I first read this book ten years ago when I was 13. At the time, I didn't understand the metaphors and symbolism that Bradbury's books are known for. I enjoyed it at the time, but it still wasn't one of my favorites. But now as I reread the book, I realize how great of a book this is. As I mentioned, like other of his books like Fahrenheit 451, this book uses a lot of metaphors.

Anyways, I've been re-reading many of his books recently, and this is one of my favorites. I couldn't put it down and I read it less than a day. It's not really extremely scary, but the atmosphere and dialogue is masterful and tends to make the book have a mysterious and somewhat creepy feeling. It doesn't resort to violence and death to create this atmosphere as too many of today's "horror" novels do.

It is essentially the tale of two boys, Jim and Will, who discover that the carnival that has come to town is evil. It is run by Mr. Dark, and a bunch of freaks that are pretty much actually souls that he captured. The two boys and Will's father much get rid of the carnival before it "destroys" more people.

Overall, this book is excellent. While it isn't extremely scary, it is still a great piece of literature with a creepy atmosphere. It is as much a book about growing up as it is about terror and horror. I would recommend it to almost anyone who will understand the Bradbury metaphors. Another Bradbury classic.

A Classic

Rating: 5/5

The beauty of reading this classic and many other earlier great sci-fi/horror novels is the ability of author to clearly convey a compelling and fascinating story by using brevity. Unlike today's mega author's who feel the need to prove their prowess by writing 1,000 page tomes, or stories with trilogies ( with amusingly more than three books), the early pioneers could tell a story using a third of the words but with three times the impact. If you've ever read a Stephen King book (and I enjoy King) then read this book, You'll be amazed at how much Stephen King owes to Bradbury. Take a step back and enjoy the writing, not just the story. You almost feel like you are reading a long poem. There are many excellent horror and sci-fi writers today, but it's refreshing to go back and read this Bradbury classic and remind oneself why he is considered to be one of the masters. Read and enjoy.

A Classic That I Actually Liked! How Could That Be!?

Rating: 4/5

Something Wicked This Way Comes(1962).

Ray Bradbury, author of such renound classics as The Martian Chronicles and Farenheit 451, took a stab at the horror genre in 1962. Much like Mary Shelley(Frankenstein) and Bram Stoker(Dracula), Ray Bradbury helped in the shaping of the Horror genre, now ruled by such authors as Stephen King and Dean Koontz. Combining Horror and Classical Literature, with a plot of Greed and Deception, Bradbury created what today would be known as a Horror Classic, Something Wicked This Way Comes, and also one of the most recognizeable novels in his catalog. Bradbury was the first Horror author to use children, the most unlikely heroes, that Stephen King later used in his commercial smash IT and his short story "The Body", and have been used by numerous other authors and directors of popular culture. Based on a famous quote of Shakespeare, Something Wicked This Way spawned a popular movie of its own, and Modern Day Metal Artist Iced Earth even used it for the title of their popular album. In the next paragraphs, you will read just what made Something Wicked This Way Comes such a timeless classic, and one of the very few classics I can stand!

Plot-
During the time before Halloween, in the cold Autumn of October, a Train seemingly spawned out of hell comes into town, a dark omen of the days ahead. As a calliope crackles mysterious doomy tunes, Cooger & Dark's Pandemonium Shadow Show, a carnival of sorts, unloads their dark materials, tents, animals, and sideshow freaks of equal gruesomeness. Jim Nightshade and Will Holloway, two young curious 12 Year old boys, seemingly are the only ones to hear the hellish calliope(FYI, an organ) music at Three in the Morning, so they set out to see where all the noise is coming from. Soon they find out, and flee back to their homes to await the coming storm. The next day, The Carnival is out in full force, and most of the entire town is there, to view such rides and shows as A Mirror Maze, a Ferris Wheel, seeing Skeleton Men, Dwarfs, Fortune Tellers, Mr. Electro, and Mr. Dark, the Amazing Illustrated Man. Their is also a Merry-Go-Round, but it is strangely Out of Order. After the crowd leaves and the carnival shuts down, the crowds subsided totally and all is quiet, Jim and Will stay behind, hiding, waiting to learn the mystery of the carnival. Soon they are thrusted into a world where their wildest dreams are imaginable, and their worst nightmares are staring them right in the face, and they are the only ones who can subside the Growing Storm...

Writing-
Since this is my first Ray Bradbury novel I've read(And probably not the last), I won't compare Something Wicked This Way Comes to his other works, but instead rate his writings as my observations as a reader. The most memorable part of Bradbury's writing, is his descriptive writing, which, even such a simple act as running, Bradbury lets you Feel, Hear, See, Taste, and almost makes you think you can reach out and touch what isn't there. Although many times his descriptions run-on for too long, other times he hits the right notes in the right amount of space, and his genuine talent for writing and descriptions bring the story and the characters alive. Something Wicked This Way Comes, along with Stoker's Dracular, is one of the few classics I can stand, because too much emphasis in other classics is placed on descriptions rather than plot, but Bradbury's plot is deftly place Center-Stage here, and the Reader never feels bored or let down.Many times his ideas may seem unreasonable, but against the other material it doesn't take too much away from the book to me.

Overall, Something Wicked This Way Comes left a strong impression on me for Bradbury, and this won't be the last book I read by him. If you noticed the 4 star rating, it's mostly because of the things that plague classics so much for me. Overlong descriptions. I must emphasize though Bradbury isn't nearly as inconsistent as many authors, so this is just minor. Also some of his plot ideas seem odd and leave the reader thinking "Huh?", but most of the time the plot is easy to follow.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! A GREAT HORROR AND CLASSIC NOVEL NOT TO BE
MISSED BY ANYONE! BRADBURY MAKES THE CARNIVAL SEEM MORE EVIL THAN
IT DOES IN REAL LIFE!

Also Recommended-

Farenheit 451- Ray Bradbury
IT- Stephen King
Dracula- Bram Stoker

Thanks For Reading!