Hey bookworms and members of all communal religious orders! I am very excited to finally step inside the mind of Mr. Clive Barker. Have a favorite? Drop it in the comments below.
Clive Barker is one of the best authors. Books of blood is definitely something you should read. I really enjoy all the stories. You also need to read Cold Canyon about Hollywood ghost. Great video 👍🏼
the damnation game As it was his 1st novel after the books of blood is still worth reading...The yattering and jack is one of my favourite short stories ,plus The Thief of Always,and although it's classed as a child's story it's beautifully told and still managed to make this old fart drop a tear at the end...
I wouldn’t call Clive Barker the British Stephen King. He’s a different beast altogether. However, if you want to try who I believe should carry that staple give James Herbert a go. Classic British horror 👍🏻🇬🇧
I think of Clive Barker as more of a Lovecraftian sort of writer more than Stephen's King's Americana style of horror myself. I adore both of these writers, but Clive Barker is far edgier. Dean Koontz is like the diet coca cola of the two writers. I like Koontz's sentence structure and style, but his style is far more tame than these two authors.
@@turtleanton6539 They're the hardback original Abarat books with text and paintings together throughout. I don't think the paperback editions included any of the artwork
@@ottohoulihan2743 no,I think it was only the hardback versions that had the art work,it added to the weight of the books massively... eBay is the best bet for anyone looking for them now..
I completely forgot that Barker is the mind behind Hellraiser. Those movies were mind numbingly disturbing. I really enjoyed Books of Blood as well. I thought it was well put together
Hey Mike, I love those intros, especially for these fright feast videos! Please keep doing Fright Feast next year! I'm a massive horror fan too & absolutely love seeing these, keep em coming!
Great video. Seeing Clive get some love is joy to my ears. Books of Blood is definitely the place to start. And yes, they are horror tales. In fact, King's famous quote regarding Barker occurred as a result of the publication of the Books. His next work was The Damnation Game, his first novel which is purely horror. Definitely the place to go next. Weaveworld is his second novel and here is where he started to delve into works that were a combination of fantasy and horror. The Books of the Art lean more towards horror due to the Lovecraftian elements but they have some fantasy elements as well. Imajica, which is his masterpiece in my opinion, should not be read too soon if you wish to experience more of Clive's horror because it too is a blend of fantasy and horror, although, damn, the only way to describe it that it is the sickest, most demented, poignant, beautiful book I have ever read. His YA series, Abarat, you would love due to the fact it is an excellent YA series with that gorgeous writing and is chock full of that Clive Barker art you love. This is YA done right. His children's tale, The Thief of Always, is also excellent. Thief is definitely a horror tale, whereas Abarat is fantasy/horror. In terms of his movies, the theatrical cuts of Nightbreed and Last Illusion should be avoided: the director's cuts of each are far superior. The studio tried to make a slasher film out of Nightbreed, when it is not a slasher tale, and Last Illusion is a horror/noir story involving a character of Clive's that pops up in a number of his stories, a detective of the supernatural named Harry D'Amour. Great stuff.
After growing up a Koontz fan and later on becoming a King fan, I still never understand the comparison. Even when I was a fan it was obvious that Koontz's characters were so paper thin. His stories were all about the complicated contrived plots with the sometimes crazy descriptive atmosphere. I do think Koontz has his strengths, but still would never consider him horrible and never consider him even close to King.
The Damnation Game is his purest "horror" Novel. Clive Barker took Faust, and added Nazis, Necromancy, and beautiful prose while being gore galore. Definitely a few scenes that'll stick with you, and it reads like literary horror. You won't be disappointed
You're right he has beautifully lyrical writing. I haven't read Weaveworld yet. It's on "the list". I've read several of his Books of Blood, Hellbound Heart, Damnation Game, Thief of always, and the first volume of Imajica
I'm right there with ya, man. I have no other reason for not reading Clive Barker but the fact I simply haven't gotten around to it yet. But I own Weaveworld and Hellbound Heart, looking also to get Books of Blood and Imagica. I'm definitely down to try his stuff, and it's great to see you enjoyed your first foray
Just read Books of Blood Vol 1 -3 and was very impressed. Most of the stories were good to great, with a few being exceptional. Lots of horror to be found within, and perfect for spooky season! The standouts: Dread, The Midnight Meat Train, Rawhead Rex and In The Hills, The Cities.
The only Clive Barker movies that represent him well are Hellraiser (1 and 2) and Midnight Meat Train. The rest failed a little or a lot. His novels are really dark fantasy (very dark in places). My favorites are Weaveworld and The Great and Secret Show. The Books of Blood are pure horror though. Some are light-hearted horror (The Yattering and Jack, for example) but some are absolutely brutal.
