Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury
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Book Reviews of Something Wicked This Way Comes
Book Review: I was never a fan of Bradbury as a child.
Summary: 5 Stars
I just did not appreciate his style of writing. That has certainly changed. I have passed this book on to my 10 year old daughter and she loves it. I can certainly see how Ray Bradbury has influenced many of todays best writers.Book Review: By the pricking of my thumb...
Summary: 5 Stars
Great book, but the movie (also written by Ray Bradbury) was much better. It's probably the best Halloween (the holiday) movie I've seen.The book can stand on its own, though, and is a great read
Book Review: This is an AWESOME book!
Summary: 5 Stars
This book is really good! I think everyone should read a book this good! Buy this book, you won't regret it!Book Review: Beautiful and Dark
Summary: 4 Stars
"Something Wicked This Way Comes" is a dark tale about weakness in the face of temptation. A tale that is a moving commentary on youth and relationships, as well as being unsettling when it depicts how regrets affect our attitudes and actions in maturity.
The book centers on two boys moving into adolescence, Jim Nightshade and Will Halloway, best friends born two minutes apart. When Cooger & Dark's Pandemonium Shadow Show rolls into town with its carnival attractions, the boys natural curiosity for adventure lead them to discover the sinister intentions of the show. The boys, as different as light and dark but complimentary to each other, must work to save the community (and themselves). To stop Mr. Dark they must fight their own desires and growing impulses.
Ray Bradbury's writing style is lyrical and poetic which takes a few pages to get accustomed to, but ultimately enhances a book that if written in a more direct style would feel slightly empty. The tone is dark and brooding in a beautiful way that carries the novel to heights above where it should be for the story alone. Although the story has wonderful coming of age yearnings, mystical and dark action and a lovely father and son awakening, the theme of loving yourself and accepting your fears is slightly bland. It is Bradbury's lyrical writing that creates an emotion on the page that leaves the reader mesmerized.
There is much to enjoy with this book. Although the book is developed around the two boys and their relationship, I found myself routing for Will's father to shed his fears of being irrelevant and not miss the opportunity to show his son that it is his maturity that will be needed to beat back Cooger and Dark. I also loved some of the really spooky possibilities of how Cooger and Dark's carrousel could create situations where innocence of youth may not be so innocent.
A good book with some very beautiful writing and scenes, but overall it seems slightly incomplete with many themes just touched upon leaving the reader wanting more.
Book Review: Dark Fantasy
Summary: 4 Stars
Even being familiar with Ray Bradbury, I must confess this might be the most bizarre book that I have ever read. As a tale of youth that spins frightfully out of control, Bradbury gives readers a deep look into the soul of man. But even as Bradbury's metaphoric device comes full circle, one may feel that their equilibrium is corrupted.
Jim and Will are the typical childhood pairing. Jim is rougher and perhaps more streetwise, while Will is somewhat naive. In the story, Will's father gives a sense of balance as the carnival reeks havoc on the town. Though the intentions of the carnival appear innocent at first, the boys are quick to note something peculiar. At the center of the mayhem is the carousel. As Will's father keenly observes, the carnival's power preys on the greed of people as note on page 152 of the 1970 printing. And once one gets what they want, they will find something else to want. Thus, a slave to the sideshow is created.
This may be the type of book that requires thought and reflection for the reader to fully appreciate. While some of the sequences may be too fantastic for some readers, the overall picture is quite intriguing.