Morning Short
Podcast
Enjoy a new, curated short story every episode. We hand-pick 15-25 minute short stories from a pool...
Perchance to Dream: Selected Stories
Book
That Charles Beaumont would make a name for himself crafting scripts for The Twilight Zone is only...
Chris Hooker (419 KP) rated The Giver in Books
Jan 12, 2018
It reminded me of [Fahrenheit 451] by [Ray Bradbury]. The concept of a sterilized society without creativity has been around for a long time. [Lowry] puts the reliance of society's memory on a child. It becomes his responsibility to remember and protect them from their own history. The Sameness is their protection but at what cost?
Overall I enjoyed [The Giver] and hope all my students read it.
Dawn Marie (22 KP) rated Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983) in Movies
Jan 19, 2018
X Minus One Podcast
Podcast
X Minus One is widely considered among the finest science fiction dramas ever produced for radio....
Look Homeward, Angel
Thomas Wolfe and Elizabeth Kostova
Book
The first novel by the great American novelist, now the subject of a major new film, Genius,...
No Ordinary Star
Book
A soldier is summoned to the North Pole, days before the year changes, told to fix the great Clock...
Ande Thomas (69 KP) rated The Martian Chronicles in Books
May 30, 2019
I understand why he is so well loved. I understand his importance in literature and in science fiction. I just don't like reading him. It's something I can't fully explain. I generally enjoy his stories and his ideas. He paints a beautiful portrait with his words, relying as much on the landscape as he does his characters, which I am normally really into. I like being able to peek into the social structure of the early days of science fiction to see how people envisioned the future and by extension, how they saw themselves. For some unknown reason though, I can never get myself settled and engrossed in a Bradbury story.
The Martian Chronicles has some highlights, to be sure. Favorites include <i>The Earth Men</i>, <i>Way in the Middle of the Air</i> and <i>Usher II</i> come immediately to mind. As simply a collection of short stories, I think I would like it more, but since he decided to thread them loosely together, it causes more trouble than it gains. Because of the nature of the narrative, we get a sort of dreamlike quality to the story. Rules that work in one story may not work in the next. The image of martian life that we are treated to seems a bit arbitrary and dependent on the tale that surrounds it at any given moment. And that's fine! It makes sense given that they were different stories published at different times. But there's nothing that really pulls them together into a cohesive unit.
The characters can at times, be a bit infuriating. The naivety and undisciplined behavior of many of the explorers irked me. <i>The Earth Men,</i> despite being one of my favorite stories, is the most egregious offender. An expedition to a new planet, especially one immediately after a failed one in which everyone died, is upset that none of the natives are thrilled with their presence? Their first and only concern is finding pats on the back? The redeeming factor in this story is the conclusion, which I find justified and well deserved. Maybe Mr. Xxx is right. (Which leads me to my frustration with Martian naming conventions throughout the various stories, but that's neither here nor there.)
Despite my grievances, I still appreciate the lofty ideas Bradbury puts forth and the perspective he brings. Maybe I'm too heavy into modern, harder SF to find solace in the whimsical worlds he presents here. I know it has it's place, that place just isn't with me.
The Astounding Illustrated History of Science Fiction
Dave Golder, Jess Nevins, Russ Thorne and Sarah Dobbs
Book
A truly astonishing, illustrated history of Science fiction, covering fantasy, and horror, with...
The Best of Richard Matheson
Book
The definitive collection of terrifying stories by “one of the greatest writers of the 20th...
Science fiction fantasy