Reviews for Bradbury Chronicles: The Life of Ray Bradbury

The average rating for Bradbury Chronicles: The Life of Ray Bradbury based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2021-01-10 00:00:00 Carlos Alvarez This book holds the distinction of being the oldest item on my Goodreads TBR list. I decided that now was the time to do something about that. I came to Bradbury's writing late. I'd never read a thing by him until I started an idiosyncratic science fiction & fantasy reading project back in 2011, just a year before the great man's death. As so many people before me, I was blown away by Fahrenheit 451 (having read it in conjunction with Huxley's Brave New World and Orwell's 1984). I was impressed (and I recycled my television set). My reading also included The Martian Chronicles and Something Wicked This Way Comes, which I must re-read some day as I don't think I appreciated them properly. Timing is everything for my reading enjoyment and I think I rushed into these books, not knowing what to expect. So this account of Bradbury's life was of interest to me. I started out a bit skeptical, as the author was in many ways an acolyte of Bradbury and I wasn't sure that I would get a balanced account of his life. As I read, however, I realized that he was well aware of Bradbury's flaws and wasn't trying to conceal them. Ray Bradbury must have been both a joy and a challenge to know. Outgoing and charming, he seems to have made friends easily and seems to have been loyal to them. Easy to talk to, but inclined hog the spotlight. Confident in his own vision, but desperate for applause. There is no doubt that he was a unique voice in American literature and deserves his reputation, but this need for approval surely made his life more difficult. Definitely an original. Thank you, Mr Bradbury for your many kind words about libraries and librarians. As a retired library worker, I appreciate you in return. Cross posted at my blog:

Review # 2 was written on 2010-09-23 00:00:00 Carmelo Spitale From his childhood in Waukegan, IL to his teen years in Hollywood, CA and beyond,the life of this extraordinary writer is wonderfully conveyed by Sam Weller. Some interesting facts about the man who often put us aboard rocketships and envisioned the future: He never learned to drive and was afraid to fly (he did eventually get on a plane when he was in his sixties, but never drove a car!). He wrote the screenplay to John Huston's film of "Moby Dick" (something I never knew). I read many Bradbury books when I was younger and agree with the criticism that the science in his science fiction tales is pretty weak, but his use of language is remarkable and very poetic. He evokes mood, nostalgia, and a sense of "humanity" as well as anyone I've ever read. His work transcends genre fiction (sci-fi, horror, etc...) putting it in the realm of the best that literature has to offer. An excellent bio. of a great writer.