“The Martian Chronicles” by Ray Bradbury – Mysteries from the Red Planet

Man has long dreamed to explore the deepest reaches of space, but before we can even think of going that far we should at least explore our own galaxy, and we are actually preparing a one-way mission to Mars that will send off some fortunate volunteers to build and live in a colony.

The so-called Red Planet has fascinated us for a very long amount of time, an interest fueled by incredibly interesting discoveries, which includes a set of pyramids which, geographically-speaking, are the perfect mirror image of the ones in Giza.

In any case, it shouldn't be surprising that many science-fiction authors have fantasized about what the planet has to offer, and Ray Bradbury may have given us one of the most interesting perspectives in The Martian Chronicles.

Though it was published all the way back in 1949, The Martian Chronicles still holds up very well today, even if some parts of it feel outdated in the sense that the possibility of certain events happening is completely nil today.

Nevertheless, we are presented with a very thoughtful novel which offers a deep and moving story about how humanity conquered Mars and subsequently became infatuated with its dreamy landscape and mysterious natives.

As those who have read his earlier novels already know, Ray Bradbury is simply a master of writing vivid descriptions and creating a unique and breathtaking world that actually lives, breathes, and just feels real, no matter how detached it may be from the truth. From a technical point of view, I don’t think Bradbury could have done a better job.

Naturally, there is a lot more to it than that, and in my opinion this book is a very successful criticism of modern society, one that can still be applied today.

For instance, humanity has conquered the natives but it is still fascinated by them, much in the way that many indigenous tribes are being uprooted from their homes, even though we find them mysterious, exotic and interesting.

As a matter of fact, thinking about it now, I have the impression that the whole book was just on big criticism of Man’s paradoxical relationship with that which he doesn’t understand, and his tendency to meet it with violence we do not understand yet (like the atomic bomb, as it can be argued even the ones working on it didn't fully grasp the full consequences it would have on the world).

The only qualms I have with this book are the pace, which can be slowly plodding along at times, and the lack of vision in regards to the future.

Bradbury made a very interesting and yet somewhat damaging choice (in terms of interest) when he decided to create a future that partially looks like the past, but once again, thinking about it now, I have come to realize that it was about the statement rather than the story.

All in all, those who like Bradbury’s books or thought-provoking science-fiction novels will have a lot of fun with The Martian Chronicles.

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Ray Douglas Bradbury (August 22, 1920 – June 5, 2012) Personal site Author of the internationally-acclaimed Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury is one of the most distinguished science-fiction writers on this planet, known for his dystopian and partly-horrific sci-fi stories. His influence on American culture cannot be understated, with some claiming him to be responsible for turning science-fiction into a mainstream genre.