And, oh, what stories are told. As a science fiction writer, it is no surprise that the majority of Bradbury's stories have to do with space and the future (heck, all of space was in the future when these stories were written in the early 50s). Additionally, the majority of the tales are pretty bleak, dealing with dark themes of revenge, futile searches for paradise, and Armageddon. However, save for their near-universal excellence, thought-provocation, and prescience, the similarities end there.

Among them: Mars is colonized by black people who have left Earth's prejudices, and await with apprehension the arrival of a white-piloted rocket ship from their former homeland; another planet's soldiers attack Earth and are surprised at the warm welcome they receive, only to learn that they can be conquered by Earth's lousy diet, sedentary ways, and shallow culture as easily as by the planet's military; an assembly of priests travels to Mars to learn about Martian sins, so as to spread God's word and earn converts of the Red plant; an entire city is built with the concept of vengeance in mind, by its citizens who were to perish before being able to exact that revenge themselves; the authors of classic tales of horror, whose works are banned on Earth, are themselves exiled to Mars and only kept alive by the few remaining copies not burned for censorship.

There are a couple of lame ducks herein, but even those are salvaged by the beauty of Bradbury's writing. His metaphors and descriptive devices flow from the pages and grant a macabre beauty to even the most desolate of landscapes.


Illustrating Human Nature   June 9, 2003
 20 out of 20 found this review helpful

Sometimes it's hard to remember that Ray Bradbury approaches the art of the short story in a very unconventional way. His collections of short stories are often tied together by common sub-themes or settings, although each story could also stand on its own. Such is the case here, though the running theme to the Illustrated Man collection is mostly an abstraction. Apparently the stories here are told by a man's haunted tattoos, but don't worry about that too much. The true theme holding this group of stories together is examinations of human nature and mankind's place in the universe. Bradbury's frequent use of Mars (and occasionally other planets) as a setting, with the obligatory spaceships and technology, is merely his method of creating alternate realities to bring human nature into bold relief.

Bradbury's classic examinations of the dark and melancholy side of humanity are well represented here as always, with his trademark poetic writing style and underlying sense of creeping dread. The classic virtual reality tale "The Veldt" is found here, with the typical misuse-of-technology theme presented in an unexpectedly haunting fashion. More evidence that the stock sci-fi themes are merely a thin backdrop can be seen in "The Other Foot," a chilling examination of race relations; or "The Rocket," which deals with the yearning of regular people to reach beyond the confines of Earth. Other winning stories include "Kaleidoscope" and "The Long Rain" which are haunting tales of how human nature can still undermine the greatest achievements of cold technology. So don't concern yourself with the typical sci-fi backdrop, and get in tune with what Ray Bradbury is really talking about.


One can never get bored reading Bradbury's stories   December 16, 2006
 7 out of 8 found this review helpful

I have read The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury many times. I will continue to read this wonderful little book. Like most of Bradbury's work, one can never get bored reading his stories. His stories are at times terrible, dark and they are beautiful, fascinating and in many ways a portal to the future. They are also a wonderful escape from the now.

The Illustrated Man is more a short story collection woven together by a central theme. The theme is The Illustrated Man. I agree with many other persons that it is important to realize he is illustrated, not tattooed. And how did he get the illustrations? A witch did the illustrations. He has been on the road searching for her ever since she put them on every inch of his flesh. When he finds her, he plans to kill her. Why? The illustrations are magical and move on his body. They are magic. If you look at theme for a period, they will tell you a story.

The Illustrated Man moves through 18 stories. "The Veldt" is my favorite story. "The Veldt" is one of the best short stories ever written. I also enjoyed "The Long Rain" (about rain of Venus) and "Marionettes, Inc." (about an artificial intelligence body double being used where a man can go out on the town, but the double ultimately taking the man's place and wife). There are so many great stories ranging from Sci-Fi to mild horror. It is a great book I would recommend for all middle school age and older.

Read and Reviewed by Jimmie A. Kepler.



Classic collection   March 11, 1999
 6 out of 6 found this review helpful

This is one of those "must own" books that you always hear about, in a hundred years this and a handful of other Bradbury books will be considering classics of American literature. Basically a collection of about a guy who has all this illustrations on his body that shows the stories to an unnamed observer. Personally I have no idea why he bothered with the Illustrated Man concept, the stories stand on their own just fine, though it does give him the opportunity to give a great sucker punch ending. And the concept is basically ignored after the second story but hey when the stuff is this good who am I to complain? The stories themselves, like I said are all excellent, some more than others but it's mostly the distinction between "real good" and "really really really good". The highlights are the opening "The Veldt" which is classic Bradbury and some story about some guys on Venus who are going crazy from getting rained on and a few others. Most of his stories are science-fictional, often revolving in one way or another around rockets but Bradbury deals less with actual science and more about fantasy and dreams, leading to some real good touching moments, above all his stories are about people, they just happened to be set in the future on Mars. Some are sentimental, some are creepy, some are funny but all are good. And it's quick reading, so you have no excuse. Get it today


Dated concepts, Timeless writing   September 3, 1999
 6 out of 6 found this review helpful

Some people I know have had real trouble 'getting' Bradbury's work. The bulk of his best work was written in the 50's and 60's. Some concepts in this book are simply outdated. However, in every story is study of a concept that never has and never will be out-dated, The Human Condition. 'The Man', 'Kaliedascope' and 'The Long Rain' are my personal favorites. Potential readers must also understand that Bradbury is not a science fiction writer. A lot of his stories have science fiction themes and backgrounds, but Fantasy is a better way to describe his work. From hard core fantasy, such as what you will find in this book, to subtle fantasy, such as 'Dandelion Wine' you will find the most important element of Bradbury's work is EMOTION. This man is a true one of a kind Artist. I also recommend: Something Wicked this Way Comes, Dandelion Wine, The October Country, Fahrenheit 451 and any of his other earlier short story collections. Bradbury truly is a GrandMaster. PS- You Kids should keep your opinions to your self. You are only making yourselves look bad.