something wicked this way comes was by far the best novel ray bradbury has written. i was assigned to read it in 8th grade and i looked at it and said who the f*** is ray bradbury but after reading it i was totally amazed and i began to read more and more novels by ray bradbury. in my opinion he is the best author. i was also wondering if anyone noticed the fact that he wrote about dark carnivals alot?! i think he was touched by the dark carnival like the insane clown posse. only he choose to bring the messages in the form of books rather than music like ICP chose. its very odd and i was wondering if there is any truth. to find out more about ICP and the dark carnival visit
insaneclownposse.com
realjuggalos.com
churchofthedarkvarnival.com

well im going now and remember something wicked this way comes is bradbury's best novel peace

NOV. 5TH 2002 ICP THE WRAITH 6TH JOKERS CARD RELEASE GO TO INSANECLOWNPOSSE.COM FOR MORE INFO
DARK CARNIVAL 4 LIFE

Well, he'll be very happy to know that at least one person thinks so. SW is Bradbury's personal favorite of his works.

SWTWC is also my favorite Bradbury novel. So much so that I made my boyfriend read it and agreed to read his favorite book: Skinny Legs and All by Tom Robbins. We both enjoyed each others' books. He later took me to the comic-con in San Diego where I got to meet Ray!!!!

Okay, two people. Anyone want to go for three?

**raises hand**

Something Wicked is also my favorite Bradbury novel ... always has been. Death Is a Lonely Business will probably take second place; Fahrenheit 451 third.

My favorite collection? The Martian Chronicles (no, I don't consider it technically a "novel"; the same goes for Dandelion Wine, a "novelized" collection of interconnecting stories). You see, though, this is where I start getting into a precarious territory, because I would have to measure favorite collections like Golden Apples of the Sun and Illustrated Man against Dandelion Wine. Hmmmmm.

Gee, all you people love a lot better than I do.... My favorites...my ultimate favorites of any stories on any planet at any time are 4 Ray Bradbury stories...Not novels, or book-collections.... Those 4 stories are:

1): Death and the Maiden
2) : The Tombling Day
3): Sailor, Home from the Sea
4): April Witch

Nard, don't even start on the short stories!I realize we had a thread here some time ago listing Top Ten short stories, but paring down a list of favorites in that category seems way too daunting! I would have to post a Top Twenty-Five out of the hundreds, just to be fair.

I agree with Nightshade. The list is daunting. Bradbury has so much.

In the novels, Something Wicked This Way Comes is definitely a favorite . . . sometimes. But sometimes F451 is my favorite.

I am also moved by the stories in Martian Chronicles, but then it becomes difficult because I then feel like I need to compare select stories in Martian Chronicles with stories from other collections -- many of which are great! But then I'm comparing stories rather than novels.

As I've written elsewhere, these three novels (F451, Something Wicked, and Martian Chronicles) form a kind of troika for me. F451 turned me on to the idea/power of ideas, and SWTWC and MC confirmed a personal transformation, turning me from a non-reader to a reader.

The fine thread of sanity I hang onto would, undoubtedly be broken, were I forced to pick one as being absolutely better than one of the others. (Waffler that I am!)

Something Wicked This Way Comes carries both horror, nostalgia, loyalty, an epic struggle between good and evil (in thier purest forms), the power of family, the power of love, the power of laughter, a great story flow, great characters, the vain pursuit of dreams, redemption and just plain old fun!

But, I could create the same kinds of lists for F451 and Martian Chronicles. Others that frequent these pages could do the same for Dandelion Wine (I need to reread this!).

Mr. Dark did you read SWTWC before you saw the movie or after?

I read it after, and while I enjoyed the book it didn't have the same emotional punch for me that, say, Dandelion Wine did. I did see Martian Chronicles on tv before I read that, but so much time had passed it didn't matter.

(Can you tell I came to Bradbury's books a little late in life? Better late than never.)

I'm not saying the movie was better than the book...just wondering if the movie had any affect on your enjoyment of the book. (that's probably been throughly discussed in another thread, eh?)

Good question. I read the book several times before I saw the movie. I loved (still do) the book, and I felt like the movie did a great job capturing the "feel" of the book. (I know some here don't really care for the movie, but I really thought it was good.) So I enjoyed both, but my theory is that being two genres, film and literature (I actually view good film as a sub-set of literature, so this distinction is arbitrary, at best), have to deliver their "message" differently, so looking for too much commonality is probably doomed to failure. That's why I feel the Academy Awards are right to award both original and adapted screenplay awards -- they are too different writing tasks.

Again, for me, the movie did an excellent job capturing the major themes and the "feeling" of SWTWC. I view the film as a real accomplishment.

I read Dandelion Wine one time, back in HS (around 1972), and from what I'm reading here from devotees of that book, I really need to make time to re-read it. I remember enjoying it, but I don't remember it blowing me away like is has other people in postings here. It is time for me to read it again with the perspective of a few more years, and many more books, under my belt.

As a grad student in UCLA's MFA Screenwriting program, I couldn't agree more about film and literature being two different writing tasks. It's hard sometimes for me to watch films without being analytical but I do have a soft spot for Something Wicked. I think since I saw the movie several times before I read the book, I was a little impatient with the book--and that is of course the wrong attitutde.

About Dandelion Wine--I think AGE has a lot to do with the enjoyment of a book. I imagine it wouldn't speak to a 14-year old the way it would to a 40-year old. I'm not putting down 14-year-olds either--it's a matter of what is relevent, what resonates. I had this experience with Huck Finn. Didn't impress me at all when I was in High School, but now that I'm older (much older), the notion of running away from home and rafting down the Mississippi is quite appealing and a bit romantic.

I don't know, any young readers out there want to comment?

I absolutely agree with your comment on age. When I first read SWTWC about nine years ago, my teacher told us to keep a copy with us and read it again when we were 35 or 40. Although I am only 21 and far from old, I recognize the impact it would have on older readers. I plan to read SWTWC several times before and after I hit the 35 year mark. I think it helps me to not let my youth pass me by. I go to Disneyland once a year, attend each circus that comes to town, watch cartoons, ride my bike along the bay, go trick-or-treating (people think I'm in middle school because I'm small for a 21 year old), and play on the playground. Having a boyfriend who is Ronald McDonald's personal assistant also helps me remain a kid.

[This message has been edited by Keli Linda (edited 10-21-2002).]

Just read it. Great. Simply great... Another one i couldn't put down till i finished it. I wanna read Dandelion Wine next, i hope it's as good as the other ones.

I was brought to SWTWC by my son when he was 13 (earlier this year). It hooked us both pretty well. I don't play the "favorite anything" game, but the book definitely symbolizes a special bond for us.

Dandelion Wine reminds us that life is for living, and SWTWC reminds us that evil must be actively fought. In both cases, our responsibility is the same: do something!

Read on, McDuff! DZ

SWTWC was the first Ray Bradbury book I read, which was October of 2002, and is so far my favorite. I read it and did a bookreport on it for my 9th grade class. Right now I am reading A Graveyard for Lunatics. I think that it is also a pretty good book, but I prefered SWTWC. I have also read From the Dust Returned, which I also seemed to like.