Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Grafton Books (1977), Paperback
Description
Fantasy. Fiction. Literature. Science Fiction. HTML: Few American novels written this century have endured in th heart and mind as has this one-Ray Bradbury's incomparable masterwork of the dark fantastic. A carnival rolls in sometime after the midnight hour on a chill Midwestern October eve, ushering in Halloween a week before its time. A calliope's shrill siren song beckons to all with a seductive promise of dreams and youth regained. In this season of dying, Cooger & Dark's Pandemonium Shadow Show has come to Green Town, Illinois, to destroy every life touched by its strange and sinister mystery. And two inquisitive boys standing precariously on the brink of adulthood will soon discover the secret of the satanic raree-show's smoke, mazes, and mirrors, as they learn all too well the heavy cost of wishes -- and the stuff of nightmare..… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member cameling
When a shadowy carnival comes to town, promotional flyers touting a dusty witch, a skeleton, magic mirrors and the most beautiful woman attract the attention of 2 boys, the best of friends, having been born each side of midnight. But this is not a regular carnival, full of wonder and excitement.
The level of suspense and creepiness escalates with the turning of each page. But it's no simple horror story. Bradbury weaves a colorful and at times, poetic fantasy, bringing our best childhood nightmare creatures to life between the pages, and leaves us scrambling to grasp at a slim hope that an unlikely character might actually have the answer to stop them from devouring our two boys.
What's especially impressive is Bradbury's ability to draw out the natural curiosity of boys who are full of life, one always just running towards what the future might bring, and the other leaping along more cautiously, one arm outstretched to protect his friend if danger should present itself.
The suspense is held like a taut string all the way till the last chapter of the book.
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People start disappearing from town, a strange boy appears, and the carousel plays the Funeral March music backwards.The level of suspense and creepiness escalates with the turning of each page. But it's no simple horror story. Bradbury weaves a colorful and at times, poetic fantasy, bringing our best childhood nightmare creatures to life between the pages, and leaves us scrambling to grasp at a slim hope that an unlikely character might actually have the answer to stop them from devouring our two boys.
What's especially impressive is Bradbury's ability to draw out the natural curiosity of boys who are full of life, one always just running towards what the future might bring, and the other leaping along more cautiously, one arm outstretched to protect his friend if danger should present itself.
The suspense is held like a taut string all the way till the last chapter of the book.
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LibraryThing member Radaghast
After finishing this book, I was reminded why I love Bradbury so much. I've read a number of his short stories over the years, as well as his novels Martian Chronicles and Fahrenheit 451. Martian Chronicles is actually a collection of short stories with the same setting rather than a true singular
Where Fahrenheit 451 has a specific agenda, Something Wicked This Way Comes has a much broader but equally important meaning. It is a father and son story above all else. It is about what it is like to be a man. It is about friendship. It is about the nature of evil. There are other subjects covered, but this is the crux of the story. Told brilliantly from the perspective of a young boy faced with a carnival that offers temptation and destruction, Bradbury makes you feel what it is like to be a boy that age. He makes you feel what it is like to be his middle-aged father. Anything that can do that is worth reading.
Bradbury does take it farther however. His use of language in this book is astounding. Normally language tricks annoy me. Critics may laude twists of language, but as a reader, I want a story, preferably one that means something, not gimmicks. Bradbury gives a story well worth praise, and enhances it through language. Devices I normally would hate only pulled me farther into the story. I found myself rereading passages knowing I had missed something on the first pass. This marriage is something I've very rarely seen and ought to cement his position as one of the greatest American authors. Even character names evoke reaction in the reader. Will, the main character, whose will is indeed the strongest. Jim Nightshade his best friend, who lives in the shadow of evil. Mr. Dark, the villain (who but Bradbury could pull of such an obviously named villain?). I know I've missed countless subtle references, and this is one book I will be reading again. It is fitting Bradbury's title is a reference to that one true master of both story and language. As Shakespeare wrote:
By the pricking of my thumbs
Something wicked this way comes
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story. So really the only full length novel I'd read by Bradbury prior to this was Fahrenheit 451, which I liked, but was a little disappointed in. Any reservation I had about Bradbury's ability to write long form died after reading this book.Where Fahrenheit 451 has a specific agenda, Something Wicked This Way Comes has a much broader but equally important meaning. It is a father and son story above all else. It is about what it is like to be a man. It is about friendship. It is about the nature of evil. There are other subjects covered, but this is the crux of the story. Told brilliantly from the perspective of a young boy faced with a carnival that offers temptation and destruction, Bradbury makes you feel what it is like to be a boy that age. He makes you feel what it is like to be his middle-aged father. Anything that can do that is worth reading.
Bradbury does take it farther however. His use of language in this book is astounding. Normally language tricks annoy me. Critics may laude twists of language, but as a reader, I want a story, preferably one that means something, not gimmicks. Bradbury gives a story well worth praise, and enhances it through language. Devices I normally would hate only pulled me farther into the story. I found myself rereading passages knowing I had missed something on the first pass. This marriage is something I've very rarely seen and ought to cement his position as one of the greatest American authors. Even character names evoke reaction in the reader. Will, the main character, whose will is indeed the strongest. Jim Nightshade his best friend, who lives in the shadow of evil. Mr. Dark, the villain (who but Bradbury could pull of such an obviously named villain?). I know I've missed countless subtle references, and this is one book I will be reading again. It is fitting Bradbury's title is a reference to that one true master of both story and language. As Shakespeare wrote:
By the pricking of my thumbs
Something wicked this way comes
Show Less
LibraryThing member dmsteyn
The machinist climbs his Ferris wheel like a brave
And the fire eater's lyin' in a pool of sweat, victim of the heat wave
Behind the tent, the hired hand tightens his legs on the sword swallower's blade
And circus town's on the shortwave
Well, the runway lies ahead like a great false dawn
Whoa, Fat
And the man-beast lies in his cage sniffing popcorn
Yeah, the midget licks his fingers and suffers Missy Bimbo's scorn
The circus town's been born
- ‘Wild Billy’s Circus Story’, Bruce Springsteen
This is, I am ashamed to admit, the first book I have read by the late Ray Bradbury. I own Fahrenheit 451, and I have a good idea of what happens in that book, but I have never cracked open the cover. Now, having read Something Wicked This Way Comes, I look forward to reading more of Bradbury’s immense oeuvre. Because Something Wicked is a great book. I make no bones about that. It has certain weaknesses that I will respond to below, but it is an uplifting read that makes one taste the wonderment of being young, as well as the terror of growing up. It shows friendship at its best, but also how such a bond can be tested in the breach. I loved William Halloway and Jim Nightshade, the two young protagonists, for their bravery, but also for their fragility. Bradbury manages to capture something essential about that period between youth and adolescence; something not wicked, but something virtuous.
