Reviews for The October country

The average rating for The October country based on 2 reviews is 4.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2012-09-28 00:00:00 Chris Marano I love the reading of Bradbury on a crisp, autumn morning … sounds like October. The October Country is a collection of short stories by the Grandmaster writer Ray Bradbury. Eschewing any connection to science fiction, this group of purely fantasy tales resounds with Bradbury's fascination with and brilliant creativity in the realms of the occult, macabre and the dark. Bradbury begins the book with this explanation: "The 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 twilight linger, and midnights 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." These are some of his best stories, told with imagination and his deft, descriptive virtuoso use of the language. His is a poetic prose, matched well with the theme of October. M. Night Shyamalan must have been influenced by Bradbury's "Jack in the Box", and his influence on modern fiction can be seen throughout the pages. From the odd "The Dwarf" to the creepy "The Jar" to the psychologically unsettling "The Cistern" Bradbury has woven a spider's web of fiction made for cool days under a cloudy sky, with the autumn smells of campfires and frost. Brew a witch's mug of warm drink, breathe in the leafy chill, wrap up in an old woolen scarf and enjoy. *** 2020 reread I'm a Ray Bradbury fan and this is one of my favorite collections from him. This was first compiled in 1955 from previously released stories and a couple of these stories would be used again in his 2001 novel From the Dust Returned. Many of these have inspired other stories and episodes of the Twilight Zone and other shows. Nineteen macabre and Octoberesque tales for our delight. They're all good but for me the most notable are: "Skeleton" - weird story where a man's own skeleton seems to have a separate consciousness. Only a writer like RB could pull this off. "The Jar" - Creepy and psychologically unsettling and then ends with a touch of outright horror. "The Small Assassin" - Ray takes post-partum depression to another level. "The Crowd" - a motor vehicle accident survivor notices some strange things about a crowd that surrounds him and goes on a quest for discovery that does not end well. "Jack in the Box" - a story reminiscent of Shirly Jackson, a little boy being raised alone by his weird and psychopathic mother. "Uncle Einar" and "Homecoming" are the two stories later used to put together From the Dust Returned, and describes an Addams Family like clan. This is a must read for Bradbury fans and one any visitor to the October Country will enjoy.

Review # 2 was written on 2018-10-19 00:00:00 Jeremy Fischer "...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 midnights 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..." A collection of 19 macabre tales from who many consider to be the finest writer of fantastic fiction. It is a truth universally acknowledged that the majority of short story collections are hit and miss. Well... this one is all killer and no filler, baby!! (Correction: perhaps a teeny tiny bit of filler as there was ONE story I just didn't vibe with - namely The Watchful Poker Chip of H. Matisse) - but hey, as that Meatloaf song says - one out of nineteen ain't bad! Or...something like that ;) This was a really fun collection to read during my road trip in New England - it was quite easy to fit in a story or two each evening. I did try and read some aloud to my boyfriend, but he did not remain awake until the end for ANY of them. However, I'm going to blame that on my soothing voice and not the stories themselves. My absolute FAVOURITE story was The Emissary. This was a sweet story about a sick young boy and his dog... that turns a little dark. I love it when stories turn dark unexpectedly. If you combine emotion with my horror, then I'm gonna be on board about 93% of the time. There's just so many memorable tales that I won't forget in a hurry! The Small Assassin, which is about a mother who is convinced that her newborn baby is out to kill her. The Scythe, a chilling tale about a man who comes into the possession of a powerful wheat field and an even more powerful scythe. The Lake (which was my other favourite story) is about a man revisiting his childhood home and recalling a friend who drowned in a lake during their childhood. Bradbury's writing is beautifully poetic and his stories incredibly inventive. I'm reading these stories quite a few years after they were written and they are just as impactful and unique. Bradbury is quickly becoming one of my favourite authors! Can't rave about this one enough! One of the best short story collections I've ever read - it's up there alongside King's Night Shift and Clive Barker's Books of Blood. All the stars!!! Or 5... if we're using the standard rating system.