Book Description
Terrifying and forbidding, subversive and insightful, Clive Barker's groundbreaking stories revolutionized the worlds of horrific and fantastical fiction and established Barker's dominance over the otherworldly and the all-too-real. Here, as two businessmen encounter beautiful and seductive women and an earnest young woman researches a city slum, Barker maps the boundless vistas of the unfettered imagination -- only to uncover a profound sense of terror and overwhelming dread.

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Customer Reviews (15)

Made me a fan
"[When I read Clive Barker,] I feel like Elvis Presley watching the Beatles." - Stephen King

To get any potential bias out in the open, I want to say two things.First off, if I were to pick my favorite horror writer, it would be a toss-up between H.P. Lovecraft and Clive Barker (although Shirley Jackson's brilliant "The Haunting of Hill House" puts her in the running, but I don't see her as a full-blown horror writer).It still shocks me that Barker is outsold by King and Rice.Secondly, this was the first book by Clive Barker that I had read, so that may have affected my opinion.

The thing that draws me to his writings is his writing style.The man simply has a way with words.I could never imagine being near as good of a writer as this man.Sure, Stephen King has a great imagination, but he doesn't match this man's eloquency.This man could write air bag instructions and it would be fascinating.Also, he does an excellent job of mixing sub-genres.Horror can be classified into two sub-genres: psychological horror and gore.The former, when done right, is truly frightening.The latter is not, but is still appealing in a way.To paraphrase Stephen King, it's like looking at a car accident.You don't know why you look, but you still always turn your head, and while your conscious tells you that you should hope that the victims are alright, deep down you want to see blood.Clive Barker's works contain both elements.His writings are frightening due to the psychological elements and a constant sense of dread, but at the same time he paints his work like a car accident.Thirdly, I enjoy the fact that he rarely writes a straight-forward story.His plots are replete with metaphors and character motivations are rarely simple or Freudian.

Now it's time for a story summary.This book contains four stories that are somewhere between short stories and novellas.The first two are pure horror and the last two are modern-day fantasies, although they both contain elements which, though not scary, can be a bit disturbing.I'll try to keep spoilers to a minimum, but minor spoilers do come up in any synopsis.

"In the Flesh" - The story starts by describing a prisoner who is obsessed with the idea of original sin.He doesn't fully accept the Bible and he investigates this topic in his free time which, like any prisoner, he has plenty of.All the while, he has dreams every night of a ghost town in the desert.Initially, he doesn't understand what the dreams are about.Soon enough, a cellmate is introduced.He is a skinny man who quickly becomes a typical prison victim due to his size and his meek nature.His father (or grandfather, I forget) was a murderer who was executed at the prison and buried near the cell.At night, he speaks to his (grand)-father as if he were alive.The other prisoner soon finds out that the man has inherited a terrible supernatural power from his (grand)-father.What follows is a series of disturbing events related to the new prisoner's powers and the old prisoner's dreams which slowly become more revealing.These things are eventually tied together and the first prisoner eventually learns where sin comes from.

"The Forbidden" - There's more spoilers here than in the other synopsises, but it's hard to avoid.Skip reading this part if you care.The movie "The Candyman" was based upon this story.The story revolves around a student doing research on the topic of urban legends.She visits a ghetto and learns about its urban legends through interviews and by photographing graffiti inside of abandoned buildings.The most common legend that arises from the interviews and the graffiti is that of the "Candyman".He is supposedly a serial killer with a hook on one hand who murders townsfolk in very brutal ways that would make Richard Ramirez look like a nice guy.However, having noticed parellels with other common urban legends, she naturally doubts the stories.She then checks newspapers and records and her beliefs are essentially confirmed.However, she finds out that the Candyman is in fact real.He is a supernatural being who was made and kept alive by the stories and continues killing to keep the stories and himself alive.Naturally, the student becomes more involved than she wishes.
WARNING: This story is unbelievably graphic.It's hard to believe that this made it past the editor.

"The Madonna" - This story is about two men who are visiting a large abandoned bathhouse.The electricity has not yet been turned on, so they explore the maze-like building with flashlights.On one trip, one of the men catches glimpse of what he thinks is a naked woman.He obsessively explores the bathhouse to find her.He eventually finds a very, very odd discovery within the bathhouse and he is affected in a very disturbing way.

"Babel's Children" - This is my favorite story from this collection.I won't give too much away.The story starts with a scene involving a woman who has car trouble and seeks out help.She notices a building in the distance and travels there for assistance.It turns out to be a nunnery, but she also notices that there are cameras everywhere.The nunnery is revealed to be a cover for a secret government organization and the woman is held captive for security reasons.She investigates further and finds out the organization's shocking purpose and then she seeks to set things right.
Note: This is the only story in this collection not grounded in fantasyland.Yet, I wouldn't classify it as an "it could actually happen" story since the plotline is a bit of a stretch.

I adore every story in this collection, but I'll rank them from favorite to least favorite anyway:
Babel's Children
In the Flesh
The Forbidden
The Madonna

The Forbidden and Others
This was one of Clive Barker's early books, a collection of short stories. Included is the novella for one of the most realistically terrifying horror films ever made, and an icon of its time, The Candyman. As far as horror series go, this is one of the scariest because it's so realistic. As far as Barker goes, I can respect him. As a teenager and young adult I idolized him, then as I began doing my own projects I emulated influences like Barker's kind of disturbing Christian constructs and also those of [...]. I think that Clive Barker will remain an icon of the 80s and 90s generation of gothic horror because Pinhead and The Candyman are right up there with Freddy or Jason, which they somehow continue to make today. The new Hellraiser movies became stereotypical staring with the fourth one to the newer ones, as it remained realistic, moreso making the cenobites seem like the good guys amongst a mess of caricatures.

In The Flesh AbsolutelyF*cking Rox!!!!!
First things first.The Last reveiwer referred to King and Koontz as hacks.King and Koontz should not be uttered together in the same sentence.That is sacrilege.Koontz is a hack.King is God.We mock what we don't understand.We fear what we cannot perceive. And let us remember, if it wasn't for King's kindly reviews, Mr. Barker might still be an obscure genius.Let me get one thing straight, Clive Barker is a (...)genius.No need to be angry with Mr. King.Secondly, let's talk about In The Flesh.Not for the average or mainstream reader as the last reviewer mentioned (He seemed very hostile and confused.Gender issues?Skeletons in the closet?)nor the faint of heart.Clive Barker is an acquired taste.Rigid in style and precise in wording, Clive Barker is not afraid to show us everything we never wanted to see.Be it pornographic or horrific, Barker never flinches.In The Flesh & The Forbidden are the masterpieces here.The Forbidden has the origins of the silly Candyman pictures, but I assure you, this incarnation of the Candyman is all out chilling.In The Flesh is a dark prison tale of a young man haunted by the taint of his grandfather's infamous deeds.The Madonna and Babel's Children are the lesser, but still brilliant tale of the book.The Madonna is a chilling, perverse look into the shadows of an abandoned sauna where strange apparitions dwell and ungodly depravities are unleashed.Babel's Children is a story of a woman on holiday who takes a wrong turn in the wilderness and comes across a strange abbey with even stranger inhabitants.Are they all crazy?Only Clive will tell.Overall another great chunk of Clive Barker's perfection.Read this and be afraid, for down the way and around the corner is an empty flat with a lot of graffitti on the walls, take a look inside and remember, Sweets to the sweet.

