A Graveyard for Lunatics by Ray Bradbury

Any film buff who dotes on the classics of early cinema should revel in this romp in the shadowlands between the real and the unreal. It pays special tribute to special-effects man Roy Holdstrom, the fictional counterpart of Bradbury's close friend Ray Harryhausen, who is named in the dedication. Even in the thicket of his strange exotic garden, Elmo Crumley supplies the anchor that reminds us where the shoreline of fantasy stops.But this novel is first of all a valentine to the movies and especially to the people whose vision and skills transform experience through their craft. There is a mystery element to this story, all right, and Detective Lieutenant Crumley puts in an encore appearance, although again his role is more about moral support and reality check than it is about crime-solving prowess. But Crumley's presence is secondary at most. Faint, small soil to the lower edges of the half-title page, else near fine in blue linen over golden-sand boards with silver embossed author initials to the front cover and with embossed silver titles and bronze decorative borders to the spine, red-and-blue headband and tail-band in a fine dust jacket with front cover and spine art by Wendell Minor original printed $18.95 price still intact to the front inner flap, and original printed date 7/90 still intact to the rear inner flap.Having just finished Bradbury's Death Is a Lonely Business as 2017 came to an end, I went straight on to its sequel, A Graveyard for Lunatics, to begin the new year.In a feat of love as much as verbal skill, Bradbury achieves cinematic magic on the unadorned page-much as his unnamed main character does as a Hollywood screenwriter.LibraryThing lists this novel as book 2 in the 'Crumley Mysteries' series, and I suppose you could call it that. This haunting mystery novel, set in 1950s Hollywood, features a science fiction novelist writing a screenplay, and involves actors, directors, and fantastical clues. Bradbury garnered an immense number of accolades including multi-Hugo, World Fantasy, and Bram Stoker Awards, as well as a Pulitzer Prize special citation. 1990' and SIGNED by the author to the front end-paper with an ink pen (not black marker). 1990 date printed to the title page, 'First edition' statement to the copyright page, 7/90 date to the jacket's rear flap, and $18.95 price to the jacket's front flap.

A Graveyard for Lunatics by Ray Bradbury