Will and Jim are two young boys living in Greentown, gallivanting around like only two young tomcats can. Then the carnival comes to town, but no ordinary carnival. It is something essentially wicked, evil beyond imagining. Will and Jim are thrown into an eternal life-threatening situation, with only Will’s elderly father to help them. The leader of the carnival, Mr Dark, also known as the ‘Illustrated Man’ for his tattoos, is an implacable opponent, hell-bent on adding to his menagerie of freaks and sideshow performers. Jim, Will, and Will’s father must figure out how to battle an insidious foe, which does not fear secular authority (the police are useless against Dark’s misdirection) nor holy writ (Dark even throws a bible in the rubbish bin).
There is a mythical intensity to Bradbury’s writing that could easily tip over into purple prose. Hell, sometimes it does. But I forgive Bradbury for his exuberance, as that is exactly the tone of boyhood enthusiasm that he needs to capture in presenting Will and Jim’s situation. Bradbury’s writing is peculiar, and takes some getting used to. But it is a delight when one gets over the initial awkwardness.
Bradbury is often accused of presenting a simplistic morality in his writing, and the dichotomy between Mr Dark and his young protagonists can be somewhat Manichean. But the following extract, in which Will and his father discuss humanity, should make it clear that Bradbury is concerned with showing the complexity beneath the surface veneer of morality:
’Now, look, since when did you think being good meant being happy?’
‘Since always.’
‘Since now learn otherwise. Sometimes the man who looks happiest in town, with the biggest smile, is the one carrying the biggest load of sin. There are smiles and smiles; learn to tell the dark variety from the light. The seal-barker, the laugh-shouter, half the time he’s covering up. He’s had his fun and he’s guilty. And men do love sin, Will, oh how they love it, never doubt, in all shapes, sizes, colors, and smells. Times come when troughs, not tables, suit our appetites. Hear a man too loudly praising others, and look to wonder if he didn’t just get up from the sty. On the other hand, that unhappy, pale, put-upon man walking by, who looks all guilt and sin, why, often that’s your good man with a capital G, Will. For being good is a fearful occupation; men strain at it and sometimes break in two…’
Will’s father is one of these good men who have almost broken under the strain, and Mr Dark will exploit this in their eventual confrontation. Jim Nightshade is also a peculiar character: unlike while, there is a duality to his character, as he is drawn towards the carnival. He must strain to escape the tug of the magical carousel, which can retard or accelerate aging. Helping him fight this war is his love for Will and their friendship. Mr Dark is aware of Jim’s dilemma, and tries to also exploit this whenever they encounter each other.
Many of today’s famous fantasy and horror writers, including King and Gaiman, have tipped their hats to Bradbury over the years, especially to this book. I can see why, and I can also recognise the family resemblance between their works and Bradbury’s wonderful phantasmagoria. A treat of a book, meaningful and brave. Thanks, Ray!
And the fire eater's lyin' in a pool of sweat, victim of the heat wave
Behind the tent, the hired hand tightens his legs on the sword swallower's blade
And circus town's on the shortwave
Well, the runway lies ahead like a great false dawn
Whoa, Fat
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Lady, Big Mama, Missy Bimbo sits in her chair and yawnsAnd the man-beast lies in his cage sniffing popcorn
Yeah, the midget licks his fingers and suffers Missy Bimbo's scorn
The circus town's been born
- ‘Wild Billy’s Circus Story’, Bruce Springsteen
This is, I am ashamed to admit, the first book I have read by the late Ray Bradbury. I own Fahrenheit 451, and I have a good idea of what happens in that book, but I have never cracked open the cover. Now, having read Something Wicked This Way Comes, I look forward to reading more of Bradbury’s immense oeuvre. Because Something Wicked is a great book. I make no bones about that. It has certain weaknesses that I will respond to below, but it is an uplifting read that makes one taste the wonderment of being young, as well as the terror of growing up. It shows friendship at its best, but also how such a bond can be tested in the breach. I loved William Halloway and Jim Nightshade, the two young protagonists, for their bravery, but also for their fragility. Bradbury manages to capture something essential about that period between youth and adolescence; something not wicked, but something virtuous.
Will and Jim are two young boys living in Greentown, gallivanting around like only two young tomcats can. Then the carnival comes to town, but no ordinary carnival. It is something essentially wicked, evil beyond imagining. Will and Jim are thrown into an eternal life-threatening situation, with only Will’s elderly father to help them. The leader of the carnival, Mr Dark, also known as the ‘Illustrated Man’ for his tattoos, is an implacable opponent, hell-bent on adding to his menagerie of freaks and sideshow performers. Jim, Will, and Will’s father must figure out how to battle an insidious foe, which does not fear secular authority (the police are useless against Dark’s misdirection) nor holy writ (Dark even throws a bible in the rubbish bin).
There is a mythical intensity to Bradbury’s writing that could easily tip over into purple prose. Hell, sometimes it does. But I forgive Bradbury for his exuberance, as that is exactly the tone of boyhood enthusiasm that he needs to capture in presenting Will and Jim’s situation. Bradbury’s writing is peculiar, and takes some getting used to. But it is a delight when one gets over the initial awkwardness.
Bradbury is often accused of presenting a simplistic morality in his writing, and the dichotomy between Mr Dark and his young protagonists can be somewhat Manichean. But the following extract, in which Will and his father discuss humanity, should make it clear that Bradbury is concerned with showing the complexity beneath the surface veneer of morality:
’Now, look, since when did you think being good meant being happy?’
‘Since always.’
‘Since now learn otherwise. Sometimes the man who looks happiest in town, with the biggest smile, is the one carrying the biggest load of sin. There are smiles and smiles; learn to tell the dark variety from the light. The seal-barker, the laugh-shouter, half the time he’s covering up. He’s had his fun and he’s guilty. And men do love sin, Will, oh how they love it, never doubt, in all shapes, sizes, colors, and smells. Times come when troughs, not tables, suit our appetites. Hear a man too loudly praising others, and look to wonder if he didn’t just get up from the sty. On the other hand, that unhappy, pale, put-upon man walking by, who looks all guilt and sin, why, often that’s your good man with a capital G, Will. For being good is a fearful occupation; men strain at it and sometimes break in two…’
Will’s father is one of these good men who have almost broken under the strain, and Mr Dark will exploit this in their eventual confrontation. Jim Nightshade is also a peculiar character: unlike while, there is a duality to his character, as he is drawn towards the carnival. He must strain to escape the tug of the magical carousel, which can retard or accelerate aging. Helping him fight this war is his love for Will and their friendship. Mr Dark is aware of Jim’s dilemma, and tries to also exploit this whenever they encounter each other.
Many of today’s famous fantasy and horror writers, including King and Gaiman, have tipped their hats to Bradbury over the years, especially to this book. I can see why, and I can also recognise the family resemblance between their works and Bradbury’s wonderful phantasmagoria. A treat of a book, meaningful and brave. Thanks, Ray!
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LibraryThing member SlySionnach
This would have been five stars if it weren't for the writing style. Though innovative in its own right, throughout the novel I still could not get used to the paragraphing or the way thoughts were written, even after reading the majority of the book.
As for content, this is a magical trip not only
From the very first chapter with the announcement of a storm coming, to the very last chapter where age doesn't seem to make a difference and Death is to be laughed at, it's an amazing book that should be read by everyone. Though the writing style is weird and some of the language dated, it's easy to slip into Bradbury's world.
As for content, this is a magical trip not only
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to a carnival with a fantastic carousel that can give people things they truly want, but also through the relationship between Jim Nightshade and Will Halloway, but also, Will and his father. From the very first chapter with the announcement of a storm coming, to the very last chapter where age doesn't seem to make a difference and Death is to be laughed at, it's an amazing book that should be read by everyone. Though the writing style is weird and some of the language dated, it's easy to slip into Bradbury's world.
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LibraryThing member cbl_tn
In the in-between month of October, a strange carnival appears overnight in a small Illinois town. Two almost-14-year-old boys, hovering between childhood and manhood, find themselves both attracted and repelled by the proprietors of the carnival and their collection of freaks. When the boys see
This is a powerful story of temptation, sin, good and evil, friendship, and love. The lesson here is that the struggle between good and evil is a war, not a battle. Family and friends can make us stronger if we are willing to let them share our burdens. It's a moral lesson, but not a religious one, as it presupposes that we are able to resist temptation and sin by our own will.
”...Sometimes the man who looks happiest in town, with the biggest smile, is the one carrying the biggest load of sin. There are smiles and smiles; learn to tell the dark variety from the light. The seal-barker, the laugh-shouter, half the time he's covering up. He's had his fun and he's guilty. And men do love sin, Will, oh how they love it, never doubt, in all shapes, sizes, colors, and smells. Times come when troughs, not tables, suit our appetites. Hear a man too loudly praising others, and look to wonder if he didn't just get up from the sty. On the other hand, that unhappy, pale, put-upon man walking by, who looks all guilt and sin, why, often that's your good man with a capital G, Will. For being good is a fearful occupation; men strain at it and sometimes break in two...”
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more than they are meant to see, they discover the evil at the heart of this strange carnival. The boys instinctively hide, but the evil pursues them through the town. Help and hope come from an unexpected source.This is a powerful story of temptation, sin, good and evil, friendship, and love. The lesson here is that the struggle between good and evil is a war, not a battle. Family and friends can make us stronger if we are willing to let them share our burdens. It's a moral lesson, but not a religious one, as it presupposes that we are able to resist temptation and sin by our own will.
”...Sometimes the man who looks happiest in town, with the biggest smile, is the one carrying the biggest load of sin. There are smiles and smiles; learn to tell the dark variety from the light. The seal-barker, the laugh-shouter, half the time he's covering up. He's had his fun and he's guilty. And men do love sin, Will, oh how they love it, never doubt, in all shapes, sizes, colors, and smells. Times come when troughs, not tables, suit our appetites. Hear a man too loudly praising others, and look to wonder if he didn't just get up from the sty. On the other hand, that unhappy, pale, put-upon man walking by, who looks all guilt and sin, why, often that's your good man with a capital G, Will. For being good is a fearful occupation; men strain at it and sometimes break in two...”
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LibraryThing member freddiefreddie
It is rare when a novel delivers on its promises, and even rarer when a novel delivers more. Few novelists make me tremble with anticipation like Ray Bradbury. That being said, he is, ideally, an author best discovered in the twilight between childhood and adolescence. Yet, even if you discover him
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as an adult, you will get something out of this novel. What can you learn? Life is fleeting, time is of the essence - yet you can still hang on to a youthful outlook by living, really living, and not just going through the motions. This is a novel I will be passing on to my nieces in the hopes they will "discover" Ray much sooner than I did. Show Less
LibraryThing member Crazymamie
This is the third book that Ray Bradbury wrote that was set in Green Town. I was disappointed at first because I was expecting this to be a continuation of the stories found in both Dandelion Wine and Farewell Summer. It is not. The stories merely share the same setting. However, my disappointment
Will Halloway and Jim Nightshade live next door to each other and share everything, including, almost, a birthday. Will was born at one minute before midnight on October 30th, and Jim was born at one minute after midnight on October 31st. This year they will turn fourteen together. One week before that can happen, however, a mysterious carnival rolls into town. Not only is this the wrong season for carnivals, but this carnival is filled with a strange energy, and it is not very long before things start going awry.
Bradbury does an amazing job of building and sustaining the suspense in this novel. The boys are both repulsed by and mysteriously drawn to the carnival - what teenage boy wouldn't be. After all, people are disappearing and the carousel, which is supposed to be broken, can sometimes be seen running backwards to a tune that sounds eerily like The Funeral March being played backwards.
"For the Witch, though peculiar wax, was peculiarly alive. Blind, yes, but she thrust down rust-splotched fingers which petted, stroked the sluices of air, which cut and splayed the wind, peeled layers of space, blinded stars, which hovered and danced, then fixed and pointed as did her nose. And the boys knew even more. They knew that she was blind, but special blind. She could dip down her hands to feel the bumps of the world, touch house roofs, probe attic bins, reap dust, examine draughts that blew through people, draughts vented from bellows to thump-wrist, to pound-temples, to pulse-throat, and back to bellows again. Just as they felt that balloon sift down like an autumn rain, so she could feel their souls disinhibit, reinhabit their tremulous nostrils. Each soul, a vast warm fingerprint, felt different, she could roil it in her hand like clay; smelled different, Will could hear her snuffing his life away; tasted different, she savored them with her raw-gummed mouth, her puff-adder tongue; sounded different, she stuffed their souls in one ear, tissued them out the other! Her hands played down the air, one for Will, one for Jim."
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did not last long as I found myself once again entranced by that spell that Bradbury casts with his wonderful lyrical writing. I don't know how he does it, but the result is pure magic.Will Halloway and Jim Nightshade live next door to each other and share everything, including, almost, a birthday. Will was born at one minute before midnight on October 30th, and Jim was born at one minute after midnight on October 31st. This year they will turn fourteen together. One week before that can happen, however, a mysterious carnival rolls into town. Not only is this the wrong season for carnivals, but this carnival is filled with a strange energy, and it is not very long before things start going awry.
Bradbury does an amazing job of building and sustaining the suspense in this novel. The boys are both repulsed by and mysteriously drawn to the carnival - what teenage boy wouldn't be. After all, people are disappearing and the carousel, which is supposed to be broken, can sometimes be seen running backwards to a tune that sounds eerily like The Funeral March being played backwards.
