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baobabtree's review
2.0
This left me mystified in a bad way. After being used to the prose of the wonderful Abarat series and The Thief of Always, the writing here was repetitive and basic. The final story just kind of ended and didn't seem to tie into the theme at all. I felt most of the characters were cliché and unimaginative. I can't believe Clive Barker wrote this. I only finished it because it was short. Disappointed.
charshorrorcorner's review
4.0
3.5 stars!
Clive Barker always delivers in the creative department and this collection is no different.
Clocking in at only 88 pages, these short stories really pack a punch, yet as a whole, it feels like something is missing.
I think my favorite stories in the bunch were The Sabbaticus and The Golem, Elijah. Both could be interpreted as cautionary tales, as could Bethany Bled , and who doesn't like those? Be careful what you wish for and all that. These stories did make me miss (and long for) the Clive Barker of old with big old door-stopper books like Imajica or Weaveworld, where there was plenty of time for Mr. Barker to weave his spell.
However, Infernal Parade did give me a taste of the wild imagination and words of Mr. Barker, so how could that be bad?
Recommended for fans of the Clive Barker of old!
*Thanks to Subterranean Press and NetGalley for the e-ARC of this collection in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it. *
Clive Barker always delivers in the creative department and this collection is no different.
Clocking in at only 88 pages, these short stories really pack a punch, yet as a whole, it feels like something is missing.
I think my favorite stories in the bunch were The Sabbaticus and The Golem, Elijah. Both could be interpreted as cautionary tales, as could Bethany Bled , and who doesn't like those? Be careful what you wish for and all that. These stories did make me miss (and long for) the Clive Barker of old with big old door-stopper books like Imajica or Weaveworld, where there was plenty of time for Mr. Barker to weave his spell.
However, Infernal Parade did give me a taste of the wild imagination and words of Mr. Barker, so how could that be bad?
Recommended for fans of the Clive Barker of old!
*Thanks to Subterranean Press and NetGalley for the e-ARC of this collection in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it. *
theneverendingtbr's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
This is a novella containing a series of short stories and starts off with the executed murderer Tom Requiem who is resurrected by agents of the Underland to lead a parade, which will “send some fears into the hearts of men.”
Over the next 5 stories he expands his entourage to include the person he murdered, a murderous golem, a bunch of circus freaks, a mythical creature known as a Sabbaticus, and a woman tortured to death in an iron maiden.
I liked it, it was a very quick read as it's just like 90 pages, it's brutal and dark as hell though so if you're squeamish - go elsewhere.
Overall I'd class this as a read-oncer.
Over the next 5 stories he expands his entourage to include the person he murdered, a murderous golem, a bunch of circus freaks, a mythical creature known as a Sabbaticus, and a woman tortured to death in an iron maiden.
I liked it, it was a very quick read as it's just like 90 pages, it's brutal and dark as hell though so if you're squeamish - go elsewhere.
Overall I'd class this as a read-oncer.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Blood, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Torture, and Violence
loram's review
4.0
This was my first Barker read, though I'm familiar with his work through the film, Nightbreed. There is no denying that Barker has a wild imagination when it comes to creating monsters!
Infernal Parade is shorter than most of his books. It's a series of short stories that are tied together with a theme, preparation for the Infernal Parade when the dead and demented invade the ordinary world. The one thing that is missing is that the book doesn't take us through to the actual manifestation of this parade, only the individual stories about some of the people and creatures destined to take part.
Barker manages to strike a balance with some of the more gruesome scenes in his stories so that every bit of torn flesh, every drop of blood spilled is relevant to the story at hand and never crosses into the gratuitous. This is a rare skill!
The individual stories each had their own morbid fascination. There were no duds among them. As much as I'm sensitive to Horror stories that involve murder and gore, Barker's treatment of the material just makes me want to read more of his work. The plots were original and imaginative at a level seldom seen in this genre.
Infernal Parade is shorter than most of his books. It's a series of short stories that are tied together with a theme, preparation for the Infernal Parade when the dead and demented invade the ordinary world. The one thing that is missing is that the book doesn't take us through to the actual manifestation of this parade, only the individual stories about some of the people and creatures destined to take part.
Barker manages to strike a balance with some of the more gruesome scenes in his stories so that every bit of torn flesh, every drop of blood spilled is relevant to the story at hand and never crosses into the gratuitous. This is a rare skill!
The individual stories each had their own morbid fascination. There were no duds among them. As much as I'm sensitive to Horror stories that involve murder and gore, Barker's treatment of the material just makes me want to read more of his work. The plots were original and imaginative at a level seldom seen in this genre.
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