Ray Bradbury is a master of the uncanny, and many of his short stories are chilling to read (especially the one where two children lure their parents into being eaten by lions). I think that his masterpiece of spooky writing, though, is his novel Something Wicked This Way Comes. With its title coming from Macbeth, one of Shakespeare’s darkest plays, you already have a sense of foreboding before you even open the book.
Bradbury’s tale explores the coming of age of two boys, best friends since birth, in a small town in Illinois in a not too distant past. Bradbury takes the reader back to a time that seems simpler and more attractive than our own busy and complex present. But once there, he reminds us that things are not always as they appear and that there has never been a time when the lessons of growing up and of coming face to face with mortality are simple. Jim Nightshade and Will Halloway are both on the cusp of turning fourteen years old. It is a beautiful October, “the best month for boys” as Bradbury says, but there is a sense of something not being quite right. The boys encounter a strangely prophetic lightning rod salesman, who warns them of coming troubles. Then, out of season, the carnival arrives, Cooger and Dark’s Pandemonium Shadow Show. In addition to the usual sideshow and midway offerings, Cooger and Dark have something more sinister to proffer to people who are unsatisfied with their lives. But, as always is the case, the offer of happiness or your supposed heart’s desire comes with a steep price.
Bradbury has written a classic work here that looks at friendship, loyalty, and the dangers of having your dreams come true. He blends lovely descriptions of life in a small town with eerie portrayals of evil. Plus, one of the heroes, Will’s dad, works at a library. What more could one wish for in an autumn book?
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[...] Something Wicked This Way Comes, by Ray Bradbury [...]