Quicker than the eye Book

As far as genre fiction goes, this short story collection is good writing. Adverbs are nonexistent, adjectives are seldom used, there is creative usage of verbs, and exposition is minimal without any info dumping. All kudos and probably why I was able to read the collection.

Sadly, although there is nothing wrong technically with these stories, they are all fluff. There is nothing to make you stop and think, simply no room for contemplation. They are a fast-paced read with clever plotlines that are revealed at the end of each story. In no single story did I care about any of the characters or the events they experienced. It is rather sad to see a writer who can clearly express his ideas well focus solely on the plot and not bother to let a reader actually care for something more. And on plot, many of the stories lingered in the realm of ghosts, in one way or another. So, that type of fantasy story needs to appeal to the reader.

The afterword by Bradbury irritated me to no end. He came across as so full of himself and his abilities that it was a total turn off. The focus is on his enthusiasm for writing but with the message that 'speed is everything,' well sorry to say, but BS. Yes, the pacing is important, but if that is the only focus, then this collection is the result: a mediocre, superficial, cleverly plotted collection of short stories with no character. The stories may be technically contrived, but they are artistically deprived.