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4.03 AVERAGE
4.03 AVERAGE
Content Warnings: Slurs (ableist and racial); harm to children; child death; attempted infanticide; graphic body horror and gore; implied self-mitilation; cannibalism; death by fire; implied religious fanaticism; sexism
Short Story Collections are generally hard to review, I would call this one a mixed bag of Halloween Candies. All of the stories are spooky or horror stories and the book thus is a perfect read for the October season.
I had the same problem here that I have been having with other short story collections: Once you have read a couple paragraphs, you know the ending of each story (not true for all 19 stories, but for most).
My favourite stories were:
- The Skeleton
- The Lake
- The Emissary
- The Small Assassin
- The Man Upstairs
- Homecoming
Short Story Collections are generally hard to review, I would call this one a mixed bag of Halloween Candies. All of the stories are spooky or horror stories and the book thus is a perfect read for the October season.
I had the same problem here that I have been having with other short story collections: Once you have read a couple paragraphs, you know the ending of each story (not true for all 19 stories, but for most).
My favourite stories were:
- The Skeleton
- The Lake
- The Emissary
- The Small Assassin
- The Man Upstairs
- Homecoming
A wonderful collection for fans of the Halloween season and Bradbury's fantastic style of fiction. My favorite in this collection is Homecoming followed closely by The Man Upstairs.
The October Country is, I believe, the earliest Bradbury story collection. Well, it's a bit long for what it is, and not all of the tales are terrific, but it has led me enjoyably down the shadowy path, once again, of Ray Bradbury's precious imagination, which is, for me, the best aspect of picking up one of his books. It's not the ideas but the moods that get me, not the plots of the stories, but rather the details, the similes, certain familiar social situations suddenly set in eldritch precincts, as familiar and unfamiliar as the landscape of a dream, the things you know he's showing you which are so much better than the moral that the plot is laying out for you with its impeccable Gothic logic. It seems that the best of Bradbury revolves around his ability to keep his prose somehow innocent, raw, unthinking, even as the tales are the usual manipulations of the pulp author--not that he isn't original. In the introduction he inadvertently brags about how his editors at Weird Tales wanted more tradition ghastly narratives. Still, there's a level at which Bradbury's stories work which rumbles and shifts well below what they are saying as narratives, and that's what always keeps me interested--even in the silliest of them (here "The Homecoming" I think). The October Country was the perfect read through this oddly balmy Italian autumn, leading me right up to and through another Halloween celebration. "The most wonderful time of the year"--for us lovers of the dark side of art and literature.
Despite a couple predictable endings (The Small Assassin and The Wind) and a few instances of overly obvious, needlessly italicized prose, this is a great collection of short stories that really demonstrates the breadth of Bradbury's skill and the varied nuances of his perspective. This collection has it all: from dark truths about human nature (The Dwarf, The Next in Line, The Crowd) to more humorous explorations of life and society (The Watchful Poker Chip of H. Matisse, Touched With Fire, There Was an Old Woman); from oddities and dark twists (The Emissary and The Scythe) to poignant examinations of both philosophy and feeling (The Lake, Jack-in-the-Box, The Jar)--the variety and scope of the collection is stunning.
And yet, despite the disparity in their subject matter and tone, there is really a common spiritual grammar that unites all of the stories in The October Country. It's a grammar that I've come to recognize as distinctly Bradbury's: one of mystery, love, mischief, and hope; a grammar that wrestles with both light and dark, optimism and despair, and comes out on the other side with a wink, a grin, and an occasional sigh. His enthusiasm for life is contagious--you have only to let it infect you, and you're off.
And yet, despite the disparity in their subject matter and tone, there is really a common spiritual grammar that unites all of the stories in The October Country. It's a grammar that I've come to recognize as distinctly Bradbury's: one of mystery, love, mischief, and hope; a grammar that wrestles with both light and dark, optimism and despair, and comes out on the other side with a wink, a grin, and an occasional sigh. His enthusiasm for life is contagious--you have only to let it infect you, and you're off.
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
It would have been five stars but I didn't like the way some of the female characters were portrayed. Don't let that stop you though; not every female character was a stereotype from the 50s. The book only improves the further you read. I found myself liking the more fantastical tales. If you're like me and only ever read Fahrenheit 451, do yourself a favor and discover the variety and breadth of Ray Bradbury.
Wow. How have I only just read this?! Incredible stories, from idea to style and the excellent writing. Each story is so short yet so original and so rich. Delightfully creepy and thought provoking, and the couple of positive tales made me want to cry of happiness. Excellent collection in the way the stories connect and flow so well. Can't wait to read more Bradbury, very glad there is so much more to discover!
I love Ray Bradbury, but this one was a bit of work to finish.
Bradbury is the master of taking unique, unforgettable short stories and intertwining them into a larger, powerful narrative or feeling. In this case, through a range of characters varying from a dwarf to a winged uncle, readers shut the book feeling like they have experienced the entire season of fall in one reading session. The sparsely crowded carnivals, the open doors and neighborhood meets on porches, the gathering of a (blood-drinking) family for a homecoming...Bradbury never disappoints.
Favorites:
The Next in Line
The Jar
Favorites:
The Next in Line
The Jar
I have not read Ray Bradbury in many years. I fell in love with Fahrenheit 451 and The Martian Chronicles over 20 years ago as a high schooler. I don't think I was totally prepared for these short stories. I think the only short story of his that had stuck with me prior to this collection was "The Veldt".
I know that some of these will stick in much the same way.
Before reading this book I read Dracula earlier in the year, and honestly, the stories here are more terrifying and tremendously more entertaining. Have a good ponder and leave with a creepy, crawly feeling under your skin. He's such a great writer!
I know that some of these will stick in much the same way.
Before reading this book I read Dracula earlier in the year, and honestly, the stories here are more terrifying and tremendously more entertaining. Have a good ponder and leave with a creepy, crawly feeling under your skin. He's such a great writer!