October Group Read #2, SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES.

[Kimberly]

Our Second Group Read for October 2018 is Something Wicked This Way Comes, by Ray Bradbury.

Have fun, and remember to use spoiler tags when necessary!

[Melanie]

YAAAAAAAAAAAY. This will be about my 4th/5th? read of this. looking forward to other people's opinions.

[Marie Helene]

I will be reading this one :)

[Justin]

Ray Bradbury is one of my favorite authors of all time. Man, I love this book! Looking forward to hearing what you guys think about it.

[Nisar]

Can't wait to start this! Loved Fahrenheit 451

[Kim]

Awesome choice for October!

[Tasmin]

Definitely looking forward to checking this one out

[L. Smashing]

I just read this book this past month.

[Kimberly]

L. wrote: "I just read this book this past month."

If there's another book you'd like to read with a smaller group, feel free to bring it up on the "buddy read" section. Since you just finished, you should be able to contribute to the conversation easily. :)

[Vickie]

Have a lot on my plate, but I'm going to try and fit this one in too. :-D

[Nisar]

SPOILERS ahead:

I'm at the part where we're introduced to Jim's Mom. The writing style is quite different from Bradbury's other work Fahrenheit 451. I like the allusions to the culture of the other parts of the world. All I can say is if you're a new reader of Bradbury then it will take some time before you get used to the wacky and all-over-the place writing style that's in Something Wicked This Way Comes.

Also, this is my first Group Read so looking forward to sharing intellectual opinions and making new friends! :)

[Anabella]

I read this and want to read again. However I have to commit to Ghost Story since I've never read that one.

[Nisar]

(view spoiler)[I'm at the part where Will and Jim come across a body that's dying. So far the novel's going great, although it's more magical than scary, though I'm yet to read all of it so maybe it gets spookier along the way.

Again, I have to say this one's way different from Fahrenheit 451. And more diverse in its mode of storytelling. (hide spoiler)]

[Kimberly]

Nisar wrote: "SPOILER WARNING

I'm at the part where Will and Jim come across a body that's dying. So far the novel's going great, although it's more magical than scary, though I'm yet to read all of it so maybe..."

Nisar, for spoiler warnings use this method: < spoiler > your text < / spoiler >
WITHOUT the spaces in between the word spoiler and the brackets (and end slash for the last one). That will make it appear like this on the page.

I think that (view spoiler)[ this one is far different from ... (hide spoiler)]

Also, try to mark what percentage or page number you are at, so that others know if they are far enough in the book to view your comments without "reading ahead". :)

[Nisar]

Kimberly wrote: "Nisar wrote: "SPOILER WARNING

I'm at the part where Will and Jim come across a body that's dying. So far the novel's going great, although it's more magical than scary, though I'm yet to read all ..."

Thanks for letting me know, Kimberly!

[Nisar]

I've read up to location 2273 (view spoiler)[I thought the part where Will and his Dad converse about the philosophy of life was brilliant. Especially at a moment in the story like this as it allowed a space for variety in the story that's been more action-driven than character-orientated up till now. (hide spoiler)]

[Kimberly]

Nisar wrote: "I've read up to location 2273 [spoilers removed]"

Great job! I plan on re-reading this one (hopefully!) soon to reacquaint myself with all the details. :)

[Marie Helene]

We should start reading this book on October 1st 😀 ???

[Kimberly]

Marie-Helene wrote: "We should start reading this book on October 1st 😀 ???"


That's the "official" start date, but we usually get the threads up for discussion a little earlier, and keep them up after, so members can read at their own pace. That way everyone can benefit from the discussion. (Thus, the percentage/page number you're at with spoiler brackets if it's a comment about something others might not have gotten to yet.) :)

[Marie Helene]

OK, got it :)

[Nisar]

I've read up to Location 2911 (view spoiler)[Gosh, I didn't know the title was inspired by these two lines from Shakespeare mentioned on Location 2808:

By the pricking of my thumbs,
Something wicked this way comes. (hide spoiler)]

[L. Smashing]

Nisar wrote: "I've read up to Location 2911 Gosh, I didn't know the title was inspired by these two lines from Shakespeare mentioned on Location 2808:

By the pricking of my thumbs,
Something wicked this way comes."

I was at Target the other day and they had a wall decal that said:
Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn and cauldron bubble.
By the pricking of my thumbs,
Something wicked this way comes.

