Something Wicked This Way Comes (1963)

Great read, especially during Halloween and Fall season. Great narration. I love Ray Bradbury. ( )

Heillandi hryllingssaga. Tveir strákar átta sig á því að eitthvað er meira en lítið bogið við komu sirkuss til smábæjarins þar sem þeir búa. Svo virðist sem að ætlun sirkussfólksins sé önnur og verri en bara að skemmta bæjarbúum. Bradbury byggir upp hrylling og spennu á áhrifaríkan máta í sögu sem er barátta milli góðs og ills. ( )

2.25 stars
This is a full cast play that takes all the narrative out and leaves a bit too much to the listener to interpret with the help of the Foley operator and amazingly sparse dialogue. Even radio plays have more to offer than this version of the story. I plan to listen to the full book next. ( )

Two boys have their friendship and their courage tested when a sinister carnival comes to their small, late-October town. I suspect Bradbury himself may have made a dark deal with a demonic side show hustler at some point in his career, because his way with words and the stories he wields them to tell is so good it must be supernatural. Everything about this book is gorgeous: the plot is perfectly creepy without staining the comforting and nostalgic small-town setting, and the characters are perfectly drawn. The bad guys are instilled with just the right amount of pure wickedness without feeling like caricatures, and the heroes are so wonderfully human that you can feel your heart breaking for both wanting to cry for them and the happiness they cause in you. Will's father in particular now has a place high in the ranks of Best Fictional Fathers of All Time, right up there with Danny the Champion of the World's dad. I feel I'm gushing, but this book is worth it, as are all the Bradbury books I've read. I'm telling you folks, he really must have met a carnival of his own at some crossroads or other and given in to the temptations he has his own characters face, and so help me I'm glad he did. ( )

I had a great time listening to this! It contains a full cast and music. Honestly I felt as though I could be sitting in a theatre watching a play. I know this will be an audiobook I listen to again and again. This version, which is only 2 hours in length, is perfect for a spooky Halloween read. Pop some popcorn and dim the lights! ( )