Title: The Illustrated Man Author: Ray Bradbury Pages: 192 Publisher: Spectra ISBN: 055327449X Genre: Science Fiction Synopsis: The novel begins with the meeting of two people. One of these could easily be the reader. The other has brilliant life-like tattoes all over his body. The Illustrated Man sleeps through the night and the other watches as they come to life, telling story after story. Thus a collection of Ray Bradbury's short stories are brought together. Stories that protray the future and the potential cosequences if men contiunue with their current actions. Stories of Parents raising children so inocently spoiled that they have no guilt over the horrors they are capable of. Sotries of people never happy or satisfied with what they have, never realizing their blessings until they meet a tragic end.Most of these stories are sad and ominous. A few are sweet if slightly bitter. Review: Ray Bradbury has a unique way of spining together hidden fears into ominous warnings. While his stories are timeless, they also give insight to the fears of the 1950s and 1960s, and the lurking fear in the hearts of Americans that a nuclear war was on the horizon, waiting to destory everything. While that particular fear may not be formost on the minds of today's generation, The consequences of war and hate still ring very true. One thing that worries me a bit about Bradburies stories comes from one of his stories. A character comments that Maritans invading Earth could never win because Earthlings have been raised on stories where they always prevail in the end. Thus Earthlings have a mindset towards victory that Martians do not have. Since most of Brabury's stories are doom and gloom, one could say he's promoting a culture of despair. But it's clear that Bradbury's works are meant to serve as a warning. While many of these doomsday events lie in the future, several are in the very near future, and all have roots in present day events and attitudes. The potential now to change things to create a better future is perhaps one of the most significant messages in this book. This entire writing style seems to be a dying breed. It's nice to read short, to the point stories with an obvious moral. Bradbury does not need expic, sweeping, 50-page-long scenery descriptions. In some ways his writing seems overly simplistic compared to current works. But I for one could use more simplicity. If your looking for a novle that is straightforward and thoughtprovoking, stick with Bradbury and his peers. Copywrite 2006. If you have problems with this site, please contact the webmaster. Posted 17 May 2006.