Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by bryangball
The October Country by Ray Bradbury
5.0
I love Ray Bradbury. His magical, dream-like prose is, time and again, so beautiful. He is at his best writing through themes of passing time, and seasons taking us to the beautiful orange autumns of October; and each story in this collection is a testament to that.
This will be less of a proper review, and more of a few recorded reactions, in an attempt to remember as much as I can about these stories.
“The Dwarf” - A weirdly human tale of a dwarf, a hall of mirrors, and the kind of now old time American carnivals that Bradbury paints better than anyone.
“The Next in Line” - A non-typical Bradbury story, that shows him writing to his strengths and going out of his normal zone of comfort; a story of a couple who travels to Mexico to visit a cemetery, and paranoia.
“The Watchful Poker Chip of H. Mattise” - Bradbury having fun, and satirizing— of being— avant- grade.
“Skeleton” - A strange, incredibly weird (though relatable) story of paranoia of one’s own body.
“The Jar” Another tale beginning at an American carnival of yesteryear— an intriguing, interesting and wicked tale of what holds the attention of people.
“The Lake” - Far and away, this is one of my favorite stories in the book. The writing in here, passing time through childhood to maturity and nostalgically back again, is drop dead gorgeous, with an eerily appropriate end.
“The Emissary” - This may be my favorite story in here. A tale of growing up, and leaving the alleged comforts of childhood, this is a beautiful— and creepy— story of having a pet in your life, and the affect that forever creates on your life.
“Touched with Fire” Quirky, creepy and darkly comic tale of life insurance salesman who learned from the error of their ways.
“The Small Assassin” - A genuinely scary, paranoid and ahead of its time, horror tale that asks the— now timeless to the genre— question ‘what if my child is evil?’
“The Crowd” - Genuinely unsettling story waxing on the kind of people who run to see the aftermath of accidents. This reads like a lost The Twilight Zone episode.
“Jack-in-the-Box” - A big swing, and a hit, of a bizarre world and house a child lives in, with a heaping side of Biblical reworkings.
“The Scythe” One of the best stories in the book- about a depression era family who seems to find everything they could have wanted.
“Uncle Einar” A weird tale of a creepy character, and the equally creepy romance that develops when two creepy souls find each other. Likely the birth of many a great Tim Burton tale.
“The Wind” - Bradbury at his best can make anything unsettling, and this story, and how it unfolds, is genius.
“The Man Upstairs” I loved this story. The innocence of childhood, and the unease of the unknown; shades of Neil Gaiman and Stephen King abound.
“There Was an Old Woman” An unabashedly weird and affecting take of a woman who does all she can to defeat Death.
“The Cistern” An endlessly creepy and weird story of what lurks in the waters of the sewer on a rainy day.
“Homecoming” One of my favorite things Bradbury— or anyone— has ever done. About an all too human misfit in an eerie kooky family. So much more than the likely inspiration for the Addams Family, this story says all the best of what Bradbury has to say of life and living, and the eternal shadow of October.
“The Wonderful Death of Dudley Stone” An amazing gem reflecting on the life— lives?— of a writer. 10 out of five stars.
This will be less of a proper review, and more of a few recorded reactions, in an attempt to remember as much as I can about these stories.
“The Dwarf” - A weirdly human tale of a dwarf, a hall of mirrors, and the kind of now old time American carnivals that Bradbury paints better than anyone.
“The Next in Line” - A non-typical Bradbury story, that shows him writing to his strengths and going out of his normal zone of comfort; a story of a couple who travels to Mexico to visit a cemetery, and paranoia.
“The Watchful Poker Chip of H. Mattise” - Bradbury having fun, and satirizing— of being— avant- grade.
“Skeleton” - A strange, incredibly weird (though relatable) story of paranoia of one’s own body.
“The Jar” Another tale beginning at an American carnival of yesteryear— an intriguing, interesting and wicked tale of what holds the attention of people.
“The Lake” - Far and away, this is one of my favorite stories in the book. The writing in here, passing time through childhood to maturity and nostalgically back again, is drop dead gorgeous, with an eerily appropriate end.
“The Emissary” - This may be my favorite story in here. A tale of growing up, and leaving the alleged comforts of childhood, this is a beautiful— and creepy— story of having a pet in your life, and the affect that forever creates on your life.
“Touched with Fire” Quirky, creepy and darkly comic tale of life insurance salesman who learned from the error of their ways.
“The Small Assassin” - A genuinely scary, paranoid and ahead of its time, horror tale that asks the— now timeless to the genre— question ‘what if my child is evil?’
“The Crowd” - Genuinely unsettling story waxing on the kind of people who run to see the aftermath of accidents. This reads like a lost The Twilight Zone episode.
“Jack-in-the-Box” - A big swing, and a hit, of a bizarre world and house a child lives in, with a heaping side of Biblical reworkings.
“The Scythe” One of the best stories in the book- about a depression era family who seems to find everything they could have wanted.
“Uncle Einar” A weird tale of a creepy character, and the equally creepy romance that develops when two creepy souls find each other. Likely the birth of many a great Tim Burton tale.
“The Wind” - Bradbury at his best can make anything unsettling, and this story, and how it unfolds, is genius.
“The Man Upstairs” I loved this story. The innocence of childhood, and the unease of the unknown; shades of Neil Gaiman and Stephen King abound.
“There Was an Old Woman” An unabashedly weird and affecting take of a woman who does all she can to defeat Death.
“The Cistern” An endlessly creepy and weird story of what lurks in the waters of the sewer on a rainy day.
“Homecoming” One of my favorite things Bradbury— or anyone— has ever done. About an all too human misfit in an eerie kooky family. So much more than the likely inspiration for the Addams Family, this story says all the best of what Bradbury has to say of life and living, and the eternal shadow of October.
“The Wonderful Death of Dudley Stone” An amazing gem reflecting on the life— lives?— of a writer. 10 out of five stars.