are fragments of the book that he never finished and the start of script scrapped later, giving us a fascinating look at the process of creating fiction. William F. Nolan contributes a knowing and helpful introduction.
This is among Bradbury's best work. Gauntlet Press should be congratulated for bringing it out. And Brabdury should be thanked for writing it. -- Ed Gorman, Bookgasm, 2007
