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Item must be in original condition and packaging along with tag, accessories, manuals, and inserts. Unlock any electronic device, delete your account and remove all personal information. |
Returnable | Yes |
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Resolutions | Eligible for refund or replacement |
Return Window | 30 days from delivery |
Refund Timelines | Typically, an advance refund will be issued within 24 hours of a drop-off or pick-up. For returns that require physical verification, refund issuance may take up to 30 days after drop-off or pick up. Where an advance refund is issued, we will re-charge your payment method if we do not receive the correct item in original condition. See details here. |
Late fee | A late fee of 20% of the item price will apply if you complete the drop off or pick up after the ‘Return By Date’. |
Restocking fee | A restocking fee may apply if the item is not returned in original condition and original packaging, or is damaged or missing parts for reasons not due to Amazon or seller error. See details here. |
Return instructions
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The Martian Chronicles Mass Market Paperback – April 17, 2012
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In The Martian Chronicles, Ray Bradbury, America’s preeminent storyteller, imagines a place of hope, dreams, and metaphor— of crystal pillars and fossil seas—where a fine dust settles on the great empty cities of a vanished, devastated civilization. Earthmen conquer Mars and then are conquered by it, lulled by dangerous lies of comfort and familiarity, and enchanted by the lingering glamour of an ancient, mysterious native race. In this classic work of fiction, Bradbury exposes our ambitions, weaknesses, and ignorance in a strange and breathtaking world where man does not belong.
- Print length256 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherSimon & Schuster
- Publication dateApril 17, 2012
- Dimensions4.13 x 0.8 x 6.75 inches
- ISBN-109781451678192
- ISBN-13978-1451678192
- Lexile measure740L
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From the Publisher
Ray Bradbury (1920–2012)
Bradbury was the author of more than three dozen books, including Fahrenheit 451, The Martian Chronicles, The Illustrated Man, and Something Wicked This Way Comes, as well as hundreds of short stories. He wrote for the theater, cinema, and TV, including the screenplay for John Huston’s Moby Dick and the Emmy Award–winning teleplay The Halloween Tree, and adapted for television sixty-five of his stories for The Ray Bradbury Theater. He was the recipient of the 2000 National Book Foundation’s Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, the 2007 Pulitzer Prize Special Citation, and numerous other honors.
Editorial Reviews
Review
“A giant…One of the country’s most popular and prolific authors.” —Los Angeles Times
“One of the greats of twentieth century American fantasy.” —Newsday
“There is no simpler, yet deeper, stylist than Bradbury. Out of the plainest of words he creates images and moods that readers seem to carry with them forever.” —San Francisco Chronicle
“A wonderful storyteller….Nearly everything he has written is sheer poetry.” —St. Louis Post-Dispatch
From the Back Cover
About the Author
Product details
- ASIN : 1451678193
- Publisher : Simon & Schuster; Reprint edition (April 17, 2012)
- Language : English
- Mass Market Paperback : 256 pages
- ISBN-10 : 9781451678192
- ISBN-13 : 978-1451678192
- Lexile measure : 740L
- Item Weight : 2.31 pounds
- Dimensions : 4.13 x 0.8 x 6.75 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #11,179 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #42 in Science Fiction Anthologies (Books)
- #342 in Short Stories (Books)
- #443 in Classic Literature & Fiction
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
In a career spanning more than seventy years, Ray Bradbury, who died on June 5, 2012, at the age of 91, inspired generations of readers to dream, think, and create. A prolific author of hundreds of short stories and close to fifty books, as well as numerous poems, essays, operas, plays, teleplays, and screenplays, Bradbury was one of the most celebrated writers of our time. His groundbreaking works include Fahrenheit 451, The Martian Chronicles, The Illustrated Man, Dandelion Wine, and Something Wicked This Way Comes. He wrote the screen play for John Huston's classic film adaptation of Moby Dick, and was nominated for an Academy Award. He adapted sixty-five of his stories for television's The Ray Bradbury Theater, and won an Emmy for his teleplay of The Halloween Tree. He was the recipient of the 2000 National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, the 2004 National Medal of Arts, and the 2007 Pulitzer Prize Special Citation, among many honors.