Dig it!

GREAT GROUP OF STORIES
It was a pleasent reading of short stories evolving into a great book.

Your nightmares made flesh
"In The Flesh" was the inspiration for "Candyman," which drew upon the bloody Mary legend.Clive Barker is truly inventive. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

not too bad!could have been better,or worse!
I could give this book five stars,but I guess that would be pushing it a bit too much.After all this book deserves three stars!I am only giving four because of two reasons 1)I am a Clive Barker fan 2)These books of blood are his debut books.And I wouldn't expect more from debut books.

But overall this book was simple to read.It was highly violent.And at times,dirty.
I am going to give you my opinion of each of the stories and a brief "sneak peek".

1)Dread............................................(not too bad)
2)Hell's event.....................................(good)
3)Jacqueline Ess:her will and testimony............(good)
4)The skins of the fathers.........................(okay)
5)New murders in the rue morgue....................(stupid,dumb)

1)In "Dread",a college student becomes horrified by his own fears.And sets out to experiment on other people's fears.Trying to make them trip.He basically used other people's fears to torcher them hoping that his own fears would leave him alone.
But in the end,his own fears kill him.(his fear was that one day a guy would hack him to death).And one of his "experiments",a college studient,driven mad,kills him!
A very cool story,just good enough to start the book with.

2)In hell's event,things get a little better that the previous story.
Once every century a race takes place.Humankind against Hell!If humankind wins the race,life goes on.But if hell wins the race,then the world would end!
This race I am talking about issort of like a marathon.
And in the race described in the book,hell decides to play the game a bit unfair,and things start to turn messy!

3)Jaqueline Ess,not too bad but from here the book starts too lose its touch.This story is simply about a woman who has the power to destroy someone with her mind!There is a great detailed description of how she uses her mind to turn her husband to dead meat.She can also will someone to do whatever she wants them to do.(believe me,this woman is no woman you would like to mess with).

4)This skins of the fathers.(again the book is on its way to getting stupid).
In this story,there is some strange race of monsters.They,and women(human women)have existed long before human men!Human men came as a result of the monsters reproducing with human women!(I know this sounds dumb,but the story fails too impress me).
Now,after one of the monsters in the present time mates with a woman,she has a son.
Now,all these monsters want is their son back from the humans.(yes,there son,the boy has more that one fathers!monster fathers)...The humans start to fight back,thereby killing the son just as he was beginning to transform into a monster and things get a little mess.(not a very facinating read,but short a fast paced though)

5)Now,this story "new murders in the rue morgue" is dumb,it spoils the end of the book.Losing my trust in the books of blood.
It is simply with a man who has trained a gorilla to act like a human.And this gorilla turns into a pervert after the man goes to prison.
...This story is too stupid and confusing to understand and read.I literally forced myself to read it.It is just a waste of paper...

Anyway,the book overall is not too bad.The first one is way better though.
But then again,in every book of short stories,there are some good ones,some stupid ones and some dumb ones.
There are very few exeptionally good short stories because a short story is normally too short to develop a momentum of length that would reveal a lot of information and greatness.And a good plot to follow.
These short stories are so simply written that you can close your eyes and read them...enjoy...Nigel

Not Clive Barker at his best
This second volume of Clive Barker's Books of Blood pales in comparison to the first volume, four of its five stories coming up short in my estimation.The book does get off to a rousing start with Dread, a somewhat sadistic tale of one man's obsession with death and the fear of it.According to the mysterious grad student Quaid, true philosophy, not what passes for philosophy in the universities, is a beast; everything really comes down to one thing only, which is fear.So begins Quaid's personal instruction course of Dread 101.His is a hands-on endeavor, as he seeks to look the beast directly in the eye by studying the effects of dread and the realization of imminent death in the eyes of his fellow man, the closest two representatives of which are two of his "students."Dread is a psychologically disturbing read, one which succeeds quite well indeed in spite of a rather pat ending.From this point, the book is all downhill.

Hell's Event tells the story of a charity race, only this is no ordinary race.Once every century, this particular race pits a minion of the underworld against human runners, with the state and control of the whole government hinging upon the outcome.Much like Stephen King's The Long Walk, it does not pay to finish behind the winner, for truly to the victor go the spoils.Next up is Jacqueline Ess: Her Last Will and Testament, a story in which the main character's very special abilities for controlling her environment and those in it winds up wasted with little to show for the effort.The Skins of the Fathers is not a bad story, but it is quite on the weird side.A sometimes almost comical group of inhuman, bizarre creatures comes to a small desert town to reclaim one of their own, born five years earlier to its human mother.A puffed up sheriff and belligerent posse of townsfolk lend comic relief as much as tension to the story's plot of borderline absurdity.The final story here is New Murders in the Rue Morgue, and it is almost surely the worst piece of fiction Clive Barker ever wrote.The protagonist is a retired artist and, so we are told, descendant of M. Dupin.Yes, we are led to believe, Edgar Allan Poe's classic story The Murders in the Rue Morgue was based on fact and not fancy, and now the modern representative of the Dupin blood finds himself mired in an extraordinary, eerily similar, and exceedingly ludicrous case of his own.

Obviously, I don't consider Volume 2 of the Books of Blood to represent Clive Barker at anything near his best; this is not to say these stories (excluding New Murders in the Rue Morgue) are not worth reading, though.Dread is a fine piece of work, and the next three stories will hold your attention throughout, although they may well leave you feeling indifferent and more than a tad disappointed.

Not the best one, but still...
Clive Barker's 'Books of Blood' contain some of the best horror-short-stories ever written. Barker's talent to scare and impress you both with his literary genius is at his best here.

This second book is not as good as the rest, but especially the first one is really good. Still very good horror.

Better than Vol 1.
Having read the first Volume of 'Books of blood' I was eager to find stories as good as 'The Yattering and Jack'. This book provides such stories. Apart from 'Dread' these are all first class. Dread is good, butthe subject matter is a bit sadistic for my liking and the plot lacksBarker's usual imagination.

I think that this book is more consistentthan the first volume of 'Books of Blood' and fully deserves five stars.

This is possibly the best collection of horror stories I have read.

Very good read!
It just goes to show you that everyone's tastes are different!I had to type a review because I thought that "Dread" was the best, albeit short, horror story that I have ever read.I read the book when itoriginally came out... it says 1987, I thought it was a year or two earlierthan that. The Books of Blood were my introduction to Clive Barker.I haveread other works by him, but I feel that the blood books were his best. ... Read more

Amazon.com
In Abarat, accomplished novelist and artist Clive Barker turns his considerable talents to creating a rich fantasy world for young adults.

Candy Quackenbush is growing up in Chickentown, Minnesota, yearning for more--which she finds, quite unexpectedly, when a man with eight heads appears from nowhere in the middle of the prairie, being chased by something really monstrous. And so begins Candy's epic adventure to the islands of the Abarat. Peopled by all manner of creatures, cultures, and customs, the islands should prove a fertile setting for the series that Barker is calling The Books of Abarat. Candy is an intelligent and likable heroine, and the many supporting characters are deftly drawn, both in words and in the full-color interior art that Barker has produced to give the story an extra dimension.

Abarat delivers the rich and imaginative storytelling that Barker is known for, with less overt horror or violence than one of his adult novels might include. However, Candy's path isn't an easy one, and young adult readers should appreciate the hard choices she must make along the way. --Roz Genessee Book Description
Once upon a world
where time is place
a journey beyond imagination
is about to unfold....

It begins in the most boring place in the world: Chickentown, U.S.A. Candy Quackenbush lives in Chickentown, her heart bursting for some clue as to what her future might hold.

When the answer comes, it's not one she expects. Out of nowhere comes a wave, and Candy, led by a man called John Mischief (whose brothers live on the horns on his head), leaps into the surging waters and is carried away.

Where? To the ABARAT: a vast archipelago where every island is a different hour of the day, from the Great Head that sits in the mysterious twilight waters of Eight in the Evening, to the sunlit wonders of Three in the Afternoon, where dragons roam, to the dark terrors of Gorgossium, the island of Midnight, ruled over by the Prince of Midnight himself, Christopher Carrion.

As Candy journeys from one amazing place to another, making fast friends and encountering treacherous foes -- mechanical bugs and giant moths, miraculous cats and men made of mud, a murderous wizard and his terrified slave-she begins to realize something. She has been here before.

Candy has a place in this extraordinary world: she is here to help save the Abarat from the dark forces that are stirring at its heart. Forces older than Time itself, and more evil than anything Candy has ever encountered.

She's a strange heroine, she knows. But this is a strange world.

And in the Abarat, all things are possible.

Customer Reviews (182)

Leaves you hanging in a good way
I needed an imaginative fantasy romp, so I just finished Clive Barker's Abarat. It's sort of The Thief of Always (darkish kid's book) meets Weaveworld (for awesome otherworlds). And the thing that makes this book extraordinarily special: color drawings by Barker interspersed throughout the text. In a fantastical world like Abarat, it's immeasurably cool to see a piece of art depicting, say, a Sea-Skipper, sort of an elegant cross between a human and a sea horse, or a crazy island shaped like a man's pointed head.

The heroine, Candy Quakenbush, has an abusive father and an all-around dreary life in Chickentown, MN (guess what the industry is there?). When she's ripped out of her environment and gets swept away on a sea to the magical islands of Abarat, the joy I felt was similar to the relief I felt when Hagrid showed up to take Harry Potter to his first year at Hogwarts. Candy doesn't get a grace period to adjust, though - the bad guys are after her from the start. She's helped by wonderful creatures on various different islands - called The Hours, as each one is locked in a different time of day - and her sense of adventure and loyalty makes her an exciting heroine.

About 3/4 of the way through, I realized there was no way this book would conclude in a neat little package: there's a sequel on the way. It turns out that this is the first of five planned books (the 2nd is already out, so I'm off to the library for it soon...) This will be a fun story to follow in the coming years.

Great imaginative book; will leave you wondering about the next book
This is the first children's book I have ever read by Clive Barker. I know that he is much more well known for his works of horror. However, I was very impressed by this book.

I listened to this book on audio book. The audio book was very well done. I think the guy who read the audio book must be the same person who read Stephen King's Dark Tower series on audio book. At least they sound very similar since I keep getting flashbacks to when I listened to the Dark Tower; maybe it is just that Clive Barker and Stephen King have a somewhat similar writing style. The only bad thing about listening to this on audio book is that I missed out on all the neat color pictures. I have the paper version at home so I still got to see the pictures, just not while I was reading the book.

The tone of this book reminded me a lot of Alice in Wonderland and is, initially, a similar premise. Candy Quackenbush lives in Chickentown, MN and, during an assignment for school to write a paper on interesting things in Chickentown (a decidedly uninteresting town), runs into a mystery concerning a man who committed suicide in a hotel room. A strange nautical device is found in the dresser drawer of this hotel room. Candy finds herself obsessing about the symbols on the device. Candy is fed up with her boring life in Chickentown, her beaten down mother, and her abusive father. After a particularly bad scene in class at school, where Candy gets sent to the principals office, Candy decides to just leave school and go walking. She finds herself in a vast prairie outside of Chickentown. While there she runs into an 8 headed man, John Mischief, and ends up helping him to light the lighthouse in the prairie (which Candy thought was an abandoned building). Following some crazy events Candy finds herself swept off to Abarat and swept into a crazy adventure there.

This was a really great book. It is wildly imaginative and full of non-stop action. I loved the way Candy accepted her adventures with ease (since *anything* is better than Chickentown). I also loved the numerous quirky characters that Candy ran into along the way. Candy seems to have a knack for getting people's attention and getting drawn into trouble. There are tons of interesting good and neutral characters in this book. There are also some very interesting villains. The villians in this book are particularly special. There are numerous levels of evil, making you wonder who the *real* villain is. All of the villains have a lot of depth to them, you can see multiple sides to their character. This makes them seem somehow less ultimately evil but more scary and unpredictable.

The description in the book is wonderful. The plotline rolls along gracefully taking Candy from one adventure to the next. Even though many different characters are introduced and interact with Candy, none of it seems forced.

The only disappointment I had with this book was that I thought that the storyline with John Mischeif didn't get much closure; I am sure this storyline will be revisited in the next book. I am also curious as to what is happening back in Chickentown; does Candy's mother know she is missing?

This was a great book. I would read it to slightly older children though since at times it is very violent and it deals with issues of suicide and torture at points. Great book, I am excited to read the next one.

[...]

"Incredible" does not even come close.
Clive Barker has done an incredible job in writing this book. This book is more imaginative and fantastic than the Harry Potter series. It has everything from wild fantasy, friendship, love, evil, the typical war between good and evil, fairy tale, deception, drama, comedy, etc. I would have given the book 10 stars if that was possible. It is a book which is not to be missed. It grabs you from the start and it is hard to put down. There were supposed to be a number of books to follow this first one and I think he only came out with one sequel. I hope for the sake of the future generations that Mr. Barker will come out with at least a few more sequels.

Fantasy with that weird Barker touch
Now that the Harry Potter saga's come to a conclusion, there may be a little void left for the reader - child or adult - who enjoyed the type of fantasy that J.K. Rowling did so well:complex in plot but simple enough in language to be accessible to younger readers as well.Certainly, the best in the bunch would be The Lord of the Rings (and The Hobbit) by Tolkien, but there are other choices out there, with probably the best of the rest being Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy.Then there is Clive Barker's Abarat.

With the popularity of Harry Potter, a number of "adult" writers took their shot at writing for a younger audience with mixed success.Barker, one of the great horror fantasists around today, was not one of these bandwagon jumpers, having already written one good "juvenile" novel, The Thief of Always, long before anyone knew who Harry Potter was.With Abarat, he starts a series of books with a similar young-and-adult-alike audience in mind.

