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trish204 's review for:
The October Country
by Ray Bradbury
This was my first short story collection by Bradbury and while some stories were truly wonderful, others were quite mundane or even disappointing. So much so that I "only" give this collection 3 stars, which surprised me since I LOVED his novels.
The theme of this collection, as the title suggests, is autumn. As Neil Gaiman once said, Bradbury is to experienced in October and after reading three of his books as well as this short story collection, I quite agree. He seems to have loved this time of year as much as I do, as is evidenced by this "introduction" to The October Country:
October Country . . . that country where it is always turning late in the year. That country where the hills are fog and the rivers are mist; where noons go quickly, dusks and twilights linger, and mid-nights stay. That country composed in the main of cellars, sub-cellars, coal-bins, closets, attics, and pantries faced away from the sun. That country whose people are autumn people, thinking only autumn thoughts. Whose people passing at night on the empty walks sound like rain. . .
If this beautiful prose doesn't express the author's love for autumn, I don't know what will.
Personally, I'm right there with the author. Everything about this time of year - from the fog that casts everything into an eerie light and amplifies sounds in a weird way, to the crisp fresh air that has a unique smell, as well as the breathtaking colour of the foliage and cool storms, not to mention Halloween, carving pumpkins, decorating the house ... I love everything about it.
So what about the 19 stories here, you ask? Well, like I said, there were ups and downs. My favourites were
- The Lake
- The Emissary
- Jack-in-the-Box
- The Scythe
but "The Next in Line" was great, too.
As is typical for Bradbury, he used the stories to not only create an autumn-y feel for the reader but to also address topics such as religion, love, death and many more. He was one of few authors who managed to slip in sentences ringing true with profound meaning as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Nevertheless, many of the stories here just couldn't quite grab me.
The theme of this collection, as the title suggests, is autumn. As Neil Gaiman once said, Bradbury is to experienced in October and after reading three of his books as well as this short story collection, I quite agree. He seems to have loved this time of year as much as I do, as is evidenced by this "introduction" to The October Country:
October Country . . . that country where it is always turning late in the year. That country where the hills are fog and the rivers are mist; where noons go quickly, dusks and twilights linger, and mid-nights stay. That country composed in the main of cellars, sub-cellars, coal-bins, closets, attics, and pantries faced away from the sun. That country whose people are autumn people, thinking only autumn thoughts. Whose people passing at night on the empty walks sound like rain. . .
If this beautiful prose doesn't express the author's love for autumn, I don't know what will.
Personally, I'm right there with the author. Everything about this time of year - from the fog that casts everything into an eerie light and amplifies sounds in a weird way, to the crisp fresh air that has a unique smell, as well as the breathtaking colour of the foliage and cool storms, not to mention Halloween, carving pumpkins, decorating the house ... I love everything about it.
So what about the 19 stories here, you ask? Well, like I said, there were ups and downs. My favourites were
- The Lake
- The Emissary
- Jack-in-the-Box
- The Scythe
but "The Next in Line" was great, too.
As is typical for Bradbury, he used the stories to not only create an autumn-y feel for the reader but to also address topics such as religion, love, death and many more. He was one of few authors who managed to slip in sentences ringing true with profound meaning as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Nevertheless, many of the stories here just couldn't quite grab me.