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February 20, 2008

What I'm Reading: 

The October Country

by Ray Bradbury

 

Up until now, I had read Something Wicked this Way Comes and (of course) Fahrenheit 451. I had especially enjoyed the latter, even though the book has an inescapable 1950s ambiance (Fahrenheit 451 was published in 1953.) 

Eager for more Ray Bradbury, I decided to purchase this collection of short stories from Amazon.com. (You will likely have a difficult time finding it on the shelves at your local Borders.) 

These tales are not exactly horror---and not exactly science fiction---but something in between. Ray Bradbury’s short stories might be described as “weird fiction;” they are difficult to classify.  

Most of them veer towards horror. There are no stories here that are going to keep anyone up at night. A few, however, have some legitimately creepy moments.  

 

“Skeleton” is a story about a man who believes that his skeleton is trying to take over his body. The protagonist also becomes obsessed with the realization that every person around him encloses a skeleton, a universal symbol of death. He finally consults a specialist who employs a very unusual cure. (I am tempted to tell you more, but I don’t want to be responsible for any spoilers.) 

I also liked “The Next in Line.” This is a tale about a town in Mexico where local officials charge rent on burial space. When a deceased citizen’s relatives fall behind on their rent payments, town officials disinter the corpse and put it on display for tourists. I suspect that this one will linger with you for a while, especially if you have ever been in Mexico on the Day of the Dead (Dia de los muertos).   

These stories were all written between 1946 and 1953, so you won’t find any plotlines that revolve around the internet or genetic engineering. Moreover, the dialogue is dated. The characters in October Country largely talk like your grandparents did when they were thirty.  

Despite some anachronisms, though, there is plenty here for readers in 2008 to enjoy. Ray Bradbury’s books are still in print after five or six decades for a reason: the guy tells a mean story.