The Halloween Tree

The Halloween Tree is a 1972 fantasy novel by American author Ray Bradbury, which traces the history of “Samhain” and “Halloween.” A group of eight boys set out to go trick-or-treating on Halloween, only to discover that a ninth friend, Pipkin, has been whisked away on a journey that could determine whether he lives or dies. Through the help of a mysterious character named Carapace Clavicle Moundshroud, they pursue their friend across time and space through Ancient Egyptian, Ancient Greek, and Ancient Roman cultures, Celtic Druidism, the Notre Dame Cathedral in Medieval Paris, and “The Day of the Dead” in Mexico. Along the way they learn the origins of the holiday that they celebrate, and the role that the fear of death, ghosts, and the haunts has played in shaping civilization. The Halloween Tree itself, with its many branches laden with jack-o'-lanterns, serves as a metaphor for the historical merging of these traditions.

Something Wicked This Way Comes

Something Wicked This Way Comes is a 1962 dark fantasy novel by Ray Bradbury. It is about thirteen-year-old best friends, Jim Nightshade and William Halloway, and their nightmarish experience with a traveling carnival visiting their Midwestern town one October. The carnival’s leader is the mysterious “Mr. Dark” who seemingly wields the power to grant the citizenry’s secret desires. In reality Mr. Dark is a malevolent being who lures these individuals into binding themselves in servitude to him; he is revealed to possess a tattoo bearing the likeness of each person he has thus tricked. Mr. Dark’s presence is countered by Will’s father, Charles Halloway, who harbors his own secret desire to regain his youth because he feels as though he is too old for Will.

     The novel combines elements of fantasy and horror, analyzing the conflicting natures of good and evil which exist within all individuals. Unlike many of Bradbury’s other novel-length works, such as Dandelion Wine and The Martian Chronicles, Something Wicked This Way Comes is a single full-length narrative.

Fahrenheit 451

Fahrenheit 451 is a dystopian novel by Ray Bradbury published in 1953. It is regarded as one of his best works. The novel presents a futuristic American society where books are outlawed and “firemen” burn any they find. The title refers to the temperature Bradbury asserted as the auto-ignition temperature of paper (in reality, scientists place the auto-ignition temperature of paper anywhere from 440 degrees Fahrenheit to some 30 degrees hotter, depending on the study and type of paper.)

     The novel has been the subject of interpretations focusing on the historical role of book burning in suppressing dissenting ideas. In a 1956 radio interview, Bradbury stated he wrote Fahrenheit 451 because of his concerns at the time (during the McCarthy era) about the threat of book burning in the United States. In later years, he stated his motivation for writing the book in more general terms.

    In 1954 Fahrenheit 451 won the American Academy of Arts and Letters Award in Literature and the Commonwealth Club of California Gold Medal. It has since won the Prometheus “Hall of Fame” Award in 1984 and a 1954 “Retro” Hugo Award, one of only four Best Novel Retro Hugos ever given. In 2004 Bradbury was honored with a Spoken Word Grammy nomination for his 1976 audio book version.