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From the Dust Returned Audiobook
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(3.01) - 2,055 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Ray Bradbury, America’s most beloved storyteller, has spent a lifetime carrying readers to exhilarating and dangerous places, from dark street corners in unfamiliar cities and towns to the edge of the universe. Now, in an extraordinary flight of the imagination a half-century in the making, he takes us to a most wondrous destination: into the heart of an Eternal Family.
They have lived for centuries in a house of legend and mystery in upper Illinois—and they are not like other Midwesterners. Rarely encountered in daylight hours, their children are curious and wild; their old ones have survived since before the Sphinx first sank its paws deep in Egyptian sands. And some sleep in beds with lids.
Now the house is being readied in anticipation of the gala homecoming that will gather together the far-flung branches of this odd and remarkable family. In the past-midnight stillness can be detected the soft fluttering of Uncle Einar’s wings. From her realm of sleep, Cecy, the fairest and most special daughter, can feel the approach of many a welcome being—shapeshifter, telepath, somnambulist, vampire—as she flies high in the consciousness of bird and bat.
But in the midst of eager anticipation, a sense of doom pervades. For the world is changing. And death, no stranger, will always shadow this most singular family: Father, arisen from the Earth; Mother, who never sleeps but dreams; A Thousand Times Great Grandmére; Grandfather, who keeps the wildness of youth between his ears.
And the boy who, more than anyone, carries the burden of time on his shoulders: Timothy, the sad and different foundling son who must share it all, remember, and tell … and who, alone out of all of them, must one day age and wither and die.
By turns lyrical, wistful, poignant, and chilling, From the Dust Returned will surely be numbered among Ray Bradbury’s most enduring masterworks.
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"If you've seen my other reviews (in all their conciseness), you'll know that i tend to lavish praise on almost all of my literary conquests. this is one of several instances where lavish praise is in fact due. much like "Something Wicked This Way Comes", Bradbury's prose has the vague, dreamy quality of an elderly master story-teller who sits in front of his campfire, with phrases and parables that crawl into the bottom back of your brain and lodge themselves there, much like Cecy Elliot from this book would do if she were real. and whatsmore, this book is slightly autobiographical, since Bradbury states that the characters are based on some of his real family members (I guess that makes little Timothy the historian little Ray). and its sad, i think that now Bradbury himself has returned to the dust, but these tales will live on, bat wings, mists, papyrus, and all. and i think its time you, the reader of this review, owed it to Ray Bradbury to read this book five decades in the making. and it will enchant you from your attic place to the dust from whence you came."
— Blake (5 out of 5 stars)
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“Funny, beautiful, sad, and wise…Full of wide-eyed wonder and dazzling imagery, the story retains as an integrated whole all its original freshness and charm.”
— Publishers Weekly -
“Written in trademark Bradbury style, the book reads like liquid poetry while telling the interconnected stories of a number of unusual yet strangely familiar family members…A new novel by Bradbury is an event worth noting, and this is a necessary purchase for all public libraries.”
— Library Journal -
“Bradbury weaves his magic as he introduces the Elliot family…a bit at a time.”
— Booklist
From the Dust Returned Listener Reviews
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" Now, I have a facination with 'Monster Families' to begin with, so when I had read one of the stories from this collection by itself, I was immediatly curious as to the nature of the tale. So I tracked it down and came across this book. Those who are not used to the sometimes lyrical writing nature of Bradbury may not enjoy this collection. It goes from the beginning of the existance of the house, to the end when it gets swept away due to the changing nature of the world. All in all, I found it to be an enjoyable read, and one that I managed to get done in a fairly quick amount of time. It never disapointed me, though as far as a lot of the tension in the stories went, I found that it was never too intense, but rather, more of a gentle read for nights where you were curled up on your couch with a glass of whine and perhaps some cheese. This book was a pleasure to read, and to me shows that Bradbury is truly one of the best writers of our time. I will definatly be reading this book again. "
— Tarl, 2/20/2014 -
" I think I absolutely adore this book now. :) It was cute and whimsical, and just great. "
— Natalie, 1/30/2014 -
" This is easily one of my favorite novels, it made me decide to be a monster. "
