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Books of Blood #2
Books of Blood: Volume 2
Alternate Cover Edition of ISBN 9780425087398
To a surgeon, cutting into the human body is an art. Muscle and flesh are his canvas, the scalpel his tool. He studies the composition of the organs -- their balance and form -- the structure of the bones and network of blood vessels. He makes his incision, cutting, slicing with loving care. — Clive Barker is another type of surgeon. — He understands the human body too. He knows how the nerves send impulses to a riveted brain. And he knows how the hot blood surges through veins and arteries under a thin membrane of skin.
And then gushes out...
Five stories of horror and intrigue include, "Dread," "Hell's Event," "Jacqueline Ess: Her Will and Testament," "The Skins of the Fathers," and "New Murders in the Rue Morgue." Reprint.
To a surgeon, cutting into the human body is an art. Muscle and flesh are his canvas, the scalpel his tool. He studies the composition of the organs -- their balance and form -- the structure of the bones and network of blood vessels. He makes his incision, cutting, slicing with loving care. — Clive Barker is another type of surgeon. — He understands the human body too. He knows how the nerves send impulses to a riveted brain. And he knows how the hot blood surges through veins and arteries under a thin membrane of skin.
And then gushes out...
Five stories of horror and intrigue include, "Dread," "Hell's Event," "Jacqueline Ess: Her Will and Testament," "The Skins of the Fathers," and "New Murders in the Rue Morgue." Reprint.
187 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1984
421 people are currently reading
5323 people want to read
About the author
Clive Barker
704 books15.1k followersClive 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,
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 - 30 of 516 reviews
March 19, 2012
From the opening slice of his second viscera-dripping Book o’ Blood, Clive Barker carves into the mind of the reader an apt description of the primary theme explored in this collection:
The five stories in this collection range from most excellent to mostly okay, with the majority trending toward the positive side of good to very good. Barker’s mastery of descriptive atrocity are fully unleashed and his prose conjures some V…I…V…I…D images in the mind’s visual display. This brings me to my personal dividing line between Clive Barker at his best and Clive Barker at his MEHest. When Barker’s talent for obscene imagery is added as spice to garnish an already terrific story exploring inside the darker cracks of the human psyche, we get a classic Barker banquet of BAM!!. On the other hand, when the literaGORE is included to add meat to a story that is otherwise mostly bones and gristle, than we are usually left with some titillating, shock moments in an otherwise forgettable tale.
For the most part, Barker cooks up the former. Here’s the menu:
DREAD: My favorite story of this group and the only one that I would give the full 5 stars. College student Stephen Grace meets comes under the spell of the mysterious Quaid and his philosophical fascination with, you guessed it…dread. What people fear, why people fear and how people react and deal with their fear is the center of Quaid’s worldview. You can begin to imagine where this one might lead and I will leave it off there except to say that I thought the last 10 pages were superb and completely unexpected based on the stories beginning. How’s that for a plot tease? 5.0 stars.
Hell’s Event: A decent, but very forgettable piece about a “once a century” contest between the denizens of Hell and unwitting champions of humanity. If Hell wins, Armageddon follows. If mankind wins, another 100 years of the pain and misery that is normal human existence. Eh…six of one, half a dozen of the other. 2.5 stars.
Jacqueline Ess: Her Will and Testament: This is classic Clive Barker. While I didn’t like this quite as much as the first story, this one is tremendously creative and contains some of Barker's best descriptive work in the entire collection. An unhappy woman tries to kill herself and awakes from her botched suicide attempt with extraordinary powers that she puts to gorrifically grisly use. Barker spins atrocities with the best of them, but what really sets this (and all of his better stories) apart is his interpid evaluation of humanity's darker aspects and his willingness to take chances. The story works on multiple levels. 4.5 to 5.0 stars.
The Skins of the Fathers: A small town of and their battle with monsters that exhibit far more humanity that the human residents. This could have been fantastic as Barker unleashes some amazingly bizarre imagery onto the narrative. Unfortunately, the story doesn’t quite gel and we are left with more of an artsy monster movie that was enjoyable but felt somehow like it missed the high water mark. 3.0 stars.
New Murders in the Rue Morgue: Easily the strangest piece in this collection. Barker takes the original Edgar Allen Poe story, The Murders in the Rue Morgue and creates a sequel, an homage and a re-imagining all in one. It is ambitious and mostly effective and if I had been more familiar with the original Poe story I might have appreciated it more. As it is, I liked it but didn’t love it. 3.5 stars.
Overall, not quite as good as the first Books of Blood and just short of 4 stars. A strong 3.5 stars and one I recommend to fans of horror short fiction.
There is no delight the equal of dread. If it were possible to sit, invisible, between two people on any train, in any waiting room or office, the conversation overheard would time and again circle on that subject. Certainly the debate might appear to be about something entirely different; the state of the nation, idle chat about death on the roads, the rising price of dental care; but strip away the metaphor, the innuendo, and there, nestling at the heart of the discourse is dread. While the nature of God and the possibility of eternal life go undiscussed, we happily chew over the minutia of misery. The syndrome recognizes no boundaries; in bath-house and seminar room alike, the same ritual is repeated. With the inevitability of a tongue returning to probe a painful tooth, we come back and back and back again to our fears, sitting to talk them over with the eagerness of a hungry man before a full and steaming plate.For all of Barker's attachment to prose detailing the reduction of the human form into bloody chunks of offal, and his fondness for the loss of bowel control, both of which are most assuredly on display here, the man clearly can write and his stories are generally both imaginative and evocative.
The five stories in this collection range from most excellent to mostly okay, with the majority trending toward the positive side of good to very good. Barker’s mastery of descriptive atrocity are fully unleashed and his prose conjures some V…I…V…I…D images in the mind’s visual display. This brings me to my personal dividing line between Clive Barker at his best and Clive Barker at his MEHest. When Barker’s talent for obscene imagery is added as spice to garnish an already terrific story exploring inside the darker cracks of the human psyche, we get a classic Barker banquet of BAM!!. On the other hand, when the literaGORE is included to add meat to a story that is otherwise mostly bones and gristle, than we are usually left with some titillating, shock moments in an otherwise forgettable tale.
For the most part, Barker cooks up the former. Here’s the menu:
DREAD: My favorite story of this group and the only one that I would give the full 5 stars. College student Stephen Grace meets comes under the spell of the mysterious Quaid and his philosophical fascination with, you guessed it…dread. What people fear, why people fear and how people react and deal with their fear is the center of Quaid’s worldview. You can begin to imagine where this one might lead and I will leave it off there except to say that I thought the last 10 pages were superb and completely unexpected based on the stories beginning. How’s that for a plot tease? 5.0 stars.
Hell’s Event: A decent, but very forgettable piece about a “once a century” contest between the denizens of Hell and unwitting champions of humanity. If Hell wins, Armageddon follows. If mankind wins, another 100 years of the pain and misery that is normal human existence. Eh…six of one, half a dozen of the other. 2.5 stars.
Jacqueline Ess: Her Will and Testament: This is classic Clive Barker. While I didn’t like this quite as much as the first story, this one is tremendously creative and contains some of Barker's best descriptive work in the entire collection. An unhappy woman tries to kill herself and awakes from her botched suicide attempt with extraordinary powers that she puts to gorrifically grisly use. Barker spins atrocities with the best of them, but what really sets this (and all of his better stories) apart is his interpid evaluation of humanity's darker aspects and his willingness to take chances. The story works on multiple levels. 4.5 to 5.0 stars.
The Skins of the Fathers: A small town of and their battle with monsters that exhibit far more humanity that the human residents. This could have been fantastic as Barker unleashes some amazingly bizarre imagery onto the narrative. Unfortunately, the story doesn’t quite gel and we are left with more of an artsy monster movie that was enjoyable but felt somehow like it missed the high water mark. 3.0 stars.
New Murders in the Rue Morgue: Easily the strangest piece in this collection. Barker takes the original Edgar Allen Poe story, The Murders in the Rue Morgue and creates a sequel, an homage and a re-imagining all in one. It is ambitious and mostly effective and if I had been more familiar with the original Poe story I might have appreciated it more. As it is, I liked it but didn’t love it. 3.5 stars.
Overall, not quite as good as the first Books of Blood and just short of 4 stars. A strong 3.5 stars and one I recommend to fans of horror short fiction.
October 16, 2017
Do you know what I like about Clive Barker's stories?
It is the sheer verity of the macabre filled tales he presents for us. If I am sitting down with a Clive Barker story, I know I will be reading something new!
Same applies to this collection. There are five creepy tales, varying from psychological horror to supernatural horror, from hell sponsored races to superhuman femme fatale, and from monsters that created men to monsters that men create.
The collection opens with a dreadful tale called..uh.. "Dread". It's a rather disturbing psychological tale where a guy is using his friends as guinea pigs in his psychological experiments. I thought the first half was excellent, but last act's writing was a bit incoherent which is understandable as it reflects the situation.
The second story, Hell's Event have a really cool ending. seriously, You got to read this one.
The third story, Jacqueline Ess: Her Will and Testament is loaded with powerplay, sex and ultimate control. It's a really fun read with an unpredictable last act. Oh, wait! That's another thing I love about these stories. They are unpredictable for most of the part and they are no cliches!
The Skins of the Fathers is another story with solid ending. I loved the image that Barker painted at the very end. The story got monsters, shocking revelations, gunplay and wicked characters.
And lastly, New Murders in the Rue Morgue! Yes, the same Rue Morgue created by Poe. This felt rather out of place in the beginning but quickly became sinister as the story progressed. The finale of the story was rather ironic, and I liked it. But this is probably the weakest of the lot.
Overall, Braker's second Book of Blood is almost as good as the first Book of Blood, I especially liked Hell's event and Skins of the father.
Same applies to this collection. There are five creepy tales, varying from psychological horror to supernatural horror, from hell sponsored races to superhuman femme fatale, and from monsters that created men to monsters that men create.