"For the Witch, though peculiar wax, was peculiarly alive. Blind, yes, but she thrust down rust-splotched fingers which petted, stroked the sluices of air, which cut and splayed the wind, peeled layers of space, blinded stars, which hovered and danced, then fixed and pointed as did her nose. And the boys knew even more. They knew that she was blind, but special blind. She could dip down her hands to feel the bumps of the world, touch house roofs, probe attic bins, reap dust, examine draughts that blew through people, draughts vented from bellows to thump-wrist, to pound-temples, to pulse-throat, and back to bellows again. Just as they felt that balloon sift down like an autumn rain, so she could feel their souls disinhibit, reinhabit their tremulous nostrils. Each soul, a vast warm fingerprint, felt different, she could roil it in her hand like clay; smelled different, Will could hear her snuffing his life away; tasted different, she savored them with her raw-gummed mouth, her puff-adder tongue; sounded different, she stuffed their souls in one ear, tissued them out the other! Her hands played down the air, one for Will, one for Jim."
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LibraryThing member benkaboo
Summary: Two young boys are forced to grow up fast when a sinister circus comes to town and starts messing with the townsfolk.
Things I liked:
Language was poetic and musical.
The way he used the two boys characters to illustrate two versions of humanity.
The setting underlined the characters and
Things I thought could be improved:
I didn't really find the carnival people scary enough. Being able to make people older and younger didn't really seem sinister enough . Although things got much better in the last third.
The language was hard to follow at the start (possibly while I was getting used to the cadence.
Some things were just left unexplained like how the teacher adopted a nephew she presumably had no memory of
Highlight: I remember when Will went sneaking after Jim at night that it felt like I'd finally 'hooked into the novel' the scene had plenty of style and became (i think) a turning point for the two characters.
Things I liked:
Language was poetic and musical.
The way he used the two boys characters to illustrate two versions of humanity.
The setting underlined the characters and
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provided a real sense of menace when necessary.Things I thought could be improved:
I didn't really find the carnival people scary enough.
The language was hard to follow at the start (possibly while I was getting used to the cadence.
Some things were just left unexplained
Highlight: I remember when Will went sneaking after Jim at night that it felt like I'd finally 'hooked into the novel' the scene had plenty of style and became (i think) a turning point for the two characters.
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LibraryThing member JonArnold
Ray Bradbury’s tale of a sinister carnival is dated in setting, the smalltown America it depicts was being overtaken even at the time of writing, but the story itself remains compelling. It reads now as something of a requiem for a long gone era of innocent childhoods and long hot summers. And
It remains powerful though, primarily through Bradbury’s evocative prose and vivid imagery. A fairytale is only as good as its boogeymen and the boogeymen here are memorably awful – a train made from bones, a carousel of time, an inescapable mirror maze, the illustrated man, the balloon witch and of course Cooger and Dark themselves. Bradbury’s best trick is to take away all of the heroes’ refuges until their showdown with the carnival is inevitable. It’s all rendered in a dreamlike atmosphere, as eerie as a prose David Lynch. The era of the carnival may have gone, but this book ensures it casts an unsettlingly long shadow.
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that’s part of the book’s point, it was always a meditation on having to grow up.It remains powerful though, primarily through Bradbury’s evocative prose and vivid imagery. A fairytale is only as good as its boogeymen and the boogeymen here are memorably awful – a train made from bones, a carousel of time, an inescapable mirror maze, the illustrated man, the balloon witch and of course Cooger and Dark themselves. Bradbury’s best trick is to take away all of the heroes’ refuges until their showdown with the carnival is inevitable. It’s all rendered in a dreamlike atmosphere, as eerie as a prose David Lynch. The era of the carnival may have gone, but this book ensures it casts an unsettlingly long shadow.
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LibraryThing member xicanti
Two boys face off against a demonic carnival.
Reading this, you just know Bradbury loves language. His words dance around the page in surprising and unconventional ways that make the reader sit up and take notice. They paint vivid pictures of the characters and their town. They whip the story along
Unfortunately, this very delight shut me out of the story. I was so caught up in figuring out just what Bradbury meant that I floated above the action, unable to engage with the characters or fully enter their world.
I'm a bit miffed about it, really. I thought I was going to love this book, but I can't even begin to tell you how glad I was when it was finally over.
Intellectually, I appreciate it. This is a book about what it means to embrace your age. Thirteen has its charms; so does fifty-four. One might think fondly of one's younger days, but returning to them is another matter entirely. And aging more quickly? It's not all it's cracked up to be.
It's also a book about family and dealing with fear and all sorts of other important things... but, to be honest, it did so little for me that I can't quite care enough to go into any of them. I know they're there. I know they're what have entranced so many other readers over the past fifty years. They didn't entrance me.
So far as I'm concerned, it all comes back to one key factor: I didn't feel anything for the characters. I recognized their delight in their world. I recognized their fear when the carnival folks were out to get them. But I never felt it, and that made all the difference.
I also found it a bit difficult to decode Bradbury's depiction of youth. In some ways, Will and Jim are very worldly boys, and Bradbury gives them full credit as reasoning human beings who are capable of making their own choices. But at the same time, I often felt like Bradbury was romanticizing them. They read like an older author's idea of thirteen year old boys, not like the real McCoy. I found it tough to reconcile these two visions, and that shunted me even further out of the story.
Yeah. I dearly wish I could tell you I loved this, but it just didn't happen. I feel fine about passing this along to someone else, and I doubt I'll return to Bradbury any time soon.
(A slightly different version of this review originally appeared on my blog, Stella Matutina
Reading this, you just know Bradbury loves language. His words dance around the page in surprising and unconventional ways that make the reader sit up and take notice. They paint vivid pictures of the characters and their town. They whip the story along
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at breakneck pace. It's clear that Bradbury delights in them.Unfortunately, this very delight shut me out of the story. I was so caught up in figuring out just what Bradbury meant that I floated above the action, unable to engage with the characters or fully enter their world.
I'm a bit miffed about it, really. I thought I was going to love this book, but I can't even begin to tell you how glad I was when it was finally over.
Intellectually, I appreciate it. This is a book about what it means to embrace your age. Thirteen has its charms; so does fifty-four. One might think fondly of one's younger days, but returning to them is another matter entirely. And aging more quickly? It's not all it's cracked up to be.
It's also a book about family and dealing with fear and all sorts of other important things... but, to be honest, it did so little for me that I can't quite care enough to go into any of them. I know they're there. I know they're what have entranced so many other readers over the past fifty years. They didn't entrance me.
So far as I'm concerned, it all comes back to one key factor: I didn't feel anything for the characters. I recognized their delight in their world. I recognized their fear when the carnival folks were out to get them. But I never felt it, and that made all the difference.
