Something Wicked This Way Comes

As part of a bookclub on Discord, the majority vote was for Something Wicked This Way Comes. At first, I thought perhaps it related to Shakespeare and Macbeth, giving the title being a direct quote, but it wasn’t a retelling as I first pondered. I wasn’t sure at first, as I am not fond of horror, but I was very surprised by the beauty of the writing style. I would recommend to anyone as it is a quick read, with an interesting development. It was the first book I felt the ending really didn’t feel rushed.

Review

As mentioned, the writing style is poetic and fruitful. It paints a beautiful picture of each scene and detail on events and persona. Despite being young, the protagonists also speak eloquently, which seems almost out of place for young people. They, however, enjoy reading and frequent the library, whilst also playing games around their hometown.

The unfortunate events begin to unfold when a storm is predicted to come. Yet, this is foreboding as a storm did not arrive in the form of weather.

There is an interesting dynamic in the opposing persona’s of the young people, almost as if they are one that is split into two. Will seems more cautious and Jim more compelled by risk taking. There is also a large character development for Will’s dad, who finds himself at the end.

The story itself is worth the read. Although you can guess what the carnival people are and who is the leader, there are pockets of surprise as the plot continues. What was particularly surprising was Will’s dad’s discovery about them and how quickly he noticed. He really was a knight in shining armour.

I may not had read this if it wasn’t for the beautiful nature of bookclubs, but i am glad that I have. I wholly recommend it to any who enjoys dark fantasy.

Recommendations of other books could be a vampire book by George Martin Fevre Dream.