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Summary: Illustrating Human Nature
Review: Sometimes it's hard to remember that Ray Bradbury approaches the art of the short story in a very unconventional way. His collections of short stories are often tied together by common sub-themes or settings, although each story could also stand on its own. Such is the case here, though the running theme to the Illustrated Man collection is mostly an abstraction. Apparently the stories here are told by a man's haunted tattoos, but don't worry about that too much. The true theme holding this group of stories together is examinations of human nature and mankind's place in the universe. Bradbury's frequent use of Mars (and occasionally other planets) as a setting, with the obligatory spaceships and technology, is merely his method of creating alternate realities to bring human nature into bold relief. Bradbury's classic examinations of the dark and melancholy side of humanity are well represented here as always, with his trademark poetic writing style and underlying sense of creeping dread. The classic virtual reality tale "The Veldt" is found here, with the typical misuse-of-technology theme presented in an unexpectedly haunting fashion. More evidence that the stock sci-fi themes are merely a thin backdrop can be seen in "The Other Foot," a chilling examination of race relations; or "The Rocket," which deals with the yearning of regular people to reach beyond the confines of Earth. Other winning stories include "Kaleidoscope" and "The Long Rain" which are haunting tales of how human nature can still undermine the greatest achievements of cold technology. So don't concern yourself with the typical sci-fi backdrop, and get in tune with what Ray Bradbury is really talking about.
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Summary: The Illustrated Man By:Ray Bradbury
Review: The Illustrated Man is an exciting science fovction book, filled with many short stories, one of my favorite stories in the book is the "Rocket Man," a young boy named James finds out what it's like to be an astonaunt. A boy who never gets the chanced to see his father, but James heard about his fathers conflicts with his job and his family. Another story I have enjoyed is "Kaleidiscope," this is where Applegate, a young farm boy, is looking through a kaleidiscope. He eventually finds a shipgoing down in space. You have lto pay very close attention to the book because it does get a little confusing. I would just recommend this book to serious readers and who are atleast 13 years old. This book klis filled kwith conflicts, such as "Vedle," a daycare center goes bad, bytaking the lives of young babies, find out what happens yourself. I gave this book a four and a half stars, because it was very confusing, but fun. So if you get the chance to read a good book, read this book.I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did.
Rating:
Summary: Bradbury is a master storyteller
Review: These are stories that go beyond "science fiction." The technology aspects are part of the canvas, but these stories are powerful because Bradbury paints with emotion and metaphor. He builds more empathy with characters in a few short words than other authors do in an entire novel, and his descriptions return us to a time when we were young, and simple objects filled us with awe and wonder. There is something here for everyone. Read them for yourself. Read them for your children. This short book is a celebration of the art of storytelling.
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Summary: A True Classic
Review: I was introduced to this book in middle school and have loved it and recommended it to many people since then, mainly because of the rich storytelling and beautifully crafted imagery that only Ray Bradbury could create. Admittedly, it can be just a little confusing in some places, but there are very few classics that can be read in one sitting and completely understood. One of the best stories, and my personal favorite, is "The Veldt" because virtual reality is no longer the sci-fi topic it was when this story was written. This makes the story all the more chilling, especially considering all the time kids spend in front of the computer and tv! All in all, this is one of the best books I have ever read, and I would recommend it to just about anyone over the age of 12 or 13.
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Summary: Dated concepts, Timeless writing
Review: Some people I know have had real trouble 'getting' Bradbury's work. The bulk of his best work was written in the 50's and 60's. Some concepts in this book are simply outdated. However, in every story is study of a concept that never has and never will be out-dated, The Human Condition. 'The Man', 'Kaliedascope' and 'The Long Rain' are my personal favorites. Potential readers must also understand that Bradbury is not a science fiction writer. A lot of his stories have science fiction themes and backgrounds, but Fantasy is a better way to describe his work. From hard core fantasy, such as what you will find in this book, to subtle fantasy, such as 'Dandelion Wine' you will find the most important element of Bradbury's work is EMOTION. This man is a true one of a kind Artist. I also recommend: Something Wicked this Way Comes, Dandelion Wine, The October Country, Fahrenheit 451 and any of his other earlier short story collections. Bradbury truly is a GrandMaster. PS- You Kids should keep your opinions to your self. You are only making yourselves look bad.
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Summary: If you don't like Science Fiction......
Review: read this and change your mind. The narrator met a man covered in tattos, tattos that moved to tell stories, eighteen of which are told in this volume. The stories, many of which have been published separately, are:
THE VELDT - overindulgence is bad for both parents and children
KALEIDOSCOPE - doomed astronauts floating in space
THE OTHER FOOT - reverse discrimination with a vengence
THE HIGHWAY - sometimes life passes you by and sometimes it doesn't
THE MAN - is it the journey or the destination that matters?
