Pillar of Fire: Classic Book Guide and Free Edition
Pillar of Fire: author and translator credits, catalogue synopsis, subjects and links to the Gutenberg reading formats.
Pillar of Fire is catalogued by Project Gutenberg with author credits for Bradbury, Ray (1920–2012).
Catalogue synopsis
Project Gutenberg supplies this automated synopsis of the opening text:
"Pillar of Fire" by Ray Bradbury is a science fiction novella written in the mid-20th century. This thought-provoking work delves into themes of death, resurrection, and the human condition, exploring what it means to be both alive and dead in a technologically advanced but emotionally barren future. The narrative follows William Lantry, a dead man who rises to find himself in a world that no longer acknowledges death, where corpses are incinerated rather than buried, and the very notion of being dead is considered archaic. The story is propelled by William Lantry’s grotesque awakening as the last known dead man in a society that has eradicated the existence of the dead. Filled with resentment and a burning need for connection, Lantry grapples with his existence in this antiseptic future, where death is treated as an embarrassing inconvenience. As he navigates the brightly-lit world and its inhabitants, he clings to his hatred, which fuels his desire to create companions from the dead. Confronted with the absurdity of his reality, Lantry's journey becomes a desperate attempt to reclaim the concept of death and make others recognize it. Ultimately, however, he learns that the dead do not conform to his fantasies—nobody in this reality believes in the resurrection he longs for, leaving him isolated in a world that refuses to acknowledge his plight.
Book and edition facts
- Title: Pillar of Fire
- Author credits: Bradbury, Ray (1920–2012)
- Catalogue language: English
Catalogue subjects
- Horror tales
- Murderers -- Fiction
- Science fiction
Gutenberg collections
- Category: American Literature
- Category: Novels
- Category: Science-Fiction & Fantasy
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View the complete Gutenberg catalogue record. Project Gutenberg identifies this edition as public domain in the United States; that designation does not establish its copyright status in every country.
Source notes
Catalogue metadata is public domain and is supplied through Gutendex, which imports Gutenberg's machine-readable catalogue. The automated synopsis is source-supplied, not an independently verified review. Author dates above describe the credited people; no ebook release date is presented as the book's original publication date.
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