A short
Ray Bradbury novel from 1972 about a group of
children who are taken on a
quest through time to save their dying
friend on
Halloween night. Their
guide is the wonderfully
ghoulish Carapace Clavicle Moundshroud, who leads them through the many
times and
places which have contributed
folklore and
customs to the modern
celebration of
Halloween.
Bradbury and Moundshroud take us to the
tombs of
ancient Egypt, to
Ireland and
Samhain in the days of the
druids, to the
Burning Times in
Europe, to
gargoyle-festooned
Notre Dame, to
el Dia de los Muertos in
Mexico. In the end, the boys must make a final
sacrifice and a
bargain with the forces of the
dead before they can finally save their friend.
Like so many of Bradbury's stories, this one is a
strange combination of
horror and
childlike wonder. If you love Halloween and if you can handle Bradbury's use of
fantasy and
poetic language (not everyone can, you know), then I
recommend this book highly.