I should have bought it....

[Nisar]

L. wrote: "Nisar wrote: "I've read up to Location 2911 Gosh, I didn't know the title was inspired by these two lines from Shakespeare mentioned on Location 2808:

By the pricking of my thumbs,
Something wicke..."

Ohh, yes, you should've!

Also, which work of Shakespeare is this exactly? Is it a famous poem of his?

[Nisar]

I've read up to location 3380(view spoiler)[Have to say, Will's Dad is my favorite character in the book up to this point. (hide spoiler)]

[Marie Helene]

Nisar wrote: "L. wrote: "Nisar wrote: "I've read up to Location 2911 Gosh, I didn't know the title was inspired by these two lines from Shakespeare mentioned on Location 2808:

By the pricking of my thumbs,
Some..."

Macbeth Act 4 scene 1

[L. Smashing]

Nisar wrote: "I've read up to location 2273 [spoilers removed]"

I don't know about locations (I have a physical copy), but my favorite part with the dad is in Chapter 40. (view spoiler)[ After he's gone on that long monolgue he says, "How much of all this got through? One sentence out of five, two out of eight?"

And Will says, "Three in a thousand."

I actually laughed out loud because I was having a hard time following Charles too. (hide spoiler)]

[Nisar]

Marie-Helene wrote: "Nisar wrote: "L. wrote: "Nisar wrote: "I've read up to Location 2911 Gosh, I didn't know the title was inspired by these two lines from Shakespeare mentioned on Location 2808:

By the pricking of m..."

Whoa! Thanks for letting me know.

[Nisar]

L. wrote: "Nisar wrote: "I've read up to location 2273 [spoilers removed]"

I don't know about locations (I have a physical copy), but my favorite part with the dad is in Chapter 40. After he's gone on that ..."

I've reached Chapter 44. (view spoiler)[Yes, that's my favorite chapter till now. It was quite philosophical, like the whole book's quite thought-provoking, but that monologue was a real eye-opener (hide spoiler)]

[Kimberly]

L. wrote: "Nisar wrote: "I've read up to location 2273 [spoilers removed]"

I don't know about locations (I have a physical copy), but my favorite part with the dad is in Chapter 40. After he's gone on that ..."

I often prefer the physical formats, myself. Chapters are great, I use the percentages for the kindle/eBooks. :)

[[deleted user]]

This book is listed as being book two in a series. I have never read the first book (or anything by this author). I usually can’t stand to read a series out of order. Would anything be lost by not reading the first book before this one? Thanks.

[L. Smashing]

Amy wrote: "This book is listed as being book two in a series. I have never read the first book (or anything by this author). I usually can’t stand to read a series out of order. Would anything be lost by not ..."

I think the only thing that links them in a series is that they all take place in the same town, but not at the same time with the same characters.

I know a lot of people just read SWTWC on it's own. I did and it's perfectly fine.

[Nisar]

I'm at Chapter 50. (view spoiler)[Story's getting better and better as it's progressing. I loved this quote which was shown on the page of Part Three: "I know not all that may be coming, but be it what it will, I'll go to it laughing." -STUBB in Moby Dick (hide spoiler)]

[Nisar]

I'm at Chapter 53. (view spoiler)[I loved the closing line of Chapter 52: "There should have been a roar like a mountain slid to ruin. But there was only a rustle, like a Japanese paper lantern dropped in the dust." (hide spoiler)]

[Nisar]

Amber wrote: "Super loving this book so far. I will say I am still trying to get use to Bradbury’s writing style to this story compared to what I read in The Illustrated Man but it’s definitely a page turner at ..."

I'm having the same difficulty due to having read Fahrenheit 451 prior to this.

[Nisar]

