has my favorite RB story, "The Man Upstairs."

Ah, The Man Upstairs! DAMN what a story!
The October Country remains my favorite collection (though Toynbee Convector is right up there) for that story, and for the Uncle Einar/Homecoming stories (Homecoming is my very favorite, to this day).
But Douglas bringing down pieces of Mr. Koberman's alien/vampire organs, and sewing the silver dimes inside... just too classic!!!

hey "man upstairs" people...Newsflash!!! That wasn't the greatest story. But maybe i just didnt understand the ending...The great ones for OC are "The Crowd", "The Scythe" and definitely "Uncle Einar"

my sister just bought me the october country not to long ago and I am currently reading it. so far ive read, the Dwarf, Skeleton, The Small Assassin, the Jar, an one other one I cant think of it off the top of my head.

These stories rule. they are so far fetched and weird, like the skeleton story. that guy M. Munigant takes all of mr Harris' bones and sucks the marrow out of them. such a interesting story.

Yes, the skeleton would have to be one of my favorite picks from OC. Battling with the skeleton within who is trying to starve you to death so he can get out...What a great premise!

Doctor Munigant drilling holes into the bone he's carrying away with him, turning it into a flute on which he plays a sad little song . . .
Sublime! That story will haunt me forever.
Yet it's not without laughs, e.g. when the good dcotor's nose is almost bitten off when he tries to crawl into his patient's mouth, or when he's telling his patient a thing or two about his skeleton: "The bones. Most difficult. Here! There! Ah, yes, the bones."

Gothic,

sorry to be pedantic, but isn't it M.Munigant rather than Dr Munigant?

Mmmm...breadsticks anyone?

- Phil

Does anybody know how Ray came by the name Munigant? I think it might be an anagram (well, sort of) of Mugnaini. What does Ray have to say anent the genesis of "Skeleton"?

"The Emissary" always gets me...No matter how many times I read it, those last few paragraphs and that amazing last line always leave me in shivers.

Oh yes. I like the juxtaposition of love and friendship (boy-dog, boy-teacher) and stark horror in "The Emissary". The beauty of that story is that animals DO show their affection in unexpected, not always welcome ways: twice or three times a week my cat comes into my bedroom (usually at 3 am!) with a tattered mouse or bird, and genuinely looks disappointed when I don't eat it!

Interesting...using the Internet Anagram Server (http://www.wordsmith.org/anagram/index.html), not much came up when I used the word "Munigant" - but an anagram of "M. Munigant" is
"I'M TUNG MAN."

I just bought the book a few weeks ago and I'm still making my way through the stories. Right now The Jar is my favorite.

"Skeleton" was published in April of 1945, after Ray, feeling unwell, went to his doctor complaining of having felt unusual things in his throat. His doctor diagnosed "acute discovery of the larynx" and pointed out that there are many normal things on or in the human body that people don't notice until they fear something is wrong. Ray met Joseph Mugnaini (pronounced Mugnanny) in April, 1952, and, if the recent "Dark Carnival" is a true reissue, the "doctor" in the story was M. Munigant before their meeting.

reznicek111,

What a cool site! Do you know of any more?

Hey, look at that. A Greg Miller sighting. I didn't realize he'd visited us this year, seems like ages ago since I last saw him here.