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A review by jonwesleyhuff
The Thief of Always by Clive Barker
4.0
I found this randomly at a Half Price Books. I'd been wanting to read some of Clive Barker's books (The Hellbound Heart jumped ahead of it in line) and I was intrigued. I knew Barker had written books for younger readers before. My niece recommended his Ararat books, which I've also managed to find, so it wasn't a complete surprise when I found the lovingly illustrated hardcover book. I'm so glad I took the chance.
The bit after the colon (A Fable) is definitely a signal to the reader. The book is by turns whimsical and scary. It's not particularly concerned with things like character development or interactions. Even when other characters are around, there's a feeling that Harvey is battling with himself and the temptations/pressures of the Holiday House. For an adult reader, there's not a lot of shocks here, other than some of the disturbingly beautiful artwork. But that doesn't make the journey any less pleasurable.
It's interesting to see how Barker depicts Harvey in illustrated form. I won't say much for fear of spoiling anything, but if you have an illustrated edition, it's something to ruminate on.
The bit after the colon (A Fable) is definitely a signal to the reader. The book is by turns whimsical and scary. It's not particularly concerned with things like character development or interactions. Even when other characters are around, there's a feeling that Harvey is battling with himself and the temptations/pressures of the Holiday House. For an adult reader, there's not a lot of shocks here, other than some of the disturbingly beautiful artwork. But that doesn't make the journey any less pleasurable.
It's interesting to see how Barker depicts Harvey in illustrated form. I won't say much for fear of spoiling anything, but if you have an illustrated edition, it's something to ruminate on.