All of Bradbury's writing transports me to another place. ( )

Writing: amazing (I underlined at least one sentence per page just because I loved the writing in them so much!)
Stories: imaginative and haunting

My favorite was ¨Exiles.¨ ( )

I'd been meaning to read this for almost thirty years, ever since I saw it in a bookstore in the mall (B. Dalton, anyone?) when I was maybe seven or eight. I remember the cover (the one that actually had a picture of the Illustrated Man) fascinated me in a sort of dangerously forbidden way. ( )

“A collection of short stories that reflect the fears and problems of society through the craftsmanship of a progressive thought-provoking writer of the early 1950s.” -M.E. Byrd

I am a gambler when selecting novels, so when I saw a great-priced audiobook marked classic for a reasonable price, I jumped at the opportunity. The Illustrated Man is a collection of short stories. The peak of this collection is the story “The Other Foot,” which unfolds to tell the story of a Caucasian man who travels via rocket to an African-American Settlement on Mars and begs for help—their mercy. African-Americans previously left their oppressed society on Earth to start a new civilization on Mars. Years later, when the people left on Earth have destroyed the planet through greed and nuclear war, the colony on Mars has to decide if they will oppress their old oppressors or forgive them.

Everything after “The Other Foot” felt likes child's play due to Bradbury’s previous brilliant crafting and storytelling. I made it to “The Last Night of the World” and put the book down. While this collection didn’t sweep me away, Ray Bradbury has provided some unique, out-of-this-world short stories that will leave you questioning your reliance on technology and your responsibility in society’s way of thinking. ( )

This 1951 collection of short stories from the mind of Ray Bradbury is a wonderful introduction to science fiction reading that gives bite-size (at least five pages and at most seventeen pages in the Bantam Books Grand Master Edition that I was reading) stories that are perfect for those that want a bit of a dark foray into some classic literature.

When a man is hiking a walking tour of Wisconsin he comes across a man with a woolen shirt buttoned all the way up to his neck and all the way down to his wrists. When the woolen man takes off his shirt, the hiker sees mystical arcane tattoos that seem to show vivid scenes from the future. This collection follows what the man sees that night while he gazes at the tattoos all over the titular Illustrated Man's body.

Some personal highlights for me were the short stories "Kaleidoscope," which is a very interesting look at death and what the idea of impending death does to the human psyche; "The Highway," a short look at war and how it can affect all of us; and "The Last Night of the World," which is once again a sweet look at what happens when we all know the world is coming to an end that very night.

While this is not the darkest book in the world there are some looks into psychology, war, violence, and other topics that might be upsetting if you know these things upset you on a regular basis. There is also one use of a slur against Japanese people used in the last quarter of the book in the short story "Zero Hour."

All in all, this is an amazing collection of science-fiction short stories that leaves me wanting more of Ray Bradbury's writing that has certainly earned its spot on my bookshelf for many reads to come. ( )

There is no Ray Bradbury of our generation. No one writes short stories anymore the way he did, for much of his style seems to be a bygone relic (see also Harlan Ellison). Now, perhaps, those writers sharpen their words into claws and write Black Mirror episodes. Bradbury’s stories in this collection are not toothless—but it often seems he would get right up to a point and refuse to put too fine a point on it… “the reader understand, and I have other stories to write!” you can almost hear him shout.

The titular tattooed man is nothing but a framing device for the eighteen stories here. He’s sufficiently creepy and pitiable, but not used as much as I would have liked. My favorites: The Exiles, in which dead authors of horror live in some kind of afterlife on Mars. Ever wanted to know how Poe and Dickens would have talked to each other? Wonder no longer. Kaleidoscope, where all protagonists and living dead in the coldness of space and face their deaths in bitterness and wonder. The Other Foot; Mars is colonized by black people (likely American), the older generation remembering the horrors of deadly racism. When a white man visits Mars, there is no pity for him. The Man is Jesus come to visit another planet just as humans land there, and each responds not unlike descriptions in the New Testament. Man never changes. The Fox and the Forest, a metaphorical title about a time-traveling couple escaping their horrible present in the past, and the bounty hunter sent to bring them back.

