Difference between revisions of "The Martian Chronicles"
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'''The Martian Chronicles''' is a collection of [[Ray Bradbury]]'s short stories about Mars that he had published in sci-fi magazines from 1946-1950. | '''The Martian Chronicles''' is a collection of [[Ray Bradbury]]'s short stories about Mars that he had published in sci-fi magazines from 1946-1950. | ||
+ | |||
+ | I decided to read it due to it being ranked so favorably by many reviews, but I ended up no liking it very much. | ||
==Review== | ==Review== | ||
===Good=== | ===Good=== | ||
− | * Bradbury | + | * Bradbury deftly employs metaphor and similes, and his descriptions are palpable. |
* The various attributes given to the Martians are really quite interesting and creative. | * The various attributes given to the Martians are really quite interesting and creative. | ||
* As is standard fare in sci-fi, issues of philosophy, theology, and ethics were brought up and each time, gave me new insight in these areas. | * As is standard fare in sci-fi, issues of philosophy, theology, and ethics were brought up and each time, gave me new insight in these areas. | ||
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* Bradbury wrote most of these stories independent of each other and it shows. The book tries to impose a coherent narrative on the stories, but they should have been left as stand-alone stories each in their own universe. | * Bradbury wrote most of these stories independent of each other and it shows. The book tries to impose a coherent narrative on the stories, but they should have been left as stand-alone stories each in their own universe. | ||
* Some of the stories, like ''The Taxpayer'', are extremely short, and don't seem to be relevant. | * Some of the stories, like ''The Taxpayer'', are extremely short, and don't seem to be relevant. | ||
− | * As expected from a work of the 1940s, the technology is horribly outdated | + | * As expected from a work of the 1940s, the technology is horribly outdated and misses the mark of today. |
* Several aspects of the stories are more fairy tale than science fiction (''The Green Morning''). They're still interesting, but I prefer my magic and technology separate. | * Several aspects of the stories are more fairy tale than science fiction (''The Green Morning''). They're still interesting, but I prefer my magic and technology separate. | ||
===Ugly=== | ===Ugly=== | ||
− | * I initially found the book extremely confusing because I had no idea it was a collection of short stories! I figured this out on my own a few chapters in and found it more enjoyable, but it took awhile to become accustomed to it. | + | * I initially found the book extremely confusing because I had no idea it was a collection of short stories! I figured this out on my own a few chapters in and then found it more enjoyable, but it took awhile to become accustomed to it. |
==Links== | ==Links== |
Revision as of 16:34, 22 August 2017
The Martian Chronicles is a collection of Ray Bradbury's short stories about Mars that he had published in sci-fi magazines from 1946-1950.
I decided to read it due to it being ranked so favorably by many reviews, but I ended up no liking it very much.
Review
Good
- Bradbury deftly employs metaphor and similes, and his descriptions are palpable.
- The various attributes given to the Martians are really quite interesting and creative.
- As is standard fare in sci-fi, issues of philosophy, theology, and ethics were brought up and each time, gave me new insight in these areas.
Bad
- Bradbury wrote most of these stories independent of each other and it shows. The book tries to impose a coherent narrative on the stories, but they should have been left as stand-alone stories each in their own universe.
- Some of the stories, like The Taxpayer, are extremely short, and don't seem to be relevant.
- As expected from a work of the 1940s, the technology is horribly outdated and misses the mark of today.
- Several aspects of the stories are more fairy tale than science fiction (The Green Morning). They're still interesting, but I prefer my magic and technology separate.
Ugly
- I initially found the book extremely confusing because I had no idea it was a collection of short stories! I figured this out on my own a few chapters in and then found it more enjoyable, but it took awhile to become accustomed to it.