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Join us for Tales From The Library: A new connect book review club in the Virtual Coffee Shop. Every Thursday at 3PM we will explore a new book and tale from various different writers. Read the book in advance or listen to our available audio recordings of the stories and then join us for a chat about the story and its deeper themes and meanings. Book recordings will be made available on the Wednesday before the Connect Group chat. Sign up below in order to take part and access the books.

BOOK LIBRARY: Check out the full library of our other books and Audio books.

The Flying Machine by Ray Bradbry

This week in The Tales from the Library Book Club we will be reading the short (very short) story by Ray Bradbury 'The Flying Machine'.

"What is the life of one man against those of a million others?"

The story tells of an emperor of China in A.D 400, who is informed one day by his servant that there is a strange man in the sky who appears to be flying! The setting of Bradbury's story in ancient China is unusual for his stories, which typically are set at some point in an indeterminate future. Interestingly however despite the stories past setting, it does speak directly of the future, or more accurately of our concerns for the future to come.

This short tale reflects on the value of life itself, and on the nature of creation and invention. 

This story was published in 'The Golden Apples of the Sun' in 1953

Listen to the above audio book version of the story or you can read the book online here:

The Flying Machine by Ray Bradbury (online book)

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