The collection opens with a dreadful tale called..uh.. "Dread". It's a rather disturbing psychological tale where a guy is using his friends as guinea pigs in his psychological experiments. I thought the first half was excellent, but last act's writing was a bit incoherent which is understandable as it reflects the situation.
The second story, Hell's Event have a really cool ending. seriously, You got to read this one.
The third story, Jacqueline Ess: Her Will and Testament is loaded with powerplay, sex and ultimate control. It's a really fun read with an unpredictable last act. Oh, wait! That's another thing I love about these stories. They are unpredictable for most of the part and they are no cliches!
The Skins of the Fathers is another story with solid ending. I loved the image that Barker painted at the very end. The story got monsters, shocking revelations, gunplay and wicked characters.
And lastly, New Murders in the Rue Morgue! Yes, the same Rue Morgue created by Poe. This felt rather out of place in the beginning but quickly became sinister as the story progressed. The finale of the story was rather ironic, and I liked it. But this is probably the weakest of the lot.
Overall, Braker's second Book of Blood is almost as good as the first Book of Blood, I especially liked Hell's event and Skins of the father.
May 12, 2023
"The dark beyond the edge of the grid was so deep; and who could guess what lurked in it?"
4.5🌟's
Initial Thoughts
Clive Barker is a horror author like no other, with a wildly imaginative style that offers so much more than a mere gore-fest. After trying book three of his infamous Books of Blood series I was blown away by the quality of his prose and variety of horror that his warped and crazy mind conjured up. There is without doubt a beauty in his written word that I was quickly drawn back to, like a moth to an open flame, as I settled down with volume two.
Itys worth noting that Barker burst onto the scene in 1984 with the Books of Blood which was release as one volume, containing books one to three, that he received a World Fantasy Award for. A perfect illustration of how Barker walks the line between horror and dark fantasy. It was later, in the following year, that they were broken up and published separately.
Being the type of reader who likes to mix things up I decided to read each one individually and stretch things out. Plus doing it that way bumps up my Goodreads' book count for the year. And if you think that's cheating I really don't care. It's all about those stats!
Anyway, this particular volume contains five more stories of the dark and macabre variety that will fill you with dread. At least that's what I'm hoping anyway. If it's anything like the previous entry then I'm in for a real treat!
The Stories
As always I'm going to rank the stories from best to least favourite, giving each a good old fashioned star rating.
Jacqueline Ess: Her Last Will and Testament 4.5🌟's
"In this heavily curtained, bare-bulb lit room, it was a perpetual day to the senses, perpetual night to the soul."
It was extremely hard for me to pick a favourite but I think, gun to my head, it would have to be this one. It's a fantastically gory and twisted little number where Barker demonstrates the kind of imagination that he would go all out with in the Hellraiser series.
It begins with a failed suicide by Jacqueline Ess who soon discovers that she is in possession of a very special ability during her recovery. And that ability is to mold and alter human flesh with her mind. The first unlucky recipient being her controlling and manipulative husband in brutal style. But Jacqueline doesn't stop there.
This could be the most graphic and shocking short story that I've ever read as events quickly spiral out of control. But there's a narrative shift as an old lover, Oliver Vassi, is obsessed with reuniting with Jacqueline and I had a feeling that things weren't going to end well for him. But you're going to have to read it to find out!
Dread 4.5 🌟's
"There was worse in the world than dread. Worse than death itself.
There was pain without hope of healing. There was life that refused to end, long after the mind had begged the body to cease. And worst, there was dreams come true."
It was a close run affair picking which I liked best, as the collection opens with a particularly nasty but extremely effective story where Barker explores the nature of fear in Dread. When literature student Steve Grace strikes up an unlikely friendship with the disturbing Quaid, who he meets in an ethics class, he's quickly involved in a nightmare world. The sadistic Quaid's obsession with fear, and exploring the human capacity to overcome it, leads him down a very dark path as he will go to any length to find the answer. Including human experimentation. It's crazy, it's frightening, it's pure Barker and I couldn't get enough. Fantastic stuff!
As a matter of interest, this one received a 2009 movie adaptation that I've not managed to watch yet. Surely it can't be as disturbing as the written source!
The Skins of the Fathers 4.25 🌟's
Barker can often show a touch of sympathy toward the monsters in his stories. At least he did in the novella Cabal, made famous by it's movie adaptation Nightbreed. And that sentiment is prevalent in this one.
When Davidson breaks down in the middle of the Arizona desert he spots a far off procession that turns out to be a bunch of fearsome monsters in conga. And they're certainly not offering to change a tyre for him.
It transpires that these creatures are no strangers to the inhabitants of the local town of Welcome and there's one young boy in particular that holds a special connection. It's crazy, frantic and completely over the top as the author forces us to consider the fear of the unknown that sometimes resides in each of us.
Hell's Event 4 🌟's
"He would give them whatever they required as recompense for his lack of foresight. An ear, a foot; he had nothing to loose but flesh and blood."
The fact I'm ranking this one as my fourth favourite in the collection demonstrates the absolute quality of this collection. It's a great little story where the author shows his more humorous side. If you ever wondered how the London Marathon could be turned into a horror story this is your answer.
The twist here is that this race is not just for charity but also the fate of the human race. Every century satan puts forward his champion to go up against the good guys. Loose this one and it will literally be hell on earth. It's gets off to a rapid start and doesn't stop. Well worth a read.
New Murders in the Rue Morgue 2.5 🌟's
Five stories and this is the only one that didn't hit the mark for me. Maybe it's because I haven't read the original story penned by Edgar Allen Poe? But I don't think so.
The script here is that Poe utilised real events rather than pure imagination when writing that classic story of Murders in the Rue Morgue. There's a new murderer inhabiting the Parisian streets as the central character of Lewis arrives with the intent of clearing the name of his friend Phillipe who is the main suspect. He swears that he is innocent and you know what? I might believe him. But the story fell a little flat for me and just lacked the overall quality exhibited in the others in this collection. But four out of five is very good going and definitely enough for me!
Final Thoughts
Second volume done and I’m seriously getting into Clive Barker. I honestly can't believe it's took me this long being the self confessed horror maniac that I am. I'm feeling deep shame but I'm fully intent on making up for lost time and starting Book number one tonight. Yes I'm reading the first three in reverse order because I'm crazy like that.
If anyone is reading this and wondering where to start with this wonderful author then I'd thoroughly recommend Books of Blood as a place to start. As far as short horrific fiction goes you can't beat it.
I was planning on getting into the work of Michael McDowell this year but to be brutally honest I prefer Mr Barker. And you've got to follow your heart and see where it leads you. Which for me is Clive's weird and wonderful world. Come and join me for some dark and dastardly fun. But if that's too much for you then thanks for reading and...cheers!
January 8, 2022
Still here reading my reviews? Good now go get the second installment that is just as powerful as the first. I loved every story from beginning to end. I think I will need therapy when I get to the end of the books for the loss I will feel.
😻😻😻😻😻
😻😻😻😻😻
April 6, 2023
Este segundo volumen ha sido sin duda alguna una decepción comparado con el primer tomo.
Hay un bajón de nivel bien grande en la calidad de los relatos, casi que ni me convencía lo que me contaba en muchos de ellos ya sea por falta de interés (o sea aburridos), la carencia de un final potente o porque los sentía largos para lo que me contaban lo que se traduce en fatigables.
🩸Promedio general: 3★
🩸Las pieles de los padres 2.5/5★
Un cuento que te pone primero a un personaje en peligro que observa un desfile de monstruos muy diversos y de todas las formas. Más adelante, creí que se centraría en el posible "anticristo" nacido de una mujer y una de estas criaturas pero se queda estancado en una masacre y confrontación de humanos vs. monstruos. Es entretenido por momentos.
🩸Los nuevos crímenes en la calle Morgue 2.5/5★
No me parece nada nuevo ni especial. Definitivamente no es una historia de otro mundo, aunque es evidente que debe tener su respectiva influencia e inspiración en el cuento de Poe y tampoco sé qué tanto se parecen o si por el contrario no comparten casi nada. Tampoco sé si eso le juegue a favor o en contra porque no he leído esa historia. En todo caso, este cuento es lo que yo dejo en un puntaje intermedio: ni fu ni fa.
🩸Hijo del celuloide 2.5/5★
Me gusta el concepto que hay aquí de un "ser vivo" que nace y gana sensibilidad a partir de las emociones del público que consume cine. Sin embargo, no hay nada sorprendente ni innovador por resaltar más allá de eso.
🩸Rex Cabezacruda 4.5/5★
Mi favorito de todos los relatos en esta colección. No sé pero a mí me ha encantado y enganchado de comienzo a fin. Sangriento, visual, mucha acción, una narración fenomenal y que para mí no pierde ritmo y sobre todo un hombre-lobo que da miedo de verdad, que despedaza, mata y come infantes como bocadillos. El final no tiene desperdicio, es poético e irónico.
🩸Confesiones del sudario (de un pornográfo) 2/5★
No me ha gustado nada. Aunque viendo el final me queda más claro que es porque evidentemente estaba leyendo una comedia negra y sátira social. Además, creo que la temática de venganza está desperdiciada y la ejecución me parece muy aburrida e insostenible.
🩸Cabezas de turco 3.5/5
Este cuento tiene un final potente, me encantó muchísimo sus últimas páginas aunque es verdad que al comienzo no entendía mucho ya luego todo toma sentido. La manera en que se conecta la isla y el océano con la muerte y los muertos es brutal. Aunque debo decir que hay una escena de maltrato animal fuerte y que siento un poco gratuita.
🩸Restos humanos 3.5/5
El último tiene un concepto interesante. Trata de un prostituto que una noche conoce un nuevo cliente y desde ese encuentro todo cambia radicalmente para él. El tema del doppelgänger es escalofriante y aquí se hace un uso con un final diferente.
Hay un bajón de nivel bien grande en la calidad de los relatos, casi que ni me convencía lo que me contaba en muchos de ellos ya sea por falta de interés (o sea aburridos), la carencia de un final potente o porque los sentía largos para lo que me contaban lo que se traduce en fatigables.