Throughout his life, Bradbury liked to recount the story of meeting a carnival magician, Mr. Electrico, in 1932. At the end of his performance Electrico reached out to the twelve-year-old Bradbury, touched the boy with his sword, and commanded, "Live forever!" Bradbury later said, "I decided that was the greatest idea I had ever heard. I started writing every day. I never stopped."
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the book well-written, easy to get into, and entertaining. They also appreciate the beautiful visuals and humor. Readers describe the plot as wonderful, anachronistic, and terrifying. They appreciate the insightful commentary and originality. They describe the emotional tone as poignant, hopeful, and awesome.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers find the plot wonderful, providing a good variety of interpersonal relationships. They also appreciate that each chapter is a separate short story that connects in a deep way. Readers describe the book as a great example of science fiction at its best. They find it easy to get into, addictive, and thought-provoking.
"...It's easy to get into and addicting, a very interesting concept, delightfully ironic, a little bit religious, very spiritual, bittersweet and hopeful..." Read more
"...However, I would still recommend it. It's thought-provoking and terrifying, and even though Bradbury's mythical depiction of Mars looks nothing like..." Read more
"...And Bradbury's Martian Chronicles is a great example of science fiction at its best." Read more
"...conditions on the real Mars, made this an interestingly anachronistic kind of read...." Read more
Customers find the book well-written, lyrical, and imaginative. They also say it's easy to get into and addicting.
"...It's easy to get into and addicting, a very interesting concept, delightfully ironic, a little bit religious, very spiritual, bittersweet and hopeful..." Read more
"Ray Bradbury is a wonderful writer. Like Aldous Huxley told him Bradbury is a poet...." Read more
"...In story after story, Bradbury writes in simple, almost quaint language, but does so in a way that communicates to the reader his trepidation and..." Read more
"...Bradbury writes true literature, and often has the voice of a poet...." Read more
Customers find the book wonderful at evoking the imagination. They also say it's an amazing book dealing with humanity, loneliness, and desire for exploration. Readers also mention that the book is brilliant in a simplistic way.
"...It's easy to get into and addicting, a very interesting concept, delightfully ironic, a little bit religious, very spiritual, bittersweet and hopeful..." Read more
"...However, I would still recommend it. It's thought-provoking and terrifying, and even though Bradbury's mythical depiction of Mars looks nothing like..." Read more
"...Martian Chronicles is a work of wonderful imagination which holds up well all these years after it was written...." Read more
"...Martian Chronicles is a fun and inventive read and a wonderful trip through the imagination of one of the best in the business...." Read more
Customers find the book's content masterful, insightful, and relevant. They also say the message is very true, and they're struck by its prescience and insight. Readers describe the author as remarkable and generous.
"...chapter/short story is different: some expository, some humorous, some scientific, some bittersweet, some about Martians, some about humans...." Read more
"...In each individual story, it’s a quiet, subtle thing, like a warning he’s sending out that he doesn’t really believe will be heeded...." Read more
"...and I ran across a long Wikipedia article on him, chock full of interesting things I did not know, including this quote attributed to Bradbury: “..." Read more
"...But I found it to be disjointed, awkward, not convincing in any manner...." Read more
Customers find the fantasy elements in the book entertaining, enchanting, and exciting. They also say the book rekindles the excitement of reading it 30 years ago.
"...: surreal yet suburban, science-fiction but relevant, ironic, enjoyable, bittersweet, and all in all a good book. I recommend it...." Read more
"...The Martian Chronicles is a fun and inventive read and a wonderful trip through the imagination of one of the best in the business...." Read more
"This book was very fun to read...." Read more
"...man on the planet meeting the last woman on the planet, I found truly hilarious...." Read more
Customers find the book poignant, full of wonder and sadness, with an infusion of hope at the end. They also appreciate the rich imagination and fine sensitivity to the human psyche. Readers also mention the technical detail and suspense were awesome, and the story provides just enough information and graphic description.