I also found it a bit difficult to decode Bradbury's depiction of youth. In some ways, Will and Jim are very worldly boys, and Bradbury gives them full credit as reasoning human beings who are capable of making their own choices. But at the same time, I often felt like Bradbury was romanticizing them. They read like an older author's idea of thirteen year old boys, not like the real McCoy. I found it tough to reconcile these two visions, and that shunted me even further out of the story.
Yeah. I dearly wish I could tell you I loved this, but it just didn't happen. I feel fine about passing this along to someone else, and I doubt I'll return to Bradbury any time soon.
(A slightly different version of this review originally appeared on my blog, Stella Matutina
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LibraryThing member figre
Sometimes it just takes a while to get around to things. I know it may seem incomprehensible that someone who claims to be a science fiction fane – someone who was alive when this book was published, someone who became a fan in that particular golden age, someone with over 650 books tagged
And so, with over 50 years passing since its publication and a similar number of years added to my life experience, I dove into a classic.
I will spare the plot summary; you either already know it or can find it somewhere else. Suffice to say that a dark and mysterious carnival comes to town and affects the lives of two 13-year-old best friends.
First, at the risk of using a cliché that comes partially from this novel, this is classic Bradbury. Yes it is one of his classics, but it is also enveloped in the magic and wonder that all of his best writing contains. Bradbury is a master of creating atmosphere – often an atmosphere of youth and remembrance of innocence. And yet, in the writing, you get a sense for the pending loss of that innocence. So it is in this novel. You feel the small town, you feel the arrival of the carnival, you feel the horrors that are slowly brought forward, and you become immersed.
And, as is so often the case, Bradbury is doing more than just telling a story. Wrapped within that plot is the recognition that evil exists, but can be forgiven. But that all of this does not occur without the potential for repercussions. He does not preach it, but it is there and you get the message.
The only problem with this entire endeavor is that those 50+ years have not been as kind to the story as one would hope. It is not that the story is no longer relevant. The story is more relevant than ever. And, even though it was written to represent the current times or recent past, it can now easily be read as a time from a further past. There is no loss in that regard. No, it is just there are certain styles and approaches within that have a certain "old-time writing" clunk. They don't destroy the beautiful symphony, but every once in a while you can tell that a violin's string has slipped slightly out of tune.
That is but a minor flaw to this marvelous piece. (And it should be noted that it stands up much better than any number of science fiction written in the 60s, 70s, 80s, keep going.) It is easy to see why it has been accepted as a classic. And no one else should make the mistake I did of waiting 50 years.
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"science fiction", someone who has a decent representation from Bradbury in that collection - would never have read this book. My only defense is that the list of books I should definitely read is infinitely longer than the list of ones I have read.And so, with over 50 years passing since its publication and a similar number of years added to my life experience, I dove into a classic.
I will spare the plot summary; you either already know it or can find it somewhere else. Suffice to say that a dark and mysterious carnival comes to town and affects the lives of two 13-year-old best friends.
First, at the risk of using a cliché that comes partially from this novel, this is classic Bradbury. Yes it is one of his classics, but it is also enveloped in the magic and wonder that all of his best writing contains. Bradbury is a master of creating atmosphere – often an atmosphere of youth and remembrance of innocence. And yet, in the writing, you get a sense for the pending loss of that innocence. So it is in this novel. You feel the small town, you feel the arrival of the carnival, you feel the horrors that are slowly brought forward, and you become immersed.
And, as is so often the case, Bradbury is doing more than just telling a story. Wrapped within that plot is the recognition that evil exists, but can be forgiven. But that all of this does not occur without the potential for repercussions. He does not preach it, but it is there and you get the message.
The only problem with this entire endeavor is that those 50+ years have not been as kind to the story as one would hope. It is not that the story is no longer relevant. The story is more relevant than ever. And, even though it was written to represent the current times or recent past, it can now easily be read as a time from a further past. There is no loss in that regard. No, it is just there are certain styles and approaches within that have a certain "old-time writing" clunk. They don't destroy the beautiful symphony, but every once in a while you can tell that a violin's string has slipped slightly out of tune.
That is but a minor flaw to this marvelous piece. (And it should be noted that it stands up much better than any number of science fiction written in the 60s, 70s, 80s, keep going.) It is easy to see why it has been accepted as a classic. And no one else should make the mistake I did of waiting 50 years.
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LibraryThing member TobinElliott
Wow. I wasn't expecting this.
This is an absolutely magical book about the loss of innocence and facing death. I've read a fair amount of Bradbury's stuff over the years, and I even saw the movie made from this novel way back in 83 when it came out, though I can't remember anything about it
But this novel I had somehow ever gotten around to reading until now.
And it blew me away. The language in this one, the lyrical quality of it...it grabbed hold of me and wouldn't let go. Just beautiful.
And, in reading this book (published the year I was born, and with one of the three main characters a mere two years older than me and concerned about his advanced age), it's easy to see it's influence on Stephen King. When he's at his best, in stories like The Body, and in novels like Salem's Lot, he can conjure some of Bradbury's magic and when he does, when it gets it exactly right, it's drawn directly from Something Wicked This Way Comes.
Does the novel show its age? Yes, at times. But can that be forgiven? With the truths buried within, just waiting to be revealed to each new reader? Yes, of course.
This book has found a place in my top ten books. A phenomenal read and a phenomenal achievement for Ray Bradbury.
This is an absolutely magical book about the loss of innocence and facing death. I've read a fair amount of Bradbury's stuff over the years, and I even saw the movie made from this novel way back in 83 when it came out, though I can't remember anything about it
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anymore.But this novel I had somehow ever gotten around to reading until now.
And it blew me away. The language in this one, the lyrical quality of it...it grabbed hold of me and wouldn't let go. Just beautiful.
And, in reading this book (published the year I was born, and with one of the three main characters a mere two years older than me and concerned about his advanced age), it's easy to see it's influence on Stephen King. When he's at his best, in stories like The Body, and in novels like Salem's Lot, he can conjure some of Bradbury's magic and when he does, when it gets it exactly right, it's drawn directly from Something Wicked This Way Comes.
Does the novel show its age? Yes, at times. But can that be forgiven? With the truths buried within, just waiting to be revealed to each new reader? Yes, of course.
This book has found a place in my top ten books. A phenomenal read and a phenomenal achievement for Ray Bradbury.
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LibraryThing member Menagerie
This is one of Bradbury's best. By turns creepy, sad, hopeful, and frightening, Wicked gives us a keen insight into the mind two pre-adolescent boys with big imaginations and too much time on their hands. When the unusual circus comes to town in the middle of the night the two boys are thrilled.
