The October Country

Name: The October Country
ISBN: 9787532783519

Ray Bradbury / 刘正飞Shanghai Translation Publishing House · ChinaJun 2020

4.5

Word count: 158K words
Chapters: 22
ISBN: 9787532783519

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Summary

"The October Country" is a mysterious land steeped in fantasy, its inhabitants carrying autumn in their hearts, where the long nights stretch endlessly and dim twilight and dawn linger. This country abounds in dark places: basements, cellars, coal bins, cupboards, attics... each hiding a different trick; among tens of thousands of infants there are always one or two strangely precocious "small assassins"? A dog is the messenger sent by a bedridden young master to explore the world—but might it bring back an unexpected visitor? Bloody incidents multiply in the town, and the secret turns out to be hidden behind the stained glass? And the orthopedic doctor who treats aching bones actually turns his patients into...? Across the endless wheat field a figure wildly brandishes a scythe, the blade gleaming with the words: "He who masters me masters the world!" Weary of mere mortal flesh, how will George Garvey remake himself? Halloween approaches once more, and the "Homecoming Party" will welcome hundreds of kin, each with a special gift, working by night and sleeping by day... Have you ever wondered what the wind really is? It is the wronged souls of the dead—tornadoes, hurricanes, typhoons—they kill humans, steal their voices, pilfer their thoughts... A sealed jar is raised step by step onto the altar by vanity and fantasy, and on the road to apotheosis every obstacle must be cleared, beginning with the one beside you... A great writer in his prime suddenly announces he will lay down his pen and vanishes without a trace—what conspiracy lies behind it? ... Nineteen fantasy-horror stories of varied styles, with astonishing imaginings extending endlessly—one cannot help marveling that this country is indeed Bradbury at his most original!

Editor's review

Ray Bradbury's The October Country is not a conventional horror collection but a dark prism of nineteen intricately crafted stories polished to reflect the depths of human nature. The master known for Fahrenheit 451 here displays his extraordinary command as a short-story virtuoso. A poetic gloom and Gothic nostalgia pervade the book; with his signature language—lyrical, abundant, and keen—Bradbury weaves together childhood memory, small-town legend, family secrets, and the supernatural. The settings are often autumn in the small towns of the Midwest, where the fragrance of ripe apples mingles with the chill of the cellar. Readers are drawn into a world both familiar and strange, where fear comes not from monsters baring claws but from the cracks in daily life, from repressed desire and the relentless passage of time itself. In "The Small Assassin," for instance, a child's "game" sends chills down the spine, while "The Lake" is a poignant elegy for loss and mourning. The book's value lies in how it transcends genre, offering profound literary exploration of memory, solitude, loss, and the nature of love. Reading it is like taking an inner walk at an October dusk—the cold air sharpens the mind, and beneath the brilliant fallen leaves lie the complex truths of life.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who love literary short fiction and prize texture of language and evocative atmosphere
Readers drawn to Gothic style, dark romanticism, or poetic supernatural themes
Readers eager to discover another side of Ray Bradbury's mastery beyond Fahrenheit 451
Those seeking a reading experience both nostalgic and mildly chilling for the autumn season

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking intense plotting, direct sensory thrills, or standard formula horror
Readers impatient with slow narrative and a style centered on psychology and setting

Reading tips

Best read alone on a quiet autumn night, letting the book's atmosphere resonate with the season.
No need to finish in one sitting; savor one or two stories at a time and leave room for reflection.
Pay attention to how Bradbury turns ordinary domestic details into omens of unease—this is the key to appreciating his charm.

About the publisher

Shanghai Translation Publishing House China · Founded in 1978

Shanghai Translation Publishing House is a Chinese publisher oriented mainly toward translation and publishing. Its publications cover foreign literature, world classics and classic works, as well as social culture, folk literature and classical poetry. The database contains 2,618 titles, including Never Let Me Go, Les Misérables (2 volumes), Don Quixote (illustrated collector's edition), The Complete Comedies of Molière (4 volumes), The Complete Novels of Kafka (3 volumes), The Collected Works of Dostoevsky (9-volume set), Reason and Persons, and Oedipus Rex (Translation Classics). Its author resources include foreign writers such as Kazuo Ishiguro, Victor Hugo, Cervantes and Molière, as well as translators such as Zheng Kelu, Sun Jiameng, Li Jianwu and Zhang Kun. The publisher has brands such as "Translation Classics Selections" and "Translation Documentary," and emphasizes translated works in foreign literature and the humanities and social sciences, while also publishing bilingual dictionaries and foreign-language educational books. Public information is limited; the above is based on the book information in the database.

版权信息
筑造十月国度——前言
十月国度
侏儒
轮到你了
洞悉之眼
骨骼
罐
湖
使者
玩火
小杀手
人群
玩偶匣
镰刀
埃纳尔叔叔
风
楼上的人
从前有个老太太
蓄水池
返乡
绝妙之死

FAQ

Is this book similar in style to The Martian Chronicles?

Both are Bradbury short-story collections, rich in poetry and nostalgia. But The October Country focuses more on small-town life on Earth and its psychological shadows, with more prominent supernatural and horror elements; its overall tone is gloomier and more introspective than The Martian Chronicles.

Are the stories connected?

Most stories stand alone, but they share a similar emotional register and period setting (such as the American Midwest in the twentieth century), together building a unified emotional and symbolic world called "the October Country." Some stories echo one another subtly in characters or places.

How is the translation quality of this Shanghai Translation Publishing House edition?

This edition is translated by an experienced translator; the rendering is fluent and accurate, conveying well the distinctive poetic language and suspenseful atmosphere of Bradbury's original. It is widely regarded in the Chinese-speaking world as a reliable translation.

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About the author

Ray Bradbury Author · American · 1920–2012

Ray Bradbury (1920–2012) was an American novelist and screenwriter of science fiction, fantasy and horror. His work is known for its poetic language and its keen insight into technology and human nature, and is often grouped with science fiction and classic literature, spanning foreign literature and fine fiction alike. His major works include Fahrenheit 451, The Martian Chronicles, The Illustrated Man and Dandelion Wine, and Chinese editions of his work include the five-volume Classic Stories collection and the four-volume Selected Short Masterpieces, with 24 of his titles carried in our catalogue. He received the Hugo Award, the Pulitzer Prize and the National Medal of Arts, and has had a lasting influence on later science fiction and fantasy.

刘正飞 Author · Chinese

Liu Zhengfei is a Chinese author about whom limited public information is available. The only work currently confirmed is October Country. In book classification, this title is placed under foreign literature, a category that indicates both its intended readership and a certain cross-cultural perspective or exotic subject matter. Because biographical materials, a chronology of works, and interviews are lacking, it remains difficult to outline the full trajectory of Liu's writing or to determine where October Country stands within it. Based on the available information, this work is the main entry point for understanding Liu Zhengfei's writing, allowing readers to observe how the author handles subject matter and approaches narrative. Further research and introduction of this author will depend on the emergence of more works and public information.