Abarat uses one of the standard fantasy plot devices involving a youngish girl named Candy Quackenbush who discovers a world beyond her mundane existence, one in which she has a great destiny.For Candy, the mundane world is her life in Chickentown, a dull town with one industry (poultry, of course), where she lives with her family that may not be at a Dursley-level of nastiness, but is nonetheless a rather unpleasant one (due, in large part, to an alcoholic, abusive father).

Candy's life changes when she encounters the master thief, Mischief.It doesn't take long for Candy to realize he's something extraordinary:after all, he has seven other heads at the end of antlers.Mischief is being pursued by another strange creature named Shape, and in the process of helping Mischief escape, Candy is transported to another world called the Abarat.This is a set of twenty-five islands, one for each hour of the day plus a mysterious extra island.This is no mere figure of speech:each island sits in a certain block of time, so the noon island is always in bright sunshine, while others under different states of night, day or twilight.

The ruler of the midnight island, Christopher Carrion, has a sinister agenda that involves bringing night to all the Arabat.His opponent, Rojo Pixler, is no good guy either, but is a relentless capitalist intent on a monopoly on all magic and converting the whole world (and Candy's world, known to the locals as the Hereafter) into his own marketplace.In the middle is Candy who has adventures as she goes from place-to-place as both Carrion and Pixler seek her, aware that she is something special.

Abarat is not a self-contained novel, but the first in a series (which I believe to date has only one other book published).As such, it is hard to judge the novel on its plot, which is obviously incomplete.Barker does do a good job at creating a truly bizarre world, one that at times is almost too bizarre.With humor, drama and danger throughout the book, this is a nice read, even if it not a perfect one.For Harry Potter fans who are looking for something new (but at the same time not just a pale Potter imitation), this is a good choice.

Surreal fantasy, by a master of horror
{Review written in Feb 2005}

This is a richly imagined tale that's equal parts epic fantasy (for adults and young adults alike) and surreal fantasy ... with a small dash of horror thown in for good measure. The sort of unexpected and highly original mix that only someone like Clive Barker could pull off with success.

The central character is "Candy", a young, highly intelligent loner of a teenage girl who lives in a small boring non-descript town in minnesota noteworthy only because it has a large chicken processing plant, and a somewhat mysterious past.

Life suddenly becomes interesting however, when she gets drawn across the boundaries of imagination into the realm known as "The Abarat" ... an archipeligo of 25 bizzare islands, to begin an epic quest that will transform both her, and the land itself.

This is the first in a series that's currently projected to span 4 books, and it's chock full of over 100 original paintings by the artist himself ... as such, it walks the line between being a novel, and a graphic novel.

In any case, I finished it in a single 24 hr stretch, it's highly recommended, and I've already ordered a copy of the next book in the series.

... Read more

Book Description
·Detailed walkthrough of all levels
·Multiple strategies for various scenarios
·Occult power combos
·Tips to unlock all Extras
·Xbox 360 Achievement tips ... Read more

Book Description
A master storyteller and unrivaled visionary, Clive Barker has mixed the real and unreal with the horrible and wonderful in more than twenty years of fantastic fiction. The Inhuman Condition is a masterwork of surrealistic terror, recounting tragedy with pragmatism, inspiring panic more than dread and evoking equal parts revulsion and delight.

... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

Good collection of creepy stories
This is a good collection of creepy stories.As usual, Clive Barker delivers wild images, exciting plots and impactful language.The story about the hands is particularly creepy and memorable.If you're new to Clive Barker, start with one of his full-length books and try the short stories later.Full-length character development is where he really shines.If you already love his writing, you'll enjoy these dark tales.

AUDIO VERSION - I'm sorry for Clive Barker that this audio book was performed and directed so poorly.Dillinger Steele mispronounces 50 or so words narrating this short collection.If you love the English language and Barker's beautiful prose, you'll cringe listening to Dillinger Steele mangle it.

A fair read
There are some blood tales in this book.Let me cut to the chase.
1)The body politic.
A very simple story.In a world where our hands have a mind of their own,one man's hand seeks to take over the world!(I know this sounds dumb,but the story is quite good.)

2)The inhuman condition.
A guy and his friends beat up a vagrant for fun,stealing from him a piece of knotted rope...
That same day, the guy who took the knotted rope from the vagrant,begins to unravel it.With the unravelling of the rope his friends suddenly start to die out,one by one...And a lot of evil starts to be unleashed.The same vagrant whom was a victim has to help the guy battle this evil.

3)Revelations.
Now this is a very fascinating story.A pastor and his wife goes to a motel,for some kind of vacation.The room in which they are staying was the scene of a murder.
In this room the ghosts terrorize the couple.

4)Down satan.
In this story a guy builds a place for satan on earth.A very short story.(not one of my favourite)

5)The age of desire.
A very good story.In this story,a victim of an Aphrodisaic experiment run away from the lab and starts to uncontrollably have sex with people...But then he soon starts to rape and murder people and things start to get nasty...


An overall fairly interesting book.I would recommend it....enjoy...Nigel.

Clive Barker Take Us On The Nightmare Journey Of A Lifetime
God, just talking about The Inhuman Condition makes me itch to read it all over again for the tenth time.Clive Barker, especially early Barker like In The Flesh, The Inhuman Condition & The Books Of Blood are so righteously killer, I can't help but re-reading them whenever I get the chance.Talk about visionary horror, Clive Barker turned the entire Horror Genre upside down with his fiction.Inventive, clever, well-written & above all, original, he was like the new incarnation of H.P. Lovecraft.Genius.

The Inhuman Condition consists of five novellas:

The Inhuman Condition:Some hoods roll a drunk and steal something very precious.A piece of rope with three knots in it.Nothing special, right?Well...once you untie the knots, something comes into being.Something terrible.Great story.

The Body Politic:Charlie has the strangest thoughts.He thinks his hands are planning a revolt, plotting against him and the whole human race.Crazy, right?Well...when he wakes up to find that his hands have strangled his wife, he's not so sure any more.Another great, original story.

Revelations!: A modern day ghost story with a small twist.An evangelsit and his troupe check into a motel where a murder most foul had taken place...so do the deceased couple, for they're there to recreate the murder or try and reconcile, who can tell.Witty and strange.Clive keeps us enthralled.

Down, Satan:The only detraction from the book's brilliance.A rather short story about a man who wants to hang with Satan so he builds Hell on earth just for that very purpose.Bizare and dark, never really takes off as a full story.

The Age Of Desire:Weird.That's the first thing that comes to mind when I think about this story.A group of scientists are doing experiments with hallucinogenic love drugs.The results are very interestng.Probably the most pornographic of all the stories.This one will make you wonder what really churns through Clive Barker's brain.

Overall, an excellent incarnation of horror.Buy it, read it, love it.

Dig it!

Did a 10th grader write this?
This is a horribly written piece of garbage. Why it was published is a mystery to me. It needs to be proofread, spellchecked and re written. Th stories are nonsensical gross-outs that go nowhere and leave the reader feeling unsatisfied. This is pure bush league. What an embarrassment to literature. Try Stephen King for sophisticated, interesting horror.

