Something Wicked This Way Comes is a 1962 dark fantasy novel by Ray Bradbury. It is about two 13-year-old best friends, Jim Nightshade and William Halloway, and their nightmarish experience with a traveling carnival that comes to their Midwestern home, Green Town, Illinois, on October 24th. In dealing with the creepy figures of this carnival, the boys learn how to combat fear. The carnival's leader is the mysterious "Mr. Dark", who seemingly wields the power to grant the townspeople's secret desires. In reality, Dark is a malevolent being who, like the carnival, lives off the life force of those they enslave. Mr. Dark's presence is countered by that of Will's father, Charles Halloway, the janitor of the town library, who harbors his own secret fear of growing older because he feels he is too old to be Will's dad.
The novel combines elements of fantasy and horror, analyzing the conflicting …
Something Wicked This Way Comes is a 1962 dark fantasy novel by Ray Bradbury. It is about two 13-year-old best friends, Jim Nightshade and William Halloway, and their nightmarish experience with a traveling carnival that comes to their Midwestern home, Green Town, Illinois, on October 24th. In dealing with the creepy figures of this carnival, the boys learn how to combat fear. The carnival's leader is the mysterious "Mr. Dark", who seemingly wields the power to grant the townspeople's secret desires. In reality, Dark is a malevolent being who, like the carnival, lives off the life force of those they enslave. Mr. Dark's presence is countered by that of Will's father, Charles Halloway, the janitor of the town library, who harbors his own secret fear of growing older because he feels he is too old to be Will's dad.
The novel combines elements of fantasy and horror, analyzing the conflicting natures of good and evil that exist within all individuals. Unlike many of Bradbury's other novel-length works, such as Dandelion Wine and The Martian Chronicles, which are fix-ups, Something Wicked This Way Comes is a single, full-length narrative.
The title is taken from "By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes," a line said by the witches in Shakespeare's Macbeth.
Avevo già letto alcuni libri di Bradbury, ma non mi sarei aspettato un libro... così!
Parrebbe quasi scritto da Stephen King, per le tematiche trattate, ma sono felicissimo di aver scoperto una vera e propria piccola perla nel genere!
Personaggi, trama (semplice e diretta, ma con un background che fa sorgere un bel po' di domande) e location che rimangono decisamente impresse.
L'ho letto in inglese e ho fatto fatica in alcune parti (scritte in modo squisito), un giorno me lo rileggerò con piacere in italiano.
Review of 'Something Wicked This Way Comes' on 'Goodreads'
2 stelle
Piuttosto inconcludente, si distingue per un uso creativo anche se forse un po' troppo esibizionista della lingua (letto in inglese) e comunque è eterno il tema del conflitto fra ragazzini e magico nonché dell'attrazione diabolica al ringiovanimento. Resta quindi godibile.
