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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
One of Bradbury's more famous short story collections, The Illustrated Man gathers a variety of classic RB tales, with several focusing on Mars and its settlement, and many others dancing around the science-fictional or the fantastic. Here's commentary on a few I like:
There are several stories that turn on the viciousness or uncontrolled wildness of children. "The Veld," "Zero Hour," and "The Playground" all imply that children have a brutal streak we don't like to think about.
My favorite stories in the collection are those that ponder the life of the everyman in the world of the future. The best of these is "The Rocket," but almost as good are "The Highway" and "The Last Night of the World."
Bradbury also likes to contemplate the vast terror of space itself, as in "Kaleidoscope" -- a story about men set adrift when their ship was hit by an asteroid, and the slowly fading radio contact they share. "No Particular Night or Morning" touches on some of the same themes.
"Usher II" is perhaps the strangest story in the collection. Set in the same world as both the Mars stories and Fahrenheit 451, it tells of an eccentric oligarch who builds a replica of Poe's House of Usher, and fills it with traps from other Poe stories. An odd tale, but amusing.
I have to say, though, I was disappointed not to see the story that provides the title of the conclusion become a tale in its own right--the adventures of the eponymous character on whom all the other stories take place was primed to be my favorite tale, at least until it turned out not to be told.
All in all, an excellent collection. The Illustrated Man solidly demonstrates why Bradbury has come to be seen as one of the grandfathers of modern science-fiction.
There are several stories that turn on the viciousness or uncontrolled wildness of children. "The Veld," "Zero Hour," and "The Playground" all imply that children have a brutal streak we don't like to think about.
My favorite stories in the collection are those that ponder the life of the everyman in the world of the future. The best of these is "The Rocket," but almost as good are "The Highway" and "The Last Night of the World."
Bradbury also likes to contemplate the vast terror of space itself, as in "Kaleidoscope" -- a story about men set adrift when their ship was hit by an asteroid, and the slowly fading radio contact they share. "No Particular Night or Morning" touches on some of the same themes.
"Usher II" is perhaps the strangest story in the collection. Set in the same world as both the Mars stories and Fahrenheit 451, it tells of an eccentric oligarch who builds a replica of Poe's House of Usher, and fills it with traps from other Poe stories. An odd tale, but amusing.
I have to say, though, I was disappointed not to see the story that provides the title of the conclusion become a tale in its own right--the adventures of the eponymous character on whom all the other stories take place was primed to be my favorite tale, at least until it turned out not to be told.
All in all, an excellent collection. The Illustrated Man solidly demonstrates why Bradbury has come to be seen as one of the grandfathers of modern science-fiction.
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Love Bradbury and his surrealism
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A few of the stories are eerily apropos to today some are truly humorous and a few I just tuned out as not very interesting.
How did these OG sci-fi do writers do it? So imaginative with foresight to ask the important questions about technological advances too.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
So many good stories in this one. It felt like each one was masterful. It covers a wide range of emotions.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
4.5 Wow.
Ray Bradbury may be my favorite Sci-Fi author yet (with maybe Andy Weir).
Almost all of these short stories were fantastic with the human condition at the heart of it all, written in beautiful prose.
With short story collections you often get a mixed bag, but I loved almost all of his imaginative stories and am confirmed in my resolution to read more of Bradbury's works.
Stand out stories for me were:
The Veldt
The Highway
The Man
The Last Night in the World
The Visitor
Marionettes Inc.
Zero Hour
Rocket
Ray Bradbury may be my favorite Sci-Fi author yet (with maybe Andy Weir).
Almost all of these short stories were fantastic with the human condition at the heart of it all, written in beautiful prose.
With short story collections you often get a mixed bag, but I loved almost all of his imaginative stories and am confirmed in my resolution to read more of Bradbury's works.
Stand out stories for me were:
The Veldt
The Highway
The Man
The Last Night in the World
The Visitor
Marionettes Inc.
Zero Hour
Rocket
It's hard not to want to write out reviews for each story in the collection. I enjoyed reading through this collection and would be interested in picking up another one.
I checked this book out as a way to understand literary fiction, and I'm surprised by how much I enjoyed the stories throughout. I'm a genre girl by heart, so it was interesting to feel myself getting invested in many of the stories. I would definitely pick up something else from the literary fiction world.
Well, there I go again. Broadening my horizons.
Favorite Stories: The Fox and the Forest, The Exiles, Marionette Inc.
Collection Rating: 4/5
I checked this book out as a way to understand literary fiction, and I'm surprised by how much I enjoyed the stories throughout. I'm a genre girl by heart, so it was interesting to feel myself getting invested in many of the stories. I would definitely pick up something else from the literary fiction world.
Well, there I go again. Broadening my horizons.
Favorite Stories: The Fox and the Forest, The Exiles, Marionette Inc.
Collection Rating: 4/5