Perhaps my favorite is The Rocket, about a poor Italian man who wishes to travel the stars. With only $3000, he makes a poor investment and it seems his family will never see space as the rich upper class can.

I won’t spoil the story, because so much of the joy of reading Bradbury is in the discovery of his world. He doesn’t care so much about engines and laws of gravity and how science works so much as he cares about the men and women of his stories. They become, in scant words and paragraphs, real people. Mars is not the fourth planet of our solar system, Mars is possibility and the unknown. Mars is a mirror for humanity and where we can reimagine ourselves. Our old horror is just behind, but a new joy and tragedy waits. ( )

Mi Bradbury favorito ( )

Not as good as the martian chronicles but some thought-provoking pieces in there. Also some pretty weak ones, especially the story about aliens finding jesus ( )

Good stories. ( )

You are entering the vicinity of an area adjacent to a location. The kind of place where there might be a monster, or some kind of weird mirror. These are just examples; it could also be something much better. Prepare to enter: The Scary Door. ( )

This book consists of 16 short stories plus the bit about the illustrated man that connects them all. Every science fiction story presents a reflection about technology and humanity in a brilliant way.
I liked every single story in this book. They were all interesting and thought-provoking even though they were so short. The only complain I have about this book is that we don't get much information at the end about the illustrated man. I wanted to know more about him and his fate, but I suppose that was intended to remain a mystery.
It is an amazing book and one of my favourites. ( )

When it comes to Ray Bradbury, I’m definitely a fan of his gothic-styled fantasy stories, but even though I am less interested by his space-based sci-fi exploration I will admit that he is a master of language and has a way of picking up on the small humanities within his characters to keep the stories well-motivated. This collection begins with “The Veldt”, a story that I sought out a number of years ago in single form after hearing deadmau5’ electronica musical rendition, and which even after years away still strikes an ominous chord due to the themes around toxic family structures and technology. Most of the stories in this selection are similarly focused on humanity’s interactions with technology and space, a clear preoccupation for Bradbury as he was writing during an era of an increased availability (and dare we say obsession) with both. Like many other science fiction “predictions,” few of Bradbury’s specifications came true in a literal sense, but his exploration of themes such as increased alienation, conflict between different life forms (or races), and the many ways technology could influence our lives (for better or worse) still hold much intrigue and possibly even truth. While I can’t say I’ll ever feel the need to read this collection again (space and tech doesn’t quite do it for me on a recurring basis), Bradbury’s language and narration was expectedly comforting and highly engaging through each of the short vignettes herein. Now, if only the vague frame story of the Illustrated Man was made into an actual novel, I would be much more inclined to read deeply into that! ( )

This is a near-perfect collection of short stories. Bradbury tackles all the darkness and coldness of technology, space, and human history with psychological satisfaction and poetic beauty. The book reads like a season of the Twilight Zone. And just like that show, the fact that it was written decades ago doesn't make the truths of the human condition within any less true. Bonus: the introduction of a character from Something Wicked This Way Comes. There's not much else to say. Ray Bradbury is a master storyteller with brilliant insights that stand the test of time. If you are human, read this and all of his books. ( )

The concept that tied this together was brilliant and Bradbury’s writing gave each short story a distinctive voice. The stories themselves were more uneven than I remember from reading this many years ago but the ones that stood out then were still amazing now. But...and this is awkward...the misogyny, the dismissive treatment of female characters in some of the stories was a glaring fly in the ointment. I don’t know if it mirrored Bradbury’s own views or if it was just a reflection of the times, but it detracts from this today. ( )

There are certain writers that I associate primarily w/ reading as a teenager: Bradbury, Hesse, Salinger, Vonnegut being 4 that I think of off the top-of-my-head. As usual w/ stuff I read almost 40 yrs ago, I remember the FEELING of this more than anything else: Illustrated Man comes to town w/ carnival, something creepy happens, that sort of thing. It must've been pretty effective for me at the time. I remember feeling like I grew out of that pretty fast though.. ( )

Really enjoyed! Bradbury is always a consistent good read ( )

Didn't care for most of the stories. I think the only one I really enjoyed was "The Rocket." "The Other Foot" and "The Fox and the Forest" were pretty good too. ( )

Given the fact that Bradbury published this short story anthology in the early 1950s, it’s stunning how prescient some of his mind-bending tales are even with the passage of more than seven decades. A few of the stories felt a bit like throw-aways – or at least fillers. A couple even felt somewhat redundant. But in the big picture, I truly enjoyed this strange and oftentimes creepy collection of yarns spun by a master storyteller. I’m not sure how this book escaped my attention in my high school and college reading adventures. ( )

4 ½ stars, ½ taken off for a few of the weaker stories. These were absolute classics.



