Ray Bradbury
Something Wicked This Way Comes (1962)
Author: Ray Bradbury
Genre: Fantasy (Dark Fantasy)
Plot Summary:
Something Wicked This Way Comes takes place one October when Halloween comes to one small town early—on October 24th to be exact. Jim Nightshade and William Halloway, neighbors who were born within hours of each other on Halloween night almost 14 years prior to the opening of this novel, witness the arrival of a strange, and as they later learn quite ancient, carnival troupe. The first encounter they have is with an odd lightning rod salesman who scares Jim into attaching a lighting rod to his roof to ward off an oncoming storm. The boys agree but that does not keep them out of trouble; after the boys are caught witnessing the magic of the carnival’s carousel, which ages a person one year for each circle forward or takes years off a persons life for each circle backwards, the boys become terrified and contact the local police. However, the police officers are unable to detect any wrongdoing being done at the carnival and Jim and Will are forced to take measures into their own hands to keep from being captured by the evil manager of the carnival named Mr. Dark, the Illustrated Man. Will’s father, Charles Halloway, the janitor at the local library, becomes involved after his son confides in him. SPOILER: Mr. Halloway researches the carnival at the library and realizes that the carnival returns to town every twenty or thirty years and that the carnival workers are in fact hundreds of years old. He realizes that they are running on evil by drawing on the fears and sadness generated by the citizens of each town that they visit. The witch, one of the members of the carnival, targets the boys and places a spell on them so that they act as if they are wax figures. In order to pull them out of this condition and bring them back to life, Mr. Halloway faces the witch and Mr. Dark and uses laughter and joy to defeat them and cause them to leave the town. Yet, Mr. Halloway emphasizes to the boys that the carnival or people like those figures will surely return so they need to be ready to face them. In the end, good surely triumphs over evil.
Geographical Setting: a small town in Illinois
Time Period: mid-1900s
Appeal Characteristics:
The novel moves along quickly and is compelling because the foreshadowing of danger is present at the outset of the novel. This novel has a dark tone, which creates an eerie atmosphere for the reader. Furthermore, the story is suspenseful. The characters are not developed in detail but Bradbury does a wonderful job of including minute details that help the reader understand important aspects of the main characters’ personalities and their feelings. The story line is action-oriented as the characters race to find a way to expel the carnival troupe from their town. Bradbury’s writing style is poetic and unique. The writing style of this novel is a powerful appeal element; readers will be impressed by the literary nature of this short novel.
Read-alikes: Readers who liked the writing style of this novel may enjoy Bradbury’s The Illustrated Man, a dark fantasy tale which features a man with tattoos that are magical and each tell their own stories. Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 is set in a futuristic world where books have been banned and the government has set about routinely destroying all remaining hidden books. Readers interested in a more complex and also longer dark fantasy novel may enjoy Galveston by Sean Stewart which is set in a fantastic world where Mardi Gras is in constant celebration and the carnival never ends. Similar to Bradbury’s novel, interesting carnival characters appear and a struggle between good and evil is waged in this dark, eccentric landscape. Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere may also appeal to readers who enjoyed the dark tone and fantastic atmosphere created by Bradbury in Something Wicked this Way Comes. Neverwhere follows a team of characters as they travel beneath the city of London to track down hidden secrets about the past and fight against an evil force that threatens them. Like Something Wicked this Way Comes, eccentric characters in Neverwhere make the novel an exciting read. For readers who enjoyed the dreamlike atmosphere of Something Wicked this Way comes and also the way that the arrival of magic into the characters’ lives causes them to discover new things about themselves and others around them, may enjoy Skellig by David Almond. This novel is a young adult book but may be enjoyable for adult readers as well. Skellig is a strange character that is found by a young boy; Micheal must try to figure out the riddle behind Skellig and what his arrival means. Readers who are interested in reading a writer who is said to have been an influence on Bradbury, may enjoy reading The Circus of Dr. Lao by Charles G. Finney. This novella is set in a small town when the circus of Dr. Lao arrives and changes the lives of its citizens. Like Bradbury’s tale, this tale introduces readers to many eccentric circus characters. This tale is also praised for its literary and philosophical nature.
Red Flags: mention and description of “freaks” at the carnival, description of blood and some violence, magic
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