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Loading... The October Country (original 1955; edition 1999)by Ray Bradbury (Author)
Work InformationThe October Country by Ray Bradbury (1955)
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Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. I can understand why some readers love these stories. I can see how some readers would rate this book so highly. I am not saying those folks are wrong, but Bradbury just does not resonate with me. His stories chafe and bore me. I get restless and disinterested in reading his work. I am vaguely glad I read this collection, though. These are stories that, if pressed, I will think of like Friends titles, i.e. The One with the Sugar Skulls, The One with the Dog, The One with the Skeleton, etc. Writers who want to write in the horror/speculative fiction genre need to read through these stories carefully and decide what works and what does not. The general reader may or may not like this collection, I have no idea, since my opinion on this one seems vastly divergent. Maybe it's because it's early Bradbury, but these stories just didn't do anything for me. The dialogue feels like it was written by someone who learned how people speak from watching 1940s Hollywood movies. The ideas were sometimes interesting, but the writing style (and some of its content) seemed mired in the age in which it was written. no reviews | add a review
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Haunting, harrowing, and downright horrifying, this classic collection from the modern master of the fantastic features: THE SMALL ASSASSIN: a fine, healthy baby boy was the new mother's dream come true -- or her nightmare ... THE EMISSARY: the faithful dog was the sick boy's only connectioin with the world outside -- and beyond ... THE WONDERFUL DEATH OF DUDLEY STONE: a most remarkable case of murder -- the deceased was delighted! And more! No library descriptions found.
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)813.54Literature English (North America) American fiction 20th Century 1945-1999LC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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Some are grotesques as in the story about a woman obsessing about her baby being a monster - but is she right? And 'The Jar' and 'The Skeleton'. I liked the disquieting ones such as 'The Crowd', an idea I remember being anthologised in an old TV series and 'The Emissary' which I remembered reading from many years ago but which has stuck in my memory unlike so many other things I've read. 'The Scythe' is quite a chilling tale with a novel explanation for the evils of the 20th century and, by implication, ours. A few didn't quite engage me such as the odd story about the poker chip and the one about the wind which for me was too predictable. But overall I am awarding this four stars. ( )