Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury - 4 stars (Subdue)

[Joy D]

Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury - 4* - My Review

Fantasy-horror story set in a carnival, featuring thirteen-year-olds friends Jim and Will, and Will’s dad. Halloween comes a week early when Cooger & Dark’s Pandemonium Shadow Show rolls into Green Town, Illinois. The carnival lures people in by promising their deepest desires but evil lurks in the shadows. Jim and Will step into a nightmare. As the boys explore the carnival and its sinister secrets, they encounter a variety of strange characters and supernatural occurrences. The carnival attractions are not what they seem. They meet the malevolent Dust Witch and creepy Mr. Dark. The novel explores themes of temptation, fear, aging, and the struggle between good and evil. It is darkly atmospheric and chilling. Published in 1962, it is hard for me to believe I have not read this book before now. Horror is not my usual reading preference, but this one is very well told.

[Sue]

I love this book!

Stephen King has listed this book specifically as an early inspiration for his work, and in his recent Fairy Tale the characters use Something Wicked This Way Comes as a guidebook to resolve a similar scenario.

[Joy D]

That is interesting. I was surprised by how much I liked this one given that horror is not my thing. I haven't read Fairy Tale.

[Sue]

I think there's icky blood and guts horror and there's more literary horror.

I love a well-written literary horror story. I absolutely hate gratuitous violence and graphic gore.

When I'm looking at book tagged "horror" I usually read through other people's reviews to make sure I'm not wading into something too heavy.

[Theresa]

I still have not read it and have been meaning to for some time - it is clearly a classic for a reason.

Last year during WPF I pulled from my ebook TBR a collection of Bradbury's essays about writing, Zen in the Art of Writing. I really enjoyed it although some were repetitive as he had written on same topic at different times and for different publications. There are a few specifically about Something Wicked This Way Comes that I recommend.

[Book Concierge]

LOVE this book (and have been a Bradbury fan since I was in about 7th grade and read The Martian Chronicles).

Excerpt from My review:
Like the best roller coaster, Bradbury S-L-O-W-L-Y drew me up the incline of suspense, dropped me into terror, and then evened out to let me catch my breath, only to realize there was another, steeper, incline ahead. When finally the ride was over I was giddy with relief … and wanted to “go again!”