Something Wicked This Way Comes Review

Today I will be reviewing Something Wicked This Way Comes. This is a very beloved book and is even said to have inspired Steven King. Whatever.

So, is it as good as everyone seems to think?

Um...


Definitely! Although, I must say, it's not perfect.

It stars the characters of Will Halloway and Jim Nightshade, two twelve-year-old boys who are about to have the experience of their lives. By the way, why does it seem most of Ray Bradbury's famous books have twelve-year-old boy protagonists? I guess that's the year he looks back upon most fondly?

Anyway, Will is the good boy while his friend Jim likes to walk a fine line toward evil, just to see what it's like. One day a lightning rod salesman named Tom Fury comes up the road when the boys are in front of their homes alone while their parents are away. He says a storm is coming and, since he's a nice guy, he gives one to Jim free (as his is the house to be hit by lightning).

Later in the day, they are surprised to find a handbill advertising a carnival coming to town October 24, the very next day. Why would a carnival arrive this late in the year?

At three a.m. the train bearing the carnival arrives. The tents and rides are set up quickly, but Jim and Will have an ominous feeling about things. Meanwhile, Will's 54-year-old father has also heard about the carnival.

The next day, they go to the carnival where everything seems normal, but the Mirror Maze feels in some way like the sights of the night before--not good. Their teacher Miss Foley stumbles out of the Mirror Maze in fright and shock. She has seen a younger version of herself!

From here, the book gets stranger, especially with a very unique carousel ride that's supposedly out of order. The boys meet the carnival's owner, Mr. Dark (subtle!), also known as...the Illustrated Man?!???!?!!

I won't continue with the summary from here, as I wouldn't want to spoil anything. But for sure, if you haven't read it, read it, and if you have, read it again!

The plot works well in the end, the story reaching a logical conclusion with what's established before, but there are some problems.

Some things are not followed up on, such as the woman in the ice that tempts both Will's father and the lightning rod salesman at the beginning.

Also, while much of the description is nice and poetic, some phrasings are a bit awkward (and some don't seem to make much sense). Here's an example:

I'm looking, thought Will's father, his left hand useless at his side, his right hand up

to the rifle trigger, his face to the sight as his son held the rifle unswervingly

pointed at the bull's-eye and the Witch's face supermposed there, and the last

moment come, and a wax bullet in the chamber, and what would a wax bullet do?

Well, that's an amazing run-on sentence! To be fair, it is Charles Halloway's thoughts during a tense moment when his mind is racing, but there are similar passages which aren't characters' thoughts (the reason I used this instead of one of those is that I had a hard time finding a good example; next time I will take notes as I read...).

Another oddity is Chapter 31 with it's one short sentence. Kind of pointless when you realize it would have worked just as well at the end of the previous chapter.

But regardless, it is a fun read and the characters' journeys are interesting and flow logically, each one's way of thinking and acting visibly changing throughout.

While many of Bradbury's books have the National Book Award seal, for some reason this one does not (it's not the weird descriptions--some are scattered throughout his other books, too). I would say it deserves it. Oh, well.

You know what else is a pity? I saw comments on Youtube where people were saying they hated the book because the figurative language was too hard to understand! Kids these days...

All in all, a wonderful book.

Also, can anyone tell me why the covers of several, if not all, editions feature a horse on the carousel with its head turning skeletal? That doesn't happen in the book...

Next Time: I'll decide later.