The Playground
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Narrated by:
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Jonathan Davis
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By:
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Ray Bradbury
About this listen
The Playground was part of the first hardcover edition of Ray Bradbury's legendary work Fahrenheit 451, published in 1953. In the story, Charles Underhill is a widower who will do anything to protect his young son Jim from the horrors of the playground - a playground which he and the boy pass by daily and the tumult of which, the activity, brings back to Charles the anguish of his own childhood. The playground, like childhood itself, is a nightmare of torment and vulnerability; Charles fears his sensitive son will be destroyed there just as he almost was so many years ago.
Underhill's sister Carol, who has moved in to help raise the young boy after his mother passed away, feels differently. The playground, she believes, is preparation for life, Jim will survive the experience she feels, and he will be the better for it and more equipped to deal with the rigor and obligation of adult existence.Underhill is caught between his own fear and his sister's invocation of reason and feels paralyzed. A mysterious boy calls out to him from the playground, and seems to know all too well why Underhill is there and what the source of his agony really is. A mysterious Manager also lurks to whom the strange boy directs Underhill. An agreement can be made perhaps - this is what the boy tells Underhill. Perhaps Jim can be spared the playground, but of course, a substitute must be found.
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Early, not so good, Koontz
- By Michael on 02-15-15
By: Dean Koontz
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Fear
- By: L. Ron Hubbard
- Narrated by: Roddy McDowall
- Length: 2 hrs and 56 mins
- Abridged
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Professor James Lowry didn’t believe in spirits, or witches, or demons. Not until a gentle spring evening when his hat disappeared, and suddenly he couldn’t remember the last four hours of his life. Now, the quiet university town of Atworthy is changing - slightly at first, then faster and more frighteningly each time he tries to remember.
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The Best of Hubbard
- By JJ on 01-31-15
By: L. Ron Hubbard
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Black Wings
- Black Wings Series, Book 1
- By: Christina Henry
- Narrated by: Coleen Marlo
- Length: 7 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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As an Agent of Death, Madeline Black is responsible for escorting the souls of the dearly departed to the afterlife. It's a 24/7 job with a lousy benefits package. Maddy's position may come with magical powers and an impressive wingspan, but it doesn't pay the bills. And then there are her infuriating boss, tenant woes, and a cranky, popcorn-loving gargoyle to contend with. Things start looking up, though, when tall, dark, and handsome Gabriel Angeloscuro agrees to rent the empty apartment in Maddy's building
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Fallen Angels, Demons, and Nephilim... good start
- By A. Lund on 08-03-11
By: Christina Henry
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The Best Horror of the Year, Volume 4
- By: Ellen Datlow - author/editor, Stephen King, Peter Straub
- Narrated by: Meredith Mitchell, Rebecca Mitchell, Michael Healy, and others
- Length: 16 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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With tales from Laird Barron, Stephen King, John Langan, Peter Straub, and many others, and featuring Datlow’s comprehensive overview of the year in horror, now, more than ever, The Best Horror of the Year provides the petrifying horror fiction readers have come to expect - and enjoy.
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Only a few decent stories in this bunch.
- By Jerry on 12-06-14
By: Ellen Datlow - author/editor, and others
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Dead Set
- A Novel
- By: Richard Kadrey
- Narrated by: Kate Rudd
- Length: 7 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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After her father's funeral, Zoe moved to the big city with her mother to start over. But change always brings trials, and life in the city is not so easy. Money is tight, and Zoe's only escape, as has always been the case, is in her dreams - a world apart from her troubled real life where she can spend time with her closest companion: her lost brother, Valentine.
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Cool idea that wanders around.
- By Caseym on 04-03-16
By: Richard Kadrey
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Zombies: More Recent Dead
- By: Neil Gaiman, Carrie Vaughn, Caitlin R. Kiernan, and others
- Narrated by: Sean Pratt, Marguerite Gavin
- Length: 20 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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The living dead are more alive than ever! Zombies have become more than an iconic monster for the 21st century: They are now a phenomenon constantly revealing as much about ourselves - and our fascination with death, resurrection, and survival - as our love for the supernatural or post-apocalyptic speculation. Our most imaginative literary minds have been devoured by these incredible creatures and produced exciting, insightful, and unflinching new works of zombie fiction.
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A well blended mix
- By The Lone Mopper on 07-30-15
By: Neil Gaiman, and others
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Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher
- By: Bruce Coville
- Narrated by: Bruce Coville
- Length: 2 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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If Howard Morton and Freddie the Frog Killer were trying to hold you down so that Mary Lou Hutton could kiss you, you might run as fast as Jeremy Thatcher did the day he stumbled into Mr. Elives' Magic Shop. And if you stumbled into that strange shop, you, too, might be asked to make a choice. What would you buy? The Chinese rings? The Skull of Truth? Or the dragon's egg?
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love this book as a kid
- By Jamie wool on 11-16-17
By: Bruce Coville
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Hark! The Herald Angels Scream
- By: Christopher Golden - editor, Joe R. Lansdale, Scott Smith, and others
- Narrated by: Charles Constant, Teri Schnaubelt
- Length: 11 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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That there is darkness at the heart of the Yuletide season should not surprise. Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol is filled with scenes that are unsettling. The hideous children - Want and Ignorance - beneath the robe of the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. In the finest versions of this story, the best parts are the terrifying parts. Best-selling author and editor Christopher Golden shares his love for Christmas horror stories with this anthology of all-new short fiction from some of the most talented and original writers of horror today.
