Something Wicked This Way Comes
Ray Bradbury
William Morrow (HarperCollins)
Fiction, YA Fantasy
**** (Good)
DESCRIPTION: In the graying October of a younger America, two small-town boys - Will Halloway and Jim Nightshade - are thrilled when they catch wind of a carnival coming to town. Mr. Cooger and Mr. Dark promise all manner of thrills and amusements, from the mystifying Mirror Maze to the horrifying collection of circus freaks. But from the night of the carnival's eerie arrival, darkness and shadows spread across the town. Will and Jim find the bonds of their friendship tested to the utmost as they face temptations and terrors that have bested Mankind since the dawn of human awareness.
This movie formed the basis of the 1983 movie of the same name.
REVIEW: The Disney movie based on this book has long been a Halloween staple for me, but I'd never gotten around to reading the book until now. Even though Bradbury wrote the screenplay for the movie, there are distinct differences. His prose runs thick with metaphors, giving the story's many dark images and moments of terror a nightmarish, semi-lucid quality. Through it all, a decent story and solid characters unfold. I found the writing a bit thick at times, making for slow reading, and memories of the movie lingered long past the point when the stories diverged, but overall it was a memorable book. I still think I liked the movie's version of events a little better, though.
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