The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury

The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury — 9780380973842 — ****

Genre: Science Fiction
Time to Read: Average 1 hour or less per story

Short Summary:
A young man on a walking tour of Wisconsin encounters a tall, powerful, tattooed–illustrated–man. The ink on the man’s skin tells of the future. Among the menagerie of art are tales of men on Mars, the rainy jungles of Venus, an Earth occupied by robots and a family that dreams of taking a trip into space. As the young traveler sits with the illustrated man, the latter shares his stories. The future is full of hope and horror, and the illustrated man knows it all.

The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury is a collection of short stories that are tied together with an introduction about an illustrated man sharing stories of the future with a young traveler and ending with the illustrated man’s own story. All of the stories in the collection are science fiction, but they are otherwise unconnected, making this a great “book between books” title. I’ve been reading it in morsels for quite a while, but some of the short stories still stay with me, even after having read them months ago. Ray Bradbury is my favorite author, and his style shines through in each word. He is a master of metaphor, and even a one-page short story resonates in the heart and mind of a reader. I did like some of the stories better than others, which is to be expected, but when taken as a whole, The Illustrated Man is an amazing collection, and a must-read for anyone who enjoys Sci-Fi and is looking for a really well-written book.

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Something Wicked this Way Comes by Ray Bradbury

Something Wicked this Way Comes by Ray Bradbury — 9780380977277 — *****

Genre: Fantasy
Time to Read: Approx 1 Week

Short Summary:
Ray Bradbury’s Something Wicked this  Way Comes is a story about two boys–Will Halloway and Jim Nightshade–best friends who were born one day apart, Will on October 30th and Jim on October 31st. It is set in mid October, when an out-of-season carnival comes to town. The boys, being typical almost 14-year-old boys, decide to check out this new source of entertainment and wonder and discover that there is more to its odd performers than meets the eye.

Something Wicked this Way Comes is one of my favorite Ray Bradbury novels. It’s rich with Bradbury’s poetic descriptions that nourish all the senses, and it kept me reading to the end, even on this, my second time reading it. Ray Bradbury is a master of fiction, and I could say so much about this title that I’m not sure what to say. I guess that all I can say is that this one leaves me speechless. It’s one of those books that has what I call the “Wow Factor.” So, Wow!

I would recommend this book to readers of just about any age. A nine-year-old might see it as a scary story (scary in a good way. Maybe “spooky” is a better word); a 90-year-old might read it and remember his or her own youth, and a 20-something like me might read it and say: “Wow. I should read more Ray Bradbury!”

(Note: I know I said in my last post that I would be reviewing Kathernie Neville’s The Fire this time around, but October sneaked up on me, and October IS Ray Bradbury month, which means all Bradbury all Month. I will read and review The Fire after the end of this month, though I may be slowed down by NaNoWriMo in November…)

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Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury — ISBN 9780345410016 — ****

Genre: Science Fiction
Time to Read: One day

Short Summary:

Fahrenheit 451 is a futuristic novella about a man named Guy Montag. Guy is a fireman, but not in the way we think of firemen today. In his world, homes are fireproofed and firefighters aren’t needed. Instead, his job is to burn books along with the homes of the book owners. The futuristic society in which he lives has rejected books. People hate them, they fear them, and few have ever even read them. In the beginning, Guy enjoys his job, but then he meets a teenage girl who opens his eyes and his mind to the possibility of a better, happier world. Guy’s life is quickly turned upside down, and he finds himself talking with a retired professor and wondering if, perhaps, there is something in the books he has been burning that is worth reading.

I want to start by saying that I am a huge Ray Bradbury fan, but up to this point I have somehow missed this little gem. Fahrenheit 451 isn’t a long book–my copy is 165 pages–but is is a good example of what booksellers mean when they tell teens who are in for summer reading books that the shortest isn’t necessarily the easiest. I’m not saying this book was a hard read, but it isn’t popcorn by any means. It takes a little time to acclimate (that really is what you have to do in the beginning), but once you’re familiar with the world in the book, it’s a good read that requires a good deal of thought, but demands your attention so that you have to find out how it ends.

The best word I can think to describe Fahrenheit 451 is “profound.” In this modern world–probably close to the time this book is set, if not shortly after–of eReaders and computers, video games, television, movies, 3-D entertainment and all the rest, it makes one think about the importance of literature and all that we’re losing as we let children spend more time playing Pokemon, watching whatever it is that children watch on t.v. these days, texting and “socializing” on facebook than they spend reading a book. Maybe our new eReaders will help keep the younger generation interested in books, so Bradbury’s future won’t come to pass, but with eReaders already adding web browsers and turning into handheld computers, who knows?

If you’re here looking for a summer reading recommendation, please read this book. Not only is there a ton of material in here for you to write an awesome paper for school, but it really does have an important message to share. I think this is a book that everyone should read. If you’ve already read it, read it again and think about the world today and the world between its pages. How different is our reality? Not different enough, if you ask me.

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