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scottneumann's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
hollylath24's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
fictionfan's review against another edition
3.0
Creatures of the night...
Usually I give a short blurb at the beginning of my reviews, but I found it exceptionally hard with this one because basically the book isn't really about anything discernible. Lots of creatures of the night and weird people with strange powers (maybe werewolves and vampires – I really have no idea) are en route to a family homecoming at the Elliot house in Illinois. While there, we will be told a few stories about some of them which seem to be almost entirely unlinked to each other but for the repeated appearance of a few of the characters.
I'm guessing you've already worked out that this book didn't exactly thrill me. Fantasy is always a big ask for me, but at least most fantasy has some kind of story. The book apparently originated as short stories written over a long period of time which Bradbury then brought together in 2001, writing linking portions to try to give it some kind of coherent structure. This is the same way as Bradbury's much earlier (by half a century) The Martian Chronicles evolved – a book I thought was truly wonderful despite the fragmentary feel of it. Unfortunately, it doesn't work quite as well with this one. Firstly, with one or two exceptions, the separate stories aren't terribly interesting; and, secondly, there doesn't seem to be much of an overarching theme to outweigh the weakness of the linking.
The main residents of the house are a mummy known as One Thousand Times Great-Grandmère, Cecy, a girl who can dream herself into other people, Mother and Father (nope, got nothing to say about them at all) and a mortal boy, Timothy, who was taken in by the family when he was abandoned and now dreams of one day having wings like his Uncle Einar. Later Grandpère appears too – OTTG-G's husband. Most of the stories involve one or other of these characters plus an array of other characters who tend to make only one appearance.
If there is a theme, I think it might be that Bradbury is regretting the passing of belief in tales of the supernatural – sometimes comparing it to the loss of childhood, sometimes suggesting a kind of connection with the growth of atheism. But I think I may be looking too hard. Perhaps we're just supposed to enjoy it for what it is. And maybe people who like fantasy more than I do will indeed enjoy it. Some of the descriptive writing is great, though sometimes it becomes rather overblown. I enjoyed the stories that had more of an actual story – the one where Cecy inhabits a young woman's body in order to experience falling in love, for instance; or the story about the ghost, fading because of people's lack of belief in the supernatural, and the nurse who helps him on his journey to Scotland, where he hopes that superstition still thrives enough to save him. But others are really just a series of descriptions and odd little vignettes that left me searching for the elusive point.
I think it might have worked better had it just been left as a book of short stories – the attempt to link them actually highlighted the unevenness of quality and lack of depth of meaning. Nope, I'm afraid this just wasn't my kind of thing. Ah, well! 2½ stars for me, so rounded up.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
Usually I give a short blurb at the beginning of my reviews, but I found it exceptionally hard with this one because basically the book isn't really about anything discernible. Lots of creatures of the night and weird people with strange powers (maybe werewolves and vampires – I really have no idea) are en route to a family homecoming at the Elliot house in Illinois. While there, we will be told a few stories about some of them which seem to be almost entirely unlinked to each other but for the repeated appearance of a few of the characters.
I'm guessing you've already worked out that this book didn't exactly thrill me. Fantasy is always a big ask for me, but at least most fantasy has some kind of story. The book apparently originated as short stories written over a long period of time which Bradbury then brought together in 2001, writing linking portions to try to give it some kind of coherent structure. This is the same way as Bradbury's much earlier (by half a century) The Martian Chronicles evolved – a book I thought was truly wonderful despite the fragmentary feel of it. Unfortunately, it doesn't work quite as well with this one. Firstly, with one or two exceptions, the separate stories aren't terribly interesting; and, secondly, there doesn't seem to be much of an overarching theme to outweigh the weakness of the linking.
The main residents of the house are a mummy known as One Thousand Times Great-Grandmère, Cecy, a girl who can dream herself into other people, Mother and Father (nope, got nothing to say about them at all) and a mortal boy, Timothy, who was taken in by the family when he was abandoned and now dreams of one day having wings like his Uncle Einar. Later Grandpère appears too – OTTG-G's husband. Most of the stories involve one or other of these characters plus an array of other characters who tend to make only one appearance.
If there is a theme, I think it might be that Bradbury is regretting the passing of belief in tales of the supernatural – sometimes comparing it to the loss of childhood, sometimes suggesting a kind of connection with the growth of atheism. But I think I may be looking too hard. Perhaps we're just supposed to enjoy it for what it is. And maybe people who like fantasy more than I do will indeed enjoy it. Some of the descriptive writing is great, though sometimes it becomes rather overblown. I enjoyed the stories that had more of an actual story – the one where Cecy inhabits a young woman's body in order to experience falling in love, for instance; or the story about the ghost, fading because of people's lack of belief in the supernatural, and the nurse who helps him on his journey to Scotland, where he hopes that superstition still thrives enough to save him. But others are really just a series of descriptions and odd little vignettes that left me searching for the elusive point.
I think it might have worked better had it just been left as a book of short stories – the attempt to link them actually highlighted the unevenness of quality and lack of depth of meaning. Nope, I'm afraid this just wasn't my kind of thing. Ah, well! 2½ stars for me, so rounded up.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
kibiiiariii's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
melomindy's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting, though many of the sentences were very long which made some of the sections drag.
blaze_o_glory's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
From the Dust Returned is full of abstract, flowery language, which is something I’m a sucker for. With themes of mortality and the immutability of time, Bradbury fits the big picture in a small page count.
phoebebrooke's review against another edition
4.0
This reads like poetry to me. It’s strange and fantastic and lovely. Reading put me in a state that felt like meditation. I didn’t want it to end!
isr's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
mysterystarship's review against another edition
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
4.0
storyphoria's review against another edition
3.0
Enjoyable story, though some of it did slow down to a crawl for me at times. But there were also some beautifully written passages that I've earmarked to revisit.
Well worth a read and surprisingly the story has a bit of a sad twist that I didn't really see coming at first.
Well worth a read and surprisingly the story has a bit of a sad twist that I didn't really see coming at first.