A review by adamlauver
The October Country by Ray Bradbury

4.0

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.