The Illustrated Man

I have an old dog-earred paperback copy of this book and have enjoyed the 30-minute versions of several of the stories produced for radio. But nothing beats the unabridged book when it comes to my listening enjoyment. Paul Michael Garcia does a very good job with the narration. This is one of those audio books I will listen to again and again.

I???ve listened to Bradbury???s seminal collection of short stories twice now, and it???s very much like hanging out with an old friend whom you haven't seen for ages, but jump back into things as if you'd been speaking to every day. Some have suggested that it hasn???t aged well, but I disagree: the stories certainly have aged (the book itself is over 60 years old), and they certainly look different than today???s SF/F/H stories, but they???re still full of imagination, excitement, fear, and wonder. The stories contained are as diverse as the titular characters tattoos ??? whether it???s lonely astronauts floating through space as their oxygen runs out, the ghosts of some of our greatest authors and poets exiled to Mars, or a poor father who can???t afford to send his family on vacation in outer space ??? and each one is a treasure.

Paul Michael Garcia does an amazing job reading these, adding an additional layer of emotion and character to each story. If it???s been a while since you read Ray Bradbury, Paul Michael Garcia is the narrator to reunite you with him.

The book contains the following stories: 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, The Illustrated Man

Ray Bradbury was one of the favorite writer’s from my youth; Fahrenheit 451 was one of the first books I read about “ideas” it was not just a cool story but it was actually about something. I followed that up by devouring most of his work. I decided to revisit him.
He was not as good as I remember. But I am not listening to this with fresh ears. But even so, I have read numerous books numerous times but I just found listening this to be a trudge listening to these familiar stories again. It felt like I was watching a bad sitcom and I remembered all the punchlines.

However to fresh ears this collection of short stories might be as exciting and exhilarating as my first reading. This book would be great for a family roadtrip or something. The stories are short and punchy and are relatively easy to comprehend but are real involving. It is great YA material that has kind of been lost in a midst of hip YA Fiction that is out. However once you know the twist or what it is about a large chunk of the enjoyment is gone. I think it boils down to Bradbury being a great storyteller and mediocre craftsman of language. As opposed to something like the Great Gatsby (a book I have read and listened to numerous times) which is a triumph of storytelling and language.

To be honest you can find a large chunk of these stories as radio plays on Audible or as free podcasts. That is the best method to hear most of these stories. The narration is rather utilitarian hardly as magical as the old radio show some of these appeared on like X Minus One and Dimension X.

The narration is quite good. This is a classic from the genre. It is well written and entertaining. 3-stars are as a result of the depressing nature of this collection of short stories. At first I really enjoyed hearing the stories, but I was ready to jump off a building after listening to a dozen of them. It is the most depressing look at the future that I could imagine. Of all the stories, only a couple would I consider as containing hope or a positive outlook from the characters.

Nothing. It is what it is.

I would like to have listened to Inside Coca-Cola, but it is not in audio.

None

None.

If you like nighmarish, creepy stories like the old Twilight Zones, this is your book. Although I did not like the stories, the narration was well done.

This is a great reminder that the 1950's weren't as wonderful as some people seem to think. As far as I can tell, most of the female characters are pathetic and whiny. In several of the stories, female characters are bad not because some people are bad, but specifically because they are women. Pretty depressing book.