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4.04 AVERAGE
4.04 AVERAGE
dark
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This book is a prime example of why I’m not a short story fan, especially in this genre of supposedly spooky or scary tales. There are apparently “gotcha” moments that just went straight over my head. Still, there a few stories I did like—those with Uncle Einar were the best, and The Scythe was thought-provoking.
medium-paced
I'm pretty sure this was my first time reading Bradbury and honestly, it was a slog to get through. The stories were predictable and not very exciting. I think I was expecting a tighter, scarier, more explicitly Halloweeny vibe, and this didn't really deliver it - maybe I should've gone in without that expectation. In a few stories, the imagery really was lovely and immersive, but the stories fell flat for me. I still want to look into his novels - I'm hoping it's just this collection that didn't land for me. The only story I enjoyed was The Emissary.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Maybe I just don’t get Bradbury, but I didn’t find any of these stories that remarkable, save for “The Next in Line” and “The Wonderful Death of Dudley Stone.” I came into this with high expectations- Bradbury is a literary legend, so these short stories should be tremendous, right? Almost all of them were the exact opposite- bland little character studies that go nowhere and are uninteresting. “The Jar” and “Touched With Fire” are two of the most mediocre short stories I’ve ever read, both of them predictable from the first page and clearly trying too hard to teach a moral lesson. Overall disappointing collection with just a few redeeming stories. 2.5 stars out of 5.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Autumn is the time of year when death, change can evoke a range of emotions. In this short story collection, Ray Bradbury focuses on themes of loneliness, obsession, grief and being an outsider. Death is a frequent sceptre with ranging responses from characters - fear as in The Next in Line, The Scythe or Jack-in- the box or determined will to defy death in There was an old woman or even curiosity in The Man Upstairs.
Overall this has been a great experience to slowly read through this collection. It’s not gruesome horror, it is more a wrestling with the general fears we face. And for someone who is not prepared to have nightmares after reading a horror this fits the bill perfectly.
Overall this has been a great experience to slowly read through this collection. It’s not gruesome horror, it is more a wrestling with the general fears we face. And for someone who is not prepared to have nightmares after reading a horror this fits the bill perfectly.
dark
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated