On our class trip to The Green Hand Bookshop in February, I picked up a copy of Ray Bradbury’s collection of interwoven short stories, The Illustrated Man. I was encouraged to do so by Michelle, the bookstore owner, as well as a few of my classmates who had previously read and loved the book. Additionally, having read Farenheit 451 (1953), The Martian Chronicles (1950), and, one of my favourite short stories of the course, “There Will Come Soft Rains” (1950), I was already familiar with and a fan of Bradbury’s writing style. The Illustrated Man is a series of 18 short stories observed by the unnamed narrator on the moving-tattooed skin of the Illustrated Man as he sleeps. These 18 stories, although linked together by the underlying narrative of the Illustrated Man, do not share a coherent theme. Despite Bradbury’s mention of some novum and advanced technology, I would categorize most of the works in this book as soft or psychological science fiction, many of which didn’t feel like science fiction stories until he reveals a small detail in passing, such as that the entire story takes place in space or that the characters have some future disease. However, throughout many of the stories, Bradbury’s mistrust of technology and concern about the continuation of technological innovation and implementation is evident. I think that my favourite thing about the book is the skillful way in which Bradbury somehow connects these 18 thematically and structurally different stories together to create one coherent narrative that is told through the unnamed observer’s fascination with the Illustrated Man’s tattoos. Moreover, for me, the most poignant story in the collection is “Kaleidescope”, in which he depicts the thoughts, emotions, regrets and hopes of a man falling through space to his inevitable death. Overall, Bradbury’s The Illustrated Man was a thought-provoking and enjoyable reading experience, as promised, that I recommend.

–Sophie Gold