5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
An impressive tome, March 15, 2007
This review is from: The Halloween Tree (Hardcover)
Gauntlet has a proud tradition of reissuing Ray Bradbury's books in impressive limited editions, starting several years ago with such stellar works of fantasy as The October Country and Something Wicked This Way Comes, and recently venturing into more esoteric realms with a fascinating tome presenting several incarnations of what eventually was filmed as It Came From Outer Space. Their latest tribute to the legendary Mr. Bradbury comes in the form of a massive offering dealing with a television script turned novel, The Halloween Tree.
First, let's cover the novel. At its most basic, The Halloween Tree is an attempt to answer questions about the origins of Halloween and the monsters which have come to be associated with it over the centuries. Bradbury painlessly conveys his lesson in between telling the story of eight boys who take a fabulous journey through history one Halloween night, courtesy of the mysterious Mr. Moundshroud, a recluse who lives in an old mansion on the outskirts of town.
The journey is a welcome distraction for the boys, who are concerned about the welfare of their best friend Pip, who took ill earlier in the evening. In each place they visit, whether it be a pyramid in Egypt, or the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, they encounter their friend's spirit in various forms. At first he is a mummy, then a gargoyle, then a skeleton. Later, the boys are told that Pip may die, unless they all agree to give Mr. Moundshroud one year of their life. Vaguely aware of the enormity of what they are doing, they agree, returning home to find their friend safe and sound.
A book probably best read in one's pre-teens, The Halloween Tree still contains much for more mature readers. Although it's not one of Bradbury's stronger works, there are moments, such as when Bradbury describes Moundshroud's house as "special and fine and tall and dark" when you know you're in the hands of a master. Older readers can also better appreciate the magnitude of the sacrifice the boys make at the end of the novel a little better than the average twelve year old, which adds poignancy to later readings. So, while it's not on the level of Something Wicked This Way Comes, let's face it--lesser Bradbury is still better than the best of many other working writers in the genre.
Now, to the bells and whistles.
Nearly five hundred pages in length, the Gauntlet edition contains, among other things, the original 1967 screenplay, a spirited joint interview with Bradbury and animator Chuck Jones discussing that screenplay, an early draft of the novel from 1971, the final draft of the novel submitted in 1972, a table of galley changes for the first edition, the new teleplay from 1992, and a 2004 interview with Bradbury. Obviously a labor of love for Editor John Eller and Compiler and Designer Donn Allbright, the companion materials enhance the final text, presenting an exhaustive, detailed look at the evolution of the material from the glimmerings of an idea to screenplay to novel and then back to screenplay. Although its steep price tag will insure that the book will be read mostly by Bradbury fanatics with deep pockets, hopefully some more casual (or more thrifty) fans will be able to experience the wonders inside this tome by borrowing it from their local libraries.
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