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4.03 AVERAGE
4.03 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
beautiful writing, but didn't care for the stories, forgot horror doesn't intrigue me
I wish a few of these were taken to the next level because I didn't want them to end so quickly!
actual rating: 2.5
Most of these just went in one ear and out the other. I know they were written a long time ago but it really shows and in a way that is more 'dated' than 'nostalgia' to me. Also I was expecting them to be more Halloween or just fall focused in general, but they are really just general supernatural tales. Most them are kind of like ...The Twilight Zone but bad? I mean I love the Twilight Zone but for some reason a lot of these reminded me of that style but without the payoff I guess. Honestly the short poem at the beginning is the best part I think. I like some of Bradbury's full length books but I do not think his short stories are for me.
Most of these just went in one ear and out the other. I know they were written a long time ago but it really shows and in a way that is more 'dated' than 'nostalgia' to me. Also I was expecting them to be more Halloween or just fall focused in general, but they are really just general supernatural tales. Most them are kind of like ...The Twilight Zone but bad? I mean I love the Twilight Zone but for some reason a lot of these reminded me of that style but without the payoff I guess. Honestly the short poem at the beginning is the best part I think. I like some of Bradbury's full length books but I do not think his short stories are for me.
The October Country is a fantastic collection of short stories by a master of fiction. Bradbury is always an excellent read, and this book goes beyond what even I'm used to in his stories. They are equal parts tragic and hopeful, down on two feet and haunting. The things the characters go through, the situations they face, are all so fantastical that you can't help but be sucked in and right there with them. Bradbury can bring the universe down to bear on a single person, and affect the reader on a deep and unsettling level.
A wonderful read. I highly recommend this one.
A wonderful read. I highly recommend this one.
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
I struggled with the rating because there were a couple of stories that did not particularly impress me; however, since this is Ray Bradbury and he was a master of language and style, even these stories were expertly written. Therefore, 5 stars it is.
I had read the Family stories before (Uncle Einar, The Homecoming) and some other stories I'd watched as episodes of the Ray Bradbury Theater (The Small Assassin, The Crowd, There Was an Old Lady, The Emissary, Skeleton, The Man Upstairs). Still, I did enjoy reading them and I found them to be even more engaging in writing, as it often happens. The Scythe, The Next in Line and Jack-in-the-Box were the three stories, among those which were completely new to me, that really stood out; beautiful, scary, heart-breaking stories, all three of them. The Dwarf, Touched with Fire and The Cistern all felt a bit flat to me - The Dwarf, especially, was a particularly strange choice to open this short story collection. But overall, this is one of the very best Ray Bradbury collections one could hope to ever read.
And then there's the foreword. I almost cried reading May I Die Before My Voices and I think every single person who is or ever has been an aspiring writer or a published writer or just a writer in general can relate to those words.
An excellent book. Go out and read it.
I had read the Family stories before (Uncle Einar, The Homecoming) and some other stories I'd watched as episodes of the Ray Bradbury Theater (The Small Assassin, The Crowd, There Was an Old Lady, The Emissary, Skeleton, The Man Upstairs). Still, I did enjoy reading them and I found them to be even more engaging in writing, as it often happens. The Scythe, The Next in Line and Jack-in-the-Box were the three stories, among those which were completely new to me, that really stood out; beautiful, scary, heart-breaking stories, all three of them. The Dwarf, Touched with Fire and The Cistern all felt a bit flat to me - The Dwarf, especially, was a particularly strange choice to open this short story collection. But overall, this is one of the very best Ray Bradbury collections one could hope to ever read.
And then there's the foreword. I almost cried reading May I Die Before My Voices and I think every single person who is or ever has been an aspiring writer or a published writer or just a writer in general can relate to those words.
An excellent book. Go out and read it.
Ray Bradbury has a very eccentric story style. This collection of short stories was perfect for Halloween. If you’ve only ever read Farenheit 451, I encourage you to read more Bradbury. He is very creative.