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4.08 AVERAGE
4.08 AVERAGE
Clive Barker is endlessly creative and some of these stories are undoubtedly top tier, but overall it’s more inconsistent than I was hoping it would be. The comedic stories especially just don’t do anything for me. When he really hits on something though, it’s some of the best shit in all of horror literature. This book also includes a homoerotic piss baptism so that automatically bumps it up in my estimation.
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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
Clive Barker sure knows how to make my skin crawl. Would I recommend his Books of Blood to anyone? Absolutely not. But if you're willing to ignore a few outdated, provocative clichés, you're in for a good horror ride. From the weird cosmic terror of In the Hills, the Cities to the anguish of Dread, Barker's Books of Blood definitely got some memorable gems that are going to get stuck in my head for a while.
dark
fast-paced
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I thought I would love this but honestly while some of the stories were good I was mostly annoyed. Some were banal and others then had this moment of describing other races or fat people as if the scary thing was their existence which may have been the point somehow but if so it flew over my head because it felt awkward and offensive. Intead being able to feel the tension in the story I just felt annoyed and it made the remaining storyline often feel silly. That said I still did really enjoy some of the stories. I would reccommend it to horror fans and while Ill never buy a book I will definitely be getting them from my local library.
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
DNF
I read the first 3 short stories and just didn’t want to read anymore. Maybe I’m not a short story type of person? I didn’t find any of them scary or thrilling or disturbing, honestly was bored reading them.
I read the first 3 short stories and just didn’t want to read anymore. Maybe I’m not a short story type of person? I didn’t find any of them scary or thrilling or disturbing, honestly was bored reading them.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark