This edition was published in 2008 by Harper Voyager. I have read several of Bradbury’s works and this stands out as the best one. It has aged well, compared to other science fiction of the era. It hasn’t dated much, apart from some obvious things such as the years mentioned (apparently the world will end in 1969), the characters’ names, the preoccupation with ‘atomic war’ and the lack of female astronauts. Special mentions to these particular stories: ‘Usher II’ (which has some themes prefiguring Bradbury’s subsequent novel Fahrenheit 451), ‘The Other Foot’ (a powerful story in the context of race relations) and ‘The Long Rain’ (a tale of despair and hope in the jungles of Venus).Īlthough the book was first published in 1952, it feels more modern than that to me. Themes include the power that children have over adults, the effects of space travel on mental health and the problems which occur when you have a robot made of yourself.

They’re all beautifully written, sometimes sinister, sometimes bittersweet, with an element of irony. The stories are not about the science, but about family and relationships in the context of new inventions.Ī collection of sixteen short stories, they are bound together by the concept of ‘the illustrated man’, who was tattooed by a witch and every night the pictures on his body come alive to show these tales of the future.

It’s science fiction, but characteristic of Ray Bradbury’s lyrical style. Read 4,801 reviews from the worlds largest community for readers. october-country own-in-paperback owned-books. So I’ve read this fantastic book for a fourth time. The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury The Illustrated Man book. The Illustrated Man is not a bad collection by any means - just don't expect pumpkins, carnivals and Halloween when you'll begin to read it. I bought a new edition recently, having got rid of my old edition as the pages had turned too brown to read easily.

The illustrated man book review