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  • Something Wicked This Way Comes

  • By: Ray Bradbury
  • Narrated by: Christian Rummel
  • Length: 9 hrs and 5 mins
  • 4.1 out of 5 stars (573 ratings)

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Something Wicked This Way Comes

By: Ray Bradbury
Narrated by: Christian Rummel
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Summary

Few American novels written this century have endured in the heart and mind as has this one - Ray Bradbury's incomparable masterwork of the dark fantastic.

A carnival rolls in sometime after the midnight hour on a chill Midwestern October eve, ushering in Halloween a week before its time. A calliope's shrill siren song beckons to all with a seductive promise of dreams and youth regained. In this season of dying, Cooger & Dark's Pandemonium Shadow Show has come to Green Town, Illinois, to destroy every life touched by its strange and sinister mystery. And two inquisitive boys standing precariously on the brink of adulthood will soon discover the secret of the satanic raree-show's smoke, mazes, and mirrors, as they learn all too well the heavy cost of wishes - and the stuff of nightmare.

©1962 Ray Bradbury (P)2014 Audible, Inc.
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What listeners say about Something Wicked This Way Comes

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
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  • 2 Stars
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  • 3 Stars
    84
  • 2 Stars
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

So much better than the film

Very enjoyable and dark at times. Amazing writing - paints a vivid picture.
Film dismal in comparison.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent

I am already planning to listen to this again. Such beautiful narration, and an excellent story. Recommended!

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Great narration

Fantastic narration but I found the story itself a little overlong. It's a shame as the writing is beautiful.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great Horror Story

This is a timeless classic horror story with a great ending and message. Brilliant narrative and well narrated. Can’t wait for reading more such a

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

The best Audible narration ever!!!

Excuse the hyperbole, but this is the first Audiobook upon which I've been moved to give a review. It is a must listen in my opinion!! This is a great book, I read it last about 30 years ago after seeing the film. It's a timeless story and the narration by Christian Rummel is absolutely superb, it really brings the book and characters and Bradbury's wonderful descriptive writing to life. Hugely enjoyable and highly recommended!!

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Awesome atmosphere

When I'm in the mood for reading/listening to immersive mystery novels what I'm really looking for is the exploration of existential problems, the human condition ome might say paired with a creepy atmosphere hinted with a sense of impending doom. If you share my taste in this regard then look no further, this novel is exactly what you're lookin for. Christian Rummel's performance leaves nothing to be desired, his voice acting is superb in every sense. He not only just managed to bring each character to life but did it in a way that blended seamlessly into the narration and the overall feel of the production. Thank you both for this great experience.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

frightened to go to next chapter

loved the story when I first read it all those years ago, Christian narrates so well it becomes a whole new experience and an atmosphere I could not imagine. No trouble giving this 5 stars.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Good, but not Bradbury's best work

The plot cleverly wrestled with interesting questions... Would you go back or forward in time if you could? Why are we always so quick to try and change things about ourselves and the world around us? Why aren't we more accepting of who we are and the way things are? Why do we fear death?

It wrestles with these questions in an entertaining if not somewhat allegorical way. I think some of Bradbury's strongest writing is when he uses his incredible descriptive power, but in this book there's just a bit too much description and i feel like the book lost it's way and it's meaning here and there and some of the monologues, especially by charles Holloway are a bit self-indulgent.

Overall it was a solid book and still a must read for any Bradbury fan or people who like softcore horror or coming of age books

The narration was excellent throughout, excellent casting, but i would agree with other reviews when they say that the character 'will' was voiced in a very whiney way, which is a little annoying at times!

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Old-fashioned

This classic tale of Bradbury's is an original idea for a scary story and it certainly has an atmosphere and some memorable moments. However, Bradbury is far too obsessed with his own prose to create a truly gripping novel. It moves at a snail's pace. The narrator has the perfect voice for this kind of book. He makes the prose and the dialogue sound the way I imagine it did in the author's own head.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Narration at it's best.

Great story and wonderfully emersive narration, I could listen to Christian Rummel's voice all day.

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