The Veldt – a children’s holodeck out of control

The Other Foot – discrimination story very relevant today

The Man – Why are the astronauts being ignored

The Exiles – Mars, Classic Authors, Banned Books

The Concrete Mixer – Earth will never be conquered

Zero Hour - **The Best of the Best** Fifth Column

The Rocket - A Father’s Lover
( )

Many of the stories were wildly imaginative and had interesting world-building and plots. However, they are strained by the era they're written in, making it incredibly difficult to suspend disbelief at times. However, it's incredibly interesting to see the wildly imaginative visions of Bradbury, especially in his visions of home automation and society at large. "The Veldt" comes immediately to mind, mostly due to its warning of the future, which I suspect has come or is close to fruition in the way parent-children relationships work. "The Other Foot" is a racially charged story that works well in 2021, the BLM era.

Many of the stories felt like they would be great as visual adaptations. I could see "The Long Rain", "Marionettes Inc." and "The City" as episodes of Love, Death & Robots. Many of the stories would also work well as movies, especially "The Fox and the Forest", "The Highway", and "The Man." ( )

Why this book? I want to read Kaleidoscope!

This is a collection of short stories by Ray Bradbury written in 1951. I enjoyed most of these stories that are framed by the Illustrated Man but otherwise not connected to each other. The stories address dehumanizing technology, danger of nuclear war, censorship. One story address the dark people who went to Mars (white supremacy), turning children into parent haters (The Veldt and Zero Hour). There is a couple that have time travel; The Fox and the Forest and The Visitor. I think several also work for horror reads. ( )

Before saying anything about this collection of short stories, it should be remembered that they were written in 1951, ten years before Yuri Gagarin became the first human to go into space. Nevertheless, it must be also said that some of them have aged really badly (e.g. "The Long Rain" or the ones about Martians) while others are still genuine (e.g. "The Veldt" and, above all, "Kaleidoscope" and "The Rocket Man"). Some of them are to be read as a parable ("The Other Foot", "The Highway" and "The Long Rain"). "The Long Rain" is in fact a reformulation of that fable of Aesop in which two frogs fall into a deep cream bowl. I liked "The Other Foot" even when it is not as well written as some of the other stories because it was very daring for the time to publish a story in which instead of Second Reconstruction there is World War III and the black folk is paradoxically safe (doing the dirty work of) colonizing Mars for the white people while everybody else destroys the Earth to the point of completely nuking it."The Exiles": On a ship heading to Mars, a crew of badly injured men (probably because of cosmic radiation) carries the last preserved copies of a set of fantasy books banished on Earth. They all have had nightmares where fantasy beings and even the illustrious writers of those texts plot for the "rocket men" to bring back their fear and superstition over their boldness and science just before the ship lands on Mars.
In "The Veldt", a domotic capsule takes over the role of the parents in such a way they are now not required at all for the upbringing of their children. (*)
Sometimes you get the feeling that Bradbury ran out of new ideas towards the end of the book since the quality of the stories seems to decay. This is a 3.5/5 with mostly average written short stories, even when some of them are exceptional whereas others are quite boring. The most mediocre ones are like a bad script for a 1960s Star Trek series episode.




*****SPOILER ALERT*****
Are there (actual) parents at home? The answer is likely to be no, they seem to be also part of the simulation. ( )

The subject matter and ideas and humanity are all still fresh and relevant though a lot of the wording and images are fairly dated.
very enjoyable throughout. ( )

Short stories linked by a mysterious illustrated man who has their stories on his body. There are so many concepts in these stories from 1950s that are in use today it's shocking. The stories range from scary, mysterious, touching, to ironic so it's a good mix.

Ratings:-4.5 stars ( )