— Mitchell, 1/28/2014 -
" This book was beautifully written. Very visual. "
— Pamela, 1/23/2014 -
" A loosely connected series of stories about a family with 'supernatural' members living in and visiting a house. Benefits immensely from Bradbury's poetic language to transcend it beyond being just a ghost/horror story. "
— Tanvir, 1/4/2014 -
" Ray Bradbury is a beautiful writer, with a mastery of language and poetic phrase-turning. I found this one, however to be long on these elements and somewhat lacking in plot. "
— Gary, 1/2/2014 -
" This was a strange book. I enjoyed it but it took a little while to figure out what was going on. I wound up enjoying it even though it is quirky. "
— Joyce, 12/8/2013 -
" What a strange tale! A perfect fit for Halloween, but not really my cup of tea. Best suited, I think, to be read aloud in a group. "
— Sergey, 12/3/2013 -
" At the fifth chapter... Wow! "
— Darius, 11/28/2013 -
" Not my favorite Ray Bradbury- but I have kept it on my shelf because I love the Charles Adam's dust jacket and illustrations inside! "
— happydog, 11/20/2013 -
" It'd get 3 stars if it weren't perfect Halloween reading (I love autumn, and also love creepy, non-slutty Halloween). General ambiance and lyricism of the tale make up for disjointed, sometimes plot-less narrative. "
— Mina, 6/19/2013 -
" Such a distinct and beautifully written novel. "
— Julio, 6/17/2013 -
" I really liked the premise of the story, but he really overdescribed things with such over the top and flowery words. A spade is a spade is a spade. "
— Shelley, 6/9/2013 -
" A collection of wierd short tales involving a house and a mummy. "
— Fredrick, 7/5/2012 -
" Essentially it reads as a fairytale told about the Addams Family. But some reason it lacks the charm of fairytales or myths. It's a very skeletal book in which everything is told as narration but the beautiful language is sleep-inducing. My pardons. "
— Korynn, 9/22/2011 -
" Unfortunately, I think I just wasn't in the right mood when I had the chance to read this book! Mostly character sketches, loosely tied together. "
— Andrea, 8/8/2011 -
" Working on a reread, but I love this book. Bradbury's October stories have always been my favorites, and I rank this novel about an Addams-type family just behind Something Wicked This Way Comes as my favorite by Bradbury. I couldn't possibly recommend it enough. "
— Roy, 6/22/2011 -
" Unusual stories about a supernatural family and the human child that lives with them. "
— Pylades, 5/21/2011 -
" Unfortunately, I think I just wasn't in the right mood when I had the chance to read this book! Mostly character sketches, loosely tied together. "
— Andrea, 5/8/2011 -
" Couldn't get into it. 57 pages, 9 chapters in and had no clue what was going on. Plot was not coming together and it was very hard to follow from the beginning. Confusing and I felt I was reading just to get threw waiting for something to tie everything together.. "
— Justin, 4/2/2011 -
" At the fifth chapter... Wow! "
— Darius, 3/8/2011 -
" One of the best tales and mystic novels I've read. It makes you feel every line of the book, the language and metaphors are perfect. It leaves the mysterious weightless feeling of the other world's presence in our life. "
— Tanya, 12/22/2010 -
" It's a book about spirits, ghosts, nebulous and barely existing creatures, and their love, loss, identity, family. And it's actually rather sweet, and gentle. I loved it. "
— Nick, 11/29/2010 -
" Great Later Bradbury. A return to the Family and a perfect tale for Halloween. "
— Lou, 10/27/2010 -
" Bradbury's short stories are much better than his full length novels. "
— Tenaya, 10/5/2010 -
" I know this is more or less a fix-up novel, but I find it impossible to be objective where Bradbury is concerned. If you like Bradbury, you'll like this. If you don't, this won't change your mind. "
— Richard, 9/20/2010 -
" Ray Bradbury's word is worth a thousand pictures. I found myself crying at the most unlikely and unexpected moment in the book. "
— apple, 9/18/2010 -
" Confusing at times, but filled with beautiful prose. "
— Julia, 9/4/2010
About Ray Bradbury
Ray Bradbury (1920–2012), one of the most popular science fiction writers in the world, wrote more than five hundred short stories, novels, plays, and poems. He won many awards, including the Grand Master Award from the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, the O. Henry Memorial Award, the Benjamin Franklin Award, the World Fantasy Award for Lifetime Achievement, and the PEN Center USA West Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2000, he was the recipient of the National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters.
About Keith Szarabajka
Keith Szarabajka has appeared in many films, including The Dark Knight, Missing, and A Perfect World, and on such television shows as The Equalizer, Angel, Cold Case, Golden Years, and Profit. Szarabajka has also appeared in several episodes of Selected Shorts for National Public Radio. He won the 2001 Audie Award for Unabridged Fiction for his reading of Tom Robbins’s Fierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates and has won several Earphones Awards.