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Weaveworld / Cabal

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This edition combines two books in one. Weaveworld was published in 1987 and Cabal followed in 1988. Clive Barker made his mark on modern fiction with Weaveworld with this surreal and magical tale exploring the profound and overwhelming terror that results. With its volatile mix of the fantastical and the contemporary, the everyday and the otherworldly, Weaveworld is an epic work of dark fantasy and horror -- a tour de force from one of today's most forceful and imaginative artists. With Cabal, the master of dark imaginative fiction Clive Barker takes us on a fabulous journey. The nightmare had begun...Boone knew that there was no place on this earth for him now; no happiness here, not even with Lori. He would let Hell claim him, let Death take him there. But Death itself seemed to shrink from Boone. No wonder, if he had indeed been the monster who had shattered, violated and shredded so many others' lives. And Decker had shown him the proof - the hellish photographs where the last victims were forever stilled, splayed in the last obscene moment of their torture. Boone's only refuge now was Midian - that awful, legendary place in which gathered the half-dead, the Nightbreed.

768 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1993

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About the author

Clive Barker

704 books15.1k followers
Clive Barker was born in Liverpool, England, the son of Joan Rubie (née Revill), a painter and school welfare officer, and Leonard Barker, a personnel director for an industrial relations firm. Educated at Dovedale Primary School and Quarry Bank High School, he studied English and Philosophy at Liverpool University and his picture now hangs in the entrance hallway to the Philosophy Department. It was in Liverpool in 1975 that he met his first partner, John Gregson, with whom he lived until 1986. Barker's second long-term relationship, with photographer David Armstrong, ended in 2009.

In 2003, Clive Barker received The Davidson/Valentini Award at the 15th GLAAD Media Awards. This award is presented "to an openly lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender individual who has made a significant difference in promoting equal rights for any of those communities". While Barker is critical of organized religion, he has stated that he is a believer in both God and the afterlife, and that the Bible influences his work.

Fans have noticed of late that Barker's voice has become gravelly and coarse. He says in a December 2008 online interview that this is due to polyps in his throat which were so severe that a doctor told him he was taking in ten percent of the air he was supposed to have been getting. He has had two surgeries to remove them and believes his resultant voice is an improvement over how it was prior to the surgeries. He said he did not have cancer and has given up cigars. On August 27, 2010, Barker underwent surgery yet again to remove new polyp growths from his throat. In early February 2012 Barker fell into a coma after a dentist visit led to blood poisoning. Barker remained in a coma for eleven days but eventually came out of it. Fans were notified on his Twitter page about some of the experience and that Barker was recovering after the ordeal, but left with many strange visions.

Barker is one of the leading authors of contemporary horror/fantasy, writing in the horror genre early in his career, mostly in the form of short stories (collected in Books of Blood 1 – 6), and the Faustian novel The Damnation Game (1985). Later he moved towards modern-day fantasy and urban fantasy with horror elements in Weaveworld (1987), The Great and Secret Show (1989), the world-spanning Imajica (1991) and Sacrament (1996), bringing in the deeper, richer concepts of reality, the nature of the mind and dreams, and the power of words and memories.

Barker has a keen interest in movie production, although his films have received mixed receptions. He wrote the screenplays for Underworld (aka Transmutations – 1985) and Rawhead Rex (1986), both directed by George Pavlou. Displeased by how his material was handled, he moved to directing with Hellraiser (1987), based on his novella The Hellbound Heart. His early movies, the shorts The Forbidden and Salome, are experimental art movies with surrealist elements, which have been re-released together to moderate critical acclaim. After his film Nightbreed (Cabal), which was widely considered to be a flop, Barker returned to write and direct Lord of Illusions. Barker was an executive producer of the film Gods and Monsters, which received major critical acclaim.

Barker is a prolific visual artist working in a variety of media, often illustrating his own books. His paintings have been seen first on the covers of his official fan club magazine, Dread, published by Fantaco in the early Nineties, as well on the covers of the collections of his plays, Incarnations (1995) and Forms of Heaven (1996), as well as on the second printing of the original UK publications of his Books of Blood series.