@@mikesbookreviews I had read the first book but I didn't even realize it was YA until I went to the store to get the second and was led to the kid's section - did a double take wondering how appropreite that was as they got pretty damn horrifying - but the right sort of kids can handle that, and more power to them when they find out. Great fantasy setting Abarat; an Archipelego, each Island abstracting every hour of the day - and then a 25th.
Very nice intro. This little narration helps to separate you from the rest of the Booktube community. I really liked A Great And Secret Show, I'd be interested in what you think of it. Also, since you mentioned Dean Koontz and comparing him to Stephen King, what do you think about the theory that Stephen King stole the idea for IT after reading Dean Koontz's novel Phantoms? I think that would be an interesting topic to talk about it.
The Books of Blood, In the Flesh, The Inhuman Condition, The Hellbound Heart and Cabal are each a must-read for any horror fan. The stories in these collections are either short or novella in length; many of which are my favorite horror tales. After these publications Clive delved more into dark fantasy novels, and while they were lyrical in prose, they just didn't really do it for me. With that said, Barker's earlier works are to this day brilliant enough to keep me coming back for rereads. 'He has such sights to show you.'
The Great and Secret Show was one of my all time favorite books in my early teens. I kept checking to see if it is on Kindle but it never it was... until today. It and the sequel to it, that I had not read, is on there for like $14 for both. I grabbed them. Barker was my King just because I felt like he was a bit edgier.
I am also dipping my toes into the Barker-verse. I've only read his short story 'Human Remains' so far, but I really want to read 'Cabal'. Love the shirt also, by the way.
Another author I need to check out. I have seen Hellraiser, and was a bit disturbed.....and fascinated by it. I was curious abou his books after that, but simply never got around to reading them. Thanks for sharing this :)
I've read Abarat and one of its sequels. All the art in it is done by Clive Barker himself. They're literally some of the heaviest books I own. So interesting though. I think it's supposed to be young adult. It's been many years since I read it.
Clive Barker's most brutal and horrifying novel is The Damnation Game. this book elevated Clive Barker to my top two favorite authors. Absolutely brilliant. I would highly recommend this one. I loved Imajica, but if you are looking for horror than Imajica would be the exact wrong place to start. That book leans far more into fantasy than Weaveworld. It is a wonderful book, but it is one of his furthest from horror.
Imajica is also more.on the fantasy side. Domination Game is more horror-ry. Depending on which edition Cabal is the story Nightbreed was based on but also includes The Last Illusion and some other short stories. Thief of Always is more creepy than horror. Kind of like the movie The Changeling which I enjoyed very much. Great now more books to add to my list if I can find where I packed them. I really think you will enjoy Books of Blood and recognize several of the stories. Rawhead Rex, which I have not seen the movie, but I highly Recommend Midnight Meat Train which probably is the closest movie adaptation and is definitely horror. On a side note would have loved Garek on DS9 at some point say "it's Uncle Frank".
Barker is more dark fantasy than 'classic' horror. I personally like his books more than King's. Another great one for dark fantasy/urban fantasy is China Mieville. Clark Ashton Smith is good too...And a contemporary of HP Lovecraft.
There’s also a 2001 horror themed FPS called “Undying” (technically “Clive Barker’s Undying), that he was hired to write the whole story & background lore for. While most of the backstory is told through optional journals & hidden sequences, both them & the overall presentation Oozes Barker’s touch & is very well written for a 2001 game . The man himself even voices one of the game’s main villains ( the 2nd boss to be exact). I feel like if you rework & tweak some stuff; maybe restore some cut content, etc., - it’d find a new cult following fairly well.
I highly recommend Coldheart Canyon Mike - just like you my fave author is Stephen King, & I couldn't get on with Dean Koontz. My intro into Clive Barker was Coldheart Canyon & I've just started re-reading it as a "break" from King - I've started reading King in order of publication, even though I've already read about 20 of his novels! Some I read young though & I think I'd understand/relate to them more now ad an adult with kids - I also recommend James Herbert. Can't you tell I'm English 😆 I love watching you're reviews, keep up the good work. All the best from across the pond.
My mom has been trying to get me to read Imajica for years now and I just started the other day. Its gonna be a tough read for sure but I'm hopeful it will blow my mind or something halfway through.
I don't think you will be disappointed reading any Clive Barker but if you are seeking horror I think you will be left wanting. Even the Books of Blood are not what I would consider horror in the normal sense.
