Something Wicked This Way Comes (1963)

This was my Halloween book for 2016, and it did not disappoint in its appropriateness. I loved certain passages so much I wanted to highlight them, but the actual story somehow had something missing. When I figure out what it is, I will update my review. I must say, though, that it is very similar in some ways to Dandelion Wine, but much darker (obviously) and not as good. I felt like Bradbury actually set up a bigger plot than he was able to handle, leaving what seemed to me to be loose ends all over the place. I would have given 3.5 stars if I could. ( )

A Dark Carnival comes to town, promising to give people what they want, but turning their own dark desires against them and making them slaves of the Carnival. One middle aged man and two teens fight and win, with laughter. I don't like Bradbury's writings. I shall not be reading anymore. His style annoys me. Patricia McKillip writes of shadows and so does Bradbury; however, McKillip's shadows come from the Light, Bradbury's shadows come from the Dark. I don't want to fill myself with shadows from the Dark. ( )

Some argue that this is Bradbury's masterpiece, although I think the Martian Chronicles just shades it, but that's just personal preference. Bradbury's writing here has a poetic quality to it that some may find hard to fathom, but stick with it, because this book has lots to say. The tale of two boys, Jim Nightshade and Will Halloway, on the cusp of their 14th birthdays, and the carnival that shows up outside their small town that changes them forever, Something Wicked This Way Comes takes us on a journey into the heart of darkness. Bradbury touches on what it means to be a friend, the hopes and fears of the two boys, the seductive power of the dark forces marshalled against them by the freaks of the Pandemonium Shadow Show, and the power of good to triumph over evil. For me, the stand out character is Will's father, Charles Halloway, the town library's janitor and a distant, remote figure to Will, seemingly incapable of communicating with his son. But the events of the few days and nights covered by the book change all that, with Halloway discovering a power within himself he never knew he had, and discovering that the way to defeat evil is to deny them the weapons they would use against us. The way Will begins to see his father in a new light by the end of the story is quite moving. Recommended. ( )

What can you say, It’s Ray Bradbury. The lyrical words in a scary tale that haunts two boys’ lives. A fantastic read. ( )

I think this is the third time I've read this book, which is way more than I've read most books (yeah, it's a favorite). I love Bradbury's language as much as I ever have. I wouldn't want to write that way myself, and I'm happy that most authors don't, but for whatever reason, he can pull it off. But as I get older, the "old" characters in the book don't seem all that old any more (!). And the story is starting to feel dated generally. But I still enjoyed reading it, and it was just right for reading in the days before Halloween. ( )