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Few American novels written this century have endured in th heart and mind as has this one-Ray Bradbury's incomparable masterwork of the dark fantastic. A carnival rolls in sometime after the midnight hour on a chill Midwestern October eve, ushering in Halloween a week before its time. A calliope's shrill siren song beckons to all with a seductive promise of dreams and youth regained. In this season of dying, Cooger & Dark's Pandemonium Shadow Show has come to Green Town, Illinois, to destroy every life touched by its strange and sinister mystery. And two inquisitive boys standing precariously on the brink of adulthood will soon discover the secret of the satanic raree-show's smoke, mazes, and mirrors, as they learn all too well the heavy cost of wishes -- and the stuff of nightmare.
BookshelfMonstrosity: These atmospheric coming-of-age tales are magical and poignant as they dance around issues of good and evil. Though they contain plenty of dark undercurrents, they are ultimately hopeful.
This is an abridged version which I missed when I was buying the audio. I also didn’t understand what an audio drama truly is. This review is based solely on this audio version. I have not read the book, but I intend to just to see the differences and whether I hate it as much as this particular one.
Honestly, I think this version does a disservice to the story. It’s all over the place with crappy dialogue and a lot of dumb sound effects. Since I haven’t actually read the story I don’t know if this is the way it’s written by Bradbury (doubtful) or how it was written for the audio drama. I will be following up with the book to see. It sounds like it would be interesting and scary, but falls far short. A quick sum up: I hate this version. ( )
At the center of this dark fantasy, an allegory of good and evil, are two best friends about to turn fourteen: Jim Nightshade and Will Halloway. They were born minutes apart, on October 30 and 31, respectively, and have lived next door to each other their whole lives. On an October night a week before their birthdays, a sinister travelling carnival comes to their Illinois town: Cooger & Dark’s Pandemonium Shadow Show. Bradbury paints a haunted landscape, against which the boys grapple with their approaching adulthood amid a plethora of bizarre and bone-chilling carny figures. Will’s father, Charles, a janitor at the town library, is also a central character in the novel. I read this first more than half a century ago, when I was in late grade school; this time I can better appreciate the masterful writing and the gothic tropes. ( )
A circus comes to town with truly scary features: a house of mirrors that you can get lost forever in; a carousel that takes the riders either forward or backward in their timeline; and worst of all a blind witch who can fly through the air and determine where you are hiding. All are destined to steal your soul and turn you into an inhabitant of their freak show.
Unlike other inhabitants of the town, two boys see through it and become targets. They are not enough to end the evil, but when one of the boy’s, father, a janitor at the local library, adds his determination to their will, can it be enough to keep the town safe?
Apparently Bradbury stated that he wrote this as an homage to boyhood turning into manhood. And like, the first time I read this when I was in 8th grade in the 70’s, my question was and is ‘Where are the adventuring girls?' I remember the other adventure stories I was assigned as part of the adventure group included Treasure Island and Travels With Charlie, both of which also lacked adventuring females.
Also, there is a scene with the father facing down the witch with a gun which I have always felt was eerily similar to the scene in [To Kill a Mockingbird] when Atticus Finch reveals his strength by shooting a rabid dog.
Scary, well written period piece that leaves out one half of the human race. Not my favorite Bradbury. 3.0 stars ( )
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Man is in love, and loves what vanishes. W.B. Yeats
They sleep not, except they have done mischief; And their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall. For they eat the bread of wickedness, And they drink the wine of violence. Proverbs 4:16-17
I know not all that may be coming, but be it what it will, I'll go to it laughing. Stubb in Moby Dick
Dedicatòria
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With gratitude to Jennet Johnson who taught me how to write the short story and to Snow Longley Housh who taught me poetry at Los Angeles High School a long time ago and to Jack Guss who helped with this novel not so long ago
With love to the memory of GENE KELLY, whose performances influenced and changed my life
Primeres paraules
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Prologue First of all, it was October, a rare month for boys.
The seller of lightning rods arrived just ahead of the storm.
Citacions
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Why love the woman who is your wife? Her nose breathes in the air of a world that I know; therefore I love that nose. Her ears hear music I might sing half the night through; therefore I love her ears. Her eyes delight in seasons of the land; and so I love those eyes. Her tongue knows quince, peach, chokeberry, mint and lime; I love to hear it speaking. Because her flesh knows heat, cold, affliction, I know fire, snow, and pain. Shared and once again shared experience. Billions of prickling textures. Cut one sense away, cut part of life away. Cut two senses; life halves itself on the instant. We love what we know, we love what we are. Common cause, common cause, of mouth, eye, ear, tongue, hand, nose, flesh, heart, and soul.
"Sometimes the man who looks happiest in town, with the biggest smile, is the one carrying the biggest load of sin. There are smiles and smiles; learn to tell the dark variety from the light. The seal-barker, laugh-shouter, half the time he's covering up. He's had his fun and he's guilty. And men do love sin. Will, oh how they love it, never doubt, in all shapes, sizes, colors, and smells. Times come when troughs, not tables, suit our appetites. Hear a man too loudly praising others and look to wonder if he didn't just get up from the sty. On the other hand, that unhappy, pale, put-upon man walking by, who looks all guilt and sin, why, often that's your good man with a capitol G, Will. For being good is a fearful occupation; men strain at it and sometimes break in two. I've known a few. You work twice as hard to be a farmer as his to be his hog. I suppose it's thinking about being good that makes the crack run up the wall one night. A man with high standards, too, the least hair falls on him sometimes wilts his spine. He can't let himself alone, won't lift himself off the hook if he falls just a breath from grace."
And, Will thought, here comes the carnival, Death like a rattle in one hand, Life like candy in the other; shake one to scare you, offer one to make your mouth water. Here comes the side show, both hands full!
Darreres paraules
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Then, as the moon watched, the three of them together left the wilderness behind and walked into the town.
Few American novels written this century have endured in th heart and mind as has this one-Ray Bradbury's incomparable masterwork of the dark fantastic. A carnival rolls in sometime after the midnight hour on a chill Midwestern October eve, ushering in Halloween a week before its time. A calliope's shrill siren song beckons to all with a seductive promise of dreams and youth regained. In this season of dying, Cooger & Dark's Pandemonium Shadow Show has come to Green Town, Illinois, to destroy every life touched by its strange and sinister mystery. And two inquisitive boys standing precariously on the brink of adulthood will soon discover the secret of the satanic raree-show's smoke, mazes, and mirrors, as they learn all too well the heavy cost of wishes -- and the stuff of nightmare.
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Google Books — S'està carregant…
Something Wicked This Way Comes - Weekend Group Read _July 7 & 8
3
This is an abridged version which I missed when I was buying the audio. I also didn’t understand what an audio drama truly is. This review is based solely on this audio version. I have not read the book, but I intend to just to see the differences and whether I hate it as much as this particular one.
Honestly, I think this version does a disservice to the story. It’s all over the place with crappy dialogue and a lot of dumb sound effects. Since I haven’t actually read the story I don’t know if this is the way it’s written by Bradbury (doubtful) or how it was written for the audio drama. I will be following up with the book to see. It sounds like it would be interesting and scary, but falls far short. A quick sum up: I hate this version. (