Something Wicked This Way Comes by ray bradbury

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

July 15,2025

Bradbury is always incredibly lyrical and sweet-tempered, even when telling dark stories! In "Something Wicked This Way Comes", he shares a lot of life wisdom, while at the same time throwing readers into terrifying and dangerous adventures.

The book contains a lot of ripe Halloween atmosphere, similar to that of another of my favorite of his books - "The Tree of Life". This is also a powerful story about the magic of childhood and the power of friendship between two boys! Will and Jim stumble upon a mysterious and evil carousel that has unexpectedly arrived in their town...

The depths of the library awaited them.

In the outside world, who knows what was happening. But here, in this unusual night, in the land with walls of paper and leather, anything could happen - and it always did.

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Cool_Mango

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

July 15,2025

The Dark Carnival is approaching the town, and two boys and their father are the only hope. If you stay home out of fear and don't go to the fairground tonight, the dark man awaits. The two boys, who are buddies and live next to each other, have a special bond. They can see each other's bedroom windows when needed. One was born 1 minute before midnight on October 30th, and the other 1 minute after midnight on October 31st, Halloween.

The story beautifully portrays the father-son relationship between Will and his father, Charles Halloway. Charles understands the boys and their needs, and he acknowledges Will's growing up and testing of limitations in obedience.

This is a darkly poetic story with an elegant prose style that keeps you turning the pages. It evokes a great sense of place and nostalgia. After reading this, when you visit a maze or hall of mirrors again, you will be reminded of this dark carnival. It is a timeless story that is highly regarded by many readers and holds significant inspiration for writers.

Ray Bradbury's words in the afterword add depth to the story. He compares Disneyland, created by Disney as a bright antidote, to his novel, which features Mr. Electro at its center, transformed into an unfailing evil. The carousel at the funfair rotating backwards and playing music backwards is a symbol of the dark feelings, fear, and anger that drive the carnival.

The excerpts from the story are powerful and thought-provoking. They describe the carnival in vivid detail, from the growls and roars to the silent theatre haunted by black-and-white ghosts. The descriptions of the mirror maze and the effects of the carousel on Mr. Cooger are both fascinating and eerie. The discussions about the nature of the autumn people and the fuel that powers the carnival add a layer of philosophical depth to the story.

In conclusion, "Something Wicked This Way Comes" is a captivating and unforgettable story that will stay with you long after you finish reading. It is a must-read for fans of dark fantasy and anyone who appreciates beautiful prose and a well-told tale.

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BigRav

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

July 15,2025

A wonderfully scary story unfolds, centering around two teenage boys and their encounters with a highly unusual carnival.

The author's style is truly captivating, and his way with words is nothing short of remarkable. At times, I found myself reading certain sections twice, simply relishing in the sheer pleasure of the language.

Another aspect that I thoroughly enjoyed was the developing relationship between Will and his father. It is heartwarming to see how it is his father who ultimately saves the day, adding an extra layer of depth and emotion to the story.

And let's not forget to mention just how scary this book is! But it's scary in the best possible way - it sends shivers down your spine without being overly terrifying. It keeps you on the edge of your seat, eagerly turning the pages to find out what happens next.

This story is a must-read for anyone who loves a good scare and a well-written tale.

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MortalMelancholy

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

July 15,2025

"Is...is it...Death?"
"The carnival?" The old man lit his pipe, blew smoke, seriously studied the patterns. "No. But I think it uses Death as a threat. Death doesn't exist. It never did, it never will. But we've drawn so many pictures of it, so many years, trying to pin it down, comprehend it, we've got to thinking of it as an entity, strangely alive and greedy. All it is, however, is a stopped watch, a loss, an end, a darkness."

Something Wicked This Way Comes (SWTWC), the second of three full-length novels set in Bradbury's fictional Green Town, Illinois (based on his childhood town of Waukegan), offers a distinct experience. The other two books, Dandelion Wine and Farewell Summer, have a different tone. While those two are filled with nostalgia for childhood, SWTWC is darker and less nostalgic, yet still a coming-of-age story.

The story follows an ominous carnival that arrives in Green Town in October, long after the usual time. Run by Mr. Dark, also known as The Illustrated Man, it features freaks and attractions. The focus is on two best friends, Will Halloway and Jim Nightshade, who get caught up in the carnival's evil.

The main nostalgia comes from Will and Jim's friendship, exploring the bittersweet nature of growing up and the knowledge that their time together is limited. However, the real standout is Will's father, Charles Halloway. He struggles with fatherhood, being fifty-four with a fourteen-year-old son. The novel surprisingly becomes more of a coming-of-age story for Charles as he accepts and embraces his role.

Overall, the book has great characters, an ominous story, a creepy villain, and beautiful writing. However, there are two minor flaws. Charles' long talk with Will and Jim at the library feels like an info dump, and Bradbury's attempts to show Jim's attraction to the dark side are a bit overdone.

Despite these flaws, SWTWC is one of the better Bradbury books I've read. It's a great and unorthodox coming-of-age story, and while I still prefer The Martian Chronicles and Dandelion Wine, it's near the top of my list. 4.5 stars. Highly recommended!

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dvlsweet666

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

July 15,2025

One of my absolute favorite "semi-horror" reads is this particular work. I suppose it could be classified as "horror," yet it doesn't neatly conform to the traditional mold. Just like many of Bradbury's masterpieces, the distinct smell of late summer and early fall pervades this volume.

The story is told from the perspective of a boy who is on the verge of manhood. As he delves deeper into certain concepts of "good and evil," he discovers more than he ever truly desired to know. I myself grew up on a farm that was within walking distance of a tiny (extremely small) town, and this work truly hits home for me.

