Something Wicked This Way Comes - what comes after eternal night?
Ray Bradbury is a writer I remember a long time ago. In English class one sweltering afternoon my teacher handed out copies of The Veldt, Ray's 1950 science fiction short story. I had never read anything like it. There was a magnetism to his writing that reached out tenderly, brushed your hair and made smooth contact with skin before suddenly choking you with bestial rage and dragging you kicking and screaming to the cold dark ether.
That is to say, I thoroughly enjoyed that story. Reading back on it today, I still do.
It had been six years since that first encounter. Then I watched a review of Fahrenheit 451 and memories of that nasty African veldt and its snarling lions resurfaced. Well, I hadn't been to the local library in a long time so it was a good opportunity to reacquaint myself with physical reading. The bad news was they didn't have Fahrenheit in stock. The good news was, they had something else.
That something else was Something Wicked This Way Comes.
This book is absolutely brilliant. A remarkable trio of protagonists in Will Halloway, Jim Nightshade and Will's father Charles Halloway grounds the fantastical whirlwind of events swirling about them with a moral maturity that I resonated deeply with. Ray's skill with dialogue is admirable. The conversations and banter are very entertaining. The villains of the story are also written very well, they are very menacing and it was so dreadful reading how the two unprepared preteens Will and Jim had to deal with some of the supernatural larger-than-life menaces. The Illustrated Man and the Witch are definitely highlights among the 'exhibits' of the evil carnival.
Unfortunately, Ray Bradbury is not as good with longer stretches of text, particularly Charles's monologues at a later point in the story which can be hard to get through if you aren't in the mood. There is a lot of buildup to this sequence of events though and the payoff is great. Ray's writing shines with writing action sequences - stretching out every desperate moment to its absolute limit yet compelling a spellbound reader to keep turning the page for more.
Without giving spoilers, the finale is near perfect and a great thematic and philosophical wrap up for all the concepts brought up within the book, and the character conflicts driven by said themes.
I recommend this horror novel wholeheartedly. It has plenty of scares and eerie imagery to keep you up at night.
And to answer the question, after eternal night comes the first sunrise.
chunk of coal productions™, 2026.