A longtime comics fan, Barker achieved his dream of publishing his own superhero books when Marvel Comics launched the Razorline imprint in 1993. Based on detailed premises, titles and lead characters he created specifically for this, the four interrelated titles — set outside the Marvel universe — were Ectokid,

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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
Profile Image for Leah.
81 reviews
August 22, 2017
I bought this book from a charity sale , it's a huge 768 pages and I was a little daunted to start it at first ! It has two books in one volume the first one being the longest at 597 pages is Weaveworld . I have never read anything by Clive Barker before but I knew what to expect due to the fact he was behind the ' Hellraiser ' movie franchise . I really enjoyed Weaveworld it was creepy, weird and mysterious , I don't usually read a lot of horror books but this one had a good fantasy element within it . The author's writing style was amazing , he takes us on a journey between our world , with places I knew, have visited before and even live close to and then to fantasy landscapes which he describes vividly .
The second and much shorter book is Cabal, this is a vampire story . Much different than Weaveworld but still very good , it is a murder mystery and horror . It is very graphic so not for people who are easily shocked by gory scenes ! I recommend this double volume to any horror and dark fantasy fans . It is actually quick to read despite it's size . It is separated into lots of parts and each part has very short chapters, some are even one page . Each part starts off with a poem or quote from a classic novel that fits the nature of that particular section .
7 reviews
November 3, 2017
Weaveworld is a creepy and weird. It's got a lot of things I like and a few things I was a bit disgusted by. It's a very different take on fantasy and very dark. I really enjoyed it when I was done but there were parts that made me wonder in the middle.
Cabal is great. I wish it was longer. It's not as graphic as Weaveworld. It's a more realistic story, if monsters can be real.
Profile Image for Janette Baillie.
69 reviews
January 11, 2020
Fantastic book. A journey into a dark, twisted fantastic world which only a few will ever glimpse into. One of Clive barkers best book, his cross over from horror to fantasy has been successful. The story takes many twists and turns, and at times you can almost imagine being one of the characters in the world inside the carpet. Would definitely read again, well worth the purchase.
Profile Image for Bookdork.
71 reviews1 follower
September 22, 2020
Weaveworld only.

What a ride. All started with a bird in a cage, and ended with destroying the Scourge and saving a world. It had human and magical elements that made it slightly different from a fantasy plot line. Brought a glimmer of hope through the dark.
6 reviews
February 23, 2019
Both stories are brilliantly told but Weaveworld was exceptional. Would read this story again and again.
3 reviews
August 4, 2022
Helped me through a dark time, with pigeons and carpets.
Liquitantrix is an amazing name.
Profile Image for Tiana.
40 reviews4 followers
October 27, 2009
The story itself was very interesting full of lots of imaginatory things of a different world. At the same time it was also gory and sexual in the most interesting way.

For me it took a little long to finish because it was long (790 pages) The novel itself is split into "3 sections". I think it would have been more successful as a series of 3 books because things kept happening and sort of getting solved and then BOOM goes wrong again.. which makes a good series but makes a book a little long. The ending was a little weird, I think it would have ended perfectly without the last chapter. It's still a good read though, clive barker never dissapoints with the amounts of twists and wild events!
Profile Image for Spydurpoet.
7 reviews
July 24, 2008
I first attempted to read this book around '96 or '97. I got about a third of the way through the book and put it down. I am and was at the time accustomed to long books, even series...
Still, the book... I can't describe it. It's a fascinating book, but somehow Barker seems to draw it out extensively to the point of ridiculous-ness.
I picked it up again in 2008, began it at the beginning again, and still only made it a little past half-way through the book.
Profile Image for Γιώργος Μπελαούρης.
Author 35 books165 followers
August 7, 2019
one of his best with one of his weaker ones
but awesome compilation if you feel like an outsider
here, barker, suggests other forms of communities that all of us fit in
books with heart and immense imagination
Profile Image for Juliette Riitters.
5 reviews
April 26, 2010
I think I would give this a 6 if I could. Move over Stephen King! (Altho' Clive Barker usually sucks...)
Profile Image for Dks.
87 reviews
October 31, 2012
One of my fav books. Plenty of wow moments, expertly written and a joy to read. Clive's best novel that I have read.
Profile Image for  Lynn Daniel.
99 reviews
November 13, 2012
Excellent book! Weaveworld is the perfect introduction to Barker's work. Dazzling!
Profile Image for Sjburdekin.
1 review1 follower
December 20, 2013
One of my favorite books ever...took me to an amazing world weaved alongside ours...
8 reviews
June 17, 2015
This is my favourite book of all time. It's dark, magical, sexton, twisted and full of adventure and fantasy!
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews

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