Ray Bradbury Forums
which should i read?

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25 June 2003, 01:12 PM
trixta
which should i read?
okay, i have 4 of his books which i have yet to read. the question is, which one should i start with?
Fahrenheit 451
The Martian Chronicles
One More For The Road
or Something Wicked This Way Comes
I have heard great things about something wicked, and that was my first choice.
I am going on vacation for two weeks in a little while, so which would be best for hours of driving?
25 June 2003, 01:54 PM
fjpalumbo
Good question and open to much debate!
The first 2 would be a close call:
Here's my order.
1 The Martian Chronicles
(Great images on a trip to Mars while
you travel your own many miles!)
2 Something Wicked This Way Comes
(Small town characters, good vs. evil)
3 Fahrenheit 451
(Thought provoking-serious social themes)
4 One More For The Road
(Random sh. story topics)

Have a safe journey. If you are reading aloud - your travels will be made all the more enjoyable!
25 June 2003, 02:20 PM
Mr. Dark
It would depend on what kind of reading you most enjoy and what you're presently in the mood for. For pure enjoyment, I would do this order:

(1) Something Wicked
(2) F451
(3) Martian Chronicles (kind of a tie with F451)
(4) One More for the Road.

If you're interested in reading as an aid for provoking thought, I would do this order:

(1) F451
(2) Something Wicked
(3) Martian Chronicles
(4) One More for the Road

That's my input, anyway.

Enjoy the trip. It will be enhanced by any of these books!
25 June 2003, 04:28 PM
octobercountry
Hmmmm... If you're talking about reading in the car, it depends on what sort of reading you like to do under those conditions. "Something Wicked" and "451" are cohesive novels, while the other two books are collections of short stories that can be enjoyed in bite-sized pieces, so to speak.

For some reason, "Chronicles" strikes me as a good summer read--I'm not sure why. I always save "Something Wicked" to read during October. I really get into the spirit of the book when reading it that month; I can simply step outside my door and experience the same sights and sounds of autumn--that melancholy feeling in the air--that Bradbury is writing about in the novel itself.

"One More for the Road" has a few good stories, but is one of his lesser collections, in my opinion. So, I'd leave that one for last, or for those occasions when you don't have a lot of time to focus on what you're reading, and are looking for something rather brief to fill the time.

Have a very pleasant vacation!
25 June 2003, 07:26 PM
Nard Kordell
trixta:

��The Martian Chronicles �

You can skip around, if you wish. Chapters are short stories onto themselves. Or enjoy them all connected.

2nd choice?
Any of the other three....
26 June 2003, 01:27 AM
Chrisman43
Having just finished reading One More For The Road last night, it would be my last choice "for the road" if I were going on vacation. That�s not to say it wasn�t good, but the others are just far superior.

I would go with:

Something Wicked This Way Comes
The Martian Chronicles
Fahrenheit 451
One More For The Road

In truth, you can't go wrong with any (but that's a cop-out, I know).

Enjoy........
26 June 2003, 04:17 AM
patrask
Buy a copy of The October Country and start with that, it contains the best of Ray's early stories, the really memorable ones.