There Will Come Soft Rains Summary
Ray Bradbury

There Will Come Soft Rains Overview

"There Will Come Soft Rains" is a Ray Bradbury science fiction short story. It was first published in 1950, in Collier's magazine and in Bradbury's short story collection, The Martian Chronicles. The story is centered on a house imbued with so much "smart" technology that it functions as the story's protagonist. The personified house stands by itself, empty, in a heavily-bombed landscape; it is the lone "survivor" of nuclear war. The action of the story is centered on the house's efforts to maintain order and control despite the extraordinary circumstances. Bradbury uses the short story to provoke questions about technology, nature, and war. There are minor differences in detail between the Collier's and the Martian Chronicles versions of "There Will Come Soft Rains," and the Collier's version begins with a preface that is omitted in The Martian Chronicles version. The Martian Chronicles version, the later of the two, is generally accepted today as Bradbury's final version. Aside from an updating of the dates within the story, The Martian Chronicles version has remained stable throughout several editions.