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4.09 AVERAGE
4.09 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
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:
Yes
Usually short story collections are mixed bags. Not the Books of Blood. In these volumes (which are, incredibly, the first stuff the author published), Clive Barker hits you with banger after banger after banger.
The stories here are more than good. They are ambitious, inspired as hell, and full of imagery that gets seared into your mind. More often than not, they're also wildly original. There's nothing quite like reading "In the Hills, the Cities" for the first time, for example. Elsewhere, Barker riffs on established tropes or even specific classics ("New Murders in the Rue Morgue"), but he always creates a new, uniquely lurid experience for the reader.
Notoriously, body horror is a big thing in the Books of Blood (Barker's early work in general is considered fundamental in the splatterpunk genre). But Clive Barker's particular take on body horror (and all kinds of dark shit, really) is: Aren't these gross, abject horrors also… kind of sexy?
Yeah, sexuality is also a cornerstone of the Books of Blood. And I don't just mean that these stories are horny (some definitely are; see "Sex, Death and Starshine"). More importantly, they are very committed to queering shit up all the time, making you question the power sexuality has over our lives in Proper Society.
Finally, humor is yet another key element of these volumes. Some stories are written as straight up horror comedies – "Confessions of a (Pornographer's) Shroud" is my favorite of those – but generally even the most disturbing stuff is delivered in a detached style that suggests we're having fun here. In fact, a big part of what makes the Books of Blood so great to me is that they're genuinely brilliant but don't take themselves too seriously. You could argue that there's an almost satirical tone in the entire collection, especially given how amenable these stories are to allegorical readings.
It's very difficult to pick favorites in a collection this good. I will say that I thought Vol. 1 has the biggest instant classic vibes, featuring some pretty perfect horror stories like "The Midnight Meat Train" and "Pig Blood Blues" (not to mention "In the Hills…"). Vol. 2 was my least favorite but it's still unforgettable, with highlights like "Jaqueline Ess…" and "The Skins of the Fathers". And I found Vol. 3 to be the wildest of this first batch (there's 6 volumes in total). I cannot even begin to unpack the opener "Son of Celluloid", and Barker is firing all cylinders from there until the closer "Human Remains", one of the most profound horror stories I've ever read.
TL;DR: Clive Barker's Books of Blood are one-of-a-kind, rich weird texts. True horror classics you can read and reread. Try one volume, try multiple at a time, it doesn't matter, just try them. They will do things to your brain
The stories here are more than good. They are ambitious, inspired as hell, and full of imagery that gets seared into your mind. More often than not, they're also wildly original. There's nothing quite like reading "In the Hills, the Cities" for the first time, for example. Elsewhere, Barker riffs on established tropes or even specific classics ("New Murders in the Rue Morgue"), but he always creates a new, uniquely lurid experience for the reader.
Notoriously, body horror is a big thing in the Books of Blood (Barker's early work in general is considered fundamental in the splatterpunk genre). But Clive Barker's particular take on body horror (and all kinds of dark shit, really) is: Aren't these gross, abject horrors also… kind of sexy?
Yeah, sexuality is also a cornerstone of the Books of Blood. And I don't just mean that these stories are horny (some definitely are; see "Sex, Death and Starshine"). More importantly, they are very committed to queering shit up all the time, making you question the power sexuality has over our lives in Proper Society.
Finally, humor is yet another key element of these volumes. Some stories are written as straight up horror comedies – "Confessions of a (Pornographer's) Shroud" is my favorite of those – but generally even the most disturbing stuff is delivered in a detached style that suggests we're having fun here. In fact, a big part of what makes the Books of Blood so great to me is that they're genuinely brilliant but don't take themselves too seriously. You could argue that there's an almost satirical tone in the entire collection, especially given how amenable these stories are to allegorical readings.
It's very difficult to pick favorites in a collection this good. I will say that I thought Vol. 1 has the biggest instant classic vibes, featuring some pretty perfect horror stories like "The Midnight Meat Train" and "Pig Blood Blues" (not to mention "In the Hills…"). Vol. 2 was my least favorite but it's still unforgettable, with highlights like "Jaqueline Ess…" and "The Skins of the Fathers". And I found Vol. 3 to be the wildest of this first batch (there's 6 volumes in total). I cannot even begin to unpack the opener "Son of Celluloid", and Barker is firing all cylinders from there until the closer "Human Remains", one of the most profound horror stories I've ever read.
TL;DR: Clive Barker's Books of Blood are one-of-a-kind, rich weird texts. True horror classics you can read and reread. Try one volume, try multiple at a time, it doesn't matter, just try them. They will do things to your brain
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
There is no better way to delve into Clive Barker's twisted mind than by reading his BOOKS OF BLOOD anthology: a collection of short stories that range from the darkly funny to the macabre and morose. His fascination for physical pain, immortality, the afterlife, and sexuality are in full force here.
My personal favorite stories are IN THE HILLS THE CITIES, DREAD, THE SKINS OF THE FATHERS, and SON OF CELLULOID. There is something for everyone here, and the graphic descriptions and an unashamedly queer elements are but the cherry on top.
My personal favorite stories are IN THE HILLS THE CITIES, DREAD, THE SKINS OF THE FATHERS, and SON OF CELLULOID. There is something for everyone here, and the graphic descriptions and an unashamedly queer elements are but the cherry on top.
challenging
dark
medium-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:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Definitely wavered between 3 and 4 stars for this one. Some of the stories were fantastic and lived up to the reputation that Barker and the collection itself has built up over the year. Those were generally weird, inventive, well written, the whole shebang. Others were well written and all, but for whatever reason didn't hold my attention (hence the 18ish days it took me to finish the book). If it had been more evenly the fantastic stories, I'd be rushing out to pick up the Books of Blood 4-6 collection, but as it is...as it is, I'll wait. Good imagination, uneven execution.
dark
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:
Yes
Fucking foul. I loved it!
I've always had an insecurity that the stories I write are too bloody and disgusting for other people, so reading these tales of blood and cum and vomit and shit and piss was cathartic and a needed shift of perspective. I think Barker has to be one of my favorite authors now. Even when I'm not into the content of these stories, I was really into the technicals.
A favorite from each book:
Book One: "The Midnight Meat Train."
Book Two: "Jacqueline Ess: Her Will and Testament."
Book Three: "Rawhead Rex."
I've always had an insecurity that the stories I write are too bloody and disgusting for other people, so reading these tales of blood and cum and vomit and shit and piss was cathartic and a needed shift of perspective. I think Barker has to be one of my favorite authors now. Even when I'm not into the content of these stories, I was really into the technicals.
A favorite from each book:
Book One: "The Midnight Meat Train."
Book Two: "Jacqueline Ess: Her Will and Testament."
Book Three: "Rawhead Rex."
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced