Something Wicked This Way Comes

by Ray Bradbury

How apropos to read and review this novel the week before Halloween. The story takes place—you guessed it—the week before Halloween.

Will Halloway and James Nightshade are small town teens, reversed mirror images. Think light/dark and good/not-so-good juxtapositions, and you’re on the right track. Will’s father, a reluctant hero, fears the ebbing of his days.

Meanwhile, a carnival of dark magic comes to town with paranormal forces aplenty–a skeleton, a demon, a witch and a few formerly living folks–willing and able to exploit that bit of depraved darkness that resides within each of us. Hint: Jim “Night”shade succumbs, but “Hallow”ay has the “Will” to resist. Clever, yes?

Our reluctant hero summarizes this dark force with his thematic statement, “Evil has only the power that we give it.” I won’t forget that line. Ever.

Speaking of thematic statements, I highly recommend this National Book Award novel to teachers for classroom study. It’s like a hearty stone soup containing every morsel you could possibly desire: allusions, themes, figurative language. Stunning similes and magical metaphors. Take a look at this rich sentence: “Shades slithered, doors boomed, keys rattled their bones in locks, people fled with hordes of torn newspaper mice nibbling their heels.”

If you are ready for good to battle evil, and if you love the play of multi-layered language, then this just might be the Halloween book for you.