Welcome to the channel! I’m Baron and this is Your Brain on Books. Where we read, review, and collect novels of the dark variety. Happy reading my friends!
Such a beautiful review, you seem so kind and so so intelligent and well spoken! I am currently doing a lot of inner child healing, and found this book today at the bookshop, without really knowing what it is about, and I am about to start reading this book, this review is so special and beautiful in the way you presented it :) you have a new subscriber, and Im looking forward to listening to your other reviews, kind Regards Nina
Yup, I thought wolf of the calla was meh, it took me more time to read that book than all the other entries of the dark tower combined. It was just too slow, too long and the payoff was blink and youll miss it. I rarely find a sk book straight out boring and calla was definitely one of them. 600 pages of preparations, meetings, flashbacks.. for 30ish pages of action.
Hello! I just found you, and I hope you come back soon! I Looooooove Pillars. So much so, that I read it 3 times! The first time, in 8 days or so. I read about 120 pages a day. A year later, I read it again, because I had forgotten too much, and then, when a friend gave me World Without End (years later), I had to read it again beforehand, so again, remember the characters, plots, etc.. I then read WWE and loved it just as much! I'm looking forward to reading the other 3 in the series, and I'm glad people are saying that the others are just as good! I certainly hope you have not stopped reading! lol Please come back! ~Caroline
Gonna stop half way through your review and read this book. Thanks for putting it on my radar. I'm not sure why you've been away so long, but if you want book ideas, you could do a quick recommendation request post for your subscribers (me, me, me).
Baron...great review! Again your opinions and points are so many of mine...it's amazing. I read Perdido after a search for something comparable to the weirdness I loved from the Barker novels, Imajica and Weaveworld (cause wow!). While Mieville's tale didn't quite rise to his level, Perdido was very satisfying. The prose was often breathtaking, particularly Yagharek’s soliloquies. The world building was complex and aberrant, and the story was winding and wild. And the weird was permanently off the chain. I will say that I don’t recall feeling he was preaching politically, nor did New Crobuzon or its inhabitants strike me as allegory. It’s been many years since I read Perdido, but the images it invoked have stayed with me (the Khepri, the slake moths...OMG the Weaver). It’s on my short list of haunting books.
I had an idea of what I thought it was about before I read it. But now that I've read it I'm like oh ok so THIS is why Stephen King has sold millions of copies. Damn it's so much more than a "scary book." It's packed with so many levels of life experiences.
Baron! you still out there? I just found your site and subscribed based on your initial review of Imajica. Then I watched your top 10 favs and I discovered you were the only other person I knew who thought Imajica was the best thing ever. Hit me back if you're still active on here.
@@YourBrainonBooks That's good news! Besides our mutual love of Imajica, I was impressed with the scope of your list. I always tell people that the best books are those with stories that haunt me long after reading. I've read four from your list (Dune, Death's End, The Hobbit and Imajica), and all four took permanent residence in my mind. I'm drawn to solid recommendations out of my comfort zone. I look forward to hearing what you have to say. If you want some recommendations let me know. Three or four titles spring to mind.
I love this guy, because I know he loves this book as much as I do! It shows, but nothing compares to reading it for your self and the emotions it evokes. The search for the scourge, book 3 changed my life with the shift of the book. Then the dream season and the finally, oh the passion of it. Read this book or miss out on a great experience in life, up to you. It changed my life forever. Immaclotta what a character, who could have created such a woman? Don't know who I'm talking about? To bad, read it people. God, one fell swoop, whoooooo!
Yeah, this is shades of "To Kill a Mocking Bird", with that Lansdale signature style. Another of my favorites of his coming of age novels, is "A Fine Dark Line". Similar to "The Bottoms" but fast forward to 1950's east Texas. Definitely check it out if you liked "The Bottoms".
Baron, you say Neil Gaiman and Clive Barker were friends for a long time, maybe it’s just me, but I’ve never heard Neil Gaiman talk about Clive Barker in any interviews.😳🤷🏻♀️
I remember enjoying it 20 years ago but for a 1000 plus page book I remember very little of it. Most of his books have very memorable segments that stick with me but I’m drawing a blank (apart from a vague memory of them flying around but not sure why or where). Even his lesser works like Damnation Game still stick with me with some striking and disturbing imagery.
Late to the party.. but i have to say… after putting this book off for awhile… I was completely delighted with it!.. it was just beautiful man… completely blew me away!… my only “criticism “ was the density of the words… like it took me twice as long to read a page from this book than other books., it exhausted me to be honest.. i would have to take small breaks to just absorb what I had just read.. then dive back into it.. overall… an incredible achievement!… my hat off to Mr McAmmon… I have Swan Song sitting on my shelf at the moment… but I’m going to hold off for a little while…need to read some palette cleansers first and steely resolve to tackle Swan Song,, can’t wait… I’m sure it will be magical
Agreed -: most regular fantasy readers probably think Weaveworld doesn't quite fit the parameters of what a fantasy novel should be. I liked it, as well as The Damnation Game, Imajica, & the six volume Books of Blood very much. But other books by him, such as The Great & Secret Show, Sacrament, & Coldheart Canyon, were too worthy & mainstreamish for my tastes. Next on my TBR by Barker is Galilee - hoping it has more of the suspense & fantasy elements which Barker is so good at depicting.
Nitpick: The Dark Tower was around before Weaveworld was published. But it would be interesting to see where King might have been influenced, in the books that came out after it.
Having read Imajica years ago, I'm now reaquainting to it via audiobook format. This is definitely a worthwhile re-experience and I'm captured, again, by the prince of prose. Thanks for the experience, Clive Barker. And thank you for this review. A good summation. Well, back to the novel. Tally-ho!
I bought this book yesterday and I plan on reading it after I finish my current book, I’m a little worried I’ll get bored because of the size but hopefully not
The artistry of his in this amazing book I fell in love with it also but the drawing had me tossing my memories back to Stephen Gammell, illustrations in scary stories. Both unique artist
Barker is a decent wordsmith, however I often wish he were more succinct. I find that I would rather read his books than watch or hear them. This way, I can modulate the speed at which I enjoy them, and interact creatively. Hearing Weaveworld as an audio book irritated me to the point of stopping halfway.
I finished Imajica the other day and I'm still not sure if it's now my favourite book of all time or if I thought it was just very good. I definitely need a re-read to see if some of those things I didn't love the first time fall into place for me. I described the book to my partner as I was reading it like 'reading something that convinces you the author understands or perceives things on a level beyond us, like how birds can see colours we cannot even comprehend'.
This is my favorite book from Clive personally. Read it when I was 14. And at that time, certain themes kinda lined up with my emotions in such a crazy way. Was also my first book by him. Great review, gonna see if you have reviewed weaveworld, or imajica. He’s such a creative, also scary, author lol
Of all the Barker books I've read, Weaveworld is my favorite so far. Currently finishing Imajica and I am really really enjoying it, but it won't dethrone Weaveworld.
