The Martian Chronicles

by Ray Bradbury

English language

Published April 17, 2012

ISBN:: 978-1-4516-7819-2

(13 reviews)

This is a collection of science fiction short stories, cleverly cobbled together to form a coherent and very readable novel about a future colonization of Mars. As the stories progress chronologically the author tells how the first humans colonized Mars, initially sharing the planet with a handful of Martians. When Earth is devastated by nuclear war the colony is left to fend for itself and the colonists determine to build a new Earth on Mars.

69 editions

Flauschbuch reviewed The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury

Too old-fashioned for me

4 stars

I never got around to reading this genre classic when I was a teenager and perhaps I left it too late. The book comes off as very old-fashioned, even outdated as it reproduces the classical gender roles of the 50s in the US, even among the Martians. According to the foreword, Bradbury wanted to write a story with that exact old-school feel but set on Mars. He succeeded but I kind of struggled with relating to the stories and characters as a result. Nevertheless, some aspects were intriguing (the somewhat crude critique of the explorer mindset and the strangeness of the alien planet) and I really liked the melancholy vibe towards the end of the book.