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The Illustrated Man
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The Illustrated Man
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The Illustrated Man
Audiobook9 hours

The Illustrated Man

Written by Ray Bradbury

Narrated by Scott Brick

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

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Currently unavailable

Currently unavailable

About this audiobook

Ray Bradbury brings wonders alive. A peerless American storyteller, his oeuvre has been celebrated for decades-from the Martian Chronicles and Fahrenheit 451 to Dandelion Wine and Something Wicked This Way Comes.



The Illustrated Man is classic Bradbury-a collection of tales that breathe and move, animated by sharp, intaken breath and flexing muscle. Here are eighteen startling visions as keen as the tattooist's needle and as colorful as the inks that indelibly stain the body.



The images, ideas, sounds, and scents that abound in this phantasmagoric sideshow are provocative and powerful: the mournful cries of celestial travelers cast out cruelly into a vast, empty space of stars and blackness; the sight of grey dust settling over a forgotten outpost on a road that leads nowhere; the pungent odor of Jupiter on a returning father's clothing. Here living cities take their vengeance, technology awakens the most primal natural instincts, Martian invasions are foiled by the good life and the glad hand, and dreams are carried aloft in junkyard rockets.



Bradbury's The Illustrated Man is a kaleidoscopic blending of magic, imagination, and truth, widely believed to be one of the grandmaster's premier accomplishments: as exhilarating as interplanetary travel, as maddening as a walk in a million-year rain, and as comforting as simple, familiar rituals on the last night of the world.



The stories contained in The Illustrated Man are "Prologue: The Illustrated Man," "The Veldt," "Kaleidoscope," "The Other Foot," "The Highway," "The Man," "The Long Rain," "The Rocket Man," "The Last Night of the World," "The Exiles," "No Particular Night or Morning," "The Fox and the Forest," "The Visitor," "The Concrete Mixer," "Marionettes, Inc. ," "The City," "Zero Hour," "The Rocket," and "The Illustrated Man."
LanguageEnglish
PublisherTantor Audio
Release dateAug 17, 2010
ISBN9781400188260
Author

Ray Bradbury

Ray Bradbury (22 August 1920 – 5 June 2012) published some 500 short stories, novels, plays and poems since his first story appeared in Weird Tales when he was twenty years old. Among his many famous works are 'Fahrenheit 451,' 'The Illustrated Man,' and 'The Martian Chronicles.'

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Reviews for The Illustrated Man

Rating: 4.000508888447837 out of 5 stars
4/5

1,965 ratings70 reviews

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  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    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.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    An enjoyable collection of stories from Ray Bradbury, although I wouldn't mark them as memorable as those from his other works.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This is the first collection of short stories I have ever read and I was not in the least bit disappointed.I really love that it wasn't just a dumping of stories, Bradbury actually took the time to connect them with the illustrated man.

    Some of the stories have the ability to remain with you past your initial reading. For me those stories were "Zero Hour," "The Fox and the Forest" and "The Rocket." Beautifully crafted and really just a fantastic read.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    My advice: read it, but as soon as you begin to suspect it's hollow, put it down - it won't be redeeming itself.