🩸Promedio general: 3★
🩸Las pieles de los padres 2.5/5★
Un cuento que te pone primero a un personaje en peligro que observa un desfile de monstruos muy diversos y de todas las formas. Más adelante, creí que se centraría en el posible "anticristo" nacido de una mujer y una de estas criaturas pero se queda estancado en una masacre y confrontación de humanos vs. monstruos. Es entretenido por momentos.
🩸Los nuevos crímenes en la calle Morgue 2.5/5★
No me parece nada nuevo ni especial. Definitivamente no es una historia de otro mundo, aunque es evidente que debe tener su respectiva influencia e inspiración en el cuento de Poe y tampoco sé qué tanto se parecen o si por el contrario no comparten casi nada. Tampoco sé si eso le juegue a favor o en contra porque no he leído esa historia. En todo caso, este cuento es lo que yo dejo en un puntaje intermedio: ni fu ni fa.
🩸Hijo del celuloide 2.5/5★
Me gusta el concepto que hay aquí de un "ser vivo" que nace y gana sensibilidad a partir de las emociones del público que consume cine. Sin embargo, no hay nada sorprendente ni innovador por resaltar más allá de eso.
🩸Rex Cabezacruda 4.5/5★
Mi favorito de todos los relatos en esta colección. No sé pero a mí me ha encantado y enganchado de comienzo a fin. Sangriento, visual, mucha acción, una narración fenomenal y que para mí no pierde ritmo y sobre todo un hombre-lobo que da miedo de verdad, que despedaza, mata y come infantes como bocadillos. El final no tiene desperdicio, es poético e irónico.
🩸Confesiones del sudario (de un pornográfo) 2/5★
No me ha gustado nada. Aunque viendo el final me queda más claro que es porque evidentemente estaba leyendo una comedia negra y sátira social. Además, creo que la temática de venganza está desperdiciada y la ejecución me parece muy aburrida e insostenible.
🩸Cabezas de turco 3.5/5
Este cuento tiene un final potente, me encantó muchísimo sus últimas páginas aunque es verdad que al comienzo no entendía mucho ya luego todo toma sentido. La manera en que se conecta la isla y el océano con la muerte y los muertos es brutal. Aunque debo decir que hay una escena de maltrato animal fuerte y que siento un poco gratuita.
🩸Restos humanos 3.5/5
El último tiene un concepto interesante. Trata de un prostituto que una noche conoce un nuevo cliente y desde ese encuentro todo cambia radicalmente para él. El tema del doppelgänger es escalofriante y aquí se hace un uso con un final diferente.
April 10, 2020
This is a well-written and well-constructed book of stories, but already—in his second book of horror fiction—Clive Barker shows evidence of decline.
The first “Book of Blood” was obsessed with the fleshiness of mortality, entwined in the corporeal roots of fear. This singlemindedness gave the work a classic quality: it was the work of a man eager to eviscerate a multitude, in a quest either to reclaim some lost refinement or to obliterate his sensibilities altogether. This much was clear: his passion was genuine, his purpose serious.
I do not find this to be true with this second book. Barker seems to have almost exorcised his old obsessions, and now is idly toying with them, exploiting them. His greatest achievements now derive from parody, or the almost-parody of the baroque.
The first two of the five tales, “Dread” and “Hell’s Race”, are the least successful. The first is a rather conventional tale of “Rm. 101” torture (in this case, fears of meat, fears of deafness), and the second is just what its title promise: a rather dumb tale of Hell’s annual race against humans, with Earth as the usual prize. The third story, “Jacqueline Esse: Her Will and Testament” (my favorite) is memorable for the way it heightens Barker’s concerns (sexuality, pain and desire, the limits of body) into parody. (Jacqueline’s superpower is the ability to alter men’s bodies into fantastic—and fatal—shapes. Barker’s descriptions of these metamorphoses are detailed, and will not soon leave the reader’s mind.) Almost as good is “The Skins of the Fathers”, a story that begins like a drive-in movie with a motorist stranded, out of gas, on the desert, who sees something strange in the distance, shambling across the road. (Here again, it is Barker’s detailed description of these odd creatures that sticks in the memory). Although not quite up to the level of the two previous stories, the “New Murders in the Rue Morque” is an homage that treats a literary classic with respect and puts a distinctive spin on the identity and motivations of the murderer.
Yes, Book of Blood I was better, but, if you can keep from being disappointed, you will find much in this book of horror tales to delight you. Even when he is not at his best, Clive Barker is very good indeed.
March 26, 2021
"Sólo oía los ruidos que tenía en la cabeza: los pitidos, los gritos, los aullidos, los zumbidos. Se había refugiado en un lugar del que ningún argumento racional ni amenaza podrían sacarlo. Donde el latido de su corazón era la ley, y el susurro de su sangre, la música(...)
comprendió que había algo peor en el mundo que el terror. Peor que la propia muerte.
Era el sufrimiento sin esperanza de salvación. Era la vida que se negaba a acabar mucho después de que el cerebro le hubiera pedido al cuerpo que dejara de existir. Y lo peor de todo: había sueños que se hacían realidad"
Todos buenos relatos a expepcion de "La Piel de los Padres", que no tiene mucha razon de ser, ni justificaciones y esta totalmete sobrecargado. Hago mención especial a mi favorito "Terror/Dread", El primero en esta edición y séptimo relato en su orden original ... Tal vez no sea uno de los que mas se suelen tener en cuenta. Pero para mi, es uno de los mas impactantes, uno de los mas realistas, probables y tangibless. No por eso menos retorcido y oscuro, al contrario. Es totalmente desesperante y desolador .
7. Terror/Dread *5
8. Acontecimiento infernal Hell's Event *4
9. Jacqueline Ess: últimas voluntades y testamento/ Jacqueline Ess: Her Will And Testament *4
10.Las pieles de los padres/ The Skins of the Fathers *2.5
11 Los Nuevos Crimenes de la calle Morgue /New Murders in the Rue Morgue *4
"Una cosa es cierta, que el apetito del público por las historias grotescas y terroríficas (visitas fantasmales y posesiones demoníacas, horribles actos de venganza y asquerosas monstruosidades) sigue tan vivo como siempre.
Las personas escondidas tras las máscaras en Octubre no son pervertidos ni demonios; en su mayor parte se trata de tipos normales que aprovechaban la oportunidad para expresar un apetito que nuestra cultura nos obliga a suprimir casi todo el tiempo (una represión que aplaudo con perversidad, por cierto; el apetito se vuelve más poderoso si se mantiene encerrado bajo llave). Pero, de vez en cuando, necesitamos tocar la oscuridad de nuestra alma; es una forma de conectar con nuestro yo original, el yo que probablemente existía antes de que pudiéramos formar palabras, que sabe que el mundo contiene una gran luz y una gran oscuridad, y que una cosa no puede existir sin la otra."
Clive Barker
comprendió que había algo peor en el mundo que el terror. Peor que la propia muerte.
Era el sufrimiento sin esperanza de salvación. Era la vida que se negaba a acabar mucho después de que el cerebro le hubiera pedido al cuerpo que dejara de existir. Y lo peor de todo: había sueños que se hacían realidad"
Todos buenos relatos a expepcion de "La Piel de los Padres", que no tiene mucha razon de ser, ni justificaciones y esta totalmete sobrecargado. Hago mención especial a mi favorito "Terror/Dread", El primero en esta edición y séptimo relato en su orden original ... Tal vez no sea uno de los que mas se suelen tener en cuenta. Pero para mi, es uno de los mas impactantes, uno de los mas realistas, probables y tangibless. No por eso menos retorcido y oscuro, al contrario. Es totalmente desesperante y desolador .
7. Terror/Dread *5
8. Acontecimiento infernal Hell's Event *4
9. Jacqueline Ess: últimas voluntades y testamento/ Jacqueline Ess: Her Will And Testament *4
10.Las pieles de los padres/ The Skins of the Fathers *2.5
11 Los Nuevos Crimenes de la calle Morgue /New Murders in the Rue Morgue *4
"Una cosa es cierta, que el apetito del público por las historias grotescas y terroríficas (visitas fantasmales y posesiones demoníacas, horribles actos de venganza y asquerosas monstruosidades) sigue tan vivo como siempre.
Las personas escondidas tras las máscaras en Octubre no son pervertidos ni demonios; en su mayor parte se trata de tipos normales que aprovechaban la oportunidad para expresar un apetito que nuestra cultura nos obliga a suprimir casi todo el tiempo (una represión que aplaudo con perversidad, por cierto; el apetito se vuelve más poderoso si se mantiene encerrado bajo llave). Pero, de vez en cuando, necesitamos tocar la oscuridad de nuestra alma; es una forma de conectar con nuestro yo original, el yo que probablemente existía antes de que pudiéramos formar palabras, que sabe que el mundo contiene una gran luz y una gran oscuridad, y que una cosa no puede existir sin la otra."
Clive Barker
May 5, 2024
BOOKS OF BLOOD (Volume 2) [2013] By Clive Barker
My Review Five Stars
“I have seen the future of horror, and his name is Clive Barker.”- Stephen King
Barker’s “Books of Blood” comprised a series of six horror anthologies which were written in 1984 and 1985. The series was originally published as six volumes, but the anthologies were later released as two omnibus editions containing three volumes each. I found it interesting that it was only the first omnibus that was given the title “Books of Blood”.
I have been reading the Crossroad Digital Edition(s), Volume 2 released by Crossroad Press in 2013. I finished this second volume of the “Books of Blood” which is contained in the first of the two omnibus editions.
First there is a fascinating Introduction to Volume 2 by Steven Seville upon its publication in digital edition by Cross Press May 19, 2013. The work was originally written and copyrighted by the author Clive Barker in 1983.
The first story in this collection is entitled “Dread”. It is about a sociopath named Quaid who has a sick preoccupation with the emotional feeling of “dread”. In the early part of this story, I could not help but recognize that Quaid’s test on the female subject was familiar to another horror novel. In any case, this was my favorite tale in this Volume 2. Ironically it was also the favorite story in the collection of Steven Seville who wrote the Intro. Also of interest, this short story was adapted to film, but was reportedly modified quite a bit from the source material. This was an easy 5 Stars.