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But things start to go wrong almost immediately and the more cautious of the two boys finds himself unwilling to leave his best bud alone to explore the not-what-it-seems troupe. Soon the circus folk are prowling the streets advertising their show and looking for victims and two young boys and one determined father are all that stand between their town and certain darkness. Show Less
LibraryThing member mritchie56
One of the first "adult" paperback books I bought back in 1966, and one I still own and treasure. The story of two boys, the weird carnival that comes to town, and the October that changes their lives. Spooky, full of wonder, nostalgic, sad, funny, poetic. A great read.
LibraryThing member ToddCates
This is a wonderfully dark and electric tale by one of the greatest authors in American Literature.
LibraryThing member pennwriter
I read this book as a teenager. Not long ago, I had reason to read it again. I noticed something that didn't entirely register the first time: Bradbury can really write.
This book's descriptions come at you at high speed. Bradbury doesn't choose among his figures of speech. He chooses all.
He can lay
At dawn, a juggernaut of thunder wheeled over the stony heavens in a spark-throwing tumult. Rain fell softly on town cupolas, chucked from rainspouts, and spoke in strange subterranean tongues beneath the windows where Jim and Will knew fitful dreams, slipping out of one, trying another for size, but finding all cut from the same dark, mouldered cloth.
Bradbury's over-the-top descriptions work because they are over the top. If Bradbury had held back, Something Wicked would have lost the passionate intensity that makes it stay with me. It might read more easily, but it would be a shadow of itself. There would be no reason to look back as an adult and say, "I remember."
This book's descriptions come at you at high speed. Bradbury doesn't choose among his figures of speech. He chooses all.
He can lay
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back, as in the opening sentence: "The seller of lightning rods arrived just ahead of the storm." He can lay back, but he usually doesn't. For example:At dawn, a juggernaut of thunder wheeled over the stony heavens in a spark-throwing tumult. Rain fell softly on town cupolas, chucked from rainspouts, and spoke in strange subterranean tongues beneath the windows where Jim and Will knew fitful dreams, slipping out of one, trying another for size, but finding all cut from the same dark, mouldered cloth.
Bradbury's over-the-top descriptions work because they are over the top. If Bradbury had held back, Something Wicked would have lost the passionate intensity that makes it stay with me. It might read more easily, but it would be a shadow of itself. There would be no reason to look back as an adult and say, "I remember."
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LibraryThing member seph
This is horror at it's best, evoking forgotten memories of the rich and wondrous sensations of childhood and then tainting them with the inky poison of the monsters in the closet. The scariest things don't really bleed profusely or chase you at an all out run, they peak your curiosity, seduce you,
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creep in the shadows just out of sight and smother you softly with nameless, formless fear while sweetly offering you your deepest desires. Bradbury proves himself a master of horror with this tale. I plan to delight in future rereads, most likely around the time of Halloween. Show Less
LibraryThing member trinityofone
I like the first half of this book much more than the second, but what a first half! Bradbury delivers just the right balance of mystery and nostalgia and the fantastic, and does an incredible job capturing that in-between moment when childhood ends and adolescense (and adulthood) begins. I love
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both sides of his coin, the light (Will Halloway) and the dark (Jim Nightshade) and I love the potent timelessness of this book. Show Less
LibraryThing member tenaciousreader
This was a short book, and this is going to be quite a short review. Without a doubt, I enjoyed the atmosphere, it captures the wonders of youth so well. And the carnival is quite intriguing, it provides not just the young, but anyone that desires something, the answer to their dreams. The two
There is one conversation Will had with his father about what they fear and how his father did not fear death because death is what makes every thing else sad. It was quite a touching conversation, and I really like how Will’s father sees his son as a person, and a person he can learn from, and not just “a kid”.
But, yes, unfortunately there is a but, something about it just didn’t hold my attention as well as I would hope. There is a simplistic or bare bones type of style in this that I think both helps create the atmosphere, but also requires the reader to become engaged with less. The atmosphere is strong, but the characters and story didn’t seem to offer quite as much for the reader to get attached to. I think this is going to be a hit or miss book with many readers. But which ever side you fall on, I think it has it’s place as a classic.
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boys, Jim and Will, are quite different as it is interesting see their different reactions to things. Jim much more fearless and adventurous, full of strong desires and the drive to try and get them, and Will much more leery and, well, sensible.There is one conversation Will had with his father about what they fear and how his father did not fear death because death is what makes every thing else sad. It was quite a touching conversation, and I really like how Will’s father sees his son as a person, and a person he can learn from, and not just “a kid”.
But, yes, unfortunately there is a but, something about it just didn’t hold my attention as well as I would hope. There is a simplistic or bare bones type of style in this that I think both helps create the atmosphere, but also requires the reader to become engaged with less. The atmosphere is strong, but the characters and story didn’t seem to offer quite as much for the reader to get attached to. I think this is going to be a hit or miss book with many readers. But which ever side you fall on, I think it has it’s place as a classic.
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LibraryThing member StigE
Wanted to love this, but did not. IT and The Body by Stephen King deal with the same themes and do it much better. Kings version of childhood seems more real, the peril more perilous and the prose eminently more readable. I am guessing that many of the fans of this book love the prose and the high
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metaphor/simile density. It didn't click with me and that made me feel slightly guilty. I am sorry, little book, for not liking you better. Show Less
LibraryThing member JechtShot
The Dark Carnival storms into town just after midnight a week before Halloween with promises of freak shows, rides, mirror mazes and more. Two young boys, Jim Nightshade and Will Halloway are drawn to the carnival as boys would and should be. However, this is no ordinary fair passing through town.
Ray Bradbury spins a magical story with Something Wicked This Way Comes. The story reads more like a poem with lyrical prose and imagery. The story is mostly a dark fantasy centering around an evil carnival, but it touches on one of the topics most of us have dwelled on at least a bit. Aging and death. As a young spry early teenager you can't wait until the years pass by and you are old enough to be respected as an adult. As you approach your early twenties things are pretty fine and you feel immortal. Once middle age strikes you wish you could turn back time and relive those early teenage years before you are too old to remember what it was like to not have a care in the world. This concept is most evident with Will, the young teen and his 50 plus year old father, Charles. Charles is envious of his sons youthful curiosity and energy. He spends hours alone with books, remembering the early years and fixating on his eventual death. The Carnival brings promise of life eternal and Charles must decide if he will give in to the temptation of youth or continue to live life as-is, with his wife and son that he does love dearly.
Something Wicked This Way Comes is a novel that can be appreciated by just about anyone. Don't let the fact that is considered "horror" turn you away. Pick up the book and get lost in the magical journey of this story.