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Some good, some clunkers. Some fun, none scary.
- By Max Trivial on 12-24-18
By: Christopher Golden - editor, and others
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The Apocalypse Boxed Set Novels 1-3
- The Undead World Series
- By: Peter Meredith
- Narrated by: Basil Sands
- Length: 42 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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Greed, terrorism, and simple bad luck conspire to bring mankind to its knees as a viral infection spreads out of control, reducing those infected to undead horrors that feed upon the rest. It's a time of misery and death for most, however there are some who are lucky, some who are ruthless, and some who are just too damned tough to go down without a fight. This is their story.
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Worst writing and VO in HISTORY
- By kd on 11-25-20
By: Peter Meredith
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The Bad Place
- By: Dean Koontz
- Narrated by: Carol Cowan, Michael Hanson
- Length: 15 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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Frank Pollard awakens in an alley, knowing nothing but his name - and that he is in great danger. Having taken refuge in a motel, he wakes again only to find his hands covered in blood. As far as he knows, he's no killer. But whose blood is this, and how did it get there?
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THE BEST KOONTZ
- By Root VanDorn on 10-20-10
By: Dean Koontz
What listeners say about The Playground
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Bookcat
- 07-27-22
Thought provoking into parenting styles
Haha! What a wonderful example of how not to parent and its consequences; granted, this was a more literal interpretation, and only told from the father's POV.
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- Matthew C Conlan
- 08-13-22
Vintage Bradbury
3.5 of 5 stars.
Bradbury's beautiful writing could reside in many genres. His ability to use words to describe a character's awareness of surroundings as he deals with personal demons is on display in this strange tale. Written in 1953, this short story (not really SciFi, but more fantasy) doesn't have the great reveal we've often come to expect from modern fiction but seems well suited for the time it was written. Great for prose but average as an overall story.
The narrator gives a solid performance.
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- K. Jones
- 07-27-22
The trauma of childhood…
This story is about loss, fear, and the need to protect our children. In typical Bradbury style we see the soul of parental fears and the cruelty of childhood through the developmental lens. Written in 1953, we see the stark changes that have occurred in our society, and changes to our values and beliefs about what makes children strong and healthy. Gone are the days when children were free to learn to work out their conflicts with or without violence. Currently we believe that this is not necessary to healthy development. I’m not sure we now have it right. It seems that those before were made of stronger more resilient stuff than those we produce today. Just my thoughts. It is a thought provoking work. I enjoyed it.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Davidgonzalezsr
- 12-29-22
Bazinga
The Playground was my first introduction to Ray Bradbury and it was an okay short story. The narration by Jonathan Davis was great. The performance held my interest and I recommend the narrator.
Disclaimer: My enjoyment of the narrator is based on my listening speed. I only leave 5 stars for books I've listened to or will listen to multiple times.
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- Nothing really matters
- 07-22-15
Something more than just a creepy short story
This is a fantastic and spooky short story. It's got the really creepy feel you'd expect in a "spooky story", but it has another poignant element and works equally on another level.
[SPOILER ALERT] This is the story of a widower trying to protect his infant son from what turn out to be monstrous children on a diabolical playground. The story paints a picture of the father's desperation which leads him to undertake a fantastic sacrifice for his little boy.
When I read this story as a boy many years ago I connected with the bullied-kid-on-the-playground angle. Reading it today, being a middle-aged father, the story now resonates even more strongly with my paternal instincts. I completely understood and empathised with the father's need to protect his son regardless of the costs. The sacrifice the father accepts is a very touching element in an otherwise satisfyingly creepy tale.
Highly recommended.
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9 people found this helpful
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- Jami
- 12-24-15
Evil on the Playground
I liked this, but did not love it. I liked the writing and the imagery of the playground as being one of the evil and difficult childhood memories. However, the story line itself was somewhat predictable. This was a short story and if I say anymore I will give away the entire plot, so I'll stop here except to say that I thought that the narration was very good and I'm glad I listened to it on audio.
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4 people found this helpful
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- David C Taylor
- 01-24-23
You will never look at a playground the same!
As I began listening to The Playground, I was reminded of The Kick the Can episode of Twilight Zone, while they are similar in some respects, they are remarkably different. If there a continuum of stories about play or playgrounds The Playground and that Twilight Zone episode would serve as worthy bookends. Like any of Ray Bradbury’s short stories, The Playground grabs your interest right off and doesn’t let go until the very end. Jonathan Davis does an excellent job of narrating this story.
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- nancy
- 12-22-15
Amusing
As a kid I always loved watching Ray Bradbury Theater on tv. Now, I know reading (listening) to his stories is better. I think this one will take us all back to familiar childhood times. A great short, worth a listen.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Calliope
- 01-10-23
A good classic short story
I hadn't heard of this before I got it, but there was a sale that made short stories very well-priced so I tried it. It's short, but very worth it.
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- pamela
- 08-19-22
Not for me
I bought this on sale and was disappointed, even on sale it was not worth the money or time spent. No surprises, this ends just how you think it will and the journey was painful not entertaining. I seem to be in the minority so maybe it's just me but do yourself a favor and skip this one even if it is in the Plus Catalog.
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