Ah, Bradbury. The undisputed king of October.  The very first page of his dark carnival story puts you in autumn and bombards your senses with the sounds and smells of a brisk afternoon. It revolves around two boys, Will and Jim, whose town is visited by a mysterious carnival. They begin to notice the adults in their lives changing and find themselves drawn into the allure that is the Autumn People. If you’ve seen the screen adaptation, you’ll know that it’s an examination of youth, of young ones wanting to be older and old ones burdened with regret from when they were young. It’s a tale of wants and their costs. The ring leader, Mr. Dark, isn’t a hugely formidable villain but what he and the Autumn People represent surely is. Something Wicked replicates the feelings of adventure and darkness you feel on October nights. It might even make you feel young again. (13/31).