"Something Wicked This Way Comes" by Ray Bradbury

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Country: USA Written in: 1962 Pages: 293

Set in a small town leading up to Halloween, the timing of this book's setting is impeccable for this month's read. It taps into some obvious tropes such as the scary clown, but does it reach more depth? Read the book and wear something black (or book themed) to the meeting to discuss! Bonus points for reading the whole trilogy: 1. Dandelion Wine 2. Something Wicked This Way Comes 3. The Halloween Tree

From [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Something_Wicked_This_Way_Comes_(novel)): *Something Wicked This Way Comes* is a 1962 [dark fantasy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_fantasy "Dark fantasy") novel by [Ray Bradbury](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Bradbury "Ray Bradbury"), and the second book in his *Green Town Trilogy*. It is about two 13-year-old best friends, Jim Nightshade and William Halloway, and their nightmarish experience with a [traveling carnival](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traveling_carnival "Traveling carnival") that comes to their [Midwestern](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midwestern_United_States "Midwestern United States") home, Green Town, [Illinois](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illinois "Illinois"), on October 24. The novel combines elements of [fantasy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fantasy_literature "Fantasy literature") and [horror](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horror_fiction "Horror fiction"), 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](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dandelion_Wine "Dandelion Wine")* and *[The Martian Chronicles](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Martian_Chronicles "The Martian Chronicles")*, which are [fix-ups](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fix-up "Fix-up"), *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](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Witches "Three Witches") in [Shakespeare](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Shakespeare "William Shakespeare")'s *[Macbeth](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macbeth "Macbeth")*. *****

New to the Hungry Hundred Book Club? Here's what you need to know:

1. Read the book (If you don't manage to finish it by the meetup date, don't worry. As long as you're not going to be too disappointed by spoilers, you're still welcome to join.) 2. Come to the meeting, usually (but not always!) on the last Sunday of every month. 3. Be prepared to order food/drink at the venue to show our appreciation for letting us use their space. This is a requirement. A lot of time and effort has been put into finding a place that will accommodate our group without an outrageous minimum charge or rental fee, so please show your respect and support for the restaurant that's letting us use their space. 4. Discuss! It's a casual conversation, so don't be afraid to ask questions and let us know what you think. 5. Starting in May 2026, attendance fees collected will be split 50% towards Meetup platform fees, and 50% donated to the Singapore Book Council (or other Singapore based charitable organisation). Once Meetup platform fees are covered, 100% will be given to charity. Total as of September 30 2026: $153 ($77 for charity, $76 towards platform fees).