Dawn
ENGL 3850-02N
Sci-Fi Lit
Dr. Coats
18 March, 1997
The Martian Chronicles Review
Ray Bradbury did it again. He managed to thoroughly entertain me and leave me begging for more. I have read a few Bradbury novels besides this one and he always manages to blow me away. The man is a true poet. I loved every story in The Martian Chronicles. I was really sad when it ended.
The best story (it was too hard to pick just one scene) is "Usher II". I am a Poe fan and I was blown away by this story. I would LOVE to be able to see that house on Mars. Stendahl, to me, was a brilliant genius. To recreate Usher, cobwebs, bats and everything else was just amazing. Of course, Stendahl is a little insane in that he killed about a dozen or so people, but WOW! Not only did he recreate Usher, he killed those people recreating other Poe works, such as The Pit and the Pendulum, The Cask of Amontillado, and other great Poe inventions. I sympathized with poor Stendahl - I mean- this "Moral Climates" crapola, banishing fantasy and everything associated with it on Mars and Earth, would make me as insane as Stendahl is! I loved the whole story - that Moral Climates guy named Garrett got what he deserved - from beginning to end. Imagine how sad I was when he destroyed the house just like it was destroyed in the original story. I almost screamed in anger. Why destroy such a beautiful monument to Edgar Allan Poe? I guess, in a way, the house had to go in order to be a true tribute to Poe. I only wish I could have taken a tour of it before it cracked down the middle and sunk into the ground.
A great book. I recommend The Martian Chronicles to everyone. This book cannot be passed by without a look into it. I think that while I am on spring break, I am going to go to the library and check out all the Ray Bradbury books they have. This book has roped me back into Bradbury territory and for that I am grateful.