Rating: 
Summary: Bradbury's Best
Review: Sometimes there seem to be two Ray Bradbury's. On the one hand, there's the writer of Twilight Zone-esque (before the TZ existed!) stories that are exciting or just plain creepy (The Illustrated Man, R Is For Rocket). On the other hand, there's Bradbury the stylist, who can write page after page of poetry in prose form (Dandelion Wine). Not everybody likes both.But in this novel the two Bradbury's meet. His love for boyhood, the beauty of a small town, the love of a father are all captured in gorgeous writing wrapped around a truly creepy tale. The Wonder Years meets Dracula? There's really nothing else like this work: it can stand up right beside To Kill a Mockingbird and a Tales From the Crypt collection. Oh, and whatever you do, don't watch the movie version.
Rating:
Summary: TULSA OK
Review: If you are not in the right mood to read a book then do not read it. If you are not prepared to think then do not try. I am writing this to you, Mr. Tulsa, OK. You are an idiot. "I would have enjoyed this book more if I had been in the right mood for it." How pathetic can you be? The philosophy implemented by Mr. Bradbury, amongst the text, reveals the author's ideals and thoughts. That remains as a standard for most novels, short stories, novellas, and the like. If you take out the philosophy then you haven't a story. And please, do not try to read anymore because I don't want you to do it.
Rating:
Summary: An unforgettable fable of good vs. evil
Review: This story is one that I have thought of often in the 15-plus years since I first read it. It is a tale of moral dilemma and tests of loyalty. There is enough of the macabre to keep the reader tightly gripped, yet enough moral fiber to keep the reader thinking for years to come... and isn't that the true test of great literature?
Rating: 
Summary: Should have been shorter
Review: I thought this would have made a great short story. If all the action had been packed in to 1/4 the number of pages, it would have made for a very exciting read. But I got bogged down with all the philosophy and the description. Something exciting would happen, then there would be five pages of philosophy, and then something else exciting would happen. Sometimes the philosophical rambles would occur in the middle of conversations between characters. I would have enjoyed this book more if I had been in the right mood for it. I picked it up because I enjoyed the movie, and my experience with Ray Bradbury (mainly short stories) is that his work is exciting and entertaining. I was just looking for a fluff story, I wasn't prepared to work for it. The plot line was great. It revolves around two boys and a carnival that comes to town. This was a different sort of carnival, though, because it was run by evil people who fed off people's fears and unattained desires. The two boys manage to fight the carnival and loosen its grip on their town. I would certainly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys fantasy or good triumphing over evil. But take care to realize that it's not a quick and exciting read.
Rating:
Summary: Bradbury is one wickedly good writer.
Review: Okay, sorry for the pun, but it's true. Hear we have probably one of the most effecting horror novels ever written. What makes Bradbury so powerful a writer. It's not just the simple, yet lyrical, prose, but how every word seems to pulse with the theme of his stories. Bradbury is a master fanticist, who, like Gene Wolfe or Harlan Ellison, has written an large amount of stories in various genres (SF, Horror, even mainstream) yet alway maintaining the same style and texture. Any one who loves good writting should at least read this, The Martian Chronicles, and Fahrenheit 451.
Rating:
Summary: This one will get you...
Review: This magnificent story of a dark carnival that visits a small town is a masterpiece. Ray Bradbury weaves an incredible blend of grace in prose with this tale of a would-be boyhood dream turned nightmare. The head of the circus 'Mr. Dark' will really give you chills as he is a pure through and through villian seeking the souls of everyone in town. 'Something Wicked This Way Comes' is one of Bradbury's paramount works of pure genius. Anyone will truly be a Bradbury fan after reading this one.
Rating:
Summary: Welcome to Coogan and Dark's....
Review: Pandemonium Shadow Show, where evil is entertaining and funhouse mirrors reflect the beast within....an adventurous and imaginative novel right from the first line, a foreshadowing of the trouble that begins for two boys when a very unusual train pulls into town one day: "The seller of lightningrods arrived just ahead of the storm."
Rating:
Summary: Classic fantasy
Review: Bradbury uses fantasy to drive home moral truths, and no where else is that more apparent than in this classic short novel. The Cooger and Dark Pandemonium show invades a small town in fall, but only two young boys, Jim and Will, understand its true intent, to prey on local citizens by giving them their hearts' desires and then stealing their souls. But the boys, especially Jim, are as susceptible to the sinister charms of the carnival as anyone else. This is a word-drunk book, crammed with imagery, as dizzyng and delightful as a Ferris Wheel. But it's a cautionary tale too. Bradbury seems to be telling readers that man must accept the nature of things, for if he fools with nature he risks losing his own soul forever. I have taught this book to college students on two different occasions. They love it for its fantasy and horror and sense of wonder. But this is a book for all ages. (For an excellent analysis of the book, see Stephen King's DANSE MACABRE or Russell Kirk's ENEMIES OF THE PERMANENT THINGS.)
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant.
Review: I read this in a weekend in October a couple of years ago. A tight, wellwritten tale.
Rating:
Summary: Not so great
Review: This book redeemed itself by being well written, which is why I gave it three stars. Other than that, it had a basically empty plot line and several loose ends that never came together.
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