    The opening is my favourite opening of any book. A shame about the actual collection of short stories, which are pretty much all perfect examples of the tragedy of great sci-fi ideas injected into poor narratives. I did enjoy some of the first few stories though.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    A collection of SF short stories that mostly have a setting in the future, Mars, and fantastical elements. Each story is great with its own set of twists. They are all pretty dark that doesn't give much hope for humanity's future. All are incredibly interesting and gripping. A great collection from a great author.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    The most surprising thing about this collection of stories is how often they veer from 50s adventure sci-fi (the word "rocket" appears conspicuously in almost every one) into the kind of "twist" horror stories that one imagines 12-year-old boys might once have told around a campfire. For the most part, this particular transition is as repetitive as it is unimpressive. Virtually all of the stories in this mold are so predictable that I saw the twist coming almost as soon as the premise was established. (Perhaps these stories were so influential that their twists have been copied ad nauseam in the years after this was published, but somehow I doubt it.) And once you remove the twist-horror gimmick, there's little left to the stories to recommend them. Bradbury's prose is plain, his characters all virtually indistinguishable from each other. A few themes repeat throughout - "The Real Problem is Humans," "Children Are Secretly Evil," "War is Horrible" and "Space is Awesome." These, too, feel a bit tired today, although I suspect they were more resonant in the 50s when these stories were originally published.That said, when Bradbury stops trying to surprise us with monsters in closets and doesn't descend into unsubtle moralizing, a few of his stories are quite good. "Rocket Man," probably the best of the bunch, is about a father who sees his family only a few days every 3 or 4 months and works because most of the action and feelings are unspoken. (The son secretly scrapes spacedust off his Dad's uniform every time he returns -- because he longs to see space, or is desperate to retain any piece of his dad that he can?) "The Long Rain," about a few explorers seeking shelter on an eternally-raining Venus, has a decent sense of atmosphere as well.The rest, though, are easily forgotten.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I've loved Bradbury's writing since I was first introduced to some of his short stories in elementary school and later read some of his novels in Junior High and High School. Even loving his work, there is so much of it that I've never read. I finally decided to remedy that problem. The Illustrated Man is an interesting "novel" to read as it is actually a short story collection framed within the concept of a tattooed man whose images come to life to tell true stories and have a prophetic aspect that effects anyone who watches them long enough. The book consists of 18 different stories ranging from the ultra "sci-fi" to the less "sci-fi" tales of wonder. Think of it like an eclectic collection of 'Twilight Zone' episodes done with expert mastery. Even though these stories were written individually over a number of years, the framing together with the larger narrative made me look at these stories a little differently...not as a single cohesive story by any means, but I did notice ways in which some of them related to one another or "spoke to" themes and elements of others. Part of me wanted a little more "wrapping" to learn the story of the Illustrated Man and how he interacted with the characters in these various stories (granted, we get some of that in 'Something Wicket This Way Comes' but I was left wanting more here).As with many (most? all?) of Bradbury's stories, there are certain twists and reveals that I don't want to spoil with a plot synopsis but I will comment that I absolutely enjoyed all of the stories in this book. Admittedly, some were better than others but I wouldn't say any are specifically "bad" stories...I'm certain some will be less liked than others but that will largely be an issue of preference as well as an early writer finding his voice.As a parent, I felt a certain unease with the opening story ("The Veldt") which was then set back in balance by the closing story ("The Rocket"). I didn't do a full compare/contrast of the stories but I felt like this sort of balance was present in the book. I don't see any heavy handed balancing act in place but I was truly impressed with the selection and order of the stories in the book. I felt like everything flowed together in a way that felt natural and helped keep the reader engaged and with a good emotional ride.There is definitely a fantastical element to all of the tales but whether you're a die hard fan of Bradbury and/or sci-fi or if you're just a lover of a well written story, The Illustrated Man will surely have something you will enjoy. I'm thinking about re-initiating our "bedtime story time" routine and reading these stories to my kids. This is a collection that is definitely recommended. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.*****4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I thought this was interesting as quite a few of the stories seem like a dry run for his later versions of some similar themes. Everything here is dark and ominous in a kind of light SF horror. I didn't feel that many of the stories really linked together much and I remember this fro my reading of the book as a boy. I found it a bit dull back then and I have to admit that this is not as good as much of his later stuff. That said, I suspect this is very much 'of its time' and would have been quite innovative and striking back then - the post x-files generation(s) might find it a bit familiar.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Much like The October Country, this collection of short stories is both terrifying and heart-warming. These stories are much more in tune with science fiction, but the overarching theme still deals with the horrors and wonders of humanity. There is something really special about Bradbury's writing style. You get a sense of feeling both terrified and warm at the same time. It's even more impressive when this is accomplished over and over and over again with story after story.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Creepy blend of the horror of mid-century life with possible futuristic horrors. Kids that say 'gee whiz!' build interdimensional alien transporters instead of soapbox cars. Organization Men colonize distant planets. California opens up a new market on Mars for cheesy action figures.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This book is very helpful to people 5-years-old and up who want to learn to play chess. You can read it quickly, the letters are in large print, you can apply what you learn as you go inside the book, and learn to read and write a chess match.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    In Something Wicked This Way Comes the Illustrated Man is a villain. This is his past. He got his tattoos from a woman he claims could travel in time. They come alive in the night and one can see the story in each. This is a collection of eighteen stories. The most common themes are fear of atomic war and the alien invasion.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Great book. I am very glad I listened to it.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Scott Brick is a consummate reader with an almost infinite range of expression. These classic stories, often disturbing, explore the depths of the human condition. Bradbury was a master story teller and Brick’s masterful reading demonstrates an intimate familiarity with all the layers and depths of these stories. Phenomenal!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I vaguely remember seeing the movie and hating it. But I gave the book a chance. I liked the majority of the stories. I'm glad I gave the book a chance.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    What great stories, what interesting twists, and what true innovation in seeing the world. For anyone wanting to know what the science fiction authors thought "back in the day" in the Golden Age of Science Fiction writing, this is a prime example. Some of the characterizations of women are sadly 1950's, but others are much more elevated. I think my favorite is the priests who discover the real Martians and step down from thinking they need to teach them about God.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This is, overall, a pretty dark collection from Bradbury. Definitely some gems here worth digging into. The movie version wasn't bad, either.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I loved the meta-story. The Veldt is definitely my favorite.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Some really awesome stories, and some so-so ones. The book left me feeling a little melancholy and detached.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Good set of 1940-50s science fiction short stories but some of them are dated now (65+ years after their first publication). Others were just as good as ever!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    READ IN ENGLISH

