The October Country
by Ray Bradbury
First published 1955 · English · 306 pages
- Short stories
- Science fiction
- Fantasy
- Horror and gothic
A collection of macabre and eerie short stories, many of them early work. Its pages hold odd families, haunted rooms, carnival figures, lonely people and unsettling small-town events. Rather than relying on gore, Bradbury builds mood and emotional unease, finding the strange in ordinary lives and the sorrowful in the supernatural. The book shows the gothic side of his imagination and gathers tales that helped establish his reputation as a master of fantasy and horror.
Quotes
It will only take a minute,” said Uncle Einar’s sweet wife. “I refuse,” he said. “And that takes but a second.
Anna said, “Must they have a reason?” “No, not if they’re insane, no,” said Juliet. “In that case no reasons are necessary.”
Don’t these people ever get lonely?” “They’re used to it this way.” “Don’t they get afraid, then?” ”They have a religion for that.” “I wish I had a religion.” “The minute you get a religion you stop thinking,” he said. “Believe in one thing too much and you have no room for new ideas.
“Oh,” said Brunilla, the cow-searcher. “A man with wings.” That was how she took it. She was startled, yes, but she had never been hurt in her life, so she wasn’t afraid of anyone, and it was a fancy thing to see a winged man and she was proud to meet him.