Ideal blustery, crackly leaves and pumpkin spice-filled October reading : sinister, mysterious, thought provoking and oddly touching at moments. I can see how Stephen King was influenced by him, particularly when he writes about kids, and their deep friendships...

I loved how this story flowed. It is so lyrical. The imagery is really creepy. I saw the movie ages ago and thought it was quite lame, but what do you expect when Disney gets their hands on a truley freaky story.

Great kids book with some interesting symbolism and discussion for adults. Spoiler: I found laughter solving all their problems a bit of a cheesy panacea.

I'm pretty sure that I only ever read an excerpt of this book she I was in high school, plus I saw the movie when I was about 10, so I decided I'd better read the whole thing. Or at least listen to it... I really enjoyed it. I didn't always enjoy the way it was read, his voice and tone got on my nerves at first. But by the end of the book I was loving it and he read it perfectly! Not sure if he got better as it went on or if I just got used to it. But either way, I really enjoyed it. The book is so poetic and descriptive, it just sucks you right into the adventure like you are there.

This is a fantastic read! I must say that this book isn't for everybody though. There are a lot of hidden meanings in the book that you need to make yourself aware of. It is a great story between young Will Halloway and Jim Nightshade. Shows the friendship between them two and the complex relationship between Will and his father.

Too many words. The rambling got in the way of the suspense. Even the shorter story at the end had a fairly long and repetitive rant. Edit it down and I think it'd be much better and spookier.

I thought both stories were good. The one thing that I didn't like was Bradbury's over description of events or settings. What could have been said in one sentence was done in like five. Too much if you ask me.

Some of the most beautifully written prose I've ever read, this story is truly a work of art. It also points out the difference between literary fiction -- which this is -- and popular fiction. Readers of popular fiction (which is what I write and I'm certainly not putting it down) expect things to move along quickly and don't enjoy chewing on dense poetic descriptions. I've seen some reviews of this novel, which make that clear. But Bradbury is a master wordsmith, and writers can learn a lot from studying his prose.

That is not to say the book is without flaws. The scene in which Charles Halloway discusses the autumn people with Will and Jim in the library is beautifully creepy, at first, but meanders so long that it threatens to lose the reader. Fortunately, it recovers with the arrival of Mr. Dark and the Dust Witch. I was also left wondering why there was such an emphasis on lightning storms at the beginning, and the lightning rod, when neither really seems to play a significant role in the story later (as opposed to the film, in which the lightning rod destroys Mr. Dark, if I recall).

But I highly recommend this novel to both readers and writers. It is beautiful and atmospheric, and perfect for the Halloween season, and much can be learned from it, as a writer.

interesting. Author is good with the written word.

By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes.

Three o’clock in the morning is an hour for young boys. Their parents fast asleep in their beds, it is an hour for explorations, and secret things. Thirteen year olds William Holloway and Jim Nightshade are no exception, but on one particular three a.m. excursion in the month of October, also a magical time for boys, the two adventurers find that some secrets are better left undisturbed.

It is on this particular autumn night that the Dark and Cooger Carnival arrives in their small, Midwest town on an ancient looking steam train. Unable to resist, the two boys follow the carnival train to an empty field just outside the town limits, the wind howling through the exposed calliope like a siren song to their young ears. It is on this night that the two friends get their first look at the mysterious Mr. Dark, also known as the Illustrated Man because of the tattoos that cover much of his body. Their curiosity far from sated, they vow to explore the carnival more thoroughly.

Over the next few days and nights, the boys learn that this is no ordinary carnival: the hall of mirrors where barely glimpsed figures seem to beckon you ever deeper, the wax museum where the statues look a little too real, and the unusual backward running carousel that literally unwinds a person’s years as it spins. Unfortunately for the boys, their secret, late-night excursions have not gone unnoticed; Mr. Dark knows what they have seen, and he knows their names.

It is young William’s father, Charles Holloway, who begins to shed some light on the matter, although even that light is dark and poses more questions than answers. Rummaging through the old archives at the town library, where he is head librarian, Charles uncovers newspaper advertisements for the Dark and Cooger Carnival, newspaper articles from 1910, 1888, 1860, and 1846, same ads, same names, Dark and Cooger, Cooger and Dark, and always in October. Charles is a middle-aged man who often feels feeble and useless, especially where his young son is concerned, but when Will and Jim are captured by Mr. Dark and imprisoned in the carnival, he will have to face his fears and enter the beast’s lair to save them.

In my lifetime, I have read a small handful of books that just scream “Halloween!” to me. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is one, and Ray Bradbury’s classic n  Something Wicked This Way Comesn is another. Bradbury captures some of the magic of childhood masterfully in this book: the kind of magic that young boys find late at night, and especially in the month of October. I don’t know what it is about October; maybe it’s the way the earth seems to be preparing for a long sleep that really makes you feel alive. Whatever it is, Bradbury knows about it. It seems like a lot of his stories occur in October.

I love the relationship that Bradbury crafted between Charles Holloway and his son Will. Charles married and had a child much later in life than is usual, and has always struggled with his relationship with his son, often feeling that he has nothing to offer the boy. Will struggles with it too, seeing other boys with their young, active fathers, and wondering what went wrong in his own situation. It is the Dark and Cooger Carnival that finally draws them together, giving the two a new respect for each other in the ways that they both handle this new evil that has entered their lives.

I can’t think of anyone better than Stefan Rudnicki to read n  Something Wicked This Way Comesn. His dramatic, deep voice lends something of a spectral flair to the spooky tale, and anyway, he’s just one of the better narrators in the business.

I can’t say that I’m a huge fan of Bradbury’s work in general, but he really nailed this one. This is a story about the magic of youth, and the frustration of age. It is about facing your fears and coming to grips with them, and it is about bridging the generation gap. n  Something Wicked This Way Comesn is a beautifully written story, and a must-read for your Halloween reading list.

Steven Brandt @ Audiobook-Heaven

Note: I read the Kindle version that only includes Something Wicked. I never read this as a kid but it constantly showed up on best scifi or horror story lists so I finally got around to reading it in the hopes that I could recommend it to my non reading son. This story is over 50 years old now so it is not unfamiliar in modern fiction. Something terrible comes to a small town and destroys flawed people. But the language is beautiful, lyrical, captivating. The fears are real. The carnival is creepy. And I was scared. I'm a big Stephen King fan and you can see where Salems Lot came from. Excellent book. Unlike any other Bradbury book.

I enjoyed this book very much. I listened to the Audiobook version and the narrator, Stefan Rudnicki, is fantastic.