[Ambidexter]

read this in the 80's
I rememeber that I liked it but thats about it.

[John Thiel]

Bradbury's writings may have inspired Pistopher Morley's books, but I can think of few other imitators he has had. The man was both inimitable and irrepressible. He wrote realistic stories in the Chronicles , firmly backed by a Sense of Wonder. His BEMs looked about like this: :eek: . So, he took everyone on a better trip to Mars than NASA has had. I'm on my easy chair with a bottle of coca-cola. When I was in San Diego somebody told me Bradbury, who'd just arrived in Hollywood to be a script writer, was troubling everybody with notations like this for the MOBY DICK script: "The only sound is the moon alighting on the water." I never found out if this story was true, but it sounds like Brad's approach to writing. One cheer for that author and how far he has taken sf!

[Ropie]

most of it within one afternoon. Six words: what a book, what a book! This is real writing, real story telling. This is the honest stuff of science fiction for me. I loved absolutely every line of it; the mesmeric style, the mystery, the gentle brutality, the dialogue, the wrangling of the emotions, the rare and razor-sharp humour, the remarkable cover (by Michael Whelan) the number of pages, the way very short stories sat between the longer ones, the titles. I honestly can't think of enough superlatives.

Coming to this quite soon after reading Kim Robinson's Red Mars, I have to wonder what Robinson was thinking bringing us such a comparitively sterile view of the Martian landscape. Of course they are two different books from different eras each trying to acheive its own goals, but Bradbury's portrayl of Mars is ultimately more humane and more 'useful', to be practical. Robinson's manual on how human life may pan out on Mars is one man's view, Bradbury's is anyones'.

The only book I can think that this compares with stylistically is Gene Wolfe's Fifth Head of Cerberus. Though I enjoyed that book an awful lot it didn't resonate with me in quite the same way as The Martian Chronicles has, and as Mugwump says, each of Bradbury's tales are so abundantly rich and vivid that his tales completely overshadow Wolfe's in this instance.

Probably my favourite chapters were Night Meeting and The Off Season though there was little between any of them and the whole book worked convincingly as a novel for me. If I had to pick one fault it would be that the tale Usher didn't really seem to fit too well with the others. But it's a minor fault - it's still a good chapter.

Despite being a fast and easy read this is a book to think about for a long time after and makes most of the recent SF tales I have read, even the very good ones, pale in comparison.

[LordBalthazar]

The last time I read Bradbury was way back in elementary school where I was seldom without my copies of The Illustrated Man and Something Wicked This Way Comes. I considered him the greatest living writer of our time. Of course, back then, I also thought Phantasm was the scariest movie ever made.

I picked up The Martian Chronicles with a certain amount of trepidation. Would reading Bradbury, some 30 years later, quash those happy memories? Would his writing hold up or would it prove as underhwelming as, say, watching Phantasm again after all these years? Well, some three stories in and I was ready to announce: "The Emperor has no clothes!". I was unimpressed with Ylla, found Earth Men incredibly silly, and downright hated "-And the Moon be Still as Bright". Bradbury's prose was as beautiful and polished as I remembered but, dear God, the dialogue! I'd wager that even in 50's, people did not talk in such a stilted, expository manner. Ouch.

And then, I read Night Meeting and, suddenly, I was reminded of the Bradbury I once held in such high esteem. I continued reading and there were some truly great stories (ie. The Martian) and some honestly not-so-good ones (ie. Usher II), a mixed bag in my opinion - but there's no arguing his prose mastery.

Despite the rocky start, I really enjoyed this book - and, yes, still regard Bradbury as one of the greats.

[Ropie]

And then, I read Night Meeting and, suddenly, I was reminded of the Bradbury I once held in such high esteem.

Yes, I liked this one a lot too. It was simple, atmospheric and memorable. I also liked every other story and though I agree that some of the dialogue has dated badly it didn't spoil anything about the tales for me.

[John Thiel]

Bradbury clarifies life and probes into the mysteries of human confrontation. He does have somewhat a child's-eye point of view, but the mature reader can appreciate what he's reading. Once one has gained those insights from his books, though, the kicks he gives to get the reader thinking are less pleasant. One must admit that he is unforgettable, and still thought-provoking when one reconsiders him. He has a great deal of insight into the wonder of existence.