Fans of macabre fiction will enjoy this collection from one of the best short story writers, Ray Bradbury. I prefer his science fiction, such as The Illustrated Man and The Martian Chronicles, but I liked most of the stories in this book, which have his trademark lyrical gothic style. A few of them seemed familiar, so I may have read them in other collections. I thought there were too many stories included, however, as a few were not as effective as the others. Perhaps less is more, when it comes to great writers. However, it should be noted that this was his first published book, at the age of 27.
The stories I liked best were three which focused on different characters of the supernatural Elliott family: ‘The Homecoming,’ ‘The Traveler’ and ‘Uncle Einar’. The other stand-outs were ‘Skeleton’, about a man at war with his own skeleton, and ‘The Scythe’, about a farmer who unwittingly takes on a most arduous, dreadful yet important job. The most disturbing story, in my opinion, is ‘The Small Assassin’, about a couple whose baby is trying to murder them.
Recommended for Ray Bradbury fans and anyone who likes sinister, sad stories with twists. First published in 1947. This edition by HarperVoyager, 2024.