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4.04 AVERAGE
4.04 AVERAGE
dark
funny
this was such a great collection of short stories. a good blend of spooky, funny, and thoughtful. maybe ray bradbury can be a little long-winded at times….that’s life.
my favorites include; the lake, the jar, the scythe, homecoming, and the wonderful death of dudley stone.
my favorites include; the lake, the jar, the scythe, homecoming, and the wonderful death of dudley stone.
4.5 stars - Probably one of the best short story collections I've read so far. It definitely reminded me, why I consider Ray Bradbury one of my very favorite authors! His stories are so imaginative and creepy in a subtle way and a lot of them left me with goose bumps.
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
tense
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
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Spoilers
I read this as a rather unsuccessful character study of Kate Marsh in the "hella cool" video game Life Is Strange. Kate in her severe unhappiness had been recommending this book to her friends, so I expected Southern Gothic tragedy rather than 'fantasy/horror'. My general dissatisfaction is that I don't enjoy this subtype of horror ('supernatural horror'), but even when looking past that, I think that some of these stories were weak or incomplete. My problem with this book is that for the extent that it is morbid, eerie and gothic it is insufficiently personal. it is written very plainly and without much character development which makes the whole event seem stilted and observed rather than experienced. I haven't read any other Bradbury, but it is not surprising to me that he also would write science fiction given the tone of his writing here (despite the content of the stories). In the many stories I rate low here there is at least one character that is not reacting realistically to something that should raise severe alert and panic (such as the sister in 17). If this was his intention it was only to my disdain and lessened fear.
Reading horror before bed disrupts my sleep (why do people do this?) so it took me a long time to finish this. So happy I can read something else now!
Order of Preference by story number:
4*: 9
3*: 1>7>>10>5
2*: 2>>12>4>15>13>18>6
1: 8>3>14>19>16>>11>17
1.The Dwarf
3/5
I particularly enjoyed this as it was more poignant and realistic than most of the others.
2.The Next In Line
2/5
Anticlimactic? The first half was great and probably the best character development, but I hated the absence of plot.
3.The Watchful Poker Chip of H. Matisse
1/5
Either the satire or the third-person threw me.
4.Skeleton
2/5
Pretty good insight into hypochondria.
5.The Jar
3/5
I like the grittiness here, but it seemed sort of unrealistic and contrived that this would amount to regular meetings of the neighbourhood.
6.The Lake
2/5
Too short, ambiguous and fleeting to be haunting.
7.The Emissary
3/5
Short but effective and very good pacing, probably the scariest imagery in the whole book for me.
8.Touched With Fire
1/5
What was going on here? This doesn't seem like horror.
9.The Small Assassin
4/5
The slow death of the parents, and how they lose their minds, makes this the best story here.
10.The Crowd
3/5
Clever idea and more interesting plot than all others. The end came a bit sudden like a car crash...
11.Jack-In-The-Box
1/5
Though this resembles my favorite ending of the Stanley Parable (when you descend into the basement and realize you are stuck in a looping dream of insanity), it was really painful to read. Like all other 1 and 2* ratings here, this would really suck if it turned into a film of any kind.
12.The Scythe
2/5
Interesting idea but avoidable terror. I don't care for people who'd walk towards such sinister danger.
13.Uncle Einar
2/5
The closest this book got to a happy ending or YA romance.
14.The Wind
1/5
Diabolical tornadoes? Boring.
15.The Man Upstairs
2/5
Unsure of what happened with the ending. It would have been better if the boy had just been insane, but given how the rest of the stories in this book have gone that would have been very predictable...
16.There Was An Old Woman
1/5
What motive has she for fighting for an uneventful eternity? Confronting that idea would be the true horror in this story.
17.The Cistern
1/5
This might have been the worst. This just isn't how anyone could ever speak or respond to these words.
18.Homecoming
2/5
Extra point for the cameo of Uncle Einar in a 'lively' setting.
19.The Wonderful Death of Dudley Stone
1/5
Is this horror? Why should I be interested in a short story about someone who did not actually get shot, who does not actually do what he used to be known for any more?
I read this as a rather unsuccessful character study of Kate Marsh in the "hella cool" video game Life Is Strange. Kate in her severe unhappiness had been recommending this book to her friends, so I expected Southern Gothic tragedy rather than 'fantasy/horror'. My general dissatisfaction is that I don't enjoy this subtype of horror ('supernatural horror'), but even when looking past that, I think that some of these stories were weak or incomplete. My problem with this book is that for the extent that it is morbid, eerie and gothic it is insufficiently personal. it is written very plainly and without much character development which makes the whole event seem stilted and observed rather than experienced. I haven't read any other Bradbury, but it is not surprising to me that he also would write science fiction given the tone of his writing here (despite the content of the stories). In the many stories I rate low here there is at least one character that is not reacting realistically to something that should raise severe alert and panic (such as the sister in 17). If this was his intention it was only to my disdain and lessened fear.
