From the Dust Returned

FROM THE DUST RETURNED [William Morrow,2001] is a collection of Bradbury's short stories, written over many decades, with new material added to connect them into a cohesive narrative, concerning the macabre, loving and supernatural Elliott family, who gather for a festive homecoming at their Illinois ancestral home.

"The Addams Family" and "The Munsters" -- without the comedic kitsch. Charles Addams cover art for the dustjacket comes from Ray's story "Homecoming"'s first appearance in MADEMOISELLE magazine, OCT 1946, where the editors and publisher "had debated changing the story to fit the magazine, but instead (changed) the magazine to fit the story." [p.202]

This is a tale of "family, immortality, and the human condition seen through show more the eyes of its monstrous yet heartfelt characters," including the boy Timothy, who is different from the rest of his immortal family by being "natural," non-monstrous, mundane.

That is: human.
And, as demonstrated by his loving supernatural family, that is just fine.

Be you.
Be loved. ❤️ show less

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 show 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. show less

The family that Bradbury chronicles in this novel are truely the October People. They are everything that dwells in the shadows, takes wing during the night, whispers secrets of death and dying, and whom live among us in disguise. These characters with their strange powers are frightening in premise, but Bradbury writes them like they are any extended, worldly family full of strange aunts, uncles, and nephews. They interact with eachother as any family does, fighting or convalescing at times, but they have a distance of blood that separates them from the world. All told, this novel is written with poetic distinction and the perfect amount of linguistic flourish to capture those of us who are October Readers at heart.

In an odd way the best part of this comes when it is over, and Bradbury tells us in an Afterword how it was created from 1945 to 2000. I don't want to spoil that. If the reader didn't already know this is a book for Halloween, and it was born when Ray Bradbury was a child who had a very imaginative Aunt. This overall story is built primarily on some of Bradbury's early short stories, and one or two I have read before, most certainly "Homecoming". This is a return to October Country. I found it a very satisfying read and liked it much more than his "Halloween Tree." Bradbury's writing really shines here and although there are some weaker parts to this overall story he managed to do this so well that it really made me smile.

My paperback show more copy has a delightful inside 2 page spread double cover which was done long ago by Charles Addams to illustrate these stories. show less

Ray Bradbury is one of my favorite authors. The more I read his work, the more I admire him. The man is a genius with words and creates some of the most interesting characters ever to grace a page. From the Dust Returned is no exception. It is the extended play version of his brilliant short story, The Homecoming,
As with many of Bradbury's novels, From the Dust Returned is actually a compilation of short stories, several of which have been published individually over the past 60 years. The stories are held together with loosely connecting chapters which gives them the continuity needed to form a novel.
What is really neat about From the Dust Returned is that we learn the beginnings of the Elliot family, their wonderfully creepy house, show more and just how the human boy Timothy came to be part of this ghoulish family. It also extends the events after the Homecoming, and surprisingly, reveals a huge dilemma for the dead: no one believes in them any more. Because of this, all the ghosts and ghouls are being forced from their homes and into oblivion.
One of the most moving chapters was the story of Miss Minerva Halliday, a nurse and passenger on the Orient Express, and the ghost she encounters and befriends on her journey. He seems to be visibly melting before her eyes:
"He arrived this night, moving with a terrible slowness, to sit across the aisle from this woman of some years, her bosom like a fortress, her brow serene, her eyes filled with a kindness that had mellowed with time. There was a black medical bag at her side, and a thermometer tucked in her mannish lapel pocket. The ghastly man's paleness caused her left hand to crawl up along her lapel to touch her thermometer.
"Oh, dear," whispered Miss Minerva Halliday. The maitre d' was passing. She touched his elbow and nodded across the aisle.
"Pardon, but where is that poor man going?" "Calais and London, madam. If God is willing." And he hurried off.
Minerva Halliday, her appetite gone, stared across at that skeleton made of snow. The man and the cutlery laid before him seemed one. The knives, forks and spoons jingled with a silvery cold sound. He listened, fascinated, as if to the voice of his inner soul as the cutlery crept, touched, chimed; a tintinnabulation from another sphere. His hands lay in his lap like lonely pets, and when the train swerved around a long curve his body, mindless, swayed now this way, now that, toppling.
At which moment the train took a greater curve, and knocked the silverware chittering. A woman at a far table, laughing, cried out: "I don't believe it!" To which a man with a louder laugh shouted: "Nor do I!" This coincidence caused, in the ghastly passenger, a terrible melting. The doubting laughter had pierced his ears. He visibly shrank. His eyes hollowed and one could almost imagine a cold vapor gasped from his mouth.
Miss Minerva Halliday, shocked, leaned forward and put out one hand. She heard herself whisper: "I believe." The effect was instantaneous. The ghastly passenger sat up. Color returned to his white cheeks. His eyes glowed with a rebirth of fire." (pgs. 103-105)
Bradbury's message in this book is clear. He wants us to remember these stories, these ghouls and ghosts, and to not forget those who have gone before us. show less

From the Dust Returned is an interesting little novel, partially about a young human boy who is adopted by a house haunted by a family of immortal beings. Some have wings and can fly, some can send their minds into other living things and experience life through them, and some just like to sleep all day in coffins in the basement. It is frequently compared to The Addams Family - of course due in part because Charles Addams did the art for the cover - but it's not an unfair comparison. It's pleasantly macabre, with cousins who sleep in coffins, uncles who have wings, and women rising from their graves to give advice on life and death to a 10 year old. I suppose you could say it's mysterious and spooky (and altogether ooky?) and to say it show more is similar to The Addams Family or A Nightmare Before Christmas is perfectly reasonable.

I say it's "partially" about the adopted boy because it is also, to some extent, a collection of short stories, dipping out of the main storyline frequently to give you a little snippet of one of the family member's lives. These portions of the novel were a bit of a drag, unfortunately. When Bradbury focuses on the main story, on the house and it's occupants (Timmy, Cecy, and their parents) I found the story and the writing to be absolutely riveting. The characters are memorable and full of personality, and the same can be said for every individual sentence. The prose is lyrical and infinitely quotable. Each sentence was like tangible brilliance for my synapses. I didn't want to read too fast so I could soak up every word of it. It was magnificent, I only wish this could have been maintained throughout the novel.

Unfortunately this is only the case for the first 80 pages or so, after that the storyline and writing become a little spotty. Within the following 90 pages or so there are inklings of the brilliance of the first 80, but they are mixed in with bland and sub-par ghost stories. While the stories are okay, I found myself not caring and eagerly anticipating the return of Tim and Cecy. Fortunately, the final 30 pages or so return to the house and the story is tied up nicely. I suppose this is the result of how the book is written, over a 50 year period. You can tell what parts were written slowly over time with so many years of dedication and attention, and which parts were copy and pasted from old magazines. The book definitely would have benefited, for the most part, without the old short stories.

Overall, I highly enjoyed the novel. The worst parts aren't bad, they just aren't as mind-meltingly great as the more well-written chapters. While this can seem like a hindrance while it's being read, ultimately I found it well worth my time and I'm glad I gave the book a chance. show less

I am in love, absolutely in love with Bradbury's brand of paranormal, offbeat and odd stories. This entire novel focuses on the Elliot family - 55 years of love and infrequent labour apparently based in some parts on Bradbury's own family gatherings. It is, essentially, a collection of short stories that tell a longer story. Favourites for me are "West of October" and "On the Orient North" but I found the rest of the book to be delightfully crafted. Recommended if you're a fan of Bradbury's short stories and prose.