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4.08 AVERAGE
4.08 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I loved this collection of stories. Absolutely loved them. They were gritty, raw, disturbing and at times comical. I enjoyed these stories much more than The Hellbound Heart, which was unfortunately the only piece of writing by Barker that I had read until now. I hope the rumors that these tales are to consecutively be made into films is not true. I find that these are the types of tales much better left to the imagination and have a much greater impact as they are.
This collection of short stories, were excellent, they were unique, whimsical and macabre, I loved it
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The stories can range pretty hard with most being pretty good with some being strange (and not in a good way) and some other being great. My favorites were: The Midnight Meat Train, Dread, The Skins of The Fathers, and most of Volume Three. With my absolute favorite being Rawhead Rex.
A bit of a premature review since I haven't finished the collection yet (I have three tales to go), but I think I've read enough to cast judgment. My main takeaway is that Barker has a deliriously immense imagination but his prose can be a little dry and static at its worst, but at its best it matches the tone of his imagery itself, zipping along with the frenetic and panicked pace of a feverish nightmare in stories like the opener and "Rawhead Rex". He also, like many of the male writers of his time, is *really fucking weird* about women - please for the love of god stop suspiciously bringing up rape every few pages - so that kind of hinders it a bit as well. Nonetheless, it's clear Barker is immensely skilled especially in the realms of horror fiction, and despite my earlier apprehensions I think at this point he's managed to sell me on his specific strand of macabre ethos.
I first read most of these short stories as a teenager in the 90s, and Clive Barker has been my favorite fiction author ever since. Over two decades later, I enjoyed the Books of Blood threefold more than when I first read them. Simply put, Barker is more inspiring and imaginative in one line than most authors are in an entire book. As far as horror and dark literature goes, there is no equal. His combination of creepy suspense, existential doom, physical gore, and paradoxes of human emotion (often all in one story) is undeniably powerful. Add to that his boundless imagination and precise imagery, and you have tales that prompt fear and provoke thought in ways that are simultaneously entertaining and enlightening. Revisiting Books of Blood was both nostalgic and invigorating for me, and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys dark fiction that goes way beyond the simple scares.
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
This is mainly a horror erotica type book. Lots of sex, masturbation, rape, etc. All of this is okay to read, I just wasn't mentally prepared to read about sex in every entry; I was expecting more horror than sex. Horror erotica is just not up my alley right now.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal death, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Gore, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Stalking, Murder, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail
DNF at page 43.
Does the description "full of depraved violence and sex" sound appealing to you? Do you like gore?
Clive Barker writes incredibly well. His descriptive powers are phenomenal. Everything he relates is emblazoned on your brain as clearly as though you were seeing it on film or even in reality. His concepts are clever and unique. My rating has nothing to do with his prowess as an author. That readily deserves a five.
However, my answer to the above questions is no. Gore bores me. It neither titillates nor frightens. "American Psycho"? Found it dull AF. This is not only gory but strangely full of dicks. I don't mind a penis; I quite like them, in fact. However, I need there to be a reason for a boner beyond salaciousness. I'm very practical about cock.
If your answer to the above questions is yes, you should read this, because it is very well written. It is also absolutely not my cup of tea**.
**In my case, it is my cup of tea. I hate tea. Tried to develop a taste for it for decades, and it never worked out.
Does the description "full of depraved violence and sex" sound appealing to you? Do you like gore?
Clive Barker writes incredibly well. His descriptive powers are phenomenal. Everything he relates is emblazoned on your brain as clearly as though you were seeing it on film or even in reality. His concepts are clever and unique. My rating has nothing to do with his prowess as an author. That readily deserves a five.
However, my answer to the above questions is no. Gore bores me. It neither titillates nor frightens. "American Psycho"? Found it dull AF. This is not only gory but strangely full of dicks. I don't mind a penis; I quite like them, in fact. However, I need there to be a reason for a boner beyond salaciousness. I'm very practical about cock.
If your answer to the above questions is yes, you should read this, because it is very well written. It is also absolutely not my cup of tea**.
**In my case, it is my cup of tea. I hate tea. Tried to develop a taste for it for decades, and it never worked out.