Reading horror before bed disrupts my sleep (why do people do this?) so it took me a long time to finish this. So happy I can read something else now!
Order of Preference by story number:
4*: 9
3*: 1>7>>10>5
2*: 2>>12>4>15>13>18>6
1: 8>3>14>19>16>>11>17
1.The Dwarf
3/5
I particularly enjoyed this as it was more poignant and realistic than most of the others.
2.The Next In Line
2/5
Anticlimactic? The first half was great and probably the best character development, but I hated the absence of plot.
3.The Watchful Poker Chip of H. Matisse
1/5
Either the satire or the third-person threw me.
4.Skeleton
2/5
Pretty good insight into hypochondria.
5.The Jar
3/5
I like the grittiness here, but it seemed sort of unrealistic and contrived that this would amount to regular meetings of the neighbourhood.
6.The Lake
2/5
Too short, ambiguous and fleeting to be haunting.
7.The Emissary
3/5
Short but effective and very good pacing, probably the scariest imagery in the whole book for me.
8.Touched With Fire
1/5
What was going on here? This doesn't seem like horror.
9.The Small Assassin
4/5
The slow death of the parents, and how they lose their minds, makes this the best story here.
10.The Crowd
3/5
Clever idea and more interesting plot than all others. The end came a bit sudden like a car crash...
11.Jack-In-The-Box
1/5
Though this resembles my favorite ending of the Stanley Parable (when you descend into the basement and realize you are stuck in a looping dream of insanity), it was really painful to read. Like all other 1 and 2* ratings here, this would really suck if it turned into a film of any kind.
12.The Scythe
2/5
Interesting idea but avoidable terror. I don't care for people who'd walk towards such sinister danger.
13.Uncle Einar
2/5
The closest this book got to a happy ending or YA romance.
14.The Wind
1/5
Diabolical tornadoes? Boring.
15.The Man Upstairs
2/5
Unsure of what happened with the ending. It would have been better if the boy had just been insane, but given how the rest of the stories in this book have gone that would have been very predictable...
16.There Was An Old Woman
1/5
What motive has she for fighting for an uneventful eternity? Confronting that idea would be the true horror in this story.
17.The Cistern
1/5
This might have been the worst. This just isn't how anyone could ever speak or respond to these words.
18.Homecoming
2/5
Extra point for the cameo of Uncle Einar in a 'lively' setting.
19.The Wonderful Death of Dudley Stone
1/5
Is this horror? Why should I be interested in a short story about someone who did not actually get shot, who does not actually do what he used to be known for any more?
After reading just a few pages into this powerful book of short stories, I was completely blown away. They all seemed to grow better and better as I read.
Bradbury's true talent is short fiction, as demonstrated by all of the 19 short stories here. I don't think a single one was badly written, or anything remotely close to it.
The author writes his tales in a genius blend of irony, horror, science fiction, and wit. Each story touches briefly into the unnatural, the eerie, the ethereal.
Also, Bradbury uses the end of each story to make each one even stronger and more haunting. All end at the climax, most times leaving the reader to wonder exactly what the final result of the story is. This unseen, mysterious ending often makes it far better than reading it.
If I had to think of an alternate title for this book, it would be "Paranoia," because that is what the focus of this compilation is. Various fears - of wind, of death, of bones - amongst others, are used to turn the ordinary into the horrifying.
I think that my 3 favorites of the book were "The Crowd," "The Jack-in-the-Box," and "The Scythe," though they were all amazing.
One of my favorite books; highly recommended.
Bradbury's true talent is short fiction, as demonstrated by all of the 19 short stories here. I don't think a single one was badly written, or anything remotely close to it.
The author writes his tales in a genius blend of irony, horror, science fiction, and wit. Each story touches briefly into the unnatural, the eerie, the ethereal.
Also, Bradbury uses the end of each story to make each one even stronger and more haunting. All end at the climax, most times leaving the reader to wonder exactly what the final result of the story is. This unseen, mysterious ending often makes it far better than reading it.
If I had to think of an alternate title for this book, it would be "Paranoia," because that is what the focus of this compilation is. Various fears - of wind, of death, of bones - amongst others, are used to turn the ordinary into the horrifying.
I think that my 3 favorites of the book were "The Crowd," "The Jack-in-the-Box," and "The Scythe," though they were all amazing.
One of my favorite books; highly recommended.
So glad I found out about this one. Mr. Bradbury's fantasy is dark and enthralling.
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes