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juushikaTitle: The Illustrated Man
Author: Ray Bradbury
Published: New York: Bantam, 1951 (1972)
Page Count: 186
Total Page Count: 38,420
Text Number: 109
Read For: my own enjoyment, purchased from a used book store
Short review: One hot summer day, our narrator meets the Illustrated Man. When the man strips off his stifling long sleeves, he reveals the Illustrations, which decorate every inch of his bare skin. But, as he warns the narrator, they are more than Illustrations: at night, they come to life, change, and spell out stories. That night, the narrator watches these stories--and each becomes a short story in Bradbury's collection. From living houses to ever-raining Venus to the Martian invasion of the commercialized Earth, these often-harrowing science fiction stories range on all topics and all skill levels. Some of the stories are incredible and haunting; others are bulky or uninspired. It is a mixed bag and not as good as some of Bradbury's other collections, but the framing of the Illustrated Man and the golden nuggets sprinkled within make it an imaginative and worthwhile read. Tentatively recommended.
It is particularly difficult to review short story collections because quality can and does vary from story to story, making it hard to summarize and judge the book as a whole. The median quality of this book is not exceptional, and it is not my favorite of Bradbury's short story collections (that would be The Machineries of Joy and The Martian Chronicles, which is not quite a short story collection but is close). The reason for this is simple: some of the stories are uninspiring—neither harrowing or scientific, they're vaguely satirical but without cutting witticism, making them instead simply bland. These uninspiring short stories drag down the overall quality of the book.
Some of the other stories, however, and the framing of the Illustrated Man, are simply brilliant. For me, these include The Veldt, The Man, The Long Rain, The Rocket Man, and Zero Hour, and make up about half of the stories in the book. They range from incredible concepts to haunting ideas to wistful, more personal stories, and are all written in Bradbury's clear, precise, honest prose.
I recommend The Illustrated Man on the basis of these outstanding stories. As a whole, the collection is a bit wanting, but taken individually, there are definitely some stories worth reading. Fans of Bradbury's writing will especially enjoy this book, and the short-story format makes it accessible to all readers. And when it is good—it is very, very good.
Review posted here at Amazon.com.
Author: Ray Bradbury
Published: New York: Bantam, 1951 (1972)
Page Count: 186
Total Page Count: 38,420
Text Number: 109
Read For: my own enjoyment, purchased from a used book store
Short review: One hot summer day, our narrator meets the Illustrated Man. When the man strips off his stifling long sleeves, he reveals the Illustrations, which decorate every inch of his bare skin. But, as he warns the narrator, they are more than Illustrations: at night, they come to life, change, and spell out stories. That night, the narrator watches these stories--and each becomes a short story in Bradbury's collection. From living houses to ever-raining Venus to the Martian invasion of the commercialized Earth, these often-harrowing science fiction stories range on all topics and all skill levels. Some of the stories are incredible and haunting; others are bulky or uninspired. It is a mixed bag and not as good as some of Bradbury's other collections, but the framing of the Illustrated Man and the golden nuggets sprinkled within make it an imaginative and worthwhile read. Tentatively recommended.
It is particularly difficult to review short story collections because quality can and does vary from story to story, making it hard to summarize and judge the book as a whole. The median quality of this book is not exceptional, and it is not my favorite of Bradbury's short story collections (that would be The Machineries of Joy and The Martian Chronicles, which is not quite a short story collection but is close). The reason for this is simple: some of the stories are uninspiring—neither harrowing or scientific, they're vaguely satirical but without cutting witticism, making them instead simply bland. These uninspiring short stories drag down the overall quality of the book.
Some of the other stories, however, and the framing of the Illustrated Man, are simply brilliant. For me, these include The Veldt, The Man, The Long Rain, The Rocket Man, and Zero Hour, and make up about half of the stories in the book. They range from incredible concepts to haunting ideas to wistful, more personal stories, and are all written in Bradbury's clear, precise, honest prose.
I recommend The Illustrated Man on the basis of these outstanding stories. As a whole, the collection is a bit wanting, but taken individually, there are definitely some stories worth reading. Fans of Bradbury's writing will especially enjoy this book, and the short-story format makes it accessible to all readers. And when it is good—it is very, very good.
Review posted here at Amazon.com.