THE LONG RAIN - sometimes madness is the answer
THE ROCKET MAN - career vs. family
THE FIRE BALLOONS - is religion the answer or the question?
THE LAST NIGHT OF THE WORLD - the end with a whimper not a bang
THE EXILES - do people live for art or does art live for people?
NO PARTICULAR NIGHT OR MORNING - again the answer could be madness
THE FOX AND THE FOREST - you can run but you cannot hide
THE VISITOR - sometimes you don't know what you've got 'til its gone
THE CONCRETE MIXER - Mars invades
MARIONETTES, INC. - machines can be asked to do too much
THE CITY - revenge can be served very cold
ZERO HOUR - parents need to parent
THE ROCKET - Desire, envy and the triumph of the human spirit Although these tales are hauntingly disturbing and many contain rather gruesome images Bradbury writes with a gentleness that takes material that could be shocking in another writer's hand and instead makes it poignant. He allows the more subtle message of the stories to come through by taking the edge off the sensationalism. It is particularly interesting to read these stories and rember (or discover) what life was like in the fifties and then reflect (investigate) what changes took place in the subsequent fifty year. For those who have read this and didn't like it try it again in a few years.
Rating:
Summary: Bradbury is a master storyteller
Review: These are stories that go beyond "science fiction." The technology aspects are part of the canvas, but these stories are powerful because Bradbury paints with emotion and metaphor. He builds more empathy with characters in a few short words than other authors do in an entire novel, and his descriptions return us to a time when we were young, and simple objects filled us with awe and wonder. There is something here for everyone. Read them for yourself. Read them for your children. This short book is a celebration of the art of storytelling.
Rating:
Summary: Bradbury is an absolute master of the short story
Review: While the cover of the paperback that I read states that Bradbury is "The World's Greatest Living Science Fiction Writer", I respectfully disagree. Science fiction is so broad a field that there is significant overlap with horror and fantasy. I would without question call Bradbury the best author ever in the field of horrific science fiction. For, while his stories are generally based on a scientific theme, the real power is in the horrific aspects of the events.
When I was young, my favorite short story was "The Veldt", the first one in this collection of Bradbury's best short stories. A modern house contains what we would now call a holodeck, and instead of the children conjuring up delightful images, they are interested only in a scene of the African veldt, where lions pursue and devour their prey. Complete with the smell, sound and heat of the plains, the parents of the children are concerned that it is unhealthy. The parents try to do something to stop it, but they end up being consumed by the lions conjured up by the room.
Most of the other stories deal with the same theme, technology gone wrong. Atomic and biological warfare appears in many of the stories. However, the best part of all the stories is the tension and the unusual endings, often based on the frailties of human psychology. The intertwining of science fiction and horror makes these stories unique and I see a lot of similarities between Bradbury and Stephen King. In this area, he is better than King.
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Summary: Wonderful....
Review: I think there are two types of people in the world--those who appreciate Ray Bradbury and those who don't. Granted, this is a short story collection, and, as is the case with any collection, some stories will be stronger than others. Every one of these stories is powerful and haunting in its own right, however, and I don't know of one single story that is the 'standout' in this collection... for me, 'The Veldt' is one of the top short stories of the past century--but 'the long rain' and 'fire balloons' are other favorites. others might say that 'kaleidoscope', 'zero hour', 'no paticular night or morning', or 'the last night of the world' are even more thoughtful, haunting or thought-provoking. and they'd be right, too. That's what makes the framing device of the 'illustrated man' and his tattooes so effective in this collection.... the darkness and unreality of these tales, their stylized nature, and yet, the way they stay with you. If someone doesn't like this book, they probably won't like Bradbury. For the rest of us, it's a classic.
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Summary: Classic Science Fiction
Review: The Illustrated Man is a collection of 18 science fiction short stories by genre master Ray Bradbury circa 1950, loosely tied together as a series of living images viewed on the body of the title character. The stories are mostly cerebral, although you shouldn't expect hard science. Mars and Venus as depicted in these stories contradict what we now know about these planets, but these inaccuracy are largely irrelevent since the themes in many of the stories don't require a science fiction setting. Although it's easy to tell the stories were written fifty years ago, the stories themselves aren't really dated, but it is amusing to read a story where the author didn't put a technology far enough into the future to avoid the popularity of his work. Overall, it's a good book but it doesn't fall into the category of a must read. If you have trouble finding time to read, this is a perfect book for reading a story or two and then putting away for a while without losing any continuity.
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