    I don't remember exactly why I bought this book, and I think it has been on my TBR for the last two years. But as I'm trying to actually read my TBR, I came across the Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury, most famous of course for his novel Fahrenheit 451.



    And, I really was surprised at how much I liked this book! (I also like Fahrenheit 451, now I think of it), but this novel is more like a collection of short stories (the central story is fascinating, but very small, and from a given point, it doesn't even appear between the short stories any more). I'm not a particular fan of short stories, but some of these were really good.



    Most of them were SF, though some of them tended to be more like Horror-SF (if something like that exists?). Written in 1951, there is a fascination of atom bombs, biological warfare, space missions, the general destruction of live as we know it and (because this is Ray Bradbury) book burnings. Nice to read it now, as some of the stories are set in like 1969 or 2005, it's funny what people thought might have become of us by then =)



    I'd not thought I would like this book so much, and now I actually want to read even more books by Ray Bradbury.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    What to say? Not all of the stories are quite there, but most are excellent. What else would you expect from bradbury?
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    My favorite Ray Bradbury book!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Fr me, this ties w/ Fahrenheit 451 as Bradbury's best book. I really can't decide which one is THE best.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The Illustrated Man contains science fiction short stories. Bradbury reminds me of Aesop in this book, with each story having deep morals attached to them. The first story warns us what will happen is we let technology run our life and raise our children, the outcome is chilling. The second story delves into the fear of knowing death. The third story brings us to Mars and shows us what would happen if we didn't learn the lesson of equality. Each story continues with the same unique ideas and compels you to read the next. I would recommend this to anyone who loves Bradbury and anyone who wants a non-committed reading relationship with him.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Some of the stories here make you think about philosophical issues. The reality of life and race relations are among them. My three favorite stories were: "The Veldt," "The Visitor," and "The Fox and the Forest."
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    In an age of ever increasing lengths of novels the short story has seemingly been forgotten. Thankfully, one can turn to one of the masters of the short story and marvel at its splendor. Ray Bradbury can pack a short story with more depth and meaning than half of the authors today can with forty times the words. The concept of how The Illustrated Man is put together is rather weak; however, the short stories contained within are brilliant. It is even more amazing to read about how these stories have impacted popular culture from TV, film, and song - Elton John, Pink Floyd, deadmau5, and more. Most people seem to really enjoy Kaleidoscope and Rocket Man, but I thoroughly enjoyed the creative wordplay in No Particular Night or Morning.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Bradbury's vision is something both horrifying and wonderful, played out in this collection of fantastic and futuristic stories and held together by the tenuously changing and tortured skin of an illustrated man. As a framed and connected collection, its powerful is wonderful, but even on their own, the stories hold such wonder, heartbreak, and beauty that they're each worth exploring in and of themselves.Absolutely recommended.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5

    Suprisingly dated. Occasional beauty. Mostly interesting for sci-fi historians.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Stories by a master storyteller. Space travel and the psychology of man. Slices of a fictional reality speaking loads of truth about us.