There are books that have the potential to become or already are iconic. While I don't believe this one has achieved that status among the general reading public, I firmly think it might deserve to. It holds a special and cherished place in my personal library and within my "reading history." It reaches right down and touches something deep within me, perhaps because I can vividly feel the nostalgia ruffling through the pages and wafting out of the book with each turn.

October, with its unique blend of melancholy and fun for children, rides on the edge of a dying summer and sits on the cusp of a holiday season that leads us into Thanksgiving and then Christmas... the apex of an American kid's yearly dreams. At least it was that way for my generation, the one before, and the one just after.

Is it still the same now? I'm afraid not as much. Will the children of the 90s, 2000s, 2010s (or even the 2020s and beyond) possess the same capacity for wonder and fantasy as the children of the 40s, 50s, 60s, or even the 70s and 80s? I guess only time will tell.

The traveling carnivals that used to journey from town to town and grace the county fairs of my own youth, with their mysterious denizens, noisy rides, and lights that filled the night while leaving pockets of darkness, are almost a thing of the past. The barkers and their "side shows," along with the fixed games of "chance," are fading away, becoming a relic of a bygone era. Some of this may be for the good... but not all. As you accompany Jim and Will here and venture into the dark and sinister world of Mr. Cooger, Mr. Dark, and the Autumn people, I suspect you'll uncover some parallels to life, but I can't be certain of that. A great deal will depend on your own past... and your own capacity for wonder.

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ste11arstar

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

July 15,2025

Note, Jan. 12, 2021: I just edited this to insert an accidentally omitted letter in one word.

Published in 1962, this work by Bradbury remains one of his better-known ones. It was adapted into a movie in 1983, starring Jason Robards. However, although Bradbury himself wrote the screenplay, he wasn't satisfied with the special effects, feeling that much of his vision had been ruined by the filmmakers.

Like "Dandelion Wine", the novel is set in Green Town, Illinois, presumably in the 1920s. This fictional place was modeled on Bradbury's own hometown of Waukegan, north of Chicago. Despite Goodreads designating the book as #2 in the "Green Town series", the works set in Green Town are not truly a series. Each is a stand-alone, related only by the common setting and sometimes by the protagonist, Douglas Spaulding (who doesn't appear in this book).

The cover copy describes the basic premise. A traveling carnival with dark magic operates, ensnaring foolish humans with false promises to manipulate time. Two 13-year-old boys on the verge of 14 discover its sinister secrets. But this isn't juvenile or YA fiction. Will Holloway's 54-year-old father, a library janitor, is as much a protagonist as the boys. We see through his eyes and into his head as much as theirs. It's one of several novels for adults with young characters.

There are positives. Bradbury captures the excitement and wonder of a boy's life like few others. The message that life should be savored now comes through strongly. He is also skilled at symbolism and writes with a unique style full of sensory detail and metaphor. For many older readers, it evokes nostalgia for a younger, more innocent America. And as a lover of libraries himself, Bradbury evokes their magic.

But I didn't like the book as much as I'd hoped. There are loose ends in the plotting. The poetic quality of the writing can be a drawback at novel length, slowing the reading. The main problem for me is the lack of solid substance at the core. It's very atmospheric, but good and evil lack depth. The denouement also seemed too easy to me.
This edition has a short Afterword where Bradbury explains how the book was written. There are literary connections to his story collections "Dark Carnival" and "The Illustrated Man". But we won't explore these in detail here.

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Saphy_Potters

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

July 15,2025

This work is overly pricey, yet it is not without many interesting aspects.

It doesn't strike me as the best of Bradbury's works, and I attribute its popularity solely to sentimentality.

Having said that, and considering the rubbish I've read, this book is by no means one of them.

However, it does lack a good dose of ingenuity to become the super story that people claim it to be.

Perhaps with a bit more polish and a fresh perspective, it could reach its full potential.

Nonetheless, it still has its redeeming qualities that make it worth a read for those interested in Bradbury's body of work.

Overall, it's a bit of a mixed bag, but not without its charm.

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storylitlover6

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

July 15,2025

This book is truly infuriating.

The prose is extremely ponderous, self-indulgent, and completely nonsensical. At every turn, it employs phrases that are so outrageously purple and baffling that I can only view them as evidence of a woefully adolescent understanding of what "poetic" or "serious" prose should look like.

(I would insert an example, but quite frankly, I can't bring myself to open the book again to search for one.)

Probably related to this, Bradbury's child characters speak and think like world-weary 80-year-olds.

I can't recall the last time I stopped reading a book because it was so bad. Usually, I'm quite accurate in vetting my reading choices, and if that fails, I'll still manage to find something interesting and persevere.

However, with this book, I threw it down after page 60 with a sense of near-rage.

P.S.: Here's a passage from the novel that I randomly selected from one of the other reviews on Goodreads (no disrespect intended to that person or to the countless other readers who apparently adore this book):

"Oh, what strange wonderful clocks women are. They nest in Time. They make the flesh that holds fast and binds eternity. They live inside the gift, know power, accept, and need not mention it. Why speak of time when you are Time, and shape the universal moments, as they pass, into warmth and action?"

I guess if you like this kind of writing, you'll absolutely love Something Wicked this Way Comes. I, on the other hand, can't help but see it as a prime example of the nonsensical gibberish that passes for "profound" writing in this novel (and in this case, it's also a rather essentializing and sexist bit of nonsense).

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Green Town

Something Wicked This Way Comes

ray bradbury paul hecht

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William Halloway

James Nightshade

Charles Halloway

Tom Fury

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Mr Tetley

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