Something Wicked This Way Comes

By Ray Bradbury  

              I had never really heard of or read anything by Ray Bradbury.  However, a quick internet search will often tie Ray Bradbury to authors I enjoy.  My lovely wife bought me this book for Christmas, so I decided that now was the time to dive in.  I must say that this book was vastly different from other books I have read in this genre.  One way that this book was so different from my other reads was the way the setting was described.  I often had to reread paragraphs in the beginning of the novel because of all the words spent describing settings, characters, and aspects of the books.  After I adjusted to Bradbury’s writing style, it became less of a distraction and was ultimately appreciated. 

            The book begins detailing the life and friendship of Will Halloway and Jim Nightshade.  The boys are fresh into adolescence and experiencing the multitude of growing pains we all know so well.  Silly games of childhood are left behind and more mature adventures take place.  They are on the cusp of growing up and it’s hard.  A carnival comes to town, and the boys are curious about the many characters employed by the circus.  The boys sneak into the carnival and witness some magic that occurs on the carousel.  After witnessing this secret, the carnival workers begin to hunt down both boys.  Their curiosity puts both them and their families in danger.  The many creepy sideshow characters, who are wonderfully described and presented, add to the drama and peril of the boys’ situation.

            At the beginning of the book, I assumed that this story was all about Will and Jim.  As I progressed, I began to realize how important Charles Halloway’s character, Will’s father, was to the story.  This was most important for the subplot of growing up.  The dynamic that was created involving an older father (50’s with teenage son) interacting with his young son was an important part of the story and was very well done.  The contrast between experience brought by age, and the carefree nature of youth was an important motif in the story.  Bradbury did a wonderful job capturing both of these aspects of their personalities and really made Charles Halloway relatable.  I think that what you get from this novel may be highly influenced by what stage of your life you are in when you read it.  Young adults will likely relate more strongly with the kids, while adults will read the first chapters with a feeling of nostalgia and some sadness as the book progresses.  As one of the better known Bradbury books, I would definitely recommend this book.  This recommendation is more closely tied to the pedigree of the author, and the wonderful job the author did conveying the emotions of the characters.  On the contrary, while I enjoyed the book, I was never on the edge of my seat nor did I race home from work to sit down and read it. 

Rating 3.25 out of 5 Bunsen Burners

Up Next: Coma by Robin Cook, or Micro by Michael Crichton