Something Wicked This Way Comes (Greentown Book 2)

The man has the power to evoke every feeling within the wide range of emotions we rarely find ourselves capable of displaying. The characters and the plot are nothing short of brilliant. It just goes to show that Bradbury can tackle any genre, and break the bounds of the sole concept of genres all together if he so chooses to, and in this magical tale he does just that.

Ray Bradbury is one of the best storytellers ever! I first read this novel decades ago and was so happy to add it to my Kindle library! He seems to be best known for only one specific novel, Fahrenheit 451, but he gifted us with so much more - such as his short story collections including The Martian Chronicles & the October Country - love this guy!

My friends read this book when we were young teens, probably because the protagonist is 13, and the story revolves around a carnival coming to town. I guess we all thought it was a YA book. Nope, it's dark and suspenseful and philosophical with sophisticated, four-syllable words thrown in here and there. In the midst of mind-control victims and kidnapped townfolk and witchcraft and shape-shifters and violence and EVIL, the novel asks the basic question: what price would you pay to gain your deepest desire?

Such clever metaphors! Such brilliant allusions! And the poetic passages! Does anyone write like this anymore? Anyone, anyone?

There is no doubt that Ray Bradbury was an extrememly gifted author. Several of his books (this one included) will always be classics - and will be required reading in many high schools for years to come. My problem with this book is that it takes a long time to get into. Very little happens for the whole first half of the book. It's just slow. The time spent is not entirely wasted though, because even when Bradbury says nothing, he does it in a beautiful way. Much of this book reads almost like poetry.
The second half of the book is much better than the first, and although the eventual battle between good and evil is a bit cheesy, Bradbuy delivers it with such conviction and complexity that I can't deny his genius.
"Something Wicked This Way Comes" is the most beautifuly written, but average book I've ever read.

I have reread this book several times since my first read more than 30 years ago. It is a great story to introduce young readers to SF and to really great storytelling. It speaks to the preteens and addresses their concerns in a language they can understand with just enough tension to keep their interest. Sorta like Tom Sawyer but scarier.

I love Ray Bradbury and this is perhaps my favourite of all of his novels (that I've had the pleasure of reading). Perfectly captures the innocence of childhood and at the same time made me legitimately terrified of carousels. Brilliant.

An interesting story, to be sure. After all these years, I had never read the novel nor see the movie production. A local hangout was showing the movie on Halloween and it caught my attention, so I ordered the book. The story itself is intriguing and I had no problem being motivated to read the entire book.

The only issue I had was with the embellished flair in writing. At times it was somewhat distracting even to the point of feeling like the writer had "gone off on a tangent." Also, at times, the descriptions and character conversations felt like they were from an older time (older than the 50s for sure).

Still, all in all, I would consider this a good read!

Ray Bradbury is a master storyteller, there's no denying it. And his style is clearly on display here: a flair and passion for nostalgia he effortlessly imbues throughout this allegory: a morality tale which on the surface seems simple enough but has several complex themes running through it (if one cares to take notice and truly analyze it). The premise is familiar: a dark and sinister carnival, centuries old, led by a Mephistopheles-like character, Mr. Dark/The Illustrated Man, arrives one chilling October morning to tempt the fair people of Green Town, by granting them their deepest and most secret desires. However, as such similar allegories and parables play out, we discover the Luciferian-like temptations are nothing more than a Pandora's Box waiting to happen, and the most unimaginable horrors to be unleashed on the unsuspecting victims. But there are those among us with purity of heart who have the vision to see through such treachery and pose the biggest threat to evil. And therein, Bradbury harkens us back to such a time of innocence, a time of ageless wonder, an almost dream-like time, a time when our very thoughts and passions were at its infancy, and the dark and fearsome world, which lurked in the shadows and deep recesses of our unsophisticated and underdeveloped minds, were still years away at a safe and measurable distance, a time when we were all children... lamentably, a time when everything was a beautiful lie. As in most magical and sensory-leaden fairy tales, the ending is predictable and almost anti-climatic: Yes, good does defeat evil, as it always seems to in idyllic literature, but Bradbury's delivery is rather hokey as Bradbury is prone to get caught up in over-sentimentality, happily exploring the make-up of his past. In hindsight, I had hoped Bradbury would explore the depths of the dark underbelly of evil which lie within all of our souls and our pathetic attempts of the denial of its existence, instead of just skimming its surface.

The premise was brilliant, and I found myself wondering what was going to happen next throughout much of the book.

But I'm going to take this opportunity to make a lot of new friends among Ray Bradbury fans by suggesting that he is a much better story teller than writer. The writing itself is so overwrought that it often obscures the story, like looking at a landscape through a stained glass window.

In fact, a few scenes are so badly written that it is embarrassing. Charles Holloway's monologue on the nature of the enemy in the library comes to mind; no one talks like that, no matter how much literature he has read. And the scene towards the end--SPOILER ALERT!--where father and son defeat the ancient minions of evil by singing corny folk songs and quacking like ducks literally had me rolling my eyes.

Because I never read much Bradbury, yet wanted a book for an adolescent boy on the themes of 'coming of age' and temptation as something NOT to be indulged in, this novel came recommended. Seller did not indicate that previous owner had written in the book, which diminished the pleasure of owning/reading it. Scary as hell, frankly, even now. Love the story, will read it again, but would only wish the book wasn't all marked up...

This is one of the most insidiously scary books I've ever read...a well-crafted, literate, supernatural horror story that could have inspired Stephen King. The images are so vivid that it was like watching it unfold on film. It haunted me for days. Just found out there was a film made in 1983, and the screenplay was written by Ray Bradbury.

Reminds me of a Stephen King novel, Needful Things. Although I'm sure this novel would have been inspiration for King 's macabre tale. Bradbury wraps an intriguing allegory underneath his scary story. I have wanted to read Bradbury book's since he passed away in 2012, and this was a rewarding start to an exploration of his many great works of fiction.

I have read Bradbury's short stories, and am amazingly blown away by how this quickly became one of my top 5 books of all time! I have been an avid reader for a good 16 years, reading a wide variety of books and novels. The way this story is written, combines poetry, horror, wonder , drama, and fantasy, as every word, is perfectly orchestrated! A true Masterpiece!!!!