Ray Bradbury is - as any regular readers I may have will know - one of my all time favourite writers. I've been reading him since I was 12 and have very few of his published works left before I have a complete set.
This is one of the more obscure titles. An illustrated fable published in 1998. Its a very slim edition since it's basically one short story in large print with illustrations to pad the page count a bit further.
It's described on the dustcover as "a wondrous fable for children of all ages".
It certainly does evoke a sense of wonder. The prose sings and soars but I find this to be a rather forgettable and lightweight story. It almost seems to be trying too hard.
A boy, Ahmed, falls off his camel and is separated from his family. He unearths a god from the desert and wakes it with his tears. The God, Gonn, then grants him the power of flight and takes him on a trip across time and the world.
The Oblivion machines are flying machines and Ahmed witnesses many unsuccessful early attempts at flight, including poor old Icarus and a guy who sews butterfly wings together to make his own wings (a remarkable image that I don't recognise if it's from another ancient myth or not - if it's original to Bradbury then it's a fabulous image even by his standards).
He learns lessons about his life and is returned to his family. And that's pretty much the entire story. As luscious as the prose is, there's no drama. It makes for a pleasant read, but not a great one.
The imagination on display is amazing. The prose is gorgeous. It's not a bad book, and there is a sense of magic in the storytelling. But as Bradbury stories go, this is a lesser attempt - and I dont know for certain why I don't really rate this...
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