Ahmed and the Oblivion Machines: A Fable [Hardcover]

Ray Bradbury (Author), Chris Lake (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 11, 1998

Bradbury's "Ahmed and the Oblivion Macines" is a fable for adults and children alike about the importance of letting dreams take flight. It is the adventure of the daydreaming Ahmed, the twelve year-old son of a caravan leader. During an evening trek across the desert, Ahmed falls from his camel and is left behind only to discover and awaken the ancient god Gonn-Ben-Allah. The god, thankful for his salvation, bestows on Ahmed the gift of flight and together they journey through space and time, witnessing the wonders of the world yet-to-come or that-has-been. It is this journey, in true mythological fashion, that transforms the child by bestowing him wisdom and granting him the courage to make his dreams come true.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

In this fable, a young Arab boy, lost in the desert, receives the gift of flight from the ancient god Gonn-Ben-Allah, Keeper of the Ghosts of Lost Names.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Twelve-year-old Ahmed, dazzled by the stars, falls off his camel into the desert sands and is sure he will now die. But he unearths a bronze face, weeps upon it--and it comes to life, expanding into a godlike giant named Gonn-ben-Allah. Instead of dying, Ahmed is soon flying--with Gonn, by himself, and vicariously in various historic contraptions, starting with the wings of Icarus, that Gonn shows him in visions. The point of this ostensible fable is that a person should aspire ever upward, because that is what being human is all about. But why are all the flying devices dubbed oblivion machines? What is the significance of Gonn's full name--after all, doesn't ben-Allah mean son of God? This is thin gruel, lacking any stylistic or conceptual depth and not helped by artist Chris Lane's drawings, which look as though Disney's Aladdin is his favorite movie. Only the cachet of the Bradbury name gives it any allure. Ray Olson

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 64 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow; 1st edition (November 11, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380977044
• ISBN-13: 978-0380977048
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,751,523 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Ray Bradbury has published some 500 short stories, novels, plays and poems since his first story appeared in Weird Tales when he was twenty years old. Among his many famous works are 'Fahrenheit 451', 'The Illustrated Man' and 'The Martian Chronicles'.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A book for all aside from the jaded and the cynical. Jump!Ju, June 5, 2000

By 

Bill Oberg - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ahmed and the Oblivion Machines: A Fable (Hardcover)

Forget the critics' jaded slant. Ahmed is a wonderful story, chock full of inspiration and guidance in bounds.

Do keep in mind however that this is a "fable" and not one of his longer, more in depth novels.

Although steeped in sometimes confusing philosophical banter, Ahmed is more than worth the extra time spent reading very closely as to carefully digest all the hidden wonderment and life inspiring shouts. Each read through, should provide for only more clarity and understanding of Mr. Bradburys' secret recipe for living life as it should be, to it's fullest.

A great book to help remind you during times of despair what living is all about.

There! Take that BOOKLIST and others. Poke, stab, poke!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A really unusual Fable, March 13, 2001

By 

Stephanie Martin (Oregon) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ahmed and the Oblivion Machines: A Fable (Hardcover)

I picked up this book because I'm a fan of Ray Bradbury, and it was one of the featured books around Christmastime. It's a short book, which is nice, Bradbury gives the fable without a lot of excess writing.

There is something about the book that really drew me in while I was reading it. Maybe it was the wonderful black and while drawings that are scattered through the book, illustration various scenes. Maybe it was just the story itself, the story of a young boy who learns to think and feel with his heart and mind, and learns to fly with the help of a most unusual god. Whatever the reason the book drew me in, it was a valid one. The book is a good one, with an important moral, provided you take the time to sit down and read it.

4 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bradbury... mas del maestro, April 13, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Ahmed and the Oblivion Machines: A Fable (Hardcover)

Ahmed tiene doce años. Acompaña a su padre en una caravana que atraviesa el desierto. En la oscuridad de la noche, Ahmed cae de su camello y se pierde en el inmenso paisaje de arena. Desesperado y solo, comienza a llorar. Sus lágrimas despiertan a una extraña estatua de bronce, semienterrada en la arena, que le dice: "Soy amigo del silencio, compañero de la penumbra, heredero del amanecer ... Soy el dios de todos los cielos y aires y vientos que jamás soplaron en la tierra desde que el Tiempo comenzó". Para consolar a Ahmed, el dios le concede el don de volar, y los dos emprenden una aventura espectacular. Las maravillas y las penas del mundo, el pasado y el presente desfilan ante sus ojos. Con cada revelación, Ahmed aprende todo lo que la vida puede ofrecer. El maestro Bradbury ofrece una fábula encantadora para chicos de todas las edades. "Me han enterrado, matado mil veces y encerrado en mil tumbas sin nombres. ¿Quiénes?, gritó Ahmed Los soñadores que no sueñan, los soñadores que no hacen. Los que dudan y matan el sueño. Los muertos que caminan, que ven cielos sin aves y mares sin naves. Deja que tu alma instruya a tu corazón, que tu corazón hable a tu lengua. Exhala. Celebra. ¡Grita! Salta al vació y construye tus alas en la caída. La locura es coraje. " Un gran libro, definitivamente un must-read para los seguidores de este, uno de los narradores de lirica mas bella de la literatura norteamericana.