![]() Most readers don’t like science, not even the toy science of science fiction, so they readily respond to Bradbury allegories of anti-science. Ray Bradbury is often a science fiction writer that non science fiction readers think of when they think of a science fiction writer. Bradbury hopes his slight of hand distraction will keep the reader from looking behind the curtain, but I think many hardcore SF readers get hung up on that and shout, “Cheat!” If you take the story apart looking for the science fictional technology that creates lions that dine on parents you won’t find it. “The Veldt” could be filmed today, modernizing the story, and the allegory would work with the Internet, computer games, or even iPods. ![]() Essentially, the tale is an allegory that says the new technology loved by the young will kill off the older generation. ![]() “The Veldt” appears to be Bradbury’s reaction to the deployment of television in 1950. When does science fiction work even when it’s broken? “ The Veldt” is the opening short story in Ray Bradbury’s classic collection The Illustrated Man, and it’s a highly effective story that doesn’t make much sense if you try to take it apart. ![]()
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