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The Martian Chronicles (Time Reading Program)
I've heard this book referred to as a "masterpiece of science fiction" more than once, often from sources that suggest it isn't simply publishers' hype. After having actually read it, I cannot understand why. Bradbury's characters, by and large, are pretty thin. That might be forgivable if he were writing in order to set a mood or make some kind of interesting point, but his writing style tries too hard to be poetic, and his ideas are mostly pretty trite. There are quite a lot of books that cover colonial insenstivity, nuclear war, and the supposed meaninglessness or self-destructiveness of modern life, and Bradbury's doesn't stick out from the crowd.This could be partly because the book doesn't fully cohere. I know that it is supposed to be a connection of linked short stories, not a traditional novel, but Bradbury seems to have frequently changed his mind about the most fundamental aspects of his version of Mars. I might not mind this if I thought he was trying to make a point by presenting radically different kinds of Martians at different times, but that wouldn't be consistent with his somewhat superifical handling of many of the other ideas in the book.There are several stories in The Martian Chronicles that do succeed, and I suspect I would have been more impressed with it if I had read it when it came out. I can certainly see how it could seem impressive to someone who had read little or no science fiction, or literature in general. Still, it didn't have a lasting effect on me, and it looks pretty anemic next to, say, Ursula K. LeGuin or Gene Wolfe. If you are new to science fiction, I would refer you to one of those authors, or to a number of others. They have more interesting things to say than Bradbury.
The Martian Chronicles (Time Reading Program)
The praise on this typewriter drek is hard to fathom. To damn it with faint praise myself, it is a darn good try from a collegeless Mechanics Illustrated fan born right after WWI. It shows no knowledge of science itself; could Bradbury explain the rocket equation, for instance? Written right after the a-bomb was dropped on the world's consciousness, and the mainly white GIs returned home to start the Baby Boom, what it does show is a thinly disguised attempt at political satire, using "Mars" as a stage prop. The cartoonish satirization of humanity, 50 years later, seems silly. Yes, Ray, there were changes in society, and the year 2005 doesn't look like the year the world will burn, sorry. If it does, there won't be any people on Mars trying to jump on rockets and get fried either. You did much better at satire in F451. In TMC, though, why did you end the last chapter with the "new Noah of Mars" solemnly burning all of Earth's books? Next thing you know, they'll be burning people up on Mars :) The quaint descriptions of Bradbury's smalltown life would have done better in a 'real' novel, say, about a lawyer named Finch fighting racial prejudice :) In sum, don't read this unless somebody really gives you a reason, because it's hoplessly obsolete.
The Martian Chronicles (Time Reading Program)
This is a book I have in my must read book, but... The day of the author's death I could have bought it for $5.00. As much as I like this subject, I refuse to aid In the commercialization of the author's death, so soon. These are the same books available on the day before his death, not specially edited to aid in the understanding of his personality, writings or life, so I will wait until the fever for "Martians" is gone or I will accept my fate and never read these wonderful stories. Not until they sell at the previous price. Sometimes I hate the human condition. I have read Asimov in my teens and on my 20's and 30's . Probably many of Bradbury. I will wait.I will wait as tempting as it is. I should have bought at $5.00 but was waiting to bundle with other items. No more.
The Martian Chronicles (Time Reading Program)
This book brought out a bunch of "stories" (if thats what you want to call them) that when you start reading you think are going to mix together but you get tangled in a web of nothingness. Ray Bradbury tried hard to put something together you can see but just didn't know what exactly those things were going to be. The Martian Chronicles is more of an anthology. So if your going to read it read it, know that it doesn't all tie in together.
The Martian Chronicles (Time Reading Program)
Given the recent passing of Ray Bradbury, I though I would re-read The Martian Chronicles. As expected, macabre and unusual short stories. More internal consistency would have help readability though.
The Martian Chronicles (Time Reading Program)
The Martian Chronicles is a group of stories that range from melodrama to quirky comedy, and everything in between.I read this book at a slow pace, usually two or three of the stories a day. I think this was a good decision on my part as it helped to really demonstrate how drastically the stories change from the beginning of the novel to the end.The quality of each story, just like their genres, range greatly. There are the very good ones such as 'Ylla', 'The Earth Man', and 'The Third Expedition; and there are the very bad ones such as 'Usher II', 'The Off Season', and 'The Silent Towns'. The only thing that seems to tie all of these tales together is their shared inherent aberrancy.The book has a sloppy nature to it at times. Also, certain things were seemingly assumed, while they should have been explained in much more detail. The most notable example of this is the war on Earth and the mass migration from Mars. It all just seems very empty.Overall, it was a very flawed book, and at times became highly confusing. Some of the stories were quite interesting, so it is a shame that the good is overshadowed by the bad. I would suggest reading it if you're a huge fan of Ray Bradbury, but if you don't like it from the beginning don't bother continuing, as it goes down hill very progressively.