Just in Time For Halloween: Top 5 Ray Bradbury Books

Ray Bradbury is one of the most iconic fantasy, horror, and science fiction writers of the last century. Although he wrote every day religiously until shortly before his death in 2012 at the age of 91, his most famous works were written in the years and decades following World War II and during the Cold War era. Many of these works explored themes of suspicion, fear of darkness and the unknown, and the consequences of relinquishing our personal freedoms and rights in exchange for indifference, and civilization.

The Halloween Tree

Originally a screenplay turned novel for young adults, and eventually a holiday animated special, The Halloween Tree offers both an education on the history of Halloween through the ages and commentary on coming to terms with mortality. At its most basic, this is a quest story of eight boys searching for their friend, Pipkin. Their search leads them to a gothic mansion and the eventual assistance of a supernatural-seeming creature who calls himself Moundshroud. Literal meets philosophical when each boy must ultimately make the decision of whether to give a year of his own life in exchange for saving their friend’s.

Something Wicked This Way Comes

At its heart, a horror story perfectly suited for Halloween time, this novel nonetheless also offers the ubiquitous Bradbury social commentary. This is the story of a supernatural and very dark carnival that blows into what could be any small town in America during the early 1960’s. Fascinated by the distorted visions provided through the hall of mirrors and the sideshow exhibits, the characters are forced to confront their own greatest fears while also coming to terms with the archetypal fear of darkness and the unknown, something that Cold War audiences could relate to all too well.

Dark Carnival

His first published collection of short stories, Dark Carnival is a collection of dark fantasy and horror stories depicting all of the childhood fears and nightmares that can only come from a mind such as Bradbury’s. Originally, the book was to be called The Children’s Garden of Terrors, a title accurately describing the overarching theme of childhood fears that are depicted in the stories included. Many of the stories in this anthology have been repeatedly reprinted elsewhere over the last half century while the original has been out of print until its recent reissue in a deluxe edition.

The Martian Chronicles

At its heart, a commentary on human arrogance and sense of conquest, The Martian Chronicles is a collection of short stories that depict humankind’s attempt to explore and colonize Mars, in spite of the indigenous race of beings that already inhabit that planet. The stories culminate in part with the story “There Will Come Soft Rains,” in which a completely automated house (and not the friendly kind, like ADT Security Choice, Google Nest and others advertise) functions independently of the humans that have been wiped out by nuclear war, followed by description of a family that has successfully escaped to Mars and chooses to adapt to the Martian way of life rather than force Mars to become more Earthlike.

Fahrenheit 451

Probably his most well-known work and the most direct commentary on Cold War ideology, this futuristic fantasy novel centers around the main character of a fireman whose job is no longer to put out fires but to start them. He is charged with burning books in keeping with laws that outlaw critical thinking and learning through reading. The general population lives in a drug and media induced state of indifference, allowing the government and the state an iron-grip of influence over world affairs. The message is clear in that a society indifferent to the values of free thinking and learning is one ripe for being conquered and controlled by a tyrannical government and state.

Although Bradbury’s most iconic works comment on a specific period of American history, most are nonetheless still relevant today and continue to be taught and read by new generations eager to avoid the pitfalls of their forebears. At their most basic, many of his works of fiction also provide great entertainment, particularly around Halloween and the darker half of the year