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Along with the magic and mystery of the carnival, evil lurks behind every tent and your greatest wishes may be granted for the price of your soul.Ray Bradbury spins a magical story with Something Wicked This Way Comes. The story reads more like a poem with lyrical prose and imagery. The story is mostly a dark fantasy centering around an evil carnival, but it touches on one of the topics most of us have dwelled on at least a bit. Aging and death. As a young spry early teenager you can't wait until the years pass by and you are old enough to be respected as an adult. As you approach your early twenties things are pretty fine and you feel immortal. Once middle age strikes you wish you could turn back time and relive those early teenage years before you are too old to remember what it was like to not have a care in the world. This concept is most evident with Will, the young teen and his 50 plus year old father, Charles. Charles is envious of his sons youthful curiosity and energy. He spends hours alone with books, remembering the early years and fixating on his eventual death. The Carnival brings promise of life eternal and Charles must decide if he will give in to the temptation of youth or continue to live life as-is, with his wife and son that he does love dearly.
Something Wicked This Way Comes is a novel that can be appreciated by just about anyone. Don't let the fact that is considered "horror" turn you away. Pick up the book and get lost in the magical journey of this story.
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LibraryThing member lkernagh
Now, this is my kind of scary read. Wholesome lead characters in a wholesome town and just the right amount of creepiness to tingle my senses. Carnivals seem to be the perfect fodder for scary stories - after old, broken down houses - and I love how Bradbury brings to life a carnival that can give
Overall, a fantastic story with just the right amount of sinister creepiness for the non-horror reader like me to enjoy. I don't think I will ever look at a merry go round (or a house of mirrors) or smell hot dogs and cotton candy without thinking about this story.
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both children and adults readers pause. The innocence of young Will and Jim, and their friendship, propels the story along it's mysterious, fantasy-driven horror. It is a classic tale of good versus evil, told in a voice designed to stir the imagination of the reader, and place the reader in the middle of the story to fight evil alongside Will, Jim and Will's father, Charles. The story has a timeless quality to it that appeals to me. It doesn't feel dated or come across as lacking in substance. I kind of like the "gosh, golly" language of the boys...that made me smile, especially as conveyed by the audiobook narrator, Kevin Foley. Overall, a fantastic story with just the right amount of sinister creepiness for the non-horror reader like me to enjoy. I don't think I will ever look at a merry go round (or a house of mirrors) or smell hot dogs and cotton candy without thinking about this story.
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LibraryThing member ToddSherman
“The seller of lightning rods arrived just ahead of the storm.”
What a great opening line to a great book that held far greater darkness within its covers than I’d anticipated. I’ve no excuse why it took me this long to read it; especially since 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘖𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘣𝘦𝘳
After the spate of Marvel and DC Comics movies over the past few years, I’ve gotten a bit burnt on narratives steeped in melodrama—they’re usually far too predictable with characters that feel as thin as the masks with which the protagonists’ cover their faces. Of course, there are exceptions, and I could name them if I cared enough to dredge up a 𝘔𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘺 𝘗𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘯’𝘴 𝘍𝘭𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘊𝘪𝘳𝘤𝘶𝘴 type of list. I don’t. Lists of cheese are far funnier.
But man, this book was fucking awesome. Awesome in the “extremely impressive or daunting; inspiring great admiration, apprehension, or fear” kind of way. Great Google dictionary, what a book! It’s as playful in its style as it’s concise in its structure. Characters don’t just come and go, push the plot forward, stand in as an excuse to get obliterated by the great unseen smacking hand of vengeance. They morph and shift, constantly thrusting differing faces into the cold October moonlight, painfully conscious of their weaknesses and stridently passionate of their strengths. Everyone’s got too much pride, and no one sees the fall coming. Not in the shape it will ultimately take, because there is no pure good or evil in great melodrama; there’s always a tincture of the one injected under the skin of the other. Tattooed flesh, unblemished skin of children, wrinkled and hardened hides of the aged—we’ve all got some goodness and darkness buried deep in the genome. Great melodrama, the rare exceptions to paint-by-numbers narratives, haven’t and never will forget this.
You can’t have an invigorating savior without sin. A god is just a concept without the flesh-and-blood foibles we foist upon each one. Satan’s not as sexy if he weren’t a high-ranking angel first. Batman warrants a Joker or the whole façade is one fucking joke after all. Not human enough. Not real enough. A bug-spattered and blurry mirror that reflects imperfectly, if it reflects anything at all.
𝘚𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘞𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘞𝘢𝘺 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴 is the wickedness that we feel all too familiar, too close to home, and dangerously more powerful than the measure of good within us. Maybe. For some. But for those with a greater measure of good? And with that wickedness wending its way in blood and teeth and inward screams? Well, that inevitable crash is what great melodrama is meant for.
Thank you, Mr. Bradbury, for reminding me.
“Will opened his eyes and climbed and the rest was smooth, high, higher, fine, sweet, wondrous, done! They swung in and sat upon the sill, same size, same weight, colored same by the stars, and sat embraced once more with grand fine exhaustion, gasping on huge ingulped laughs which swept their bones together, and for fear of waking God, country, wife, Mom, and hell, they snug-clapped hands to each other’s mouths, felt the vibrant warm hilarity fountained there, and sat one instant longer, eyes bright with each other and wet with love.”
What a great opening line to a great book that held far greater darkness within its covers than I’d anticipated. I’ve no excuse why it took me this long to read it; especially since 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘖𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘣𝘦𝘳
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𝘊𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘺 was such a big influence on me. In fact, this is only the fourth book of Bradbury’s I’ve read heretofore. That shall be rectified in the coming years (Todd willing).After the spate of Marvel and DC Comics movies over the past few years, I’ve gotten a bit burnt on narratives steeped in melodrama—they’re usually far too predictable with characters that feel as thin as the masks with which the protagonists’ cover their faces. Of course, there are exceptions, and I could name them if I cared enough to dredge up a 𝘔𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘺 𝘗𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘯’𝘴 𝘍𝘭𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘊𝘪𝘳𝘤𝘶𝘴 type of list. I don’t. Lists of cheese are far funnier.
But man, this book was fucking awesome. Awesome in the “extremely impressive or daunting; inspiring great admiration, apprehension, or fear” kind of way. Great Google dictionary, what a book! It’s as playful in its style as it’s concise in its structure. Characters don’t just come and go, push the plot forward, stand in as an excuse to get obliterated by the great unseen smacking hand of vengeance. They morph and shift, constantly thrusting differing faces into the cold October moonlight, painfully conscious of their weaknesses and stridently passionate of their strengths. Everyone’s got too much pride, and no one sees the fall coming. Not in the shape it will ultimately take, because there is no pure good or evil in great melodrama; there’s always a tincture of the one injected under the skin of the other. Tattooed flesh, unblemished skin of children, wrinkled and hardened hides of the aged—we’ve all got some goodness and darkness buried deep in the genome. Great melodrama, the rare exceptions to paint-by-numbers narratives, haven’t and never will forget this.
You can’t have an invigorating savior without sin. A god is just a concept without the flesh-and-blood foibles we foist upon each one. Satan’s not as sexy if he weren’t a high-ranking angel first. Batman warrants a Joker or the whole façade is one fucking joke after all. Not human enough. Not real enough. A bug-spattered and blurry mirror that reflects imperfectly, if it reflects anything at all.
