The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury; Unabridged MP3 Audio Book; Narrator Full Cast

On a Halloween night, eight boys are led on an incredible journey into the past by the mysterious “spirit” Moundshroud. Riding a dark autumn wind from ancient Egypt to the land of the Celtic druids, from Mexico to a cathedral in Paris, they will witness the haunting beginnings of the holiday called Halloween.

Featuring the evocative prose and imagery of Ray Bradbury, the fine acting of the Colonial Radio Theatre players, and atmospheric music and sound effects, this story will send shivers of delight (and spine-chilling terror) through listeners young and old, long after the last candle has died in your jack-o'-lantern.

"At last someone has written a book about Halloween that is tricky and scary, ghostly and windy, deathly and clammy….If you want to know what Halloween is, or if you simply want an eerie adventure, take this mystery-history trip. You couldn't have a better guide than Ray Bradbury."—Boston Globe

“The voice talent for this production matches well with the predominant characters of young boys, and Jerry Robbins plays Moundshroud with a good eccentric and maniacal tone…..A wealth of music complements the story and gives the listener a sense of plot progression….”—Publishers Weekly

“[A] pure radio dramatic experience: a free-wheeling adventure that can in an instant convince us that we are flying with a kite, building Notre Dame, or visiting the catacombs where Mexican mummies pass eternity. What makes it work is the extravagant musical score….the elegance of Jeffrey Gage's music.”— Phil Nichols, Bradbury Media, England

“[A]n illuminating look into the origins of Halloween as well as an honest exploration of our own cultural view of death….Death may be our greatest mystery, but Bradbury is not afraid to look into its cold, impenetrable depths in search for meaning. The Halloween Tree illuminates the subject with a ghostly pumpkin candle whose light remained with me long after the tale was over, which is one sure mark of a good book.”—SFFAudio.com

Ray Bradbury is an American novelist, short story writer, essayist, playwright, screenwriter, and poet. He became a full-time writer in 1943 and contributed numerous short stories to periodicals before publishing a collection of them, Dark Carnival, in 1947. His reputation as a writer of courage and vision was established with the publication of The Martian Chronicles in 1950, which describes Earthlings' first attempts to conquer and colonize Mars and the unintended consequences. Next came The Illustrated Man and Fahrenheit 451, which many consider to be Bradbury's masterpiece. Other works by Bradbury include The October Country, Dandelion Wine, A Medicine for Melancholy, Something Wicked This Way Comes, I Sing the Body Electric! Quicker Than the Eye, and Driving Blind. In all, Bradbury has published more than thirty books and close to six hundred short stories. He has been awarded the O. Henry Memorial Award, the Benjamin Franklin Award, the World Fantasy Award for Lifetime Achievement, the Grand Master Award from the Science Fiction Writers of America, and the PEN Center USA West Lifetime Achievement Award, among others.