The second story in this collection is titled "Hell's Event". Every one hundred years, during an annual London marathon, Satan sends one of his representatives to compete against (unsuspecting) human runners. If Satan's minion wins, he gets to rule the Earth. That is pretty straightforward as a teaser description. Actually, in the mind of Barker and in the skill of his imagination fueled pen this story was quite good, and another 5-Star Rating was allotted.
"Jacqueline Ess: Her Will and Testament" Jacqueline Ess, a housewife struggling with depression and ennui, attempts suicide and is found by her husband. She recovers only to find that she has an ability to manipulate people's flesh and bodies. That is the teaser description from the Books of Blood, but this story was really weighty. It was almost a dead-tie for first place against “Dread”. I loved this tale despite its parts which were sad and disheartening. The ending about done me in. It is so heartbreaking yet perfect. Not for the first time I asked myself: “Where oh where does Barker get his ideas?” Needless to say, a strong Five Stars. This story is also published in the book I Shudder at Your Touch as well as in “Behold! Oddities, Curiosities & Undefinable Wonders".
The fourth story is "The Skins of the Fathers", and another winner. After his car breaks down in Arizona, a man named Davidson witnesses a bizarre parade of monsters. He learns creatures mated with a woman in a nearby town six years before and now wish to reclaim Aaron, the child she bore. This one makes us readers who like “Planet of the Apes” remember Charlton Heston’s incredulity, shock, and ultimately dismay when he rides up on the beach and sees the crumbled monument. That is kind of similar to what this story has in store for you. It is really good. A 5-Star Read to be sure.
"New Murders in the Rue Morgue" the fifth tale was my least favorite of the lot, but it was still a well written imaginative tale of horror from a master. This is a fantastical tale where the author revisits the original Edgar Allen Poe versions of events, and turns previously held notions on their head, so to speak. It is another well thought out switcheroo from Barker. I rated it 5 Stars.
This is an uncommonly held hand of a “full house” in my opinion. It is likely this collection, Volume 2, will be my favorite of the first omnibus with containing the first three volumes.
My Review Five Stars
“I have seen the future of horror, and his name is Clive Barker.”- Stephen King
Barker’s “Books of Blood” comprised a series of six horror anthologies which were written in 1984 and 1985. The series was originally published as six volumes, but the anthologies were later released as two omnibus editions containing three volumes each. I found it interesting that it was only the first omnibus that was given the title “Books of Blood”.
I have been reading the Crossroad Digital Edition(s), Volume 2 released by Crossroad Press in 2013. I finished this second volume of the “Books of Blood” which is contained in the first of the two omnibus editions.
First there is a fascinating Introduction to Volume 2 by Steven Seville upon its publication in digital edition by Cross Press May 19, 2013. The work was originally written and copyrighted by the author Clive Barker in 1983.
The first story in this collection is entitled “Dread”. It is about a sociopath named Quaid who has a sick preoccupation with the emotional feeling of “dread”. In the early part of this story, I could not help but recognize that Quaid’s test on the female subject was familiar to another horror novel. In any case, this was my favorite tale in this Volume 2. Ironically it was also the favorite story in the collection of Steven Seville who wrote the Intro. Also of interest, this short story was adapted to film, but was reportedly modified quite a bit from the source material. This was an easy 5 Stars.
The second story in this collection is titled "Hell's Event". Every one hundred years, during an annual London marathon, Satan sends one of his representatives to compete against (unsuspecting) human runners. If Satan's minion wins, he gets to rule the Earth. That is pretty straightforward as a teaser description. Actually, in the mind of Barker and in the skill of his imagination fueled pen this story was quite good, and another 5-Star Rating was allotted.
"Jacqueline Ess: Her Will and Testament" Jacqueline Ess, a housewife struggling with depression and ennui, attempts suicide and is found by her husband. She recovers only to find that she has an ability to manipulate people's flesh and bodies. That is the teaser description from the Books of Blood, but this story was really weighty. It was almost a dead-tie for first place against “Dread”. I loved this tale despite its parts which were sad and disheartening. The ending about done me in. It is so heartbreaking yet perfect. Not for the first time I asked myself: “Where oh where does Barker get his ideas?” Needless to say, a strong Five Stars. This story is also published in the book I Shudder at Your Touch as well as in “Behold! Oddities, Curiosities & Undefinable Wonders".
The fourth story is "The Skins of the Fathers", and another winner. After his car breaks down in Arizona, a man named Davidson witnesses a bizarre parade of monsters. He learns creatures mated with a woman in a nearby town six years before and now wish to reclaim Aaron, the child she bore. This one makes us readers who like “Planet of the Apes” remember Charlton Heston’s incredulity, shock, and ultimately dismay when he rides up on the beach and sees the crumbled monument. That is kind of similar to what this story has in store for you. It is really good. A 5-Star Read to be sure.
"New Murders in the Rue Morgue" the fifth tale was my least favorite of the lot, but it was still a well written imaginative tale of horror from a master. This is a fantastical tale where the author revisits the original Edgar Allen Poe versions of events, and turns previously held notions on their head, so to speak. It is another well thought out switcheroo from Barker. I rated it 5 Stars.
This is an uncommonly held hand of a “full house” in my opinion. It is likely this collection, Volume 2, will be my favorite of the first omnibus with containing the first three volumes.
November 4, 2015
Volume 2 of Clive Barkers Books of Blood contains 5 positively delectable tales of terror starting with Dread, Quaid is a man who experiments with fear. He picks his test subject and forces them to realise their ultimate horror and how long it takes to get there but his own dread can't stay hidden forever.
Hell's Event is a charity race held in London every hundred years, a race between Hell and mankind, the winner to rule the earth. Equal doses of Hell's representatives and the unwitting ideal of man, one side desperate to win the other not a clue to the importance of the result. Some do however and confidence breeds contempt, it’s not just about the race however, there are some wickedly compelling characters on the periphery.
Jacqueline Ess: Her Will and Testament was probably my favourite story, a woman fails in a suicide attempt and as a result finds she has abilities worthy of nightmares. Sex, dismemberment and much worse, this woman's story is totally gripping. Disturbing horror with a slice of love that takes some searching for but results in an unlikely happyish ending. This was a cracking story amidst the scattered body parts.
The Skins of the Fathers sees Davidson witness a procession of monsters when his car breaks down. Years past saw these creatures mate with a woman from the local town and they've come back to claim the child. Easier said than done in the Arizona desert.
New Murders in the Rue Morgue is a strange tale of an experiment with a primate. Lewis is called to Paris when a friend is arrested for murder, his investigation reveals something astonishing and something his friend can't face.
Second volume done and I'm seriously getting into Clive Barkers twisted rhetoric and general fiendishness.
Also posted at http://paulnelson.booklikes.com/post/...
Hell's Event is a charity race held in London every hundred years, a race between Hell and mankind, the winner to rule the earth. Equal doses of Hell's representatives and the unwitting ideal of man, one side desperate to win the other not a clue to the importance of the result. Some do however and confidence breeds contempt, it’s not just about the race however, there are some wickedly compelling characters on the periphery.
Jacqueline Ess: Her Will and Testament was probably my favourite story, a woman fails in a suicide attempt and as a result finds she has abilities worthy of nightmares. Sex, dismemberment and much worse, this woman's story is totally gripping. Disturbing horror with a slice of love that takes some searching for but results in an unlikely happyish ending. This was a cracking story amidst the scattered body parts.
The Skins of the Fathers sees Davidson witness a procession of monsters when his car breaks down. Years past saw these creatures mate with a woman from the local town and they've come back to claim the child. Easier said than done in the Arizona desert.
New Murders in the Rue Morgue is a strange tale of an experiment with a primate. Lewis is called to Paris when a friend is arrested for murder, his investigation reveals something astonishing and something his friend can't face.
Second volume done and I'm seriously getting into Clive Barkers twisted rhetoric and general fiendishness.
Also posted at http://paulnelson.booklikes.com/post/...
December 14, 2020
Clive Barker's second book of short stories in his "Books of Blood" collection is more of the same in all the right ways. The stories are highly imaginative, extremely violent but also thought provoking in a literary fashion that is rare in the horror genre. As usual, the list of stories below is accompanied by a rating and some song lyrics that might be relevant or amusing:
Dread - 4/5 - dealing out the agony within
Hell's Event - 3/5 - runnin' with the devil
Jacqueline Ess: Her Will and Testament - 4/5 - you're never good enough in the eyes of a woman with a mean streak
The Skins of the Fathers - 4/5 - when you coming home dad? I don't know when, but we'll get together then
New Murders in the Rue Morgue - 4/5 - we're just tryin' to be friendly, come and watch us sing and play
Dread - 4/5 - dealing out the agony within
Hell's Event - 3/5 - runnin' with the devil
Jacqueline Ess: Her Will and Testament - 4/5 - you're never good enough in the eyes of a woman with a mean streak
The Skins of the Fathers - 4/5 - when you coming home dad? I don't know when, but we'll get together then
New Murders in the Rue Morgue - 4/5 - we're just tryin' to be friendly, come and watch us sing and play
April 23, 2021
Paura ☆☆☆☆☆
Non vi è piacere eguale alla paura.
La seconda raccolta dei Libri di Sangue di Clive Barker parte davvero in quarta, con un esperimento sulla paura che si trasforma in un esercizio di sadismo, fino alle brutali ed inaspettate conseguenze, in un crescendo di violenza psicologica e fisica.
La sfida dell'inferno ☆☆☆
"Che diavolo sta succedendo?" disse, attraverso labbra quasi troppo gelide per muoversi.
"Esatto, Mister Cameron," rispose l'uomo. "Stanno succedendo cose del diavolo."
Racconto poco ispirato sulla gara che si tiene ogni cento anni tra Inferno e Paradiso con in palio il destino del mondo.
