The Illustrated Man

Playoff hockey began last night, and not in the manner in which I had hoped.  It's a long journey, and panic is only an option during an elimination game.  Today, however, is a book review and today's book was discovered in a Goodwill Store in Portland, OR.  Imagine my surprise when The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury came across my face for just a dollar.  That's right, a classic for just a measly dollar.  Having enjoyed Bradbury's other classic Fahrenheit 451, and the price in which I would have to pay for another book, I had nothing to lose.  You know where this is going, so read on...

The Illustrated Man is eighteen short stories by Bradbury that are tied together by the fact that they are being told on the back of a man who is tattooed all around.  The catch here is that the man's tattoos tend to come alive at night, and generally frighten those who see them.  Many of the short stories tell about the dangers of the future and reliance on technology.  Some favorites from the book include "The Long Rain," which is about travelers trying to find a Sun Dome on Venus, "The Exiles," which is similar to Fahrenheit 451, only that the spirits of the authors get exiled to Mars and plot their revenge, and "The Other Foot," a story about what happens when racism gets out of control.  Many of the stories are distinctly Bradbury, and though there isn't much time spent on the Illustrated Man or the unnamed traveler (later versions will likely have something tacked on), the book is worth a few reads...at any price.