I like books. I like reading them and I like talking about them. Title: Something Wicked This Way Comes
Author: Ray Bradbury
Setting: A small town in the midwest sometime in the middle of the twentieth century, late October. (Actually, starts on October 23rd so like, 60 years ago yesterday)
Characters: Jim Nightshade and Will Halloway, best friends on the cusp of their fourteenth birthdays; Charles Halloway, Will’s dad, and Mr. Dark and Mr. Cooger, carnival owners.
Main Problem/Conflict: SOMETHING WICKED THAT WAY CAME!
Spoilers and whatnot below!
So it’s late October and the whole town is surprised when notices go up about a carnival coming into town. Jim and Will are excited, but there are strange things happening: A lightning rod salesman shows up, then disappears. The carnival pulls into town silently at 3am. The hall of mirrors seems to possess people. And then there’s the carousel that when run backwards seems to shave years off the rider. Will and Jim witness this and have opposite reactions: Will sees the horror, Jim sees an opportunity to become a few years older.
Misters Dark and Cooger, catch the boys snooping around the carousel. Jim and Will have seen too much and the owners are not happy. As much as they try to control the boys, Jim and Will are trying to convince someone, anyone, that there is something very wrong and malicious with the carnival.
Conclusion: With mirth and laughter, let old wrinkles come—William Shakespeare
Did you like this book/would you recommend it to a friend?: I started this book about 10 minutes after I finished The Gunslinger so I think I may have been a little more receptive to it had I started it cold. I mean, I read the forward and was like “Yes! This! This is a book I will like!” And like it I did.
The language is pretty flowery, more so than it has any right to be, but it’s such a compelling story. Aside from the supernatural elements, there’s the conflict of two best friends on the cusp of adolescence who are learning that they want different things out of life. There’s the relationship between a boy and his father, and his father trying to remember what it was like to be 13 and trying to figure out what his son needs.
There’s the glimpse of an America that doesn’t exist anymore (if it ever really did): The small town where two kids spend their days running everywhere, discovering shortcuts and secrets, and friendly with all the other people who live there.
But what really struck me about this book was how apparent it was that Stephen King not only read it, but loved it. There are themes and scenes in this book that are mirrored in many of King’s works.
I can recommend this book up and down, but that’s kinda meaningless. I mean, I’m just a gal with a bunch of books and opinions. But I can say with some conviction, if you like Stephen King, you’ll probably like this too.
