Frank H. (perryfran) reviewed on 10/9/2023 + 1178 more book reviews

I have been a fan of Bradbury's for years going back to my junior high school days in the 1960s. I have read many of his works and always enjoy them. But for some reason, I had never read Something Wicked This Way Comes, one of his most highly regarded novels. I have actually had this paperback copy of the book on my shelves for more than ten years and glad I finally got around to reading it.

The book is set in the fictional Green Town which was also the setting of one of my Bradbury favorites, Dandelion Wine. But while Dandelion Wine was set during the summer and was a very nostalgic look at the past, Something Wicked is set close to Halloween and is a very dark fantasy novel. It's about two 13-year-old friends who were born a day apart, Jim Nightshade and William Halloway. The friends are typical boys seeking adventure and wanting to grow older. When a traveling carnival comes to town, they're the first to venture to its grounds when it is being set up at 3 am in the morning. This all leads to some very nightmarish experiences involving the carnival leader, Mr. Dark, who is able to change people's lives and grant them their desires. But at what cost? Dark is covered in tattoos and is also called "The Illustrated Man" (another great Bradbury collection), and he is really a very malevolent being who enslaves people and lives off their life forces. So the boys witness some things they shouldn't have which brings the forces of the Mr. Dark and the carnival against them. But Will's father, Charles, the janitor at the local library, is there to counter the forces of evil ... is he strong enough to prevail?

I really enjoyed this one and glad I finally got to it. Although the novel was very dark, it was also very nostalgic and emphasized life in a small town from the past. It also had themes that Bradbury has shown in his other works such as longing to be young again or conversely wanting to be older. I know this novel was also mentioned by Stephen King in a few of his works including The Dead Zone and Needful Things. It was also definitely an influence in his novel, IT. The carnival in the story keeps appearing after many years, as researched by Charles Halloway which is similar to the appearances of Pennywise in IT. There is also a movie version of this made by Disney that I have never seen that I will be on the watch for. Strong overall recommendation!

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