A review by dark_reader
Books of Blood: Volume Three by Clive Barker

5.0

EVERYBODY IS A BOOK OF BLOOD:
WHEREVER WE’RE OPENED, WE’RE RED.

With this, Barker, though childless, proves himself the master of horrifying dad jokes.

In my days I have read a lot of Stephen King, starting in my teens, and his short story collections ([b:Skeleton Crew|13440|Skeleton Crew|Stephen King|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1271861632l/13440._SY75_.jpg|1814], [b:Night Shift|10628|Night Shift|Stephen King|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1342215309l/10628._SY75_.jpg|2454497]) were among my favorites.

[a:Clive Barker|10366|Clive Barker|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1430330407p2/10366.jpg]'s stories put Uncle Steve's to shame.

Here we have another collection of captivating, meaty, lustful, almost artistic stories that, thirty-five years after initial publication, still manage to thrill and impress with their originality. Throughout each tale, you're never quite sure what to expect. My favorite was Rawhead Rex, a tale of an ancient primal figure, one-time ruler and devourer of humankind, now released into a world that has forgotten him and is woefully unprepared. Fortunately I have never seen the film adaptation:



...because that would have ruined the reading experience. The other four stories are equally haunting and memorable, with an undercurrent of sadness, loneliness, and loss of past glory.