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From the Dust Returned by Ray Bradbury
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From the Dust Returned (original 2001; edition 2002)

by Ray Bradbury

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
1,7054510,126 (3.76)42
"They have lived for centuries in a house of legend and mystery in upper Illinois - and they are not like other midwesterners. Rarely encountered in daylight hours, their children are curious and wild; their old ones have survived since before the Sphinx first sank its paws deep in Egyptian sands. And some sleep in beds with lids." "Now the house is being readied in anticipation of the gala homecoming that will gather together the far-flung branches of this odd and remarkable family. In the past-midnight stillness can be detected the soft fluttering of Uncle Einar's wings. From her realm of sleep, Cecy, the fairest and most special daughter, can feel the approach of many a welcome being - shapeshifter, telepath, somnambulist, vampire - as she flies high in the consciousness of bird and bat." "But in the midst of eager anticipation, a sense of doom pervades. For the world is changing. And death, no stranger, will always shadow this most singular family: Father, arisen from the Earth; Mother, who never sleeps but dreams; A Thousand Times Great Grandmere; Grandfather, who keeps the wildness of youth between his ears." "And the boy who, more than anyone, carries the burden of time on his shoulders: Timothy, the sad and different foundling son who must share it all, remember, and tell ... and who, alone out of all of them, must one day age and wither and die."--Jacket.… (more)
Member:mushroom104
Title:From the Dust Returned
Authors:Ray Bradbury
Info:Avon (2002), Mass Market Paperback, 288 pages
Collections:Your library
Rating:****
Tags:sci-fi, horror

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From the Dust Returned by Ray Bradbury (2001)

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» See also 42 mentions

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Showing 1-5 of 45 (next | show all)
First off , this review is written by a Bradbury fanatic and is therefore biased.
Like most , the first book i read by Mr.Bradbury was Fahrenheit 451, i read it as part of a summer reading program and since then have read and re read it often. But i really fell in love with his work when I read the Illustrated Man. Such a range of stories , such amazing twists and suprise endings , such simple yet poetic style!
So when i happened upon a Bradbury book, dark and inviting with ghosts and vampires adorning the cover i read it immeadeatley , it was fifnished that night at 11:30. i had read slightly different versions of some of the stories before , for this book is mereley a collection of loosley related stories sewn toghether by short chapters. I loved it!I grew emotionallt attached to the family , i wanted wings , i wanted to send my mind into anything and everything , i wanted to be awake all and all of my life! sad huh? I especially liked the theme , or one of them if there is one. nameley , the old world of belief in the fanatic and beautiful , bizzare and rococo , is being destroyed by the new religion of science and progress. i've noticed this theme before in his work and can see evidence of it all around me. "On the Orient North" was my favorite , love it! and there are precious few things that I love.Bradbury is a master and he will never die! he will live in his characters and stories forever.
now that im done praising ,
for those of you who think it is disjointed. It is , it's a collection of short stories compiled over 20 some years.conseququently the style may change. also , if you find yourself lost , read again , Bradbury's writing isn't a grocery list or an instruction manual , it is art , and art is sometimes only really understood by the artist. ( )
  Autolycus21 | Oct 10, 2023 |
Essentially a collection of earlier materials, some of which had been published and some not, regarding the Elliot family - a supernatural collection of ghouls and such in an old manse getting up to mischief. I know, that sounds like The Addams Family, and the cover art was drawn by the same man who created Wednesday and Mortitia. But Charles Addams had already created the Addams when he met [[Ray Bradbury]], and they intended on collaborating on a book with the Elliots where Addams would provide the art and Bradbury the text. Sadly, it never happened.

I'm a huge Bradbury fan, and I quite enjoyed the shenanigans here, and the hypnotic voice. But it's not Bradbury's best work, and perhaps it suffers because it didn't get the unified narrative that one expects. Nonetheless, quite enjoyable.

Highly recommended.
4 bones!!!! ( )
1 vote blackdogbooks | Jul 3, 2022 |
What an odd little book! It is really a bunch of his writings put into a novel form. I am glad that I read "Halloween Tree" first, otherwise I think I would have put this one down. It is an interesting idea and interestly coincides with the book I am currently reading "American Gods" by Neil Gaiman. I would sometimes get their story lines mixed up. ( )
  BarbF410 | May 22, 2022 |
Nobody writes like Ray Bradbury wrote. His word choice is sublime, and his sentences are lyrical masterpieces. His stories, especially in this volume, are amusing, and thought-provoking, but above all, they speak directly to your heart.

This is a low-key story of a strange and wonderful family who might be vampires, but they may be something else too. And I think that's one of the things I love about Bradbury...he tells you wonderful stories, but he also leaves a lot of room for the reader to roam around in and make their own discoveries.

In some ways, I found this book to be the spiritual brother to The Martian Chronicles, but with a more horror leaning, instead of a science fiction one.

I adored every line of this book. I wish more authors could write like this. I think the closest we have now is Neil Gaiman, though there's times Charles L. Grant and Clive Barker wandered into Bradbury's sandbox to play as well.

But nobody can do Bradbury like Bradbury. I miss him. ( )
  TobinElliott | Sep 3, 2021 |
An elegiac narrative with peculiar characterisations, a spider, a girl who inhabits other people's minds, a winged man, ghosts, an orphaned boy, ghastly passengers, a mummy, and a house. The narrative is gentle, more like a series of hauntings before finally being put to bed. There is something ceremonious about the interactions between the characters, I found myself drifting through the moments of the book, enjoying Ray's lilt. ( )
  RupertOwen | Apr 27, 2021 |
Showing 1-5 of 45 (next | show all)
added by DoctorDebt | editPublisher's Weekly (Oct 8, 2001)
 

» Add other authors (4 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Ray Bradburyprimary authorall editionscalculated
Addams, CharlesCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Körber, JoachimTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Mousli, LillianCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed

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To the two midwives of this book: Don Congdon, who was in at the beginning in 1946, and Jennifer Brehl, who helped bring it to completion in 2000. With gratitude and love.
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In the attic where the rain touched the roof softly on spring days and where you could feel the mantle of snow outside, a few inches away, on December nights, A Thousand Times Great Grandmere existed.
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"They have lived for centuries in a house of legend and mystery in upper Illinois - and they are not like other midwesterners. Rarely encountered in daylight hours, their children are curious and wild; their old ones have survived since before the Sphinx first sank its paws deep in Egyptian sands. And some sleep in beds with lids." "Now the house is being readied in anticipation of the gala homecoming that will gather together the far-flung branches of this odd and remarkable family. In the past-midnight stillness can be detected the soft fluttering of Uncle Einar's wings. From her realm of sleep, Cecy, the fairest and most special daughter, can feel the approach of many a welcome being - shapeshifter, telepath, somnambulist, vampire - as she flies high in the consciousness of bird and bat." "But in the midst of eager anticipation, a sense of doom pervades. For the world is changing. And death, no stranger, will always shadow this most singular family: Father, arisen from the Earth; Mother, who never sleeps but dreams; A Thousand Times Great Grandmere; Grandfather, who keeps the wildness of youth between his ears." "And the boy who, more than anyone, carries the burden of time on his shoulders: Timothy, the sad and different foundling son who must share it all, remember, and tell ... and who, alone out of all of them, must one day age and wither and die."--Jacket.

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