Alex Bradbury

Advantages: Bradbury's best stories
Disadvantages: Some may not appreciate the fractured style

..."The Martian Chronicles" is not, as is often believed, a novel, but is a collection of short stories with extra linking material. These stories represent Bradbury's best early work. The book traces the first expeditions to Mars, through to its colonisation, and finally abandonment. Bradbury's language is entirely up to the task of portraying the excitement of colonisation, and the dying fall of the lost planet. It is a tribute to Bradbury's skill with shorter forms that the book does indeed fall into the structure of a novel. Each story is a joy in itself; together, they form one of the greatest works of science fiction.... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful

Advantages: Good collection of work
Disadvantages: Not always thrilling

...Bradbury is a good author of short stories and one of the few whose early work still stands up today. His stories are not all horror fiction, they tend to be a combination of sci-fi and horror. The all have twists to the tale and many make good points about life in general. Bradbury is not overly descriptive and his characters are believable and avoid being obvious sterotypes. It can be said that he is not frightening in the normal sense of the word, they tend to be disturbing instead. Think psychological horror not blood and guts thriller. All in all this is a good collection, an ideal introduction to the rest of his work... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Readable and interesting memoir
Disadvantages: The short stories get in the way

..."Green Shadows, White Whale" is an autobiographical novel, describing Bradbury's stay in Ireland to write the screenplay for the film "Moby Dick". However, as Bradbury is always more confident in the shorter form, it incorporates many of his "Irish" short stories. The result is a schizophrenic book. I found the new material, about Bradbury's relationship with John Huston and how he constructed the screenplay, fascinating. However I have never liked his Irish stories much, and I felt that they just got in the way of a highly readable memoir. I feel that the book would have been far improved if Bradbury had abandoned his attempt at fictionalising his stay - if he had taken out the short stories, and treated the book as a genuine account of a small piece of cinema history. Nonetheless, given my disappointment at some of Bradbury... Read review

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