"...delightfully ironic, a little bit religious, very spiritual, bittersweet and hopeful. I enjoy this book and have read it a few times myself...." Read more
"...to walk away feeling depressed, but Bradbury managed an infusion of hope at the end...." Read more
"...Sad and brutal but always full of hopes and dreams. RIP Ray Bradbury. I love your books." Read more
"...Although it is bleak, there are moments of humor, and glints of hope...." Read more
Customers find the visuals of the book beautiful, suspenseful, and dark. They also appreciate the formatting and layout.
"...There’s human beauty and ugliness, fully fleshed aliens and an alien world effortlessly conveyed into our vivid imaginations, satire and broad..." Read more
"...in mind, I said to myself "Yes, pure poetry (prose actually) and it is beautiful." I love his writing!!!..." Read more
"...The imagery of the river is beautiful.This one story makes it worthwhile to buy this particular edition of the book...." Read more
"...But the style was just too contrived. Sorry, I know there are plenty of Bradbury fans who would disagree..." Read more
Customers find the humor in the book different, with some expository, humorous, tragic, and poignant. They also say it's an excellent parody on colonization.
"...It's easy to get into and addicting, a very interesting concept, delightfully ironic, a little bit religious, very spiritual, bittersweet and hopeful..." Read more
"...Things occasionally get deep, humorous or scary (the Martians give off Lovecraftian vibes in a few places), but remain focused on the behavior of..." Read more
"...Although it is bleak, there are moments of humor, and glints of hope...." Read more
"...It was very weird and the people don't make sense." Read more
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Top reviews from the United States
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It is hard to discuss or summarize The Martian Chronicles because of the amount of variety from chapter to chapter in the text. Each chapter reads like an independent short story and could even stand alone. However, as a whole the text does build a definitive arc, creating a final product that is greater than the sum of its parts. As a result of this build up, the last chapters are definitely the best of the bunch--they are the ones that will stick with the reader and carry the most impact. They are also the most depressing, surreal, and haunting of the bunch--haunting is a world that I'll use a lot because it really is the best descriptor of the final effect of this book. While early sections are funny and some later sections truly ironic and cynical, the book ends with the remnants of an abandoned planet, creating a story of remorse, memories, and, in the very end, the possibility of hope. The Martian ghost town is an image that sticks with you. It's magical, unreal, and, yes, haunting.
The Martian Chronicles is classic Bradbury in its relevance, however--while the book may end with an abandoned foreign planet, every event implies a lesson and every lesson can be carried over to our domestic culture on earth. Bradbury teaches cynicism, the ignorance and foolishness of humans, our weakness, our hubris (and with it our downfall), the fragility of all people on all planets, and, somehow, ultimately, the human/sentient ability to persevere. It may be about Mars, but this is a very human book. While taking the reader to a foreign landscape, Bradbury ultimately reminds him of his own backyard.
There is a lot of good sci-fi out there, and there are better (more original, more unique) examples of alien races, but Bradbury's Martian Chronicles is still worth reading. It's easy to get into and addicting, a very interesting concept, delightfully ironic, a little bit religious, very spiritual, bittersweet and hopeful. I enjoy this book and have read it a few times myself. I recommend it to others, although there is other sci-fi worth reading too. Pick this one up if the idea interests you or if you like Bradbury's other books.
Some of the characters change the faces of Earth and Mars, some are minor players just trying to do their part and others are lowly individuals scrounging for survival, but their disparate opinions and viewpoints do help to carve out a complete world that I think only manages to fall apart once or twice.
The tone, the dark humor and the sheer creativity on display here would honestly be enough to elicit a five star review, but the central stretch of the book where it suddenly becomes a Fahrenheit 451 crossover novel, along with the overuse of preachy monologues in the final chapter do crack my immersion enough to lower the book's value in my eyes.
However, I would still recommend it. It's thought-provoking and terrifying, and even though Bradbury's mythical depiction of Mars looks nothing like what we now know Mars to be, the picture of a planet he has paints here will forever remain on my list of favorite literary settings.
Top reviews from other countries
Enjoy the story, letting your imagination lead you where it may.
A veces puede llegar a ser un poco complicada su lectura en el idioma original, pero no representa un gran problema. Las historias que relata reflejan algunas de las preocupaciones que el autor tenía sobre la época en la que vivió.