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4.03 AVERAGE
4.03 AVERAGE
I have really loved some of Bradbury's work, namely [b:The Illustrated Man|24830|The Illustrated Man|Ray Bradbury|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1374049820s/24830.jpg|1065861] and [b:Something Wicked This Way Comes|248596|Something Wicked This Way Comes (Green Town, #2)|Ray Bradbury|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1409596011s/248596.jpg|1183550], but I really struggled through this story collection. Some of them somewhat held my attention, but for the most part I found them more vague than eerie. So, bummer. But I did complete my 2016 Book Riot challenge with 2 days to spare...
emotional
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Absolutely loved the majority of this! Such great spooky stories on the surface, with lovely turns of phrase and emotional notes that ring true. A few didn't hook me - a couple I skimmed a little - but most did, and a few will reverberate for a long time. I would enjoy reading this one again in October sometime, I think. "The Next in Line" and "The Emissary" were my favorites - so genuinely scary and layered.
adventurous
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This collection of short stories reminds me of Twilight Zone episodes in all the right ways. Sometimes I had a good idea what the twist was, but it didn't spoil the ride one bit.
I thought this would make a great late autumn read - and it was! However, it was also a bit frustrating for me, which is probably apparent by me actually finishing it in December...
Let me explain:
I've loved Bradbury since high school - his work was actually a significant drive when I decided what I wanted to study and how I wanted to tell stories.
Then, years went by without me even glimpsing at his direction.
When I first started this anthology (which I always find really hard to rate because not all short stories are equal!) it was okay. I wasn't wowed - like I thought I would be- but I wasn't hating it either.
But after a couple stories, it really started to drag for me. And I was seriously considering DNFing the whole book. The only reason why I didn't is the respect I have for his work and my curiosity.
I'm glad I didn't give up though, because there were some really good ones in there! Just hiding between a few dull ones.
Like, first of all, the foreword "May I Die Before My Voices" is superb. And my favorite stories were: "The Scythe", "The Wonderful Death of Dudley Stone" and "There was an Old Woman".
But I don't think I'll be returning to Bradbury's work for a while - I don't really know what happened, but everything changes. So maybe my taste has also changed? Or maybe, I'm just not supposed to read his work in this period of my life.
I would still recommend some stories from this collection, but as a whole, it disappointed me.
Let me explain:
I've loved Bradbury since high school - his work was actually a significant drive when I decided what I wanted to study and how I wanted to tell stories.
Then, years went by without me even glimpsing at his direction.
When I first started this anthology (which I always find really hard to rate because not all short stories are equal!) it was okay. I wasn't wowed - like I thought I would be- but I wasn't hating it either.
But after a couple stories, it really started to drag for me. And I was seriously considering DNFing the whole book. The only reason why I didn't is the respect I have for his work and my curiosity.
I'm glad I didn't give up though, because there were some really good ones in there! Just hiding between a few dull ones.
Like, first of all, the foreword "May I Die Before My Voices" is superb. And my favorite stories were: "The Scythe", "The Wonderful Death of Dudley Stone" and "There was an Old Woman".
But I don't think I'll be returning to Bradbury's work for a while - I don't really know what happened, but everything changes. So maybe my taste has also changed? Or maybe, I'm just not supposed to read his work in this period of my life.
I would still recommend some stories from this collection, but as a whole, it disappointed me.
Got like half way through. Everything just felt very dated, wasn’t impressed enough to finish it. Some of the stories were pretty funny although I don’t know if that was intentional lol. I liked The Skeleton.
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Bradbury in his element, full of character, suspense, mystery, power and the unrestrained love of all that exists in the world.