The October Country

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Summary: bradbury is a word magician of the otherworldly
Review: "the october country" is one of the most singular and atmospheric horror anthologies i've ever come cross, and this is certainly not the sort of sentimental and light fluff that bradbury has been unfortunately accustomed to writing for years now. each story forces the reader to confront his own helplessness in the face of vaguely hinted at, elusive forces that toy with humans as they struggle to understand the bizarre and inexplicable in their lives. particularly fascinating is the tale with a couple vacationing in a foreign country, where they witness the day of the dead celebration and are touched by the evil they had so smugly written off as native superstition and primitive nonsense. i treasure this collection far more than "the martian chronicles", which is often misrepresented as bradbury's best work, whereas i would definitely say that title belongs to either to "october" or his incredibly imaginative and chilling, "something wicked this way comes". although his writing has always suffered from a mishmash of confused obscurity and an off putting desire to 'shock' with what he seems to think are surprising endings to his short stories, he comes into his own truly terrifying gems like this one. if you decide to read bradbury, start with "the october country"

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Summary: These stories are great but........
Review: ... you can get them all and more in the huge Stories of Ray Bradbury which is excellent. The illustrations are wonderful.

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Summary: Ray Bradbury
Review: Anyone who is a fan of fiction should read this book- it is incredible! You won't want to put it down!

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Summary: Dark Carnival Lite
Review: Basically an edited and spruced up version of his short story collection Dark Carnival, this is still prime reading, even though it does make you want to see what the original collection was like. However the stuff here and some of Bradbury's greatest even if most of his fans don't remember or realize that in his early days he was an excellent writer of horror fiction, definitely more poetic than Stephen King and on many levels just as frightening. The best stories here are utterly disturbing in both the calmness of tone and the horror of the situation (notably "The Small Assassin") and several come close to his trademark nostalgia, for the most part it's absent here. Some of the other stories take a twist and turn it into terror, such as the one with the fact that people are more likely to murder at ninety two degrees in temperature. And all of it ranks as some of his best writing, even when the storieis themselves are merely okay, the lyrical nature of his writing resonates and shows why Bradbury can't be easily shoehorned into one catagory, whether people try to classify him as fantasy, horror, science-fiction, whatever. He's just a writer and in his case that's good enough.

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Summary: Early Bradbury work shows his immense promise as an author.
Review: Bradbury, who had always wanted to write poetry was heartened when a collegue told him that he already was a poet, then read him some passages from Martian Chronicles. October Country,an edited version of his first collection called Dark Carnival, also shows this same promise. These are mostly tales of horror written for pulp magazines of the thirties and forties. They are frightening stories which resound with Bradbury's own unique poetic voice. These are tales that could easily have been told 'round the fire and that may be their best setting. Accompanied by Joe Mugnaini's lovely illustrations, it only leaves you wanting to know what the original edition was like. Unless you have great luck, or a large book buying budget, October Country will have to suffice.

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Summary: Happy Hallowe'en!
Review: Every year just before I reread The Homecoming. It was the first Bradbury story I ever read, way back in 5th grade, and I fell in love with it immediately. When Bradbury writes about an apple pie, in a few quick words you smell it. I love this collection, as I love Farenheit 451, The Martian Chronicles, and The Illustrated Man. The stories in here range from the odd to the silly to the chilling, the kind of stories you want to tell in a tent by a flashlight on a camping trip with your old buddies. They are for the child and the terror in us all. May you all fly with Uncle Einar!

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Summary: Delightfully Haunting
Review: From the first page, which features the eerie carnival story "The Dwarf", to the final page graced by the philosophical work "The Wonderful Death of Dudley Stone", The October Country is a land of impossible concepts and wonderfully weird stories.

The qualities of the haunting short stories vary greatly. Some of the tales are mystical fairy tales, others are modern day horror vignettes. There are three crowning glories in this collection: "The Lake", "Jack in the Box", and "The Wonderful Death of Dudley Stone."

"The Lake" is a haunting tale of a little girl whose life was claimed by Lake Michigan. Through a touching first person point of view, the narrator offers a tear-jerking look into the little girl's life and his relationship with her.

"Jack in the Box" tells the story of a little boy who was raised in complete isolation in a house that was a world all its own.

"The Wonderful Death of Dudley Stone" chronicles the life of a fictional author who died a graceful "death", but still continues to live his life.

Although each story in the October Country is worthy of praise, the reader MUST keep in mind that this is an IMMENSE collection. Reading it straight through, the weirdly characters and dreary plots can appear to be never-ending. The collection could have been cut in half, and I would still feel it worthy of praise.

To sum it up, the October Country is an essential collection and offers examples of superior short story writing. But much like the world it depicts, The October Country can continue for forever....and never allow you to leave.

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Summary: Haunting...
Review: Howls and echoes through the soul like the winds of October... I highly recommend this book to any fan of Ray Bradbury's work, or to anyone who wishes to introduce his classic works into their library. He is a passionate visionary that writes not only about sci-fi, but his colorful writing style encapsulates the sometimes ineffable feelings that each and every one of us have had about every possible situation in life, and dare I say, in death. I always feel like a kid again when I read his books, I am taken away to warm, sunny Saturdays when I was still in awe of the newness of life. I can hardly force myself to read the works of others as I am convinced that no one can do with words the magic that Ray Bradbury has done.

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Summary: My first Ray Bradbury...And I LOVED it!
Review: I borrowed this book from the library, having heard about the story "Next in Line." At first, I thought that the book as silly and ridecules, but as I continued reading, something mysterious in the writing seemed to attract me and made me into an addict of sorts. Every spare moment I had was spent reading it. It's been a few years since I read it, but of what I remember, I thoroughly enjoyed The Small Assassin. It was great. The Wind was hauting. I didn't care for the Scythe, though. I found it extremely dumb and dissapionting. Some of the storied were extremely lacking, yet others were great. I loved how, after the whol story, it was usually the last sentance that really got you, that brought it all together. After reading these reviews, I'm dying to read it again. I highly recomend this great book.

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Summary: Twilight Zone Country
Review: I'm a huge fan of Bradbury, so my review is rahter biased. The series of short stories enclosed within are for those who enjoy ironic twists ala the Twighlight Zone. Biting humor.