Dinosaur Tales

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Summary: Dinosaur Tales by Ray Bradbury
Review: A collection of short stories and poetry by renowned sci-fi author Ray Bradbury- the author of 'Fahrenheit 451', and the classic fifties monster flick "Twenty Million Miles to Earth". Includes "So you want to be a dinosaur when you grow up?" and the excellent "A Sound of Thunder". Beautiful illustrations by a number of esteemed fantasy artists. Contains possibly the best description of a T-Rex in the whole of literature. Move over Michael Crichton!

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Summary: The butterfly effect
Review: After watching the movie "The Butterfly Effect", a friend of mine told me that Ray Bradbury had done something similar and much better in a short tale called "A Sound of Thunder". Since I like Bradbury's work a lot this friend lent this Bradbury anthology.

Bradbury's science fiction is not for everyone. Some readers may find his work too philosophical and sometimes hard. And these qualities are what I like best in his writings. The anthology "Dinosaur Tales" is a good example of some themes that he tackles with in his short stories and novels. And, in this book specifically there is a big plus, the illustrations made by some of the best illustrators in the world.

My favorite tale in the book --and probably the best and most famous-- is "A Sound of Thunder". This tells the story of a safari to the future of a group of people who will hunt dinosaurs, book something wrong happens. It is short, more or less 30 pages, but it is so profound and well written, and that is very moving and even scary if we come to think that it can be true some day. Moreover, it rises so many questions that it is a wonderful tale to read in a group and discuss afterwards. By the way, the line I used in the title refers to this story.

The other tales are quite good too, and also there are two poems that are great. But, like I aforementioned, one of the big plus of this edition are the illustrations made by Moebius, Jim Steranko, William Stout, Kenneth Smith, David Wiesner, Overton Lloyd and Gaham Wilson. All of them have many credits as illustrators and their drawings are unique, and give Bradbury's tales the real dimension of their narratives. In the poem "Lo, the Dear Daft Dinosaurs!" Lloyd's illustration are kind of dream-like abstract, showing a beautiful ballet.

This anthology is a great way of discovering Bradbury's narratives. And since dinosaurs are such a fascinating theme for youngsters, this book comes highly recommended to young readers.

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Summary: Some of the Best Sci-Fi Ever Written
Review: Ray Bradbury is one of the masters of science fiction. His stories were literate, imaginative, and have left a lasting mark on American culture. "Dinosaur Tales" is a collection of several of Bradbury's short stories and poems about dinosaurs with illustrations by Moebius. The stories and illustrations evoke a sense of wonder. It was nice to see dinosaurs drawn in a mythic way. This helped to give the stories a timeless feel. This is a collection of poems and stories about people and their themes remain as strong today as when they were originally written.

Rating:
Summary: Some of the Best Sci-Fi Ever Written
Review: Ray Bradbury is one of the masters of science fiction. His stories were literate, imaginative, and have left a lasting mark on American culture. "Dinosaur Tales" is a collection of several of Bradbury's short stories and poems about dinosaurs with illustrations by Moebius. The stories and illustrations evoke a sense of wonder. It was nice to see dinosaurs drawn in a mythic way. This helped to give the stories a timeless feel. This is a collection of poems and stories about people and their themes remain as strong today as when they were originally written.

Rating:
Summary: Emotional impact...
Review: There was one story in particular in this book that had a profound effect on me. There have been a few stories that I have read in my life that even upon recollection have been so cool and groundbreaking in their execution or vision that they bring tears to my eyes. It's not that I'm sad or anything, but they're so amazing that my eyes water. The story in this book that did that was about a company that charged people to go back in time to hunt dinosaurs. Sounds simple, but the execution and the twist are just sweet. Another story like that was "The Star" in "The Super Hugos", which was a short story by Arthur C. Clarke. Check that out as well.

Rating:
Summary: Good collection
Review: This might be a good way to deal with a little kid's "dinosaur phase." It's a short collection of Ray Bradbury stories and poems, and this edition is illustrated with six different artists' work and Bradbury's foreword from the eighties.

"Besides a Dinosaur, Whatta Ya Wanna Be When You Grow Up?" features a young boy who wants to be a dinosaur when he grows up -- with bizarre results. "A Sound of Thunder" follows a time-travel safari that goes horribly wrong. The eerie "Fog Horn" calls a strange, ancient creature. "Tyrannosaurus Rex" is involved in filmmaking, and the two poems "Lo, the Dear Daft Dinosaurs!" and "What If I Said, The Dinosaur's Not Dead" add a note of whimsy to it.

As with all Bradbury story collections, this is a pretty unusual bunch of stories -- there's humor, there's horror (the second story in particular) and dwelling on children in the Midwest with that odd knack he seems to have. The writing is spare and hard-hitting, and the publisher, ibooks, adds to the entertainment with illustrations. The cover art is the best, very bright and colorful. Inside the text of the stories is often lined with smaller pictures and patterns; the illustrations can be weird and funny, or realistic and almost frightening. The only letdown was Moebius's rather childlike illustrations.

If you have a kid who's obsessed by dinosaurs, or ever were one yourself (fess up! Everyone does it!) then this will be a good collection of dinosaur stories to share. And even if you already have this book in another edition, you may want to get it just for the illustrations.