Non mi è piaciuto particolarmente, ma il finale è stato fortunatamente più che decente.
Jacqueline Ess: le sue ultime volontà ☆☆☆☆☆
Mentre usciva dallo stato di estasi, vide Ben seduto sul pavimento, racchiuso in uno spazio grande più o meno come una delle sue belle valigette di pelle, mentre il sangue, la bile e il liquido linfatico uscivano pulsando debolmente dal suo corpo ormai messo a tacere.
Mio Dio, pensò, questo non può essere mio marito, non è mai stato così ordinato.
Una donna infelice tenta di suicidarsi fallendo, ed il tornare dalle soglie della morte risveglia in lei una capacità inaspettata dando inizio ad una vera e propria fiera delle atrocità.
Un gran bel racconto, uno dei migliori dello scrittore britannico: viscerale, imprevedibile, ed indimenticabile
La pelle dei padri ☆☆☆☆
Davidson arrivò barcollando nella strada principale di Welcome. Saranno almeno le quattro, pensò (visto che il suo orologio si era fermato, forse in mancanza di solidarietà), ma la città appariva deserta, finché non gli cadde l'occhio su un ammasso scuro e fumante in mezzo alla strada, a un centinaio di metri da lui.
Se una cosa del genere fosse stata possibile, il sangue gli si sarebbe gelato nelle vene.
Una cittadina nel deserto presa d'assalto da abomini lovecraftiani fa da sfondo ad un racconto folle costellato da creature mostruose che restano impresse a fuoco nella memoria, personaggi malati, ed un finale imprevedibile.
Un gran bel racconto, ma qualche informazione in più sull'origine dei mostri (Alieni? Demoni? Da dove vengono?) non avrebbe fatto male.
Nuovi omicidi in Rue Morgue ☆☆☆
C. Auguste Dupin, la visione di Poe del perfetto detective: calmo, razionale ed estremamente perspicace. I racconti in cui compariva divennero ben presto noti e attraverso di loro Dupin divenne una celebrità romanzesca,
senza che nessuno in America sapesse che Dupin era una persona in carne e ossa.
Era il fratello del nonno di Lewis. Il prozio di Lewis era C. Auguste Dupin.
Un simpatico e truculento omaggio al classico racconto di Edgar Allan Poe, ma la storia è comunque tra quelle che mi sono piaciute di meno tra quelle contenute in questa raccolta.
Infernalia mi era piaciuto un po' di più, ma questo secondo Libro di Sangue, ritrovato insieme agli altri nei meandri della mia libreria durante una riordinata (quando si possiedono ormai più libri di quanti potrai leggerne in vita tua, continuando a comprarli ossessivamente-compulsivamente come faccio io , può capitare di perderne o dimenticarne qualcuno a volte...), si è rivelato essere una lettura altrettanto disturbante e coinvolgente.
July 22, 2021
Las Pieles de los Padres: 5/5
Buena historia sobre demonios con una infinidad de formas horrendas... el centro de la historia gira en torno a un hijo concebido de un demonio con una humana.
Los Nuevos Crímenes de la Calle Morgue: 4/5
La historia comienza excelente, de verdad te hace pensar que estas leyendo a Poe con un estilo muy similar a de él... El final ha sido muy raro, no quedó del todo claro... Sin embargo, creo que ha sido un buen homenaje.
Hijo de Celuloide: 5/5
Muy buena ambientación, idea original. En lo particular, pequé de ignorante al no saber de antemano que es un celuloide, cuando leí el título lo asocié al algo de celulitis, grasa corporal, etc. Sin embargo el celuloide es el material plástico empleado en la industria cinematográfica (y fotográfica). Tal vez con ese conocimiento hubiese captado de mejor manera la escencia de la historia. Una especie de monstruo que emplea imágenes de actores de cine para acercarse a la gente y alimentarse... Una historia fantástica y terrorífica, la descripción de los asesinatos con el sello de Barker.
Rex Cabezacruda: 5/5
Brutal, demsiado bueno, es como un slasher de los 80s. Sangriento y con mucho gore. Muy buena historia. Creo que hubo una película de esta historia, trataré de conseguirla.
Confesiones del Sudario (de un Pornógrafo): 5/5
Excelente relato, con un componente fantástico al mejor estilo de Clive Barker, en el cual un muerto se apodera de un sudario para vengarse de sus asesinos (si, es un trapo volador asesino), no cualquier escritor podría sacar arriba un relato con esta trama.
Cabezas de Turco: 4.5/5
Relato narrado desde el punto de vista de una chica. Cuatro jóvenes quedan varados en una isla desierta, y como es natural un gilipollas hace gilipoleces y hace que se levanten cosas que no tienen que levantarse para cobrar las gilopolleces realizadas. Buen erotismo, buen gore y buen cierre.
Restos Humanos: 5/5
Buen relato para el cierre del libro, enfocado en un dopelganger moderno que trata de apoderarse del cuerpo de un chico de la vida alegre (prostituto sin importar el género). Me gustó muchísimo el final.
Buena historia sobre demonios con una infinidad de formas horrendas... el centro de la historia gira en torno a un hijo concebido de un demonio con una humana.
Los Nuevos Crímenes de la Calle Morgue: 4/5
La historia comienza excelente, de verdad te hace pensar que estas leyendo a Poe con un estilo muy similar a de él... El final ha sido muy raro, no quedó del todo claro... Sin embargo, creo que ha sido un buen homenaje.
Hijo de Celuloide: 5/5
Muy buena ambientación, idea original. En lo particular, pequé de ignorante al no saber de antemano que es un celuloide, cuando leí el título lo asocié al algo de celulitis, grasa corporal, etc. Sin embargo el celuloide es el material plástico empleado en la industria cinematográfica (y fotográfica). Tal vez con ese conocimiento hubiese captado de mejor manera la escencia de la historia. Una especie de monstruo que emplea imágenes de actores de cine para acercarse a la gente y alimentarse... Una historia fantástica y terrorífica, la descripción de los asesinatos con el sello de Barker.
Rex Cabezacruda: 5/5
Brutal, demsiado bueno, es como un slasher de los 80s. Sangriento y con mucho gore. Muy buena historia. Creo que hubo una película de esta historia, trataré de conseguirla.
Confesiones del Sudario (de un Pornógrafo): 5/5
Excelente relato, con un componente fantástico al mejor estilo de Clive Barker, en el cual un muerto se apodera de un sudario para vengarse de sus asesinos (si, es un trapo volador asesino), no cualquier escritor podría sacar arriba un relato con esta trama.
Cabezas de Turco: 4.5/5
Relato narrado desde el punto de vista de una chica. Cuatro jóvenes quedan varados en una isla desierta, y como es natural un gilipollas hace gilipoleces y hace que se levanten cosas que no tienen que levantarse para cobrar las gilopolleces realizadas. Buen erotismo, buen gore y buen cierre.
Restos Humanos: 5/5
Buen relato para el cierre del libro, enfocado en un dopelganger moderno que trata de apoderarse del cuerpo de un chico de la vida alegre (prostituto sin importar el género). Me gustó muchísimo el final.
August 8, 2023
Ante was a bit upped here, don't let the shorter volume fool you. One story in particular had me in reading through spread fingers whilst fetal curling my body. 😅
January 21, 2018
A mixed bag of short stories - not as good as the first volume, but most of the stories were still impressive.
Unfortunately the first short story, Dread, wasn't too my liking. Strange since I usually love the book of blood stories, but it was weird and just kind of pointless. A man obsessed with fear trials takes it too far to make his point.
Hell's Event was my favorite of the group. A charity race held every hundred years where the contest winnings could literally mean the end of the world as Hell unleashes its fury - but all the contestants don't know that. Some of the key players have it rigged to turn out demented, of course, but the main character is a diverse individual who comes across fresh and well-rounded. It's dark and demented and twisted but awesome and well-written to boot.
Jacqueline Ess was an interesting take on a woman who comes into her own power and then takes it to a demented level. Told with multiple shifts from a man who became obsessed with a woman he shouldn't and the woman herself. Filled with blood-drenched sexual scenes and bizarre twists on a traditional love story, the ending is a disturbing twist that imprints on the mind.
The Skins of the Fathers started a little slow and hard to get into but ultimately was satisfying. Creatures have come out to attack but there is not a horrible and monstrous backstory with them, but with humans instead. It became fascinating and of course sad.
New Murders in the Rue Morgue may pay homage to the original story and involves a primate, but it didn't hold my interest as much as some of the others. Still well-done and imaginative enough.
Even if the first was a bit better, Clive Barker just rocks with short fiction and all the Books of Blood installment are recommended.
Unfortunately the first short story, Dread, wasn't too my liking. Strange since I usually love the book of blood stories, but it was weird and just kind of pointless. A man obsessed with fear trials takes it too far to make his point.
Hell's Event was my favorite of the group. A charity race held every hundred years where the contest winnings could literally mean the end of the world as Hell unleashes its fury - but all the contestants don't know that. Some of the key players have it rigged to turn out demented, of course, but the main character is a diverse individual who comes across fresh and well-rounded. It's dark and demented and twisted but awesome and well-written to boot.
Jacqueline Ess was an interesting take on a woman who comes into her own power and then takes it to a demented level. Told with multiple shifts from a man who became obsessed with a woman he shouldn't and the woman herself. Filled with blood-drenched sexual scenes and bizarre twists on a traditional love story, the ending is a disturbing twist that imprints on the mind.
The Skins of the Fathers started a little slow and hard to get into but ultimately was satisfying. Creatures have come out to attack but there is not a horrible and monstrous backstory with them, but with humans instead. It became fascinating and of course sad.
New Murders in the Rue Morgue may pay homage to the original story and involves a primate, but it didn't hold my interest as much as some of the others. Still well-done and imaginative enough.
Even if the first was a bit better, Clive Barker just rocks with short fiction and all the Books of Blood installment are recommended.
January 17, 2024
Mmmh il mio primo approccio con Barker me lo immaginavo migliore.
