PG16- The Illustrated Man (v,b), The Martian Chronicles (v,b)

Bradbury is a skilled writer of short stories and novellas that focus on the border between Science Fiction and Fantastical Horror. One of the Grand Masters, his style is reminiscent of Poe and somewhat of LeGuin and Orson Wells, though Bradbury has his own unique flavor. Be forewarned: Bradbury considers killing his main characters to be a regular excercise and often an excellent conclusion to a story. Many of his tales are cautionary or vindicative, exploring aspects of humanity's darker sides or our ability to perceive things the way we want them to be, then twisting these aspects into stories that call on us to examine ourselves and bring to light our ignorance and blind assumptions.

Despite this fact, a few of Bradbury's stories are humerous, and some are balanced in their outcomes. In general, fans of light horror or apocalyptic novels are more likely to enjoy his plots than those who prefer space opera, but to consider yourself well-versed in speculative fiction, you must pick up at least one of his books. His gothic tone may even appeal to those who don't usually read SciFi.

When we first meet The Illustrated Man, he tells us that his tattoos are normal during the daylight hours- but at night, they tell the future. In fact, the intricately colored scenes that decorate almost his entire body do seem to move, and as we watch, they resolve themselves into stories, ongoing ones into which we are dropped for a moment of eavesdropping. My favorites are "The Veldt," "The Long Rain," and "The Exiles." The first is the story of parents who buy their kids a holographic playroom to keep them distracted so the parents don't have to deal with them. But then, who teaches the children to be human? "The Long Rain" involves a small company of soldiers trying desperately to make it to one of the human domes on Venus before they drown to death standing up. But even if they find rescue, is it merely the creation of their minds? Finally, "The Exiles" are characters from books, now living on Mars with such notables as Poe and his House of Usher. The people of Earth are burning books, and thus destroying the people of Mars. Will the two peoples come to an understanding, or will they destroy each other? Most of the stories in this collection are about the boundary between reality and illusion in various forms, and they are extremely well written. If you like mild horror with mostly implied violence rather than graphic stuff, you'll like this book. It's scary, but in a thought-provoking way.

Perhaps the most famous collection by Bradbury is The Martian Chronicles, bits and pieces of the haunting story of first contact between humans and martians and the destruction that follows. When the first missions from Earth reach Mars, they find a race of hostile telepaths whose lives are on the outside strange and wondrous, yet on the inside have many of the same motivations and reactions as human beings. As the two races learn to adapt to each other or learn to destroy each other, the play on humanity's basic needs and on its darker sides stands out. In some places, the stories resemble the invasion of North America by the Europeans. In others, like a dream that borders on nightmare. The dying Martian civilization is in some way deeply connected to the fate of Earth's culture as well. Over 27 years, the fates of two planets collide, and the result is both unexpected and inevitable. This is Bradbury at his most haunting, elevating Science Fiction to the realm of epic poetry through a gently flowing collection of extremely short stories. Horror buffs may also enjoy this selection. The only portion of the saga missing from this book that I know of is "Exiles", which is included in The Illustrated Man.

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Last Updated: January 19, 2000

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