The Martian Chronicles (1950)

What an interesting read that was. o_O ( )

I listened to the audiobook and in the introduction the author tells the reader how the Chronicles came to be. He also tells the reader that this is not science fiction because there is no science. It is a collection of short stories that are at the same time good prose, philosophy and story telling. The stories share some connections and are about colonizing Mars by humans from earth. Time period covered is from the 2000 to 2026.

The author wrote them as short stories but later was encouraged to publish them as a book so there are some short vignettes to connect the stories. I think the publishing date is 1950 for the first edition by Doubleday. The genres are considered to be Science fiction, Post-apocalyptic fiction, Horror, Dystopian fiction.

There is a lot of literary influence in these stories. Bradbury said the John Carter of Mars books and Harold Foster's 1931 series of Tarzan Sunday comics had such an impact on his life that "The Martian Chronicles would never have happened" otherwise. Bradbury cited the Barsoom stories and Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson as literary influences.

I liked the Fire Balloons that addresses evangelism and Christianity and the concept of sin in other beings. Especially interesting was Usher II which addresses censorship and moral police (House of Usher, Poe) and would later be revisited when the author wrote Fahrenheit 451. And the last story, The Million Year Picnic, reminds me of an Adam Eve type story.

Over all, you can tell that these stories are dated and the audio was good but not exceptional in any way. While the stories are dated you can still recognize how a book written in 1950 contributed to a lot of current literature and it does capture the age it was written (cold war, fear of blowing up the earth, rocketry).

Rating 3.875 ( )

If you like to read science fiction & short stories, I highly recommend this book. Here are some stories I enjoyed the most:

August 1999: The Earth Men
They declared that they were from the Earth. The people on the planet Tyrr were not impressed.

April 2000: The Third Expedition
Captain John Black's expedition to Mars. They saw familiar faces.

August 2002: Night Meeting
Tomas Gomez meets a Martian.

June 2003: Way in the middle of the air
He said he can't publish this story on 1949.
The story is about black people who did not rely on the politicians and set themselves free with technology.

April 2005: Usher II
This is where Fahrenheit 451 started. I haven't read Poe's Amonticillo so I'm convinced I should read it.

I listened to an audiobook of Martian Chronicles narrated by Ray Bradbury. I like that he added commentaries. After finishing the audiobook, he said that he was more optimistic than he was when he wrote this. He believed that we are going to Mars not to runaway from ourselves but to fulfill ourselves. If he would write it again, it will have a different ending. But, he said that he has total respect to the young person than he was. After reading the final chapter, he was touched by the feeling that he put in it for these people and for their hope and the face of annihilation to exist in the universe and eventually to move on out to the stars.
"I believe that we will someday live among the stars and live forever." ( )

Qué grata sorpresa este libro, me voló el coco ( )

Unbelievably beautifully written, this book of interrelated short stories will elate you, disturb you, haunt you, and leave you longing for more. Ray Bradbury truly proves himself a genius and a master of the English language in this slim volume that is not so much science fiction as social or psychological fiction. Human nature is deeply explored throughout, and Bradbury's results are both beautiful and chilling. I consider this to be one of the best books I've ever read and highly recommend it to anyone who loves to read. This is not a Star Trek sort of book but almost a volume of poetry printed in paragraph form. ( )