𝘚𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘞𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘞𝘢𝘺 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴 is the wickedness that we feel all too familiar, too close to home, and dangerously more powerful than the measure of good within us. Maybe. For some. But for those with a greater measure of good? And with that wickedness wending its way in blood and teeth and inward screams? Well, that inevitable crash is what great melodrama is meant for.
Thank you, Mr. Bradbury, for reminding me.
“Will opened his eyes and climbed and the rest was smooth, high, higher, fine, sweet, wondrous, done! They swung in and sat upon the sill, same size, same weight, colored same by the stars, and sat embraced once more with grand fine exhaustion, gasping on huge ingulped laughs which swept their bones together, and for fear of waking God, country, wife, Mom, and hell, they snug-clapped hands to each other’s mouths, felt the vibrant warm hilarity fountained there, and sat one instant longer, eyes bright with each other and wet with love.”
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LibraryThing member Smiler69
I don't usually rate or review a book I haven't finished, and I only got through roughly 40% of this one, but I'm definitely DONE with it, and the process up till now was such a tortuous and deeply unpleasant one that I think the best way to get it out of my system is to bitch about it a little (or
To be clear, in the month of October, I like to read some horror fiction, so the spookiness factor had nothing to do with my unpleasant impression of this book. What I was spooked with was how convoluted every single SENTENCE was. How not a single paragraph was straightforward. Like advancing through a deep fog of nightmare. If that was what Bradbury set out to do, to create this incredibly gross impression, as opposed to just telling a story, then he succeeded. So much so that I lost all interest in finding out what the story was all about because who gives a fuck at this point? The experience was akin to biting down on a fork repeatedly, or constant screechings on a chalkboard (remember those?), or flyaway hairs persistently getting on your face, or any number of deeply annoying things you just want to END because they will infuriate you to no end. Everything had to be a simile of a simile of a simile like that labyrinth of mirrors in the carnival he mentions again and again. And for what Mr. Bradbury? What was the fucking point? And why do so many of my friends LOVE this book??? Whatever the reason, I have only so much patience, and you've taken up too much of it with this insufferable dredge. I was put off right from the beginning with the style he employed and I thought I'd try to stick with it because "this is Ray Bradbury after all", but really I should have stuck with my first instinct and dropped it right away because my latest effort at trying to get into the spirit of the thing has put me in a terrible mood indeed and I am livid, because one thing I've come expect from my reading life more than ever is a safe escape from the insufferably annoying nightmare which is living in 2018. /rant over.
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a lot). It's a good thing I've read and enjoyed several things by Ray Bradbury before, because had this been my only experience of him I'd have sworn him off forever and ever based on this single experience, because yes, it was THAT dreadful. To be clear, in the month of October, I like to read some horror fiction, so the spookiness factor had nothing to do with my unpleasant impression of this book. What I was spooked with was how convoluted every single SENTENCE was. How not a single paragraph was straightforward. Like advancing through a deep fog of nightmare. If that was what Bradbury set out to do, to create this incredibly gross impression, as opposed to just telling a story, then he succeeded. So much so that I lost all interest in finding out what the story was all about because who gives a fuck at this point? The experience was akin to biting down on a fork repeatedly, or constant screechings on a chalkboard (remember those?), or flyaway hairs persistently getting on your face, or any number of deeply annoying things you just want to END because they will infuriate you to no end. Everything had to be a simile of a simile of a simile like that labyrinth of mirrors in the carnival he mentions again and again. And for what Mr. Bradbury? What was the fucking point? And why do so many of my friends LOVE this book??? Whatever the reason, I have only so much patience, and you've taken up too much of it with this insufferable dredge. I was put off right from the beginning with the style he employed and I thought I'd try to stick with it because "this is Ray Bradbury after all", but really I should have stuck with my first instinct and dropped it right away because my latest effort at trying to get into the spirit of the thing has put me in a terrible mood indeed and I am livid, because one thing I've come expect from my reading life more than ever is a safe escape from the insufferably annoying nightmare which is living in 2018. /rant over.
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LibraryThing member nsenger
There's nothing in the living world like books on water cures, deaths-of-a-thousand-slices, or pouring white-hot lava off castle walls on drolls and mountebanks.
How I just love Ray Bradbury's writing style. After I read any of his stories or novels, the world becomes a more interesting place.
Something Wicked This Way Comes is a horror story. It's scary. Not the kind of scary that makes you check under the bed, but the kind of scary that makes you wonder if you're in the grip of evil yourself. Bradbury shows us the dark side of ourselves in this traditional story of good versus evil.
In the month of October, a carnival comes to a small town in Illinois--which doesn't sound too frightening (of course, that's what people used to say about clowns). But this carnival brings evil with it--the evil of granting your deepest desire. This is what elevates Something Wicked This Way Comes to being more than just a horror story. It's a horror story that gives its reader something to contemplate about his or her own life. What is it that I want more than anything in the world? What am I willing to do to get it?
It's a terrific story told by a master storyteller. Perfect for a dark and stormy night...
How I just love Ray Bradbury's writing style. After I read any of his stories or novels, the world becomes a more interesting place.
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Falling leaves become tears that the trees cry; rain is the cleansing power of the universe; books are portals to new worlds. Ray Bradbury takes the ordinary world and electrifies it until it shimmers with a glow that was always waiting to shine.Something Wicked This Way Comes is a horror story. It's scary. Not the kind of scary that makes you check under the bed, but the kind of scary that makes you wonder if you're in the grip of evil yourself. Bradbury shows us the dark side of ourselves in this traditional story of good versus evil.
In the month of October, a carnival comes to a small town in Illinois--which doesn't sound too frightening (of course, that's what people used to say about clowns). But this carnival brings evil with it--the evil of granting your deepest desire. This is what elevates Something Wicked This Way Comes to being more than just a horror story. It's a horror story that gives its reader something to contemplate about his or her own life. What is it that I want more than anything in the world? What am I willing to do to get it?
It's a terrific story told by a master storyteller. Perfect for a dark and stormy night...
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Subjects
Awards
Locus All-Time Best (Fantasy Novel — 22 — 1987)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1962-09
Physical description
224 p.; 17.2 cm
ISBN
0586043578 / 9780586043578
Local notes
Omslag: Peter Goodfellow
Omslaget viser en uhyggelig mand der kommer imod beskueren
Indskannet omslag - N650U - 150 dpi
Omslaget viser en uhyggelig mand der kommer imod beskueren
Indskannet omslag - N650U - 150 dpi
Other editions
Ondt er da på vej herned by Ray Bradbury (Paper Book)
Similar in this library
Series
Pages
224
DDC/MDS
| 813.54 |