Il primo racconto
PAURA ☆☆☆☆
dove si parte filosofeggiando sul tetro mondo della paura e il modo per incuterla al prossimo e si finisce nel più assurdo delirio. Devo dire che mi ha colpito, ma poi è andato un po scemando con il secondo
LA SFIDA DELL'INFERNO ☆☆☆
Sarà che la corsa l'ho sempre vista come uno sport davvero infernale e il finale abbastanza citofonato
Poi arriva il top dei racconti
JACQUELINE ESS: LE SUE ULTIME VOLONTÀ ☆☆☆☆☆
la storia di una donna sola, sola nella sua testa che ne io ne nessun altro potremo mai sapere cosa provi.
Dove la depressione sprigiona poteri latenti e l'abbandono innesca la voglia di vendetta. Fine all'altezza di tutto il racconto.
LA PELLE DEI PADRI ☆☆☆
arriva alla sufficienza.
Demoni o dei, cosa si nasconde nel deserto dell' Arizona?
E poi l'ultimo quello che ha concluso malino tutto il secondo volume di libri di sangue.
NUOVI OMICIDI IN RUE MORGUE ☆☆
Anche se si scomoda il signor Poe beh ecco.....questo racconto è un po' scimmiesco? Non mi ha colpito molto ecco
Nel complesso ☆☆☆,5
Ciò non toglie che recupererò il primo volume e tutti gli altri....un po' alla volta eh
Il primo racconto
PAURA ☆☆☆☆
dove si parte filosofeggiando sul tetro mondo della paura e il modo per incuterla al prossimo e si finisce nel più assurdo delirio. Devo dire che mi ha colpito, ma poi è andato un po scemando con il secondo
LA SFIDA DELL'INFERNO ☆☆☆
Sarà che la corsa l'ho sempre vista come uno sport davvero infernale e il finale abbastanza citofonato
Poi arriva il top dei racconti
JACQUELINE ESS: LE SUE ULTIME VOLONTÀ ☆☆☆☆☆
la storia di una donna sola, sola nella sua testa che ne io ne nessun altro potremo mai sapere cosa provi.
Dove la depressione sprigiona poteri latenti e l'abbandono innesca la voglia di vendetta. Fine all'altezza di tutto il racconto.
LA PELLE DEI PADRI ☆☆☆
arriva alla sufficienza.
Demoni o dei, cosa si nasconde nel deserto dell' Arizona?
E poi l'ultimo quello che ha concluso malino tutto il secondo volume di libri di sangue.
NUOVI OMICIDI IN RUE MORGUE ☆☆
Anche se si scomoda il signor Poe beh ecco.....questo racconto è un po' scimmiesco? Non mi ha colpito molto ecco
Nel complesso ☆☆☆,5
Ciò non toglie che recupererò il primo volume e tutti gli altri....un po' alla volta eh
July 29, 2025
I loved, loved, loved the opening story "Dread." That one was an easy five star and encapsulates everything that is best in Barker's writing: dark philosophizing, luridly beautiful prose, and a big old heaping of gory nightmarish imagery. Unfortunately, the final two stories in this collection were...not good. Ah well, I guess they can't all be winners.
April 30, 2024
Books of Blood Volume 2 is totally worth your time and just as good as Volume 1.
The only story I didn't enjoy was Hell's Event, which didn't resonate with me at all.
The first story, Dread, is genuinely sinister and malicious. You know those beguiling people you sometimes meet, so full of character, but with something not quite right about them? Don't go visiting their houses any time soon, especially if they live in the middle of nowhere and definitely not if other people associated with them start disappearing. This is a story about how people react under extreme duress and go past their breaking point. It's also a story about revenge.
There's a cosmic horror element about this entire volume, with references to Edgar Allan Poe and indirect terror in the background rather than upfront guts and gore. Definitely more H.P. Lovecraft than splatterpunk.
There's also a lot of non-explicit sex. The last three stories are all about it.
Jacqueline Ess is a great little yarn, probably my favourite. Jacqueline is able to control her mind and inflict punishment on men who don't please her or who have abused her. She's not a malicious person, just very unwell, while deeply attracted to men who are even more attracted to her to the point of obsession. There's an element of The Picture of Dorian Gray in this story, a macabre sense of lust and possession and an almost medieval baseness about it. Men are essentially satyrs, drunkenly running around to satisfy their sexual desires, with Jacqueline Ess the ultimate feminist story of control at any cost, including personal happiness or pleasure.
The Skins of the Fathers is another strange little tale, reminiscent of the 'In The Hills, The Cities' from Volume 1. This is a sceptical story about the brutality and stupidity of mankind and how we all deserve to rot in our own self-made hells, while spirits and devils carry on as before throughout eternity, oblivious to our petty lives. There's bullying, wife-beating, child abuse and harassment and yet more very weird sexual encounters with multitudinal 20-ft 'divils'. I enjoyed it a lot. It's reminiscent of Cormac McCarthy and the desert, which leads us to the final story and a possible reference to 'No Season (country) for Old Men'.
New Murders in The Rue Morgue, set in Paris, is a type of crime thriller, but again, with very sexual overtones, domineering males and overt jealousy, including mincing men, red-haired prostitutes and 70-year-old lovers... as yet another weird and sordid and very readable Clive Barker creation.
A great volume but not quite five stars. You get a terrific insight into the mind of Clive Barker and all his crazy ideas and obvious personal depravity. I love him.
The only story I didn't enjoy was Hell's Event, which didn't resonate with me at all.
The first story, Dread, is genuinely sinister and malicious. You know those beguiling people you sometimes meet, so full of character, but with something not quite right about them? Don't go visiting their houses any time soon, especially if they live in the middle of nowhere and definitely not if other people associated with them start disappearing. This is a story about how people react under extreme duress and go past their breaking point. It's also a story about revenge.
There's a cosmic horror element about this entire volume, with references to Edgar Allan Poe and indirect terror in the background rather than upfront guts and gore. Definitely more H.P. Lovecraft than splatterpunk.
There's also a lot of non-explicit sex. The last three stories are all about it.
Jacqueline Ess is a great little yarn, probably my favourite. Jacqueline is able to control her mind and inflict punishment on men who don't please her or who have abused her. She's not a malicious person, just very unwell, while deeply attracted to men who are even more attracted to her to the point of obsession. There's an element of The Picture of Dorian Gray in this story, a macabre sense of lust and possession and an almost medieval baseness about it. Men are essentially satyrs, drunkenly running around to satisfy their sexual desires, with Jacqueline Ess the ultimate feminist story of control at any cost, including personal happiness or pleasure.
The Skins of the Fathers is another strange little tale, reminiscent of the 'In The Hills, The Cities' from Volume 1. This is a sceptical story about the brutality and stupidity of mankind and how we all deserve to rot in our own self-made hells, while spirits and devils carry on as before throughout eternity, oblivious to our petty lives. There's bullying, wife-beating, child abuse and harassment and yet more very weird sexual encounters with multitudinal 20-ft 'divils'. I enjoyed it a lot. It's reminiscent of Cormac McCarthy and the desert, which leads us to the final story and a possible reference to 'No Season (country) for Old Men'.
New Murders in The Rue Morgue, set in Paris, is a type of crime thriller, but again, with very sexual overtones, domineering males and overt jealousy, including mincing men, red-haired prostitutes and 70-year-old lovers... as yet another weird and sordid and very readable Clive Barker creation.
A great volume but not quite five stars. You get a terrific insight into the mind of Clive Barker and all his crazy ideas and obvious personal depravity. I love him.
September 2, 2018
كتب الدم (الكتاب ٢)
كلايف باركر
مع أفضل مؤلفي قصص الرعب ولكن ليس في أفضل ماكتب. لا يعني ذلك أن هذه المجموعة القصصية دون المستوى، بل هي ممتعة جدا وكل قصة تقدم فكرة جديدة كليا. ماينقصها هنا- من وجهة نظري- هو عنصر الخوف وهو أولوية مطلقة لعشاق هذا النوع من الأدب. القصص هي:
الفزع: عن باحث مخبول يهتم بالمخاوف الفردية لكل شخص ويحاول أن يجبرهم على مواجهتها بأكثر الأساليب قسوة. تحولت القصة إلى فلم عام 2009.
سباق الجحيم: حكاية غريبة عن سباق ماراثون يشارك فيه الشياطين للسيطرة على الأرض. متسابقون يتساقطون صرعى وآخرون يتحدون اللعنة.
جاكلين إس، شهادتها ووصيتها: بعد نجاتها من محاولة إنتحار، تكتسب جاكلين قدرة خارقة على تعذيب الآخرين وقتلهم بمجرد الرغبة في ذلك. تستشعر جاكلين خطورة هذه القوة فتسعى لترويضها وللقيام بذلك تختلط بأصحاب النفوذ لتتعلم منهم، ولكن هل تستطيع كبح جماح غضبها؟
دماء الآباء: تائه في صحراء أمريكية يبحث عن مساعدة فيصطدم بموكب مسوخ. يفر عابؤ السبيل إلى أقرب بلدة فيجد أنها ليست بمنأى عن سطوة الوحوش البشعة. قصة مشوقة تتأرجح بين الرعب والأكشن.
جرائم جديدة في شارع مورج: تستلهم قصة لإدجار آلان بو وتدور عن جريمة بشعة قد تبدو سهلة التخمين غير أن الفاعل قد يتضح أنه أبعد مايكون عن توقعك. مقبضة وغامضة لكنني أظن أن باركر أحرق أهم مفاجآتها في وقت مبكر.
تبقى لي مجموعة واحدة من كتب الدم (رقم ٣) وبذلك أنهي هذه السلسلة الرائعة التي تزودني بجرعات من الرعب كلما استبدت بي نوبات الإدمان.
