Reviews

Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury

iswendle's review against another edition

5.0

A darkly poetic autumn dream trapped somewhere between the magic of growing up and the realisation of getting older, Something Wicked This Way Comes is as magical as its title suggests.

Jim Nightshade and Will Halloway, 2 young boys running around caring for nothing and bewildered by anything awake to the sound of a train arriving at 3 AM. A carnival setting up. Climbing out their windows to the meadows below they stumble upon strange spectacle, and their visit the next morning does not take the night's veil of deception away. The carnival has a strange effect on the soul, and when you are not careful, it can even be taken away.

Bradbury manages to make a blurry rise from childhood magic to adulthood somberness in this dark fantasy novel. This blend left me feeling wistful as I marched through the pages to a depressing end, but then it shifted. The forces of fantastical childhood and a rebellion against the sad reality of old age leave you with a message: laugh in the face of anything and it becomes bearable. Then, let go of the rest and it can only go up from there.

jerbil's review against another edition

4.0

It took me a while to get into this one, but once I did it was a terrific read. The last half had a ton of suspense and I had no idea how it was going to end.

camstipated's review against another edition

medium-paced

2.75

Bradbury's prose is as annoying as ever, but the story's kind of cool

deanna_rigney's review against another edition

4.0

Bradbury is the Rumpelstiltskin of prose spinnery, forming luxurious sentences from mere words. Get a load of the way he describes the "autumn people": “They sift the human storm for souls, eat flesh of reason, and fill tombs with sinners. They frenzy forth. In gusts they beetle-scurry, creep, thread, filter, motion, make all moons sullen, and surely cloud all clear-run waters. The spider-web hears them, trembles – breaks. Such are the autumn people. Beware of them.” Good grief that’s an awesome description. This has a creepy carnival, good vs. evil, an illustrated man named Mr. Dark, and everything October should be. It ‘twas a fantastic fall read.

vatsal_was_here's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Ray Bradbury's writing style is absolutely brilliant. The way he constructs sentences is so clever; There's a peculiar incompleteness to his sentences that appears to be intentional. He says just enough to give our minds material to interpret the meaning for ourselves, and that too in the way he wants us to.

And with this, he weaves magic. 

ja_mehess's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

debbiecollectsbooks's review against another edition

5.0

I really enjoyed reading this classic book by Ray Bradbury. It held my interest and I finished it in a couple of days. Intrigued by the Illustrated man. My next classic read by Ray Bradbury.

debbiecollectsbooks's review against another edition

4.0

Great Ray Brad bury book! I recommend this story as a good fall read. Easy read, interesting and the story flows.

book_lizard42's review against another edition

Just as disturbing as I remember the movie being. Whew!

mhar's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0