Bradbury was a prolific writer of speculative fiction, incorporating elements of science fiction and dystopian fiction into his work. Among his other notable works is Fahrenheit 451, a novel set in a dystopian future in which books are outlawed and burned. He is also known for his short story collections.

“There Will Come Soft Rains” was published in the May 1950 edition of Collier’s Magazine. It appeared in a revised version in Bradbury’s novel The Martian Chronicles. The Martian Chronicles is an early example of the “novel in stories” or the “fix-up” novel. The chapters of these novels are individual short stories that share some commonality, giving them a novel-like structure. Authors like Bradbury often published the chapters of such novels first as short stories before collating them as novel chapters.

Although this guide focuses on the version of the story that appears in The Martian Chronicles, there are several differences between the two versions. The Collier’s version contains a short passage at the beginning of the story describing the lives of the house’s inhabitants before the explosion that incinerated their city. The married couple and their two children lived contently among domestic comforts such as “books that talked” (34) and “beds that warmed and made themselves” (34).