The Illustrated Man - Ray Bradbury "He was a big man. Massive. And every inch of him illustrated. When his flesh twitched the colours burned in three dimensions." I can't quite remember where I bought this book from. But I know it has been sitting at the top of my shelf, among the collection of about 30 books in my room. It was worn around the edges and had a creased cover. I decided to pick it up and read. The title read 'The Illustrated Man' by Ray Bradbury. Now, I know someone out there is reading this with a smile. A smile because you understand the joy that came from reading such a compelling collection of short stories, delivered masterfully and painted vivid pictures in our imaginations that lingered long after you closed your eyes at night. There are very few books which grab the reader by the throat and does not let go until the end of the book. The story is about a protagonist wanderer who meets The Illustrated Man, another wanderer. The man is covered in tattoos. The tattoos, or 'illustrations' as Bradbury beautifully puts it, however, come alive at night and each tell a different story. The tattoos, designed by a witch who came from the future. He explains how he wants to kill her for cursing him with the illustrations... The theme of the book is mostly sci-fi/fantasy with a hint of horror. A hint may be an understatement actually. Most of the stories have quite a dark agenda, especially the first story called The Veldt – which is probably one of my favourites. I warmly recommend anyone to read it.