Great Collection of twisted fiction
Again, I love Clive Barker. His work is just awe-inspiring. This collection borders on classic in the likes of H.P. Lovecraft and Poe. Shoot, it doesn't just border, it crosses over. These stories will be remembered years to come, mark my words. Clive Barker is genius. His work is the real deal, he cannot be immitated. His craft is so incredible. The stories are horrifying, gruesome, and beautiful. The Body politic is terrifying as is the title story about a knot and the demons that hell unleashes when the knot is undone. This is great stuff. Why can't all authors have this ambition? ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Classic short stories from Barker
Classic short Stories from Barker that were written and published in the mid 1980's and still remain essential reading for fans of dark fantasy and horror fiction. A must have for your collection!

A book of BLOOD.............you are not afraid of the content of the book,but the author's imagination!...Nigel
THIS REVIEW IS DEDICATED TO THOSE GOOD PEOPLE WHO LOST THEIR LIVE IN THE "WORLD TRADE CENTRE" ATTACK,AND ALSO TO THE BRAVE MEN AND WOMEN WHO LOST THEIR LIVES TRYING TO SAVE THE VICTIMS...Nigel.


A fairly good read.I would not give this more that three stars for the simple reason that others may give it it five.And that reason is that the stories are 1)short
2)Too nasty and bloody,it stinks!

But the reason I have to give the writer some credit is because he maintains his good writing skills for most of the stories in this book.
I generally dislike short stories because they give you some hope,and before you know it,the story is finished.(I just read these stories for the record,since I am a fan of clive barker)
Anyway,you read the following and decide ifthe story is worth the read.

THE BOOKS OF BLOOD VOL 4(also know as the inhuman condition)Three stars.

1)The body politic:
A very fascinating story.It is simply about a world where our "hands"(yes our hands) have a mind of their own,and can control our bodies.In this story the left hand of a particular person decides to take over the world!

2)The inhuman condition:
A good story as well.In this story a few guys beat up a vagrant,robbing him of a piece of rope,which is tied into knots.Sometime after,one of the guys start to unravel the knots,and with the unravelling his friends start to die off. The guys then seeks the vagrant for help,after realizing what had been done...

3)Revelations:
A woman is unwillingly taken on a tour by her husband, a preacher.They go to a motel.The room in which they were staying was previously the room of two murdered victims...The victims,now ghosts,hunt the woman and her husband.
This is really a strange story,because,I mean,the dead made love!

4)Down Satan:
This is not one of my favourites.I hate this story.A guy,bored with god,decides to build a place on earth for satan.His plan goes bad and a lot of lives are lost.

5)The age of desire:
(The best story in this vol 1)....A man is part of a science experiment.The purpose of the experiment is to test an Aphrodisaic...The man then kills the scientists and excapes from the lab...He then starts to run around the place,having sex with people,raping people,and even killing people...A very funny,horror story....

THE BOOKS OF BLOOD VOL 6....Three stars.

1)The life of death:
In this story a woman becomes obsessed with a demolished church.She broke into a tomb andunknowinglycaught a disease,which she was immune too(she became a carrier).But other people were notimmune to it,so it quickly spreads to some of her friends,killing them.
In the end of this story the woman is raped and killed by a serial killer...And guess what?The killer gets the disease but is immune to it as well...he becomes a carrier and continues to spread the disease..

2)How spoilers bleed:
A couple of men bought a piece of land.But when then went to claim it they discovered that the land was occupied by Indians..The decided to force the Indians out ,butshot one of them...The chief then put a curse on the men and they start to die out one by one..(this is the good part)
The bad part is how they die! Let me explain how the men died...
Their skin became thin as toilet paper and tender as a piece of scab.Their skin was abraded with the smallest of contact.Even a piece of dust had the potential to peel of the skin from their hands,thereby leaving their flesh exposed.
They soon started to bleed to death.(a very gross story)

3)Twilight at the towers:
I did not like this story and didn't manage to read it through...I can't say what it is about though.I apologise for the inconvience.Sorry.

4)The last illusion:
It this volume,I think this is my favourite story..It is with a magician who made a deal 32 years ago with some group of devil people.
Now he is a famous magician(illusionist)how is performing at broadway.
One day after performing he goes into his room with a prostitute,while reaching to pick up something from the ground a sword falls on top of him and killls him.Was it an accident?Was it murder?
Sometime after his death his wife receives a mysterious letter from him.Apparently written by the magician before his death.He wanted to be creamated.
A guy who deals with the occult and paranormal activites is hired by the wife to help watch over the magician's body until it is cremated.
Meanwhile the "devil people" want the body for themselves because the magician didn't complete his part of his promise to them....
This guy who deals with the paranormal activites is caught up between hell and earth,while trying to creamate the body.(I don't mean he was literally in hell,but the trouble he was experiencing was the equilivalent of hell!)
This story,between the three volumes,contains the most suspense and is one of the longest,if not the longest.

5)The book of blood:
I believe this story is about a person who was turned into a book.It is the shortest story in the whole volume.I did not finish reading it because it was too short and boring too me...Sorry I am not able to give a detailed review for this story.

THE BOOKS OF BLOOD VOL 5(also know as "in the flesh")Three stars.

1)The forbidden:
A university student is doing research in a crime infested area.While doing some research and hearing about some of the murders that had taken place,she becomes "involved" with the mysterious character know as "The Candyman"..
This story is just like the movie.The Candyman uses his hooked hand to rip you stomach apart.
This story is pacted with suspense.The candyman wants her to become his victim.

2)The madonna:
(I did not like nor read this story,sorry)

3)Babel's children
(a stupid story,I did not like or read this either,sorry)

4)In the flesh:
Now,here is a bloody story.A guy who has a spiritual connection with his executed grandfather,goes into prison to reunite with his grandfather's spirit.(his grandfather was executed in the same prison.He was hang).When this guy goes into the prison he not only reunites with his grandfathers spirit but he terrorises and kills other inmates as well.
In this story we also see that there is a special "city" where the dead people go,especially criminals,and they continue their activities.

Now these are some fairly good stories,right.Thanks for reading and this is Nigel saying,Good bye...take care and have a nice day.

(Clive Barker wrote this in his own words:Everybody is a book of blood,wherever we are opened,we are red................)
I think the above is very true...do you?

Endocrinal as well as exocrinal and seminal
In this second half of the highway of the dead, Clive Barker takes us even deeper than we could have ever dreamt into the empire of death. Every story is a miracle and a fascinating marvel. Every story deserves our attention and energy. But some are maybe slightly more conspicuous, at least for me. But these stories seem to be fascinated by various parts of the body, various parts and pieces that have total freedom to do as they like, be they hands that sever their attachment to human beings to live their autonomous life and get rid of the human race ; or the righteous christian soul - a very gullible appendage or appendix indeed - of a preacher who is ready to kill if necessary to impose his vision of the final apocalypse, at least if he has enough time to do it before being executed by his prospective victims ; or the sexual impulse of a man boosted by some prophetic prefiguration of viagra, an impulse that will have to run its course to the end which necessarily means death for the body that is nothing but the tool of that drive ; or the fascination of the eyes, and the camera that is nothing but an extension of these eyes, of this research worker who discovers the deepest pulsating need of mystery, horror and fear in the minds of ordinary simple people who invent the Candyman to inhabit their nights with some thrilling experience ; or the deepest voracious cannibalistic female mother of everything and everyone, a madonna that controls, dominates and generates the whole world that is so willing to be so possessed that no one sees or realises it ; or the killing instinct of one's grandfather once hanged for his murdering crimes and now able to revisit his grandson in order to make him do again what he himself did in order for this grandson to take his place in the city of the damned and for him to get on the road to eternal life or non-existence since freed of any torturing and waiting ; or the very death we all carry inus and that can be turned into a living deadly organism that is transported and scattered around like a plague, as if death was an organ of ours among many others ; or the greed that gets punished somewhere in Amazonia through a curse from Indian victims of the voracious western ogres who need to eat the flesh and drink the blood of innocent prehistoric survivors of ancient nature-oriented civlizations ; or the real beast that lives in some of us and that is controlled by psychiatric expertise into obedience and service to the secret clandestine forces that stabilizes the obscure balance of the world split in two camps, at the time of the cold war when Clive Barker was writing, and today at teh time of the war on terrorism ; or the satanic magic one can buy from Lucifer against one's own soul that one can always retain or recapture by mocking the devilish master and using Satan's magic to block the recuperation of one's body after death without which the soul is nothing, in fact not even detained. One may be surprised and even shocked by the quantity and diversity of bodily fluids that are shed in those pages, but Clive Barker has a fluid and liquid imagination and his world would have no density without those life-providing even and especially diabolical fluids. We could also wonder why Clive Barker needs so much sex in his stories, and particularly non-kosher sex, that kind of sex that is associated to Sodom and Gomorrha. But once again the potency of Clive Barker's style is in the sexual dimension of the delirium he calls his imagination. Writing for him is nothing but intercourse with this imagination of his who definitely rapes him over and over again page after page in all possible variations and nuances. And the most hellish form of rape is for him scatological, which means the release of another bodily fluid of sort. Fragile-psyched and delicate-sensitivitied readers are rather heartily advised not to enter these deep lanes and paths down into the pestifirous crypt of human haunting delusions which are nothing but, over and over again, the last illusion that will charm us into either stupidity or complete vegetable stupor. Maybe some will be illuminated, but these lights are nothing but the mesmerizing power of IT, of the longed-for molesting we all hope will one day assault us with delicious ecstacy.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, Université Paris Dauphine, Université Paris I Panthéon Sorbonne
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Book Description
Clive Barker has made his mark on modern fiction by exposing all that is surreal and magical in the ordinary world --- and exploring the profound and overwhelming terror that results. With its volatile mix of the fantastical and the contemporary, the everyday and the otherworldly, Weaveworld is an epic work of dark fantasy and horror -- a tour de force from one of today's most forceful and imaginative artists.

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Customer Reviews (114)

My all time favourite
This is the best book I have ever read. In my opinion it's even better than Lord of the Rings.

Not Free SF Reader
Carpet world conflict.


This is a bit more fantasy, a bit less horror.A bunch of supernaturals decide to hide themselves away in a carpet, hence the title.This is looked after by a woman.All goes well, except for that annoying trait that humans have: they kick the bucket eventually.

The death of the rugminder leads to a conflict and chase for possession of this magic stuff, between our protagonist, and a human agent of the scary non-human woman Immacolata and her rather nasty agents.A bit on the dull side and not as good as that sounds, really.

Brilliant Complex Fantasy Tale
This magnificent fantasy takes the standard elements of the genre and imbues them with fresh vigor.Young Cal Mooney is a bored office clerk stuck in grey, depressed Liverpool, living with his father when a fateful encounter with a magical carpet opens Cal's eyes to the glories of another world. The carpet is the secret hiding place for the Seerkind, a species of magical beings who have managed to salvage bits and pieces of their magnificent world in a magnificent tapestry. The Seerkind are hiding from a terrible, omnipotent enemy known as the Scourge. For more than 80 years, the Seerkind have lain sleeping inside the carpet guarded by volunteer Seerkind who have sacrificed their immortality and grown old as protectors of the Weave. But the last guardian has died before passing on her secret to her granddaughter, Suzanna who is unaware of her magical heritage and the powers it provides to her.When Cal stumbles on the secret of the carpet, he and Suzanna must join forces to protect Weaveworld from Immacolata, a powerful Seerkind witch seeking revenge for banishment from Weaveworld and Shadwell, Immacolata's human companion, an ambitious salesman obsessed with possessing Weaveworld."Weaveworld" is a dazzling, well crafted story that slowly reveals all the wonders and beauty of a fantastic place.Barker is a talented writer who is equally adept at scenes of mesmerizingbeauty and blood-chilling horror.He also possesses a deft touch with characterization that reveals the heart and soul of villains and protagonists alike. The reader can feel sympathy even for Immacolata spurned and rejected by her people or for the Scourge, driven mad by loneliness and despair.

Spellbinding!!!!!!!
I highly recommend this book to anyone that wants to take a ride on a vibrantly imaginative roller coaster into the unknown.I first read this book many years ago when I was in college.From the very first page I became captivated in the brilliant fantasy world that Clive Barker so cleverly orchestrates.This is one of the best books ever written in this genre.Clive Barker is obviously known as a master of horror and he certainly knows how to spill blood all over pages; yet keep you begging for more.But, let me tell you folks, he is also a master of the purely imaginative realm and this work is a true testament to his awesome talents.

A colorful adventure into the weave
Weave world is a clever little adventure within an adventure beneath an adventure. One of the main characters of weave world is the twenty five year old Mr. Calhoun Mooney. He and his father are living in the present in London, suffering from their loses. The other main character, named Suzanna Parish lives as a potter who receives a message on her phone telling her that one of her only relatives living nearby is sick in a hospital bed and that she might visit her. Upon visiting her sick grandmother, who cannot speak because of her sickness, she feels an almost mental installation or a prophecy telling her to check her grandmothers home because there is something very important their.

Cal watches his father's prize winning pigeon collection while his dad lays in his depression. One day a single one of the pigeons escape and cal gives chase of it. Upon following the pigeon he finds himself at a house with thousands of birds all flocking their, flying in a whirlwind of birds, all above a single house and backyard. This same house is Mimi lancheski's, Suzanna's grandmothers. What occurs afterwards at the house on Rue Street is a serious part of the plot but Cal and Suzanna meet and they both adventure to a magic world caught inside of a carpet with its own people and its own places.

The dark tones that this author paints in ones mind are both bold and a little bit eccentric. This is the second book that Clive barker has written and it is out of the two books he has written by far the most descriptive.
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Book Description
For more than two decades, Clive Barker has twisted the worlds of horrific and surrealistic fiction into a terrifying, transcendent genre all his own. With skillful prose, he enthralls even as he horrifies; with uncanny insight, he disturbs as profoundly as he reveals. Evoking revulsion and admiration, anticipation and dread, Barker's works explore the darkest contradictions of the human condition: our fear of life and our dreams of death.

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Customer Reviews (26)

Not worth the $15 retail
It seems that many of the reviews praising this book are written by die-hard Clive Barker fans urging everyone "if you like Barker, read this book". Well, this is my first novel by Barker, and I have mixed feelings about the book. First of all, I bought this book off the shelf and paid retail for it, and only because it passed the first-page test. I think it is the height of arrogance for publishers to market novels based solely on editorial reviews with NO description of the plot on the back cover (as if readers should trust in the author's name that the story will be good). Any well-read person knows that even great authors sometimes write duds. I'm not saying Cabal is a dud, but it is deceiving given that only the first 195 pages of a 358-page book are devoted to the actual story. The latter half of the book is a series of short stories that have no connection to or similarity with the novel itself (other than the horror element).

The writing (to begin with) was fast-paced and vivid, but the pacing felt rushed (understandably so after I discovered how short the novel was). While the characters are vivid they are not well-developed. For example: we never learn what it is about Boone that inspires such devotion in Lori. We learn almost nothing of Boone other than that he is suffering from an unnamed mental psychosis. Decker is the Jeckyll & Hyde bad guy trying to convince Boone that he is guilty of murdering 11 people. We get the story from each of their perspectives: first Boone, then Lori, then Decker and minor characters near the end (a stereotypical southern sheriff: "For Eigerman bright ideas and excretion were inextricably linked").

My biggest two problems with the book (and why I took off 2 stars) are: (1) I don't think Barker pens believable female characters, and (2) the crude writing style when it comes to sexual content(which is a noticable departure from the almost lyrical writing style of the rest of the book). If Barker had been crude throughout, I wouldn't have been bothered so much by the unjustified use of crudity. The pointless scene in the motel room with Lori masturbating is gratuitous and serves absolutely no purpose to the story other than a Hustler-style confessional. Considering how short the story is, I would think the pages devoted to this voyeurism would be better served furthering the plot. Women don't use the c-word when describing themselves naked. That is a man's idea of how women think. I notice no men in the story masturbating or staring at themselves naked in the mirror.

The scene with Lori and traveling companion Sheryl arriving to a burned-out warehouse in a bad neighborhood at night reads like a like a bad B-movie where the girl in lingerie walks out to see if there's anyone hiding in the dark. The women arrive to the address given them by Sheryl's new boyfriend where they are supposed to meet for dinner. Lori (understanably) thinks to herself what kind of sicko would play such a practical joke as Shyrl enters the fire-trap. She hears Sheryl laugh from inside and, what does she do, goes ahead and FOLLOWS SHERYL INTO THE BUILDING! No woman would ever do this, and especially not for such a dumb reason "suspecting now [Sheryl's] compliance in this fiasco, Lori stepped through the door in search of the tricksters." This would have been more believable if Lori had entered the building because she was afraid to linger by herself on the street.

The plot was engaging up to the point of the Nightbreed, and then there were too many cuts to different characters' points of view. We got more than enough of maniac Decker's cartoonish evil thoughts as the Mask. I skimmed the latter half of the story around the time of the sheriff's introduction. At that point, I didn't have the patience to read through yet another cliched character's thoughts merely to find out whether Boone triumphs from the dead and Decker gets his in the end.

Bottom line: if you have to read it, borrow it or get it from the library. Don't pay full price -- or even amazon price. $10 is too much for this short novel.

Not Free SF Reader
Man is monster, fitting in at home perhaps fatal.

A young bloke has the odd weird dream and experience, and decides to go on a trip.He discovers that all is not what it seems, especially him.It seems he is one of the prettier variety of an underground group of non-humans monsters, oddities and supernatural types called the Nightbreed, and acceptance is not automatic.Horror novel, so got to be some mayhem here and there.

why haven't you already read this book?
Early Barker, stunning, beautiful, horrifying, terrifying, heartbreaking.All the things we love Clive for.If you haven't already read this book, why the heck not?If you have, read it again.And again.

Horror's New Breed
Horror had run its course in the 90s when Silence of the Lawbs won an Oscar. Or did it? Clive Barker became the future of horror, these cheap paperback novels where you could see the pulp it was printed on. This contains the basis for the film Nightbreed; it was an international flop! Still had enough of a following to be known amongst movie and dark culture afficienados. However, while he may have been the latest in a long line of kings of horror in his late 1980s through the late 90s in his prime, with Clive Barker still around it seems society hasn't changed and some of us such as myself are even going backwards possibly, stuck in the late 80s- early 90s with our comic book menace, Vampirethe Masquerade role playing game, GURPS, LARP, etc. But it is still good to see someone so innovative for his time as to think of entirely original ideas like the Hellraiser franchise. Clive Barker has some originality- most cheerleaders need to get some fresh concepts, still stuck in the boring high school society that we got into this dark fantasy culture in the first place- out of rebellion.

Good
A young man named Boone, who is suffering from an unspecified mental illness. Although this is not serious enough to institutionalize him, he is nonetheless seeing a psychiatrist named Decker.

To his horror, Boone is informed by Decker during one session that he, Boone, is responsible for the brutal mutilation murders of eleven people that have terrorized the city recently. Boone is informed that he does not recall these horrors because his mind has blanked them out of his consciousness. Before he loses all hope, Boone begins to believe salvation may lie in a place called Midian, a semi-mythical city that offers sanctuary to monsters -- both the human kind and otherwise. He hurridly sets off to seek Midian without realizing the full truth of the insidious events that lead him to such a decision
A very exciting read,I would definitely recommend it...enjoy...Nigel.
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Customer Reviews (1)

An actually frightening one
This collection of short weird stories is one of my favorite books. It is the first Clive Barker's book I read and since then I am a Clive Barker fan. All the stories have a witty plot, which catches you by the neck anddoesn`t release you until you read the very last word. The atmospherecreated in each of the stories is so mysterious, like a living nightmare.The characters are excellently psychologically depicted. It is reallyaddicting, I couldn`t stop reading, - so, if you are having your exams, Idon`t recommend it to you! But if you have read other books by the sameauthor and have liked them, or if you simply like horror stories, youshouldn't let this go. ... Read more

Book Description
Mr. Hood's Holiday House has stood for a thousand years, welcoming countless children into its embrace. It is a place of miracles, a blissful round of treats and seasons, where every childhood whim may be satisfied...

There is a price to be paid, of course, but young Harvey Swick, bored with his life and beguiled by Mr. Hood's wonders, does not stop to consider the consequences. It is only when the house shows its darker facewhen Harvey discovers the pitiful creatures that dwell in its shadowsthat he comes to doubt Mr. Hood's philanthropy.

The House and its mysterious architect are not about to release their captive without a battle, however. Mr. Hood has ambitions for his new guest, for Harvey's soul burns brighter than any soul he has encountered in a thousand years... ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

An imaginative, scary tale.
My son and I read this book together. He was a pre-teen at the time, and I'm glad I was there so we could talk about some of the disturbing things that happened. In spite of the frightening events, we both enjoyed the book and the time we spent together reading it. This book is not for every pre-teen, though. If your younger child reads it, you'll probably want to be there, too.

good book
nice light read, enjoyable, imaginative, not too serious, enjoyable by children but intelligent enough for adults, dark and sinister and yet still has a happy side to it, me likey. wont take you very long to get through.

