The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! 😌
andrewhatesham's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
This had a slow start and I was worried I wouldn't like it, but after the first few stories, I started to get into it, and there were some really great stories around the middle and end! I was also glad that everything kinda comes full circle by the end. There are some reoccurring characters that help connect the stories. Overall, it's a solid read.
"Ignorance is fatal, Mr. Garrett."
Out of all the stories in here, my favorite is "April 2005: Usher II" for sure. I thought it was so interesting, funny, and disturbing all at the same time!
"Science is no more than an investigation of a miracle we can never explain, and art is an interpretation of that miracle."
I liked this, but I didn't like it as much as The Illustrated Man which I read earlier this year. Both are worth reading though, so I would recommend both of them! The stories in The Illustrated Man are much less connected, and I think I prefer that because The Martian Chronicles is a bit monotonous considering EVERYTHING in it is about Mars.
"I'm numb and I'm tired. Too much has happened today. I feel as if I'd been out in a pounding rain for forty-eight hours without an umbrella or a coat. I'm soaked to the skin with emotion."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs
Moderate: Colonisation, Genocide, and War
Minor: Murder, Death, Gun violence, and Sexism
lilaceous's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
characters - .5⭐️
plot - ⭐️
engaging to read - ⭐️
would recommend -
would read again -
i had fun reading this. the stories go well together and many of them are interesting.
the sci-fi in this book feels older than it actually is because it’s more like fantasy and lacks imagining of any kind of social change for the future.
i had fun reading this. the stories go well together and many of them are interesting.
the sci-fi in this book feels older than it actually is because it’s more like fantasy and lacks imagining of any kind of social change for the future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Racial slurs, and Racism
frankynstein's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Racism, Xenophobia, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Misogyny and Genocide
Minor: War, Violence, and Toxic relationship
cviii's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Colonisation, Grief, Abandonment, Classism, Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, and War
emmariana97's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Colonisation, Death, Murder, and War
Moderate: Genocide, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Xenophobia, Misogyny, Racism, Body shaming, Forced institutionalization, and Gun violence
missbear's review
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This is the third book I've read by Ray Bradbury now (Fahrenheit 451, which I was not overly fond of, and Dandelion Wine, which I loved). I think I've now settled into what I think of him, which is that I am absolutely captivated with his beautifully poetic writing style and strongly appreciate his ability to create a sense of wonder and magic in small town America (sometimes by putting small town America on Mars), but I do think we have some philosophical differences that prevent me from considering him a favorite science fiction author. Bradbury trades in nostalgia, which sometimes works for me perfectly, as it did here and in Dandelion Wine, and sometimes veers into what comes across to me as anti-technology and an overly positive perception of the past.
Like with many short story collections, my enjoyment of The Martian Chronicles varied considerably, and I took a long break from it in the middle. But I settled on four stars because of how very much I enjoyed several of the stories ("There Will Come Soft Rains" is a masterpiece that I've read before, but enjoyed even more in the context of the book, other favorites were "The Fire Balloons," "The Musicians," "Usher II," "The Martian," and "The Million Year Picnic."). Making this list made me realize that I enjoyed the second half of this book far more than the first half - I think I found the early stories, about the failed expeditions and the death of the Martian civilization to be less interesting - it was the idea of Americans trying to recreate their Earth lives on a dead planet scattered with the bones and ruins of a civilization that they had destroyed that I found so haunting, so terrible, and so beautiful.
Like with many short story collections, my enjoyment of The Martian Chronicles varied considerably, and I took a long break from it in the middle. But I settled on four stars because of how very much I enjoyed several of the stories ("There Will Come Soft Rains" is a masterpiece that I've read before, but enjoyed even more in the context of the book, other favorites were "The Fire Balloons," "The Musicians," "Usher II," "The Martian," and "The Million Year Picnic."). Making this list made me realize that I enjoyed the second half of this book far more than the first half - I think I found the early stories, about the failed expeditions and the death of the Martian civilization to be less interesting - it was the idea of Americans trying to recreate their Earth lives on a dead planet scattered with the bones and ruins of a civilization that they had destroyed that I found so haunting, so terrible, and so beautiful.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Genocide
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