The Martian Chronicles

The Martian Chronicles was probably never intended to represent the real planet. Bradbury's Mars is a shifting metaphor for "the frontier" or for mystery. This lush prose poem was obviously composed in terms of sound; even the production uses purely aural devices, such as echoing repetition. Peter Marinker demonstrates a clear understanding of the writer's intention, and he has the vocal technique to project it effectively. He makes it easy for the listener to become engulfed in the dreamy, luminous atmosphere that is as much Bradbury's message as the story line. J.N. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine


Ray Bradbury explains his goals for his collection of stories about settlers on Mars in his introduction: It's a "fable"--with echoes of Sherwood Anderson's WINESBURG, OHIO. Narrator Stephen Hoye brings that fable quality alive with touches of bemusement and irony as he delivers the stories of the humans who want to shape a strange planet and the planet's unique ways of resistance. Rather than making the tales of Mars seem fantastic, Hoye makes them more poignant or eerie by giving them an everyday quality, whether he's telling how Martians fend off the first human invaders or how humans deal with the folly of other humans. Bradbury's parables hold up well today. J.A.S. (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine