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4.03 AVERAGE
4.03 AVERAGE
slow-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:
Complicated
Some of these stories are quite good. Others suffer from that typical problem of short stories just not having enough room to build. Check it out if you love Bradbury. Otherwise, maybe just seek out "The Crowd," which was my favourite of the stories in this collection.
Mostly macabre, Octoberish and imagination-launching. Only one clunker for me, your mileage may vary. Do read this in October or in whatever full month autumn has its greatest splendour for you
What a storyteller he was!! need to read more of his books
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I liked Bradbury’s The Illustrated Man more, but there are still a handful of really good stories in this collection. They read like old Twilight Zone episodes.
Ray Bradbury is a bloody legend. Also, this book is weirdly littered which such hauntingly beautiful descriptions of the moon. Favourite stories were "The Skeleton" and "The Scythe." So darkly funny.
Too many Bradbury's one after the other maybe? Or maybe his stories just aren't for me. I just know that after the third story in this book not doing anything for me, I decided it best to move on to another book/writer (for now, in any case).
Talk about Ray Bradbury and most people will think about Fahrenheit 451. I mean, the book is a classic, a catchy premise and an even catchier opening line (one of the finest in the history of literature, may I add). However, Fahrenheit 451 isn't really a personal favourite of mine. To me, where Bradbury writing truly shines are his short stories. The Illustrated Man and The Martian Chronicles are two of my favourite books of all time.
So The October Country somehow slipped my radar over the years. When I read that it is a collection of short stories with a spooky, creepy twist, I just had to get my hands on a copy of the book.
And like most short story collections (I hate to be a broken record player here), there are hits and misses on this one. Some of my favourites include The Next in Line (the descriptions of the mummies are *chef's kiss* perfect), Skeleton (this one gave me some Junji Ito vibe), The Jar, The Emissary (I love this!), The Scythe, Jack in the Box (pretty sure M Night Shyamalan read this), The Small Assassin (The Omen vibes).
I won't really go into detail as to why I like these stories, but they do remind me of watching The Twilight Zone in the middle of the night, then having nightmares about these little horror stories. Bradbury has the ability to quickly create settings and characters based on an interesting premise. The best part is that, unlike his full-length books, none of these stories really overstay their welcome. Even the ones that don't work (like The Watchful Poker Chip of H. Matisse and Uncle Einar) come and go before you know it.
I don't think this collection is as strong as The Illustrated Man or The Martian Chronicles, but if you lean towards horror rather than science fiction, then The October Country is the perfect autumn or, dare I say, October read.
So The October Country somehow slipped my radar over the years. When I read that it is a collection of short stories with a spooky, creepy twist, I just had to get my hands on a copy of the book.
And like most short story collections (I hate to be a broken record player here), there are hits and misses on this one. Some of my favourites include The Next in Line (the descriptions of the mummies are *chef's kiss* perfect), Skeleton (this one gave me some Junji Ito vibe), The Jar, The Emissary (I love this!), The Scythe, Jack in the Box (pretty sure M Night Shyamalan read this), The Small Assassin (The Omen vibes).
I won't really go into detail as to why I like these stories, but they do remind me of watching The Twilight Zone in the middle of the night, then having nightmares about these little horror stories. Bradbury has the ability to quickly create settings and characters based on an interesting premise. The best part is that, unlike his full-length books, none of these stories really overstay their welcome. Even the ones that don't work (like The Watchful Poker Chip of H. Matisse and Uncle Einar) come and go before you know it.
I don't think this collection is as strong as The Illustrated Man or The Martian Chronicles, but if you lean towards horror rather than science fiction, then The October Country is the perfect autumn or, dare I say, October read.