Hello, Readers! Welcome back to another BOOKS post! In this article, you will be reading my thoughts and opinions on my latest spooky read, ‘Something Wicked This Way Comes’ by Ray Bradbury. Enjoy!
As I wrote in my article, ‘HALLOWEEN: 5 Ways To Celebrate The Spooky Season’, I had planned to do a mini self-book challenge for October. I picked out four Halloween-themed books to read and write posts on them. Sadly, I will not have enough time to finish the next two books before Halloween, but I will still write articles on them either way.
‘Something Wicked This Way Comes’ is a spectacular read. It’s a classic Halloween story, and not too creepy either! The setting is in a small town in the 1960s. Ray Bradbury perfectly paints a beautiful autumn in your mind. Just reading it makes me think of pumpkin pies, jack-o’-lanterns, falling leaves, candy corn, and the excitement of trick-or-treating.
“By the pricking of my thumbs, Something wicked this way comes.” ---William Shakespeare
It was published in 1962 and goes between the genres; horror fiction, science fiction, and bildungsroman.
Alright, let's get into the story.
It began with two best friends, Jim and Will. The boys are thirteen-years-old and love to go on adventures. They are neighbors, classmates-- kind of like brothers more than friends. They do have their differences, of course. Like night and day. For example, Jim is the one to always gets into mischief, and Will, on the other hand, is more cautious and careful. The two characters remind me of the friends from ‘Stand By Me’ or ‘The Goonies’. Just kids looking to go on an adventure.
One day, the boys noticed something strange about their town. Something was off. Later they came across a flyer stating that a circus would be arriving soon. Jim and Will thought this was strange because it was October. Carnivals normally come in the summer. But it was no ordinary carnival. It was Cooger & Dark's Pandemonium Shadow Show. And the carnival was pure wicked. The leader, Mr. Dark, is covered with terrifying tattoos that come alive, the carousel can make you younger or older when you ride it, depending on which direction it is spinning, and you can see a terrifying version of yourself in the Mirror Maze.
Will’s father is also an essential character in the book. He’s a library janitor who spends his days just thinking silently to himself as he cleans. Charles Halloway had his son in his forties, and because of this, he believes he can never relate to his son. He thinks he is too old to be a good father to Will. Charles is still very kind and caring but distant. I think Charles feels that it’s better if he stays out of Will’s way than to be there for him. During the story, though, Will and his father do create a bond at last.
I don’t want to give too much of the details away on this book, but basically, the boys and Charles Halloway have to save their small town in Illinois from the evil Mr. Dark and his dreadful carnival. Along the way, the characters face challenges and troubles. Do they save the town from the sinister circus? You’ll have to read it to find out!
Thank you for reading this article! What are some books that you’ve recently enjoyed? Be sure to like, subscribe, and as always, come back for more!!!
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