Something Wicked This Way Comes in Pick-a-Shelf

Sep 08, 2010 Gaijinmama rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, classics, fantasy

Ray Bradbury was a brilliant writer whose gift with the language goes beyond genre. This book is generally classified as a dark fantasy but his style is definitely Literary. I would not call this a page-turner. I had to keep going back to really savor the words and let them sink in.
There are a lot of Big Issues here: good vs. evil, nostalgia for childhood, fear of death and the unknown. The main characters are Will and Jim, two 13 year old boys in a small town, but I would say the real focus is ...more

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Oct 24, 2012 Cora rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy, classic, carnival, suspense, paranormal, horror, coming-of-age, 1001-books, american-literature, boys

Thirteen year olds, Will and Jim are intrigued when a mysterious carnival rolls into town a week before Halloween. While they are drawn to the carnival, soon they discover that everything is not as it seems. I really enjoyed this classic novel. It is truly one of the spookiest books I have read. It is refreshing reading a scary book that does not rely on graphic gore and violence. Bradbury does a great job building up suspense and atmosphere as he examines the desires of people and the consequen ...more

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Oct 10, 2009 Sunflower rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction-read-2009, library

I enjoyed this. Had to keep re-reading sentences and phrases which particularly tickled me. It reminded me of King, perhaps less suspense, just as clever, but better written. (I can just hear the King fans crying "sacrilege") ...more

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Jun 25, 2012 Lorna rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy, fiction-literary, classics, horror, friendship

The author's use of language serves this dark fantastic tale very well! ...more

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Nov 26, 2017 Nancy rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: literature, gothic

A very weird and creepy story, as you would expect from someone of the calibre of Ray Bradbury. At times I lost track of it - perhaps due to listening to the audio rather than reading the actual book, which meant I was unable to flick back and forth, but it was still good.

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