Customer Reviews

Crónicas marcianas

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Jorge Luis Borges, quien en 1955 escribió el prólogo para una edición de las Crónicas Marcianas, nos dice: "¿Qué ha hecho este hombre de Illinois, me pregunto al cerrar las páginas de su libro, para que episodios de la conquista de otro planeta me pueblen de terror y de soledad? ¿Cómo pueden tocarme estas fantasías, y de una manera tan íntima?". Una obra llena de magia y poesía. Es uno de los libros que nadie debe permitirse no leer en el transcurso de una vida.

Minotauro is an old and prestigious sci-fi collection that made available to Spanish speaking public many genre classic.
The collection started with Bradbury's "Martian Chronicles" and continued with great opus as Wyndham's "The Day of the Triffids" or Sturgeon's "More Than Human". The editorial house has recently re-edited in a smaller and modern pocket-book format most of the titles available.
The bonus for this book is Jorge Luis Borge's prologue.

"The Martian Chronicles" (1950) was Bradbury's second book to be published and a consecrative one. The author received immediate attention from sci-fi lovers, publishers and general public.
This book is not really a novel, but a collection of short stories describing Mars' colonization, from 1999 till 2026 where Bradbury's future is already our past! Nevertheless it is a mesmerizing piece of literature.

Bradbury writes in poetical prose style. Most of these tales transmits a deep sense of melancholy, as if the author has already passed judgment over Human Kind and found it guilty; guilty of greed, selfishness, short-sightedness and ruthlessness. In other words the same sins showed whenever different human cultures get abruptly in touch.

The initial stories describe the ill-fated first Human expeditions and their weird relationship with the Martians. "The Third Expedition" is really touching and chilling at the same time.
From then on, Humans are left alone with all Mars at their disposition for better or worse.
Colonization start in earnest as described from "The Settlers" to "The Off Season" while in Earth atomic war menace evolve into actual devastating war.
Bradbury proposes the reader different approaches to the subject: phantasmagoric as in "The Martian" or performing homage to Edgar Allan Poe and criticizing censorship as in "Usher II".
The last tales describe Mars almost depleted of Human life with poignant sadness.

This is not hard sci-fi, it is almost oneiric fantasy, so do not expect strict logic. Relax and let emotions flow free!
Reviewed by Max Yofre.

The Martian Chronicles are not intended to be a novel. Many were written with no conception of being tied to the others. The book is dissapointing if read as a novel. Taken as book of short stories, the book is a classic. The second and third stories, depicting the second and third failed Mars landing are moving. "When Softly come the Rains" a story told near the end is simply unforgettable. While not quite as powerful as the stories in Bradbury's "Illustrated Man" The Martian Chronicles is a first class read.

Este libro es una exelente recopilacion de relatos marcianos, que siguen una secuencia cronologica. Quiza como novela deja demaciados cabos sueltos pero la narativa es maravillosa y no esta pensada como novela sino como "cronicas marcianas" es decir cuantos cortos que tengan que ver sobre marte. Este libro es una delicia leerlo ya sea de un tiron o por partes.

The Martian Chronicles is a series of loosely connected tales of mankind's travels to Mars and of the settlements eventually established there. The tales progress through time, from the first story in which the earliest spacemen from earth are received with mixed feelings by the Martians to the last story in which the human inhabitants of Mars flee back home to an earth troubled by massive wars after having driven the Martians to extinction. Sometimes humorous, often wistful, Bradbury's shorts are masterfully written and can evoke laughter or tears. While considered science fiction, their richer subtext is the exposure of all of our little human quirks and failings, as men rush to conquer or destroy what they do not understand or in some rare cases, find a connection. Bradbury's style is simple yet eloquent and beautiful, and this is his crowning achievement. I cannot rate it highly enough!

Novels are written everyday by countless authors. Some are tasteful and some are not. Ray Bradbury, known for his skillful blending of fancy and satire, terror and tenderness, wonder and fantasy, has written many novels which have made him the master of fantasy and the greatest living science-fiction writer in the world. The Martian Chronicles begin on Mars where first contact is made by the Second Expedition, led by Captain Jonathan Williams. The Second Expedition is unsuccessful like the one before. The missions end in terror for both crews. No one knows if the First crew even made it to Mars; however the second crew is shot in cold blood by the very Martians they had hoped to communicate with. The Third Expedition also meets the some fate as the other two, but this time there are survivors who pave the way for the colonization of Mars. The Martian civilizations lay in ruins caused by disease brought on by Humans who came to settle the new world. As The Great War breaks out on Earth, giant explosions can be seen as far away as Mars. People of Mars rush back to their home planet Earth to protect their nation against others who might want to destroy it. All is lost, and both Worlds lay in ruins. The author leads you to a unique twist in the last sentence of the novel. It reads, "The martians stared back up at them for a long, long silent time from the rippling water." One of the last remaining human families escape to Mars, where they make their new home. As they watch their reflection in the rippling water, they know that from this day forth they are truly Martians. Bradbury's science-fiction novels are really a cluster of short stories which make up a novel. The 26 different chronicles share nothing except they either take place on Mars or Earth. They really are a cluster of short stories which describe the history of Mars, starting from the year 1999 and ending in the year 2026. It was a great disappointment from what one expects of this author. This novel does not live up to hi!s unique writing ability. The Martian Chronicles starts strong but dies as it jumps from one chronicle to another, a poor ending to a great start. The Martian Chronicles is one fantasy-story which a die-hard science-fiction fan can do without. This writer owes apologies to everyone. It's the least one should expect after reading this novel.