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4.09 AVERAGE
4.09 AVERAGE
“Every body is a book of blood;
Wherever we’re opened, we’re red.”
Collecting the first three volumes of Clive Barker’s ‘Books Of Blood’ into a single paperback, this is a masterclass of horror writing. The short stories contained within range from disturbingly atmospheric and darkly humorous to sickeningly depraved and overwhelmingly gory. Legendary for pushing boundaries in the 80’s, this is a collection that remains frighteningly visceral by modern standards and continues to push boundaries.
Highlights for me include ‘The Midnight Meat Train’, ‘The Yattering And Jack’, ‘Jacqueline Ess: Her Will And Testament’, ‘The Skins Of The Fathers’ and ‘Rawhead Rex’.
Wherever we’re opened, we’re red.”
Collecting the first three volumes of Clive Barker’s ‘Books Of Blood’ into a single paperback, this is a masterclass of horror writing. The short stories contained within range from disturbingly atmospheric and darkly humorous to sickeningly depraved and overwhelmingly gory. Legendary for pushing boundaries in the 80’s, this is a collection that remains frighteningly visceral by modern standards and continues to push boundaries.
Highlights for me include ‘The Midnight Meat Train’, ‘The Yattering And Jack’, ‘Jacqueline Ess: Her Will And Testament’, ‘The Skins Of The Fathers’ and ‘Rawhead Rex’.
challenging
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Solo había leído dos libros de Clive Barker, así que tenía mucha curiosidad sobre el resto de su obra.
Estos cuentos son bastante diferentes a Hellbound Heart pero no conozco tanto su obra como para juzgar más allá de eso. Me agradó que son variados, las premisas interesantes y bien desarrolladas para ser trabajos tan tempranos.
Además siento que intento buscar ideas interesantes sin copiar deliberadamente las ideas de otros autores de terror famosos.
El horror presentado en este libro es corporal y explícito pero creo que muchas veces logra trascender la línea de lo simplemente repulsivo gracias a buenos personajes y finales sólidos. Se aprecia un buen desentido del humor que da matices diferentes a algunas de las historias.
Estos cuentos son bastante diferentes a Hellbound Heart pero no conozco tanto su obra como para juzgar más allá de eso. Me agradó que son variados, las premisas interesantes y bien desarrolladas para ser trabajos tan tempranos.
Además siento que intento buscar ideas interesantes sin copiar deliberadamente las ideas de otros autores de terror famosos.
El horror presentado en este libro es corporal y explícito pero creo que muchas veces logra trascender la línea de lo simplemente repulsivo gracias a buenos personajes y finales sólidos. Se aprecia un buen desentido del humor que da matices diferentes a algunas de las historias.
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Absolutely amazing
dark
spooky and simultaneously perfect/the worst for reading late at night alone before bed
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Volume 1- 3stars
Volume 2- 4 stars
Volume3- 4 stars
I definitely think that Barker has a tendency to over explain. There were many stories that I would have liked more if a little mystery was left for the reader to think about. Barker's need to wrap everything up nicely often pushed the story over into ridiculous territory because the explanation was absurd. Overall, I enjoyed most of these short stories (especially in volumes 2 &3), and am glad I read them.
Volume 2- 4 stars
Volume3- 4 stars
I definitely think that Barker has a tendency to over explain. There were many stories that I would have liked more if a little mystery was left for the reader to think about. Barker's need to wrap everything up nicely often pushed the story over into ridiculous territory because the explanation was absurd. Overall, I enjoyed most of these short stories (especially in volumes 2 &3), and am glad I read them.
A great collection of short stories by one of my favourite horror authors. There's some intriguing ideas contained within the pages of this book, most riddled with gore. Some of his descriptions can truly turn the stomach. I can't rate this higher, though, as I was distracted from reading this and I guess if it deserved a higher rating then that couldn't have happened. Still recommend this.