كلايف باركر
مع أفضل مؤلفي قصص الرعب ولكن ليس في أفضل ماكتب. لا يعني ذلك أن هذه المجموعة القصصية دون المستوى، بل هي ممتعة جدا وكل قصة تقدم فكرة جديدة كليا. ماينقصها هنا- من وجهة نظري- هو عنصر الخوف وهو أولوية مطلقة لعشاق هذا النوع من الأدب. القصص هي:
الفزع: عن باحث مخبول يهتم بالمخاوف الفردية لكل شخص ويحاول أن يجبرهم على مواجهتها بأكثر الأساليب قسوة. تحولت القصة إلى فلم عام 2009.
سباق الجحيم: حكاية غريبة عن سباق ماراثون يشارك فيه الشياطين للسيطرة على الأرض. متسابقون يتساقطون صرعى وآخرون يتحدون اللعنة.
جاكلين إس، شهادتها ووصيتها: بعد نجاتها من محاولة إنتحار، تكتسب جاكلين قدرة خارقة على تعذيب الآخرين وقتلهم بمجرد الرغبة في ذلك. تستشعر جاكلين خطورة هذه القوة فتسعى لترويضها وللقيام بذلك تختلط بأصحاب النفوذ لتتعلم منهم، ولكن هل تستطيع كبح جماح غضبها؟
دماء الآباء: تائه في صحراء أمريكية يبحث عن مساعدة فيصطدم بموكب مسوخ. يفر عابؤ السبيل إلى أقرب بلدة فيجد أنها ليست بمنأى عن سطوة الوحوش البشعة. قصة مشوقة تتأرجح بين الرعب والأكشن.
جرائم جديدة في شارع مورج: تستلهم قصة لإدجار آلان بو وتدور عن جريمة بشعة قد تبدو سهلة التخمين غير أن الفاعل قد يتضح أنه أبعد مايكون عن توقعك. مقبضة وغامضة لكنني أظن أن باركر أحرق أهم مفاجآتها في وقت مبكر.
تبقى لي مجموعة واحدة من كتب الدم (رقم ٣) وبذلك أنهي هذه السلسلة الرائعة التي تزودني بجرعات من الرعب كلما استبدت بي نوبات الإدمان.
May 11, 2021
At this point, I can say that I am slowly but surely, becoming a Clive Barker fan.
Here's the thing: Barker knows his genre. He knows how to write a phenomenal horror story, he has an insight into human psychology and how to evoke horror/terror with his writing. His skill is most apparent with his Books of Blood.
At times, the first two volumes reminded me of a modernized Edgar Allan Poe,imagine my delight when I read the last story inspired by Poe's detective story but they are entirely unique and stand out from many other works from modern writers of the genre.
"Dread"
➔Pennywise who?
The second greatest horror story I have read that involves coulrophobia or the irrational fear of clowns. The first is "The Last Feast of Harlequin" by Thomas Ligotti.
A tale that explores the origin of dread itself, a social experiment gone horribly wrong.
Two college students get involved with a mysterious man and his questionable philosophy, a traumatic experience guaranteed.
This raises the question of whether the nature of fear can be rationalized and does rationalization give birth to dread?
Personal rating: 5/5
"Hell's event"
➔ A story that brings a whole new meaning to the phrase "corrupt politician".
Imagine if Earth and Hell had a literal race where they decide which realm gets to rule over the Earth. Now imagine that race talking place in daylight and nobody in the human realm knows about it, besides a few runners.
Add corruption to the story and a conclusion where luck/blindness plays a big role, and there you go, a critic of the faults of one social regime plus an anxiety-fueling piece of short fiction.
Personal rating: 4,5/5
"Jacqueline Ess: Her Will And Testament"
➔ Jacqueline, a former housewife finds power both within and outside of herself and takes revenge on the men that did her wrong.
One can't help but feel sympathy for her, from her selfish cheating husband to men who hopelessly fall in love with her and her power seeking death because of it — men of the story have done her wrong and seen her only through her gender.
The only man that saw her for what she is as a person and gave her respect was Vassi.
If you think about it, an image of a woman holding power is rarely represented through history, how many women were forgotten and discarded because of their gender? The things Jaqueline experiences here, this treatment from most men in the story is what every woman experiences in one way or another through her life, in smaller or bigger dosage but it still stings.
This story as a whole stands out to me, definitely one I will be returning to in the future.
Personal rating: 5/5
"The Skins of the Fathers"
➔Did my aversion towards the desert setting prevent me from fully enjoying this story? Most definitely.
Did I still enjoy the message and structure of the said story? Yes.
Nothing much to say here, polarisation between good and evil in a traditional sense doesn’t exist in Barker's stories, often the characters that carry them don't fit the role.
Personal rating: 3/5
"New Murders in the Rue Morgue"
➔A part of me is convinced that Barker took this story as a challenge to prove to the reading audience why Poe's underrated detective stories are good. It's the writing and construction that make this story parallel to the original - even his main character is enveloping the traits of fictional detectives like seeking the truth at all cost and applying reason and deduction when needed.
Nonetheless, the conclusion was dreadful.
Personal rating: 4/5
Final thoughts: I would trust Barker to write a story out of random tropes and elements being pulled from a hat, and that's my two cents.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Okay, I did not expect volume two to be this good?! RTC.
Here's the thing: Barker knows his genre. He knows how to write a phenomenal horror story, he has an insight into human psychology and how to evoke horror/terror with his writing. His skill is most apparent with his Books of Blood.
At times, the first two volumes reminded me of a modernized Edgar Allan Poe,
"Dread"
"There was pain without hope of healing. There was life that refused to end, long after the mind had begged the body to cease. And worst, there were dreams come true."
➔Pennywise who?
The second greatest horror story I have read that involves coulrophobia or the irrational fear of clowns. The first is "The Last Feast of Harlequin" by Thomas Ligotti.
A tale that explores the origin of dread itself, a social experiment gone horribly wrong.
Two college students get involved with a mysterious man and his questionable philosophy, a traumatic experience guaranteed.
This raises the question of whether the nature of fear can be rationalized and does rationalization give birth to dread?
Personal rating: 5/5
"Hell's event"
"Democracy is still a new cult: It’s not lost its superficial glamour yet. We’ll give it another century, and have the best of them then.”
➔ A story that brings a whole new meaning to the phrase "corrupt politician".
Imagine if Earth and Hell had a literal race where they decide which realm gets to rule over the Earth. Now imagine that race talking place in daylight and nobody in the human realm knows about it, besides a few runners.
Add corruption to the story and a conclusion where luck/blindness plays a big role, and there you go, a critic of the faults of one social regime plus an anxiety-fueling piece of short fiction.
Personal rating: 4,5/5
"Jacqueline Ess: Her Will And Testament"
"On reflection, of course, that seems laughably naive. To think she wouldn’t have known that she contained such a power. But it was easier for me to picture her as prey to such skill, than mistress of it. That’s a man speaking of a woman; not just me, Oliver Vassi, of her, Jacqueline Ess. We cannot believe, we men, that power will ever reside happily in the body of a woman, unless that power is a male child. Not true power. The power must be in male hands, God-given. That’s what our fathers tell us, idiots that they are."
**
"She’d gone through her life, it seemed, looking for a sign of herself, only able to define her nature by the look in others’ eyes. Now she wanted an end to that. It was time to deal with her pursuers."
➔ Jacqueline, a former housewife finds power both within and outside of herself and takes revenge on the men that did her wrong.
One can't help but feel sympathy for her, from her selfish cheating husband to men who hopelessly fall in love with her and her power seeking death because of it — men of the story have done her wrong and seen her only through her gender.
The only man that saw her for what she is as a person and gave her respect was Vassi.
If you think about it, an image of a woman holding power is rarely represented through history, how many women were forgotten and discarded because of their gender? The things Jaqueline experiences here, this treatment from most men in the story is what every woman experiences in one way or another through her life, in smaller or bigger dosage but it still stings.
This story as a whole stands out to me, definitely one I will be returning to in the future.
Personal rating: 5/5
"The Skins of the Fathers"
"Still, men would be men. Maybe Aaron would be different, though perhaps he too would go back in time into the human world and forget what he was learning here. The creatures who were his fathers were also men’s fathers: and the marriage of semen in Lucy’s body was the same mix that made the first males. Women had always existed: they had lived, a species to themselves, with the demons. But they had wanted playmates: and together they had made men.
What an error, what a cataclysmic miscalculation. Within mere eons, the worst rooted out the best; the women were made slaves, the demons killed or driven underground, leaving only a few pockets of survivors to attempt again that first experiment, and make men, like Aaron, who would be wiser to their histories. Only by infiltrating humanity with new male children could the master race be made milder."
➔Did my aversion towards the desert setting prevent me from fully enjoying this story? Most definitely.
Did I still enjoy the message and structure of the said story? Yes.
Nothing much to say here, polarisation between good and evil in a traditional sense doesn’t exist in Barker's stories, often the characters that carry them don't fit the role.
Personal rating: 3/5
"New Murders in the Rue Morgue"
"Everyone in his narrow world, it seemed, was hurt and broken. Everyone was suffering; and yet the source, the heart of the suffering, was nowhere to be found.
Only Phillipe had pointed an accusing finger: at Lewis himself."
➔A part of me is convinced that Barker took this story as a challenge to prove to the reading audience why Poe's underrated detective stories are good. It's the writing and construction that make this story parallel to the original - even his main character is enveloping the traits of fictional detectives like seeking the truth at all cost and applying reason and deduction when needed.
Nonetheless, the conclusion was dreadful.
Personal rating: 4/5
Final thoughts: I would trust Barker to write a story out of random tropes and elements being pulled from a hat, and that's my two cents.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Okay, I did not expect volume two to be this good?! RTC.
July 30, 2020
Clive Barker is a surgeon of the macabre, one whose scalpel never makes a stray cut. This story collection continues to reveal his unique mastery of the genre. What kind of nightmares must this man have had, to fuel his unfathomable visions? All authors dread the question, "Where do you get your ideas?" In Barker's case, I would be terrified to learn the answer.