A lot of his books in my opinion veer toward dark fantasy with horror elements but some of his earlier work was definitely horror. I think the very first Clive Barker novella I read was The Inhuman Condition back in the mid-80's. It's very possible I read the Books of Blood first from a local library. Regardless, I've been a fan ever since and have most of his books. I even have the collection of comics focused on the rivalry between the Cenobites and Nightbreed, a battle between order and chaos (not good and evil) but I don't recall how much he had to do with that series. Also, I think it best to read Clive Barker's books in the order in which they were released since he also has a lot of interweaving and shared world / universe content.
Imagica is not horror either but it's brilliant, and my favorite. Likewise, the Books of the Art are fantasy. Abarat is more fantasy, classified as young adult and my second favorite work from Barker. So, basically more than half his work, imo, falls into the surreal fantasy/dark fantasy genre rather than horror. Clive's prose is very complex, also his worlds are incredibly detailed and rich. "Speculative, Imaginative, reality reconfiguration" - To describe Clive's prose using his own words.
Hey Mike I know everyone is throwing Clive Barker books at you. I haven't seen anyone recommend "The Great And Secret Show". I would compare it to The Stand if I was going to compare it to a King book. Imajica is good but it's definitely fantasy and has some really good characters.
I love Clive Barker one of my favorite authors but I don't think he cleanly fits the horror author mold. He has such a beautifully twisted imagination and a way with words that hooks me every time. I consider most of his more popular novels more as fantasy with strong horror elements rather than horror. For horror I'd lean more towards Books of Blood but still feel you will come away with a not true horror feeling.
Well made video! To be honest, I’m getting a little burned out by King (not a bad thing, still plan on reading more from him). I feel like I need to explore horror more. I had no idea who the hell barker was until horror fest from mike was made and it caught my attention. Mike, anybody, please let me know if there are any other horror writers that I could jump into (note; besides the ones mentioned throughout horror fest). Think a little out of the box. International counts too. I’m looking for my next horror fix.
I’m a huge Stephen King fan and have never read Clive Barker. After watching this I’m going to have to pick one of his books up sometime, he sounds very interesting. Does anyone have any recommendations for his books?
Abarat 1 and the thief of always are two of my faves, along with books of blood, the great and secret show, weaveworld, imajica, everville, sacrament, cabal to name a few more.
Dean Koontz is the more commercial version of Stephen King imho. To me he is hit or miss. Peter Straub the more literary version of Stephen King. The British Stephen King is probably James Herbert. Clive Barker is the Steven Erikson to Stephen King's Robert Jordan. Or very scary Neil Gaiman. If you want Horror novel by Barker, look up The Damnation Game. Maybe Coldheart Canyon and Great and Secret Show too, it is halfway between horror and Weaveworld. His Books of Blood are must reads.
@@mikesbookreviews he is very solid and has variety in his novels, from splatter to Gothic horror. Don't expect to be blown away though, he is on a different league to King
Barkers novels all have great ideas and some fantastic segments but the plot and pacing are uneven. Coldheart Canyon and Galilee I struggled to stay invested in and most of the others could do with a bit of editing. Sacrament was a difficult one as well. His writing style, atmosphere and characters carry me through generally. His Books of Blood though are some of the greatest short stories I’ve even read so he seems at his best with a tight focus to explore specific ideas.
The only book of his I've read was weave world. All I remember from it was that I didn't really like it. Oh and I've read a bunch of Koontz. Very formula, Not even playing in the same league as King.
I just DNF weaveworld. It was a hard decision for me because I loved it. But I hit 50% and felt the book started boring me. The over sexualizing of everything also bothered me. At radon bits he would just throw In. How full a characters testicles felt. It was an odd experience. The prose though was chefs kiss magnificent.
I see you still haven't done a books of blood review...please give Clive Barker a chance. Unfortunately he's suffered health issues due to health care negligence and isn't able to write like he used to. But personally, I believe he wrote some of the greatest horror of all time that cannot be matched in his prime.
Huge fan of Barker's, I'm so excited for you! Have fun, and let yourself be seduced 😁 It's the only way to truly enjoy his works, they're magical. Even the darkest of stuff.
The only exposure I've had to Clive Barker (outside of hellraiser), was a videogame he wrote. The game itself was awful but the story was fantastic and very creative.
Huge Clive Barker fan. I've read the Books of Blood many times. Definitely horror. I would say James Herbert (Rats) is more of a British Stephen King than Barker.
Not all of King's work is more than " Horror ", I wouldn't classify The Tower series as " Horror ", and the little book, " The girl who loved, ?( forgot name) about the baseball guy"
