The October country: by Ray Bradbury ; illustrated by Joe Mugnaini

Ordinary people are caught up in unreal situations in these 19 strange stories. Welcome to a land Ray Bradbury calls "the Undiscovered Country" of his imagination--that vast territory of ideas, concepts, notions and conceits where the stories you now hold were born. America's premier living author of short fiction, Bradbury has spent many lifetimes in this remarkable place--strolling through empty, shadow-washed fields at midnight; exploring long-forgotten rooms gathering dust behind doors bolted years ago to keep strangers locked out. and secrets locked in. The nights are longer in this country. The cold hours of darkness move like autumn mists deeper and deeper toward winter. But the moonlight reveals great magic here--and a breathtaking vista. The October Country is many places: a picturesque Mexican village where death is a tourist attraction; a city beneath the city where drowned lovers are silently reunited; a carnival midway where a tiny man's most cherished fantasy can be fulfilled night after night. The October Country's inhabitants live, dream, work, die--and sometimes live again--discovering, often too late, the high price of citizenship. Here a glass jar can hold memories and nightmares; a woman's newborn child can plot murder; and a man's skeleton can war against him. Here there is no escaping the dark stranger who lives upstairs ... or the reaper who wields the world. Each of these stories is a wonder, imagined by an acclaimed tale-teller writing from a place shadows. But there is astonishing beauty in these shadows, born from a prose that enchants and enthralls. Ray Bradbury's The October Country is a land of metaphors that can chill like a long-after-midnight wind ... as they lift the reader high above a sleeping Earth on the strange wings of Uncle Einar Ray Bradbury's second short story collection is back in print, its chilling encounters with funhouse mirrors, parasitic accident-watchers, and strange poker chips intact. Both sides of Bradbury's vaunted childhood nostalgia are also on display, in the celebratory "Uncle Einar," and haunting "The Lake," the latter a fine elegy to childhood loss. This edition features a new introduction by Bradbury, an invaluable essay on writing, wherein the author tells of his "Theater of Morning Voices," and, by inference, encourages you to listen to the same murmurings in yourself. And has any writer anywhere ever made such good use of exclamation marks!? (Illustrated by Joe Mugnaini.) Contents: (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53442179-the-dwarf) The Dwarf ss Fantastic Jan/Feb 54 (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34117187-the-next-in-line) The Next in Line nv Dark Carnival, Arkham House: Sauk City, WI, 1947 (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53317801-the-watchful-poker-chip-of-h-matisse) The Watchful Poker Chip of H. Matisse ss Beyond Fantasy Fiction Mar 54 Skeleton ss Weird Tales Sep 45 (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30239414-the-jar) The Jar ss Weird Tales Nov 44 (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18068093-the-lake) The Lake ss Weird Tales May 44 (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36224154-the-emissary) The Emissary ss Dark Carnival, Arkham House: Sauk City, WI, 1947 (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56385696-touched-with-fire) Touched with Fire [Shopping for Death] ss Macleans Jun 1 54 (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55808717-the-small-assassin) The Small Assassin ss Dime Mystery Magazine Nov 46 (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27515010-the-crowd) The Crowd ss Weird Tales May 43 (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24863031-jack-in-the-box) Jack-in-the-Box ss Dark Carnival, Arkham House: Sauk City, WI, 1947 (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22014036-the-scythe) The Scythe ss Weird Tales Jul 43 (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56383737-uncle-einar) Uncle Einar ss Dark Carnival, Arkham House: Sauk City, WI, 1947 (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16457750-the-wind) The Wind ss Weird Tales Mar 43 (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48621021-the-man-upstairs) The Man Upstairs ss Harpers Mar 47 (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26531037-there-was-an-old-woman) There Was an Old Woman ss Weird Tales Jul 44 (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56385642-the-cistern) The Cistern ss Mademoiselle May 47 Homecoming ss Mademoiselle Oct 46 (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18136917-the-wonderful-death-of-dudley-stone) The Wonderful Death of Dudley Stone ss Charm Jul 54 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!