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As I said on the late CD Message Board, this book was gifted to me by a longtime "frenemy", as he would probably call himself, and this was a gorgeous physical production, so pretty that I was afraid to handle it. This was a gift that kept on giving.
I find Bradbury's short stories are best read one every day or two. This collection kept me busy dipping in and out since February, and I'm sad that the book came to an end this morning.
Subterranean did a beautiful job on this book. Each story has an illustration by Dave McKean, and the introduction is by Stephen Gallagher.
I'm used to a gentler Bradbury, so some of the darker stories (The Smiling People, The Small Assassin, Let's Play "Poison") came as somewhat of a pleasant shock to me. The wistful, sentimental Bradbury is also on full display, and "The Night" with nary a supernatural element in sight, will chill anyone who is a parent.
There was a Gauntlet Press edition of Dark Carnival a quarter of a century ago that had the same contents, story-wise, but Subterranean closes out their edition perfectly, with the previously unpublished "Time Intervening", written by Bradbury in 2001. At 81 years of age, he still had it. A great capper to a great collection, it brought a tear to my jaded eye.
Posted : April 24, 2026 4:15 pm
As I said on the late CD Message Board, this book was gifted to me by a longtime "frenemy", as he would probably call himself, and this was a gorgeous physical production, so pretty that I was afraid to handle it. This was a gift that kept on giving.
I find Bradbury's short stories are best read one every day or two. This collection kept me busy dipping in and out since February, and I'm sad that the book came to an end this morning.
Subterranean did a beautiful job on this book. Each story has an illustration by Dave McKean, and the introduction is by Stephen Gallagher.
I'm used to a gentler Bradbury, so some of the darker stories (The Smiling People, The Small Assassin, Let's Play "Poison") came as somewhat of a pleasant shock to me. The wistful, sentimental Bradbury is also on full display, and "The Night" with nary a supernatural element in sight, will chill anyone who is a parent.
There was a Gauntlet Press edition of Dark Carnival a quarter of a century ago that had the same contents, story-wise, but Subterranean closes out their edition perfectly, with the previously unpublished "Time Intervening", written by Bradbury in 2001. At 81 years of age, he still had it. A great capper to a great collection, it brought a tear to my jaded eye.
I was so tempted by that book as it looked gorgeous, but I already had the Gauntlet Press HC, numbered and signed by Bradbury and enclosed in a slipcase, and I had the "Time Intervening" story in a separate chapbook, so I just couldn't convince myself that I needed the the Subterranean Press edition, as much as I might have wanted it. It's a wonderful collection, and I really dig Bradbury when he got dark...but I like his wistful, melancholy stuff, too...it's all great (well, the more contemporary stuff leaves something to be desired, but...).
Posted : April 24, 2026 6:37 pm
dannyboy121070 reacted
As I said on the late CD Message Board, this book was gifted to me by a longtime "frenemy", as he would probably call himself, and this was a gorgeous physical production, so pretty that I was afraid to handle it. This was a gift that kept on giving.
I find Bradbury's short stories are best read one every day or two. This collection kept me busy dipping in and out since February, and I'm sad that the book came to an end this morning.
Subterranean did a beautiful job on this book. Each story has an illustration by Dave McKean, and the introduction is by Stephen Gallagher.
I'm used to a gentler Bradbury, so some of the darker stories (The Smiling People, The Small Assassin, Let's Play "Poison") came as somewhat of a pleasant shock to me. The wistful, sentimental Bradbury is also on full display, and "The Night" with nary a supernatural element in sight, will chill anyone who is a parent.
There was a Gauntlet Press edition of Dark Carnival a quarter of a century ago that had the same contents, story-wise, but Subterranean closes out their edition perfectly, with the previously unpublished "Time Intervening", written by Bradbury in 2001. At 81 years of age, he still had it. A great capper to a great collection, it brought a tear to my jaded eye.
Read this last fall, and absolutely adored it.
Good to see that Bradbury could get a little nasty in his younger days.
Also includes one of my all time favorite Bradbury stories ‘The Lake’.
B
Posted : June 16, 2026 4:41 am
dannyboy121070 reacted
I've always enjoyed his darker tales, and I've read a lot of Bradbury in my time, but I don't think I've read this specific collection. I know a lot of the stories in Dark Carnival were reprinted in his October Country collection which I have read.
One of my favorite "shorts" by him is The Veldt - a mix of sci-fi and (implied, but clear) horror
Posted : June 16, 2026 5:07 pm
Topic starter
I've always enjoyed his darker tales, and I've read a lot of Bradbury in my time, but I don't think I've read this specific collection. I know a lot of the stories in Dark Carnival were reprinted in his October Country collection which I have read.
One of my favorite "shorts" by him is The Veldt - a mix of sci-fi and (implied, but clear) horror
THE VELDT is the story that pops into my mind every time someone mentions Bradbury. One of my all-time favorite short stories.
Posted : June 17, 2026 3:04 am
I've always enjoyed his darker tales, and I've read a lot of Bradbury in my time, but I don't think I've read this specific collection. I know a lot of the stories in Dark Carnival were reprinted in his October Country collection which I have read.
One of my favorite "shorts" by him is The Veldt - a mix of sci-fi and (implied, but clear) horror
THE VELDT is the story that pops into my mind every time someone mentions Bradbury. One of my all-time favorite short stories.
Same. A number of Bradbury tales are memorable for me, but “The Veldt” is in particular even more so. The execution of darkness guised in innocence is pitch perfect.
Posted : June 21, 2026 12:27 pm
rmquist reacted
Funnily enough, vver the weekend Alan Lustafka , owner/publisher of Shortwave Publishing posted on Facebook(link below) about taking some time to put together a database of Ray Bradbury stories and where they were published/included in collections to figure out which ones he has in various collections, which he's read and which he hasn't...
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18dKPnh3DU/
Posted : June 23, 2026 12:19 am
TacomaDiver reacted
Maybe there are guides out there, but I've found it hard to track down definitive lists of where various short stories (from basically any author) have appeared and which ones have and haven't been collected.
So it's pretty cool he's doing this!
This post was modified 4 weeks ago by TacomaDiver
Posted : June 24, 2026 4:03 am
rmquist reacted
Maybe there are guides out there, but I've found it hard to track down definitive lists of where various short stories (from basically any author) have appeared and which ones have and haven't been collected.
So it's pretty cool he's doing this!
Seems like it could be quite a daunting task...
Posted : June 25, 2026 10:36 pm