The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury, book review

I post book reviews when I think they might contribute to the conversation about religion. Every October, I try to read a few classic books based on a "spooky" theme. The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury, which I finished recently, fits both those criteria. It is in the format of an old fashioned boys' adventure story. This Halloween adventure carries a group of boys into the past for a look at ancient religious practices that are the precursors of  a modern Halloween. It covers rituals by ancient Egyptians, Ancient Greeks, Druids, Ancient Romans, Christans, and South Americans. It also looks at philosophies of death up close and personal. One of the boys' friends is ill and on the threshold of life and death as part of the story.

Mr. Bradbury weaves all the stories, past and present, into a narrative that gives perspective to the present by exploring the past. He doesn't come right out and say it, but he implies that all the rituals and superstitions are fantasy, sometimes fun, sometimes spooky. Take them away and what remains is the ever present reality that we all must die.