The Illustrated Man

Ray Bradbury - The Illustrated Man
Published in Great Britain in 1952 this collection of short stories still manages to surprise the reader with its variety and buzz of new ideas, new to the 1950’s that is because other writers have mined these stories to create stories of their own. The stories fit into the loose genre of Science fiction, but there is very little science: Bradbury is more concerned with the psychological effects of life and incidents in the future. In Kaleidoscope he imagines a rocket torn apart in space and the surviving crew members space suited and in radio communication drifting towards their very individual deaths. In The Veldt a rich family indulge their children with an enhanced virtual reality room that takes show more over their lives. In The Other Foot a black community exiled from Earth await the arrival of the first white man to visit them in twenty years. In Marionettes, Inc a man invests in a robot that can replace him as and when he wishes allowing him the freedom to slip away to indulge himself as he wishes.

The stories are rarely longer than fifteen pages and yet it is enough time for Bradbury to immerse the reader in his tales. For example in The Long Rain an expeditionary force are trekking through the forests on Venus where it never stops raining. In Usher II an individual prepares traps based on the stories of Edgar Alan Poe to strike his own revenge on the book burners. This is the second collection of short stories by Ray Bradbury that I have re-read and while ‘The Martian Chronicles’ had a certain music and colour to them that linked the stories; The Illustrated Man has a linking device of a tattooed man whose body is overdrawn with pictures of the stories in the book, but in the end this is neither here nor there as Bradbury soon looses interest in any linkage. There is however a consistent quality of ideas behind this collection and a style that is clearly that of the same guiding hand. In short these stories are still a delight to read and one of the best collections from the 1950’s and so five stars, show less

A stunning collection of apocalyptic stories written at the dawn of the atom bomb and rapid technological development.

The stories highlight the fears that were omnipresent in the post-WWII period in the U.S. Children that are moulded and controlled by an Oculus Rift-like chamber. Astronauts pondering their life, floating towards death after their rocket exploded. Marionettes bought to replace spouses in failed relationships. Themes of nuclear apocalypse, the diaspora of mankind throughout the Galaxy, dreams of space travel.

The science, the book having been written in the 50s, is obviously inaccurate and unrealistic. The book does not aim for scientific accuracy, however. This is never the aim of science fiction. What it does aim for, show more and what is successfully accomplished in this book, is a haunting vision of alienation, degeneration, and loss of humanity. But spread throughout, one can also find the survival of humanity regardless of the number of obstacles or supposed defeats in its way.

Bradbury is a brilliant writer who always manages to capture the very essence of what, above all, makes us human. show less

When it comes to Ray Bradbury, I’m definitely a fan of his gothic-styled fantasy stories, but even though I am less interested by his space-based sci-fi exploration I will admit that he is a master of language and has a way of picking up on the small humanities within his characters to keep the stories well-motivated. This collection begins with “The Veldt”, a story that I sought out a number of years ago in single form after hearing deadmau5’ electronica musical rendition, and which even after years away still strikes an ominous chord due to the themes around toxic family structures and technology. Most of the stories in this selection are similarly focused on humanity’s interactions with technology and space, a clear show more preoccupation for Bradbury as he was writing during an era of an increased availability (and dare we say obsession) with both. Like many other science fiction “predictions,” few of Bradbury’s specifications came true in a literal sense, but his exploration of themes such as increased alienation, conflict between different life forms (or races), and the many ways technology could influence our lives (for better or worse) still hold much intrigue and possibly even truth. While I can’t say I’ll ever feel the need to read this collection again (space and tech doesn’t quite do it for me on a recurring basis), Bradbury’s language and narration was expectedly comforting and highly engaging through each of the short vignettes herein. Now, if only the vague frame story of the Illustrated Man was made into an actual novel, I would be much more inclined to read deeply into that! show less

Siguiendo el estilo de 'Crónicas Marcianas', Ray Bradbury recopila varios de sus relatos, ya publicados en diversas revistas, todos ellos conteniendo historias con elementos en común, para formar una novela. Aunque bien es cierto que 'El Hombre Ilustrado' no tiene la cohesión de 'Crónicas Marcianas' ni alcanza los niveles de calidad de ésta.

