Bradbury, Ray
About the Author:
Ray Bradbury was born in Waukegan, Illinois, USA in 1920.
AVERAGE REVIEW SCORE:
3.5 out of 5
(2 books)
TOP PICK:
The October Country
The Machineries Of Joy
A collection of twenty short stories ranging from tales of the American Civil War to stories of an old man living in a post-apocalyptic future who remembers fruit, candy and automobiles for the benefit of the young.
It's probably worth noting straight off that very few of these stories qualify as science fiction and the vast majority are either real-world tales or heavily allegorical ones. So if you're only onboard for Bradbury's SF, then this book will disappoint you. I have to say, for myself, I would've preferred more science fiction than I actually got, but I've no major problem with the non-SF stories.
No, rather where the book fell down for me was simply that few of the stories really gripped and engaged me. On the other hand, those that did really catch my attention were over before they could really develop their potential. Overall it left me with the feeling that I would've been happier just reading one of the author's novels.
All that said, however, it can't be denied that the quality of the prose here is phenomenal. Even the weakest of the stories on offer is written with such depth and subtlety that you can't help but notice and appreciate the author's craftmanship. Once again though, it left me wishing I'd been reading a full-length novel instead.
3 out of 5
The October Country
An anthology of nineteen short stories with a macabre bent. In this book you'll find tales of restless spirits unwilling to settle in the grave, of a couple who become convinced their newborn child is a malevolent entity and people struggling with the terrible, inevitable work of the Grim Reaper.
It would certainly to be wrong to call this an anthology of horror stories, although it just as certainly contains horrors, and I think the word 'macabre' definitely fits much more closely. There are, in fact, numerous stories here that aren't even supernatural at their core (Bradbury's introduction notes that editors despaired that he often failed to provide the 'ghost stories' they'd expected) but they too still deal with macabre thoughts and the spectre of death. It is, perhaps, the best named collection of short stories I've ever encountered, if you think of October as the proverbial 'spooky season', where autumn draws in, the nights grow colder and quieter and it all leads up to Hallowe'en.
Above all else, Bradbury earns his reputation as a great writer and even the least enjoyable of the stories found here had me enthralled by the author's prose and ability to see the facts of the tale from a slightly sideways view. And when that skill in writing combines with his better storytelling, you get some truly brilliant short stories.
The nature of the stories on offer here mean that to tell you which ones I liked the most and why would likely spoil the 'twist in the tale' that was long a mainstay of such 'ghost stories'. I wouldn't usually be overly concerned about spoiling stories originally published in the 1940s and 50s but I genuinely feel that the joy, wonder and chills of this book are best experienced by not knowing what comes next and I'd hate to take that away from anyone.
Suffice to say that some of these stories are genuinely great and the least of them is no worse than good, so now (as I write it is October) is the perfect time to pick up this book.
4 out of 5
Collaborations & Anthologies:
The Wizards Of Odd (here)