One More for the Road is a collection of 18 new stories from the pen of one of the finest – Ray Bradbury. The stories cover a wide range of topics from a 50th Anniversary School Reunion to a chance meeting by a golf course. One thing the do all have in common, however, is the inarguable writing quality. Many of the tales defy categorisation. You cannot pigeonhole them as "horror" or "fantasy". They are stories, plain and simple. And yet they are actually far from simple. Each tale has a poignancy that shines through. You are left feeling almost breathless as you finish reading each one.

Often when I review short stories I like to pick out my favourites from a collection and detail why I like them so much. In the case of One More for the Road this was an extremely difficult task. However, I will do my best.

The very first story in the book, "First Day", is possibly one of the most poignant. It is September 14th, first day of school. Years earlier 4 school friends took a blood oath to meet up, 50 years in the future, in front of the school. The story is told from the point of view of one of the schoolboys, Charlie, who is worried in case the others fail to show up for their appointment. As he travels to the rendezvous he thinks about his life and wonders what the meeting will bring.

Another favourite is "The Nineteenth". A man sees an elderly gentleman collecting lost golf balls at the side of the road and strikes up a conversation. Without giving any more away I have to say that this story, out of the whole book, was the tale that brought a lump to my throat.

If I have to pick the one story that really captured my imagination it has to be "The Laurel and Hardy Alpha Centauri Farewell Tour". Not only does this story win the "intriguing title" competition it has to be the most original premise.

As mankind ventured further and further from the Earth people began to suffer from a mysterious condition called "The Loneliness". As more and more people descended into a depression it was clear that something was needed to lift the spirits. It was then that the decision was made to resurrect Laurel and Hardy. They toured the various outposts with their vaudeville-style act and people began to laugh once more. However, fundamentalists decided that to bring these two comedians back from the dead was sacrilegious and set out with the sole intention of destroying Stan and Ollie.

I loved everything about this story. In particular I like the idea that when Stan and Ollie were originally resurrected they looked like normal people but after a number of complaints the scientists recalled them and converted them into black and white images...

All in all this is a superb collection. Some are science fiction, some are straight fiction. All are beautifully written and completely riveting. I have been a fan of Ray Bradbury for many years and I am please to see that this latest work has maintained his usual high quality writing.