El libro empieza a raíz del encuentro de un personaje con el Hombre Ilustrado, una especie de fenómeno de feria que tiene todo su cuerpo tatuado; pero se trata de tatuajes muy especiales, ya que cada dibujo refiere una historia del futuro. A pesar de que el Hombre Ilustrado avisa reiteradamente a este personaje del peligro que conlleva estar a su lado, decide acampar con él. Y es que está show more fascinado con las ilustraciones que decoran su piel. A partir de aquí se van desplegando cada uno de los dieciocho relatos, cada uno de ellos asociado a una ilustración distinta.

Todos los cuentos contienen esa poesía inherente a las historias de Bradbury, en los que impera el carácter literario y de fábula más que el científico. Bradbury nunca se ha preocupado de la parte científica de sus libros, algo que le han achacado algunos de sus colegas en múltiples ocasiones. Pero a él no le preocupan detalles del tipo de si la luna sale por tal o cual lado, a él lo que le importa es contar historias.

En 'El Hombre Ilustrado' se dan la mano diversos géneros, fantásticos, ciencia ficción y terror. Entre los que más me han gustado se encuentran 'Caleidoscopio', que cuenta la caída de varios astronautas hacia la atmósfera. 'Los desterrados', homenaje a los grandes maestros de lo sobrenatural, que narra lo que les sucede cuando sus libros son destruidos. 'El zorro y el bosque', donde es posible viajar al pasado para huir de la guerras del futuro. 'Marionetas S.A.', cuento que narra la posibilidad de hacer una copia de ti mismo para salir de ciertos apuros. 'La hora cero', relato inquietante donde los niños de la Tierra son utilizados para invadirnos. 'El cohete', donde priman los sueños por encima de cualquier cosa, en donde el protagonista le hace a su familia un regalo fabuloso. Pero realmente todos los cuentos tienen algo memorable. No cabe duda, Ray Bradbury fue un visionario. show less

A collection of short stories more or less connected by a man's magical tattoos. A lot of them were pretty good, though the more Bradbury I read, the more I feel like I'm being kept at arm's length, as a woman. It's one thing for your female characters to be bland and reactionary (common in classic SF), but there is a distinct impression here that this is a man's world. Which is fine, so far as it goes, but it does prevent me from getting as lost in the story as I might have been. That said, there were quite a few gems in here, the best being - perhaps ironically - the ones with no women in them at all.

When I picked up this book I though it was one story about the Illustrated Man. Actually, it is a short story collection, built around the man. The man is a man with tattoos, but no ordinary tattoos. The tattoos predict the future, and in the evening they move, telling a story. The scariest tattoo is the one that is blurry, and shows the future death of somebody who has been with the illustrated man for a while.
The stories all take place in the future, with a lot of space-travel and futuristic technology. However, human psychology is always at the center of the story. For example, there is a story about the black people who have colonized Mars because of the terrible treatment they were getting on Earth (in the fifties/sixties). Now a show more white person has come from Earth to ask for their help after multiple wars have destroyed most of the planet. What will they do to their former tormentors? Another is about a group of astronauts whose ship has been destroyed and who are floating aimlessly through space, waiting to die.
The stories are all very good, and this is a very enjoyable collection. Great science fiction. Four out of five stars. show less

Bradbury is known as a science fiction writer for good reason, but man this collection is a reminder of how dark and horrifying a lot of his stories can be. More often he's using his familiar realm of rockets and martians as a backdrop for psychological horror that would fit right alongside Shirley Jackson or Stephen King. Actually, any time that someone uses "Black Mirror/Twilight Zone" as a comp I would add this collection to that list. The Illustrated Man is a great dive into the mind of a brilliant storyteller and an example of why Ray Bradbury is one of my favorite authors.