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A review by martin_christopher
Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
This is is a hard book to put a rating on, lol...
So, I love Ray Bradbury, and I expected to love this one out the gate from what I knew of the premise and just reading the first page or 2, but it ended up taking me about 70 pages before I could really commit to saying I was enjoying it.
When I glanced over the lower star reviews for this one (after I finished it), I could see where a lot of that feeling was coming from (although like a lot of 1-star reviews I think a lot of people are being hyperbolic or unfair.)
So, this is a pretty challenging book in that it is VERY VERY VERY flowery. It is in many spots obnoxiously poetic to the point where it genuinely makes it hard to stay engaged or totally follow what he's trying to say. I can't really argue with people who come away with thinking it's pretentious and self-indulgent. I think if you go into it knowing that it's basically prose as poetry and more about the way it feels rather than something straightforward and literal, you'll have a better time with it. For me, I'd say Bradbury's style here works about 80% of the time--as someone who enjoys flowery writing.
I'd also say there are a few parts with the farther that end up feeling pretty long-winded and hard to get through. To the point where it starts to kill some of the momentum that it has built up.
The conclusion, while it works, felt somewhat messy or unplanned--like he had a really clear idea of the world and premise, but didn't have a concrete way to bring it all home in super clean way.
So, I'm giving this a pretty favorable review because I still enjoyed it overall a fair amount. I did largely enjoy his writing, much of the book is paced very well, the characters are solid, it's imaginative, it's got a great moody atmosphere.
Glad I read it, but it would still go below Fahrenheit and Illustrated Man for me.
Much love! MC
So, I love Ray Bradbury, and I expected to love this one out the gate from what I knew of the premise and just reading the first page or 2, but it ended up taking me about 70 pages before I could really commit to saying I was enjoying it.
When I glanced over the lower star reviews for this one (after I finished it), I could see where a lot of that feeling was coming from (although like a lot of 1-star reviews I think a lot of people are being hyperbolic or unfair.)
So, this is a pretty challenging book in that it is VERY VERY VERY flowery. It is in many spots obnoxiously poetic to the point where it genuinely makes it hard to stay engaged or totally follow what he's trying to say. I can't really argue with people who come away with thinking it's pretentious and self-indulgent. I think if you go into it knowing that it's basically prose as poetry and more about the way it feels rather than something straightforward and literal, you'll have a better time with it. For me, I'd say Bradbury's style here works about 80% of the time--as someone who enjoys flowery writing.
I'd also say there are a few parts with the farther that end up feeling pretty long-winded and hard to get through. To the point where it starts to kill some of the momentum that it has built up.
The conclusion, while it works, felt somewhat messy or unplanned--like he had a really clear idea of the world and premise, but didn't have a concrete way to bring it all home in super clean way.
So, I'm giving this a pretty favorable review because I still enjoyed it overall a fair amount. I did largely enjoy his writing, much of the book is paced very well, the characters are solid, it's imaginative, it's got a great moody atmosphere.
Glad I read it, but it would still go below Fahrenheit and Illustrated Man for me.
Much love! MC