38. Something Wicked This Way Comes
38. Something Wicked This Way Comes, by Ray Bradbury. I love the movie adaptation of this story and have wanted to read the novel for some time. It's definitely worth checking out. Bradbury does a good job of showing, not just telling, and creating a deliciously dark story without being overwhelming or resorting to gratuitous gore. Another feature I really liked is the father, Charles. Typically in a book where your main protagonists are minors, the adults are very much background characters- good mentors at best, worthless at worst. The father here is very much an active player. The two boys, Will and Jim, have their moments to shine but they know they can rely on Will's father to also lead the way when need be. It's also nice that Charles, too, learns and grows from when the mysterious and sinister circus comes to their quiet town. All this said- I found I preferred the movie. The biggest issue I had with the novel is that Bradbury used too many analogies that just didn't fit and were distracting. For example, describing something as being cold "as an albino frog." Huh?? It reminded me of those lists you sometimes see circulating around about high schoolers and their attempts at analogies and descriptions. It was distracting and took me out of the story.
Currently reading: The Future of the Mind, by Michio Kaku, and Akron's Daily Miracle, by Sturt Warner.