The Best Book Ever!
The Thief of Always is a exciting, fun book that keeps you want to keep on reading. A little scary but addicting. The expression bored to death, which was created by Zeus when Hermes told everlasting jokes to a monster, just means your bored for a couple minutes and then you find something to do, but to this boy he is literally bored to death and is taken to a holiday house, a kid's dream! Then things begin to change......if you want to find out what happens I suggest you read the book, The Thief of Always!

A return to the classics
This is an incredable story that flows seemlessly from first to last page.It has all the elements of a classic Grim Fairy Tail and some of the best Gothic drawings I've every seen.The charecters are so real that you end up feeling for all of them, and the discription of Mr Hood as a vampire of the soul could not have been more accurate.Not quite one to read to the kids but it's definatly one to read when the kids are asleep.

the holiday house
this book was the best book that i had ever read.
although ive probably only read about a minimum of 10 novels in my life this book was the best. Also, the audio cassette version rocks your mom. if you ever listen to an audio book I'd recommend this one. ... Read more

Book Description
Barker's work reads like a cross between Stephen King and South American novelist Gabriel Garcia Marquez. He creates a world where our biggest fears appear to be our own dreams. 'Boston HeraldAs rich as the Rockefellers, as glamorous as the Kennedys, the Geary dynasty has held subtle sway over American life since the end of the Civil War. But they are a family with secrets. Dark, terrible secrets about the roots of their influence, which the Gearys have successfully concealed over the generations. Little do the Gearys understand that their world is about to shatter when an innocent young woman enters their glittering fold. Rachel Pallenberg never dreamed she'd ever meet'much less marry'the most eligible bachelor in America, Mitchell Geary. Swept off her feet, Rachel falls madly in love, lost in a romantic dream that ends with their wedding day. But Rachel is not prepared for the nightmare she faces when she begins to uncover the secret life of the Geary clan. For the Gearys are a family at war. And their adversaries are the members of another dynasty'the Barbarossa family, whose origins lie not in history but in myth, a family whose influence is felt not in Washington or on Wall Street but in the intense, sensual exchanges of flesh and soul. When the prodigal prince of the Barbarossa clan, Galilee, meets Rachel, they fall in love'an all-encompassing passion that unleashes the long-simmering enmity between the families. Old insanities arise, old adulteries are uncovered, and what seemed to be a great American success story begins to erode, exposing its unholy roots. . . . Galilee is an epic from a master storyteller at the peak of his creative career, mingling powerful realism with the eroticism, magic and grand metaphysical visions for which Barker is known worldwide.Download Description
"Rich and powerful, the Geary dynasty has reigned over American society for decades. But it is a family with dark, terrible secrets. For the Gearys are a family at war. And their adversaries are the Barbarossas, a clan whose timeless origins lie in myth, whose mystical influence is felt in the intense, sensual exchanges of flesh and soul. Now, their battle is about to escalate... When Galilee, prodigal prince of the Barbarossa clan, meets Rachel, young bride of the Gearys' own scion Mitchell, they fall in love, consumed by a passion that unleashes long-simmering hatreds. Old insanities arise, old adulteries are uncovered, and a seemingly invincible family will begin to wither, exposing its unholy roots... " ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Wonderfuly written tale
Love conquers all in this fascinating tale of two families at war. I was transfixed from page one, always wondering what would happen next, and trying to figure out the riddle of it all. From the Barbosssa house setback among the hills of North Carolina, a man sits down to write a familyhistory. It turns out to be a tale of love and hatred between clans- one apowerful American family(aka the Kennedys), and the other a phsycic,magical, sometimes evil family that has been around since the dawn of time.The two could not exist without each other, but yet one yearns for thedestruction of the other. A lovely girl from Ohio is swept off her feet andfinds herself emersed in the battle between a man's heart and his soul. Ithought this book was brilliantly written as well as a great story. ... Read more

Book Description
It takes more than skill to finish off the undead.

Set in 1920s Ireland, rife with plague and death, Clive Barker's Undying has players take up the character of Patrick Galloway, WWI veteran and war buddy of an unfortunate bloke named Jeremiah. Jeremiah's undead family puts the "fun" in dysfunctional and Patrick has the "power" to help ole' Jer out. Clive Barker's Undying: Prima's Official Strategy Guide offers all the mystical juice you'll need to banish the undead hell-spawn, including:

• Tactics for using all weapons and items
• Intense walkthroughs for each area
• Combat strategies
• Spell-casting tips
• Helpful details on all enemies ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Clive Barker's: UndyingStrategy Guide
The guide completly describes all levels, secrets, fighting tactics and of course, the walktrough. If you really want to get the most out of the game, I sugest that you get the book fast. ... Read more

Book Description
Comics' greatest talent unleashed on Barker's horrifying world of warring order and chaos. The third Hellraiser collection features over 320 pages (14 stories) in jaw-dropping full color, including the complete poster art galleries from the original publications. Stories include: "In These Blue Depths Lie Hell" by Lurene Haines & Ray Lago; "The Sweet Science" by Erik Saltzgaber, Mike Zeck, and Phil Zimelman; "Later" by C.J. Henderson, Vincent Cecolini, and Colleen Doran; "Lingerings" by James Robert Smith & Jamie Tolagson, "Firetrap" by James Robert Smith & Mike Hoffman; "Birth Rite"; "Angels to Some, Demons to Others" by John Bolton; "Closets" by Matrix co-creator Larry Wachowski and Miran Kim; "Under the Knife"; "I in the Pyramid";"Glitter and Go" by Ron Wolfe & Dan Spiegle; "The Tontine" by Scott Hampton & John Van Fleet; and "To Prepare a Face" by Jan Strnad & Mark Chiarello. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Good, but nothing like the original
The third collection of Hellraiser comics has, as always, Clive Barker's name in its title, but Barker himself hasn't contributed with any of the scripts. His only contribution is a short preface, where he expresses his great pride in having created the short story The Hellbound Heart which over the years has grown into a life of its own and gained millions of fans all over the world. In 2006 The Scarlet Letters will be published - Barker's return to the world of Hellraiser - and fans of Pinhead are already trembling in anticipation.

But until then, fans will have to do with whatever is available right now, and the comics will disappoint few if any or the real fans. None of the stories are of the quality of Barker's own stories, but it's not far from it, and in most cases the stories are as well-written as the drawings are beautiful. But not only that; in between every story the reader is treated with a little gallery of Hellraiser-based art, and these pieces are indeed a must for any fan of macabre art.

The story named "The Tontine" is by far the most interesting story in the collection, with its creepy storyline and amazingly dramatic drawings. The great thing about high-quality comics is that the reader happily returns again and again to re-read them and find new things to marvel of, and the Hellraiser collections are definitely worth reading if one appreciates classical horror. It's a fact that none of the stories are as good as The Hellbound Heart, but still, the collection is worth reading and can be highly recommended.

Good, but nothing like the original
The third collection of Hellraiser comics has, as always, Clive Barker's name in its title, but Barker himself hasn't contributed with any of the scripts. His only contribution is a short preface, where he expresses his great pride in having created the short story The Hellbound Heart which over the years has grown into a life of