Finally finished it! My review: (view spoiler)[Alright, I finally finished it! The final chapter, Chapter 54, was quite long and drawn out which I didn't like but it was overall satisfyingly written. I loved how varied this novel was. Like it didn't show any semblance of monotony, and if you want to read horror that's not one-dimensional, then I fully recommend Something Wicked This Way Comes.
This is the second work of Bradbury's that I've read, the first was Fahrenheit 451 (a phenomenal and unique book. It's included in the list of best dystopian novels and rightfully so). Something Wicked This Way Comes is extremely different from F451, especially seeing how the latter contains so many elements of magic. If I were to compare the two, I'd say F451 is better as it was more of a profound work, whereas Something Wicked This Way Comes is one-of-a-kind on the surface, but it's not as thought-provoking as F451.
I read this statement on Ray Bradbury's Wikipedia page: Upon his death in 2012, The New York Times called Bradbury "the writer most responsible for bringing modern science fiction into the literary mainstream".
Looking at the above, it doesn't come as a surprise that SWTWC didn't have as much as an impact on me as F451 did as the excerpt already suggests that Bradbury was more of a science-fiction pioneer than a horror-fiction specialist. I also think that other writers, such as Stephen King and Clive Barker, are better at penning about the supernatural than Bradbury.
The best aspect about SWTWC is undoubtedly the characters. My favorite was Charles Holloway as he served as the primary vessel of philosophy in this narrative. Jim and Will were fun but a bit clichéd. The villains were cleverly constructed; and something about their characterization reminded me of Clive Barker's writing style.
But what ruined the book for me was that it jumbled too often between horror and comedy. Like there were times when I wanted more dread in the story, but then the tale took on a humorous form. So, the novel would've been much better if the shock factor was much more consistent throughout the book, allowing for the horror label to be justified.
All in all, the main reason that I think this novel isn't the epitome of horror is because I've read superior entries in this genre, and hence I have rated it an average rating of 3 stars—'cause you could do much better than this. (hide spoiler)]

[aPriL does feral sometimes]

Great, great story!

[Nisar]

aPriL does feral sometimes wrote: "Great, great story!"

I also enjoyed reading it. What's your rating?

[aPriL does feral sometimes]

Five stars!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Nisar]

aPriL does feral sometimes wrote: "Five stars!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show..."

I enjoyed reading your review. Thanks for sharing!

[aPriL does feral sometimes]

You're welcome!

:)

[Jamesboggie]

I have never read this one. I will start later this week.

[[deleted user]]

I finished this one last week. It was my first book by this author. At first I wasn’t sure I was going to like it; the writing style was not quite what I was expecting, but then it got creepy and really caught my attention. I ended up enjoying it and finding it deliciously creepy. It was a perfect October read.

[Jamesboggie]

Chapter 6 (view spoiler)[Is the Theater someone's house? Are the boys watching people have sex? If so, why is that part of the story? (hide spoiler)]

[Nisar]

Amy wrote: "I finished this one last week. It was my first book by this author. At first I wasn’t sure I was going to like it; the writing style was not quite what I was expecting, but then it got creepy and r..."
You should definitely check out Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451. It's his magnum opus.

[ElleEm]

I just started this last night, it's my first time reading and my first Bradbury book. The first page hooked me! I think he captured the spirit of childhood perfectly here. "June, no doubting it, June's best of all, for the school doors spring wide and September's a billion years away." After reading that line I found myself remembering exactly how it was when I was a kid.

The writing style is a little different but I think I'm catching on to it.

[ElleEm]

Jamesboggie wrote: "Chapter 6 [spoilers removed]"


That's what I assumed but don't know for sure. I feel like maybe it will have significance later on. (view spoiler)[If it doesn't, then I am thinking that he used it to show the differences in the two boys. Jim seems to be bolder and in a way, seems older than Will. Will seems to still embody the innocence of childhood. (hide spoiler)]

[Jamesboggie]

You might be right, ElleEm. My only other thought is that it foreshadows the loss of innocence that the prologue references.

Chapter 32 (view spoiler)[It seems that Jim's adventurous spirit and Will's cautious attitude have reversed. I had to reread the dialogue in this chapter, because it felt swapped. (hide spoiler)]

[[deleted user]]

Nisar wrote: ": "You should definitely check out Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451. It's his magnum opus.”

Thanks for the suggestion. I just added it to my amazon wish list.

[Bil]

I've been reading this book over and over for about a year. I love the characters (drips of Huck Finn), the atmosphere (a creepier To Kill a Mockingbird) but most of all the language.

I've got this story rolling around in the back of my mind and I keep hoping that if I read SWTWC enough it will be a fraction as good when it finally gels.

[Bil]

Nisar wrote: "Amy wrote: "I finished this one last week. It was my first book by this author. At first I wasn’t sure I was going to like it; the writing style was not quite what I was expecting, but then it got ..."

I don't think Something Wicked is typical of Bradbury so you should try other things too. I so love the book but it is nothing like 451. You should sample a few others.