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Summary: Martian Chronicles
Review: An inspirational look into the future is what best describes this sci-fi classic. It is not written like a normal book, but rather like a journal. It chronicles the human colonization of Mars. In the book, man conquers the martians the second he arrived. But who conquered who? Mars did, with its vast mountains and anchient cities that overwhelemed man. The wonders of human civilization become plunders, as Earth is erradicated by war. Mars becomes the new home for man. Is this a sci-fi book? Some may say yes, but I think it is something much deeper than those usual, cheap, garbage, sci-fi books that are for some reason so popular among the mainstream society. It is an interesting look inside human life. Our good and bad side. Ray Bradbury is a very original writer. It is no surprise that he is one of the best sci-fi writers of all time. I truly enjoyed his writing. Although this is one of his best books, I would advise that you read Farenheit 451 because it is also a true classic. No sci-fi fan should not miss this book.
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Summary: Nevermind the Germans
Review: The German students obviously don't have a decent grasp on the english language. This is here to nullify their review. I'm no fan of sci fi, but not being able to read the language doesn't mean the book is bad.
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Summary: Be still my heart!
Review: How could anything be more perfect? Ray Bradbury reads The Martian Chronicles, and adds addendums as he tells you them! Just the thought makes me excited (but not too excited, y'know?). *SIGH!*
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Summary: Satire Under Flimsy Disguise
Review: Back in high school, in between reading Les Miserables and A Separate Peace for classes, I slipped into the covers of The Martian Chronicles. Yes, some of it seems outdated, and Bradbury seems to view the colonization of Mars under Manifest Destiny, i.e., American expansion, but the stories could've been written yesterday. And the images are fresh and vivid, like holograms that melt like wax and people seeing the plumes of fire from the blue marble. These descriptions are fresh and vivid. One can read this as a novel or as a collection of short stories, which is originally what Bradbury intended. I love this book so much!
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Summary: Its glory has faded with time...
Review: The first time I read this book, a few years ago, I loved it and I worshipped Ray Bradbury. I found it profound and funny and sad and everything a good book should be and then some.The second time I read it...not so much. Maybe I'm getting older and more cynical. His bright-eyed enthusiasm and innocence is still refreshing, but the bemoaning of All We've Ruined gets a little old. And I find it a little disturbing that he repeatedly kills off the boring close-minded characters... like they don't deserve to live. And we haven't lost our imaginations and this planet isn't done for -- yet. Amazing how such an enthusiastic optimist can have so little hope. There are still gems and beauty here. The best thing about it is that it's not at all what you expect from the title(an effect clearly lost the second time through) and the absurdity of man is wonderfully funny at times. I guess I mostly just wish it didn't harp on the same things story after story. [...]
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Summary: I, Mars
Review: Ray Bradbury wrote a lot of short stories set on Mars. 'The Martian Chronicles' collects most of them together in one book (missing out 'I, Mars', in which the last man on Mars automates a town in order to combat loneliness, and 'Dark they were, and Golden Eyed') arranged so as to form a loose story which, in typical Bradbury style, is actually about America, and not Mars at all. Bradbury is a writer first and a sci-fi writer second, and if you're expecting endless descriptions of nuclear propulsion you probably won't like this book. Because of this, it's one of the few sci-fi books from the period that hasn't dated. It's also one of the ultimate downers, but in a good way - the general tone is one of loneliness and despair, without being doomy. It's a shame that, judging by the lack of reviews, this book is so obscure nowadays, especially compared to his contemporaries Isaac Asimov and Arthur C. Clarke, neither of whom have aged as well.
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Summary: A surprisingly great book.
Review: I began "The Martian Chronicles" as an assignment for an English class. This was required Summer reading, and my peers who had already completed the book were quick to tell me how boring, pointless and confusing it was. As I read the first few chapters, I was sure it was going to be one of the worst books I would ever read. I am glad to say that I was plesantly surprised. I was truly drawn to this futuristic tale, and there were chapters I loved so much that I read them again and again my favorite being "There will come soft rains". It's easy to see why this book is such a classic. I highly reccomend it.
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Summary: "The Martian Chronicles" - a student review
Review: We, an English course at a German Gymnasium, rate the book, The Martian Chronicles, a two because the structure of the book seemed quite confusing to us. Despite this fact we all liked the first couple of chapters a whole lot since the idea of settling a foreign planet was shown in an exciting way. After reading half through the book most of us put it away because from now on the stories got boring... Most of us found the effort of reading 308 pages a waste of time!
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Summary: Great book for sci-fi lovers, but hard to get into
Review: At the beginning, it was very confusing, because I had no idea what was going on. The first time a "main character" was about to be killed(in the first story) I thought, he can't die now, it's only page 5(or something like that). Then he died, and I was like, well, what is the rest of the book supposed to be like then?! I soon found out that there were many different stories. I don't particularly like sci-fi novels, but this one was pretty entertaining, I have to admit. It was kinda neat how when the author wrote this book(around the 1950's, I think) he thought that by the year 2000, people would actually be visiting and living on Mars. If you liked Fahrenheit 451, you'll like this book.
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Summary: One of the best Science Fiction works
Review: I read Martian Chronicles not knowing what to expect. I had found it on a list of books i had to chose from, read, and write a report on. At first I found some of the stories (or chapters, or diary entries if you wish to call them that) quite odd. The one involving the man who met the martians that would manifest strange things like nude flame women that would crawl out of their mouths. Yet as odd as it was, I couldn't put it down. I just kept reading, and in the end, I enjoyed every moment of it. It's one of those books that really gets you thinking. It helps you realize the brutality of the human way, and that is an important thing for all to be aware of. Because of that, I rate it as one of the best science fiction books of all time. One of sci-fi's most noted autors, Phil Dick, said that science fiction isn't science fiction becuase it has spaceships, takes place in the future, and has advanced technology. That is simply just a story that takes place in the future where technology became more abundant. He said that science fiction is much more deep and always has a metaphor of some sort, a relationship with life itself, that makes it much more deep in meaning. This story is a shinning example of that. I recomend Martian Chronicles to anyone and everyone. Even if you don't know how to appreciate great science fiction, you may still learn from it for what it is. Ray Bradbury's writing style itself would also warrant you to getting this book. He's an excelent author that can not only weave an incredible tale, but he can do it in such a way that the words flow smooth like wine and never sound awkward, always welcoming you to continue on with the journey that he has set forth on paper. Now that I've told you how great it is, GO GET THIS BOOK!
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