These stories include psychological, diabolic, and otherworldy horror set firmly in a recognizable world. They evoke genuine human longing and pain and at times thrill with sexuality. What struck me most was that Barker imbues his characters with genuine humanity and respect for their persons, whether they be young or old, male or female, American or European, rich or poor, Black or White. He doesn't judge or diminish anyone.
Of the five stories (Dread, Hell's Event, Jacqueline Ess: Her Will and Testament, The Skins of the Father, New Murders in the Rue Morgue), only one flailed: The Skins of the Father's narrative was all over the place. Dread was my least favorite story (lacking the supernatural thrill that I love) but it did lead my mind to wander over my own time in university, which in restrospect is a very bizarre time. My favorite story is probably Hell's Event, the least serious of the bunch but with surprising turns (don't look back!).
Warning: New Murders in the Rue Morgue contains spoilers for its inspiring story (Murders in the Rue Morgue by Edgar Allen Poe), although I think 180 years is an acceptable wait time to divulge the story's events.
These stories include psychological, diabolic, and otherworldy horror set firmly in a recognizable world. They evoke genuine human longing and pain and at times thrill with sexuality. What struck me most was that Barker imbues his characters with genuine humanity and respect for their persons, whether they be young or old, male or female, American or European, rich or poor, Black or White. He doesn't judge or diminish anyone.
Of the five stories (Dread, Hell's Event, Jacqueline Ess: Her Will and Testament, The Skins of the Father, New Murders in the Rue Morgue), only one flailed: The Skins of the Father's narrative was all over the place. Dread was my least favorite story (lacking the supernatural thrill that I love) but it did lead my mind to wander over my own time in university, which in restrospect is a very bizarre time. My favorite story is probably Hell's Event, the least serious of the bunch but with surprising turns (don't look back!).
Warning: New Murders in the Rue Morgue contains spoilers for its inspiring story (Murders in the Rue Morgue by Edgar Allen Poe), although I think 180 years is an acceptable wait time to divulge the story's events.
September 12, 2023
Somehow I vaguely remember enjoying the first one more. There are no questions on whether or not Clive Barker is a good author (he is). This book was more interesting than scary. It was well written but it was more thriller-esque rather than horror which I wanted.
Nevertheless, I really enjoyed reading it and will DEFINITELY continue with the series.
Although I have no sympathy for dumb protagonists, my favorite story was Dread.
Nevertheless, I really enjoyed reading it and will DEFINITELY continue with the series.
Although I have no sympathy for dumb protagonists, my favorite story was Dread.
February 5, 2015
3.5
One of the interesting things about this selection of stories is that I found myself rooting for a homicidal clown (or a clownish character to be precise), a female serial killer and demons.
Dread
I prefer supernatural horror to the realistic human monsters. Dread features a real life possibility, a man who in his quest to beat his fears became an unfeeling monster.
Hell's Event
Every hundred years a race takes place in London. Only few know about it. This year a young successful runner will have to give his best to beat the odds.
Jacqueline Ess: Her Will And Testament
It starts with a woman trying to commit suicide. Her husband gets to her in time. This is the turning point in Jacqueline Ess's life. Thanks to her pain, loneliness, general misogyny and other people's betrayals she gets a strange power over flesh. Literally. This disturbing story even has a very satisfying happy ending. It is even romantic.
The Skins of the Fathers
Man is created by beings he drove underground when he became too strong. This time there will be another violent encounter between the two species. Humans do not look good in this story.
New Murders in the Rue Morgue
A creepy, weirder and much more disturbing than Poe's story. An old man gets a cry for help from a friend in Paris. Her brother, who is over sixty, has been accused of murder of his nineteen year old lover.
One of the interesting things about this selection of stories is that I found myself rooting for a homicidal clown (or a clownish character to be precise), a female serial killer and demons.
Dread
I prefer supernatural horror to the realistic human monsters. Dread features a real life possibility, a man who in his quest to beat his fears became an unfeeling monster.
Hell's Event
Every hundred years a race takes place in London. Only few know about it. This year a young successful runner will have to give his best to beat the odds.
Jacqueline Ess: Her Will And Testament
It starts with a woman trying to commit suicide. Her husband gets to her in time. This is the turning point in Jacqueline Ess's life. Thanks to her pain, loneliness, general misogyny and other people's betrayals she gets a strange power over flesh. Literally. This disturbing story even has a very satisfying happy ending. It is even romantic.
The Skins of the Fathers
Man is created by beings he drove underground when he became too strong. This time there will be another violent encounter between the two species. Humans do not look good in this story.
New Murders in the Rue Morgue
A creepy, weirder and much more disturbing than Poe's story. An old man gets a cry for help from a friend in Paris. Her brother, who is over sixty, has been accused of murder of his nineteen year old lover.
February 1, 2018
The second Books of Blood is a lot less accomplished than its preceding cycle of short stories. While those were the work of an imagination unhinged, though with purpose, these are less realized--and as a result less successful--flights of dark fancy that only offer thrills at a surface level. Sure, there are impossible transformations of the flesh, otherworldly beings with inscrutable desires, and the blurring of pain and pleasure as two separate emotions; but here these feel more perfunctory rather than exploratory. Though a sophomoric work, each of these stories are written in a brisk style that clips along even if what's left behind is often a mess. Yet who can complain too much about a starved vegetarian tormented with rotting meat, a face-slurping demon participating in a charity race, a femme fatale who brings new meaning to body dysmorphia, a monster gang bang that is both consensual and tender, and a sexed-up retelling of Poe's "Murders in the Rue Morgue"?
March 18, 2022
Entretenido, pero de siete relatos puedo destacar tres. Los demás normales.
Sentí que bajó la calidad de los relatos en este volumen en cuanto al impacto que me generaron, sé que hay relatos aquí que voy a olvidar, a diferencia del primer tomo que me impactaron casi todos sus relatos.
Sin embargo, debo destacar de Barker su originalidad y la forma en que desarrolla los personajes. No es solo sangre, sexo y repulsión. Si no que se toma el tiempo de darle buena forma a los personajes, conocemos sus deseos, pasiones y personalidad en tan solo unas pocas páginas.
A continuación, mis favoritos:
Los nuevos crímenes en la calle Morgue: Si no han leído el relato original de Poe, les aconsejo que lo hagan antes de leer este relato, en donde el protagonista sobrino-nieto de Dupin, el detective del relato de Poe.
No es una continuación del relato original. Es un homenaje de Barker a Poe, es bastante destacable, sin embargo, si debo escoger entre el original y este, me quedo con el original.
Cabezas de turco: Las historias de naufragio en cualquier formato siempre me han gustado, en este caso no es la excepción. Un relato retorcido y con una buena dosis de sangre, algo que no le falta a Barker en los relatos.
Confesiones del sudario (de un pornógrafo): El título es solo un despiste, no es lo que parece. Es una historia de venganza muy bien elaborada y original. Mi favorita de este tomo.
Leeré el volumen 3 lo más pronto que pueda. Aprovechando que es el único libro de Barker que tengo en físico.
Sentí que bajó la calidad de los relatos en este volumen en cuanto al impacto que me generaron, sé que hay relatos aquí que voy a olvidar, a diferencia del primer tomo que me impactaron casi todos sus relatos.
Sin embargo, debo destacar de Barker su originalidad y la forma en que desarrolla los personajes. No es solo sangre, sexo y repulsión. Si no que se toma el tiempo de darle buena forma a los personajes, conocemos sus deseos, pasiones y personalidad en tan solo unas pocas páginas.
A continuación, mis favoritos:
Los nuevos crímenes en la calle Morgue: Si no han leído el relato original de Poe, les aconsejo que lo hagan antes de leer este relato, en donde el protagonista sobrino-nieto de Dupin, el detective del relato de Poe.
No es una continuación del relato original. Es un homenaje de Barker a Poe, es bastante destacable, sin embargo, si debo escoger entre el original y este, me quedo con el original.
Cabezas de turco: Las historias de naufragio en cualquier formato siempre me han gustado, en este caso no es la excepción. Un relato retorcido y con una buena dosis de sangre, algo que no le falta a Barker en los relatos.
Confesiones del sudario (de un pornógrafo): El título es solo un despiste, no es lo que parece. Es una historia de venganza muy bien elaborada y original. Mi favorita de este tomo.
Leeré el volumen 3 lo más pronto que pueda. Aprovechando que es el único libro de Barker que tengo en físico.
"La vida era larga, repetitiva y corrosiva, y si no te andabas con ojo, pronto empezabas a pensar que era mejor morir antes que prolongar la existencia en la cloaca en que te habían metido."
December 10, 2018
Το δεύτερο μέρος είναι ελαφρώς υποδεέστερο του πρώτου οπότε βρίσκεται κάπου στο 4,5/5. Οι ιστορίες είναι όλες το ίδιο απολαυστικές. Δεν μπορώ να πω ότι ξεχώρισα κάποια ή ότι κάποια δε μου άρεσε. Απλά έλειπαν από ανάμεσα οι ιστορίες-βόμβες που είχε το πρώτο χωρίς αυτό να σου χαλάει φυσικά το τρελό ταξίδι που έχεις ξεκινήσει ήδη στον κόσμο του Barker. Αναμένω εννοείται το τρίτο με ανυπομονησία.
January 16, 2024
I liked it!
Story 4/5
Narration 5/5
Books of Blood Volume 2 by Clive Barker, is a good collection of strange horror stories.
I recommend it!
Story 4/5
Narration 5/5
Books of Blood Volume 2 by Clive Barker, is a good collection of strange horror stories.
I recommend it!
June 27, 2022
Ο Clive Barker προκαλεί έντονα συναισθήματα, δεν σε αφήνει να σηκώσεις κεφάλι παρά μόνο όταν τελειώνει η εκάστοτε ανατριχιαστική ιστορία.
Και συνεχίζω με το 3ο κατά σειρά!
Και συνεχίζω με το 3ο κατά σειρά!
January 23, 2025
Enjoyable reread of this collection. Dread and The Skins of the Father are 5 star stories.
February 18, 2017
Druga "Knjiga krvi" donosi nam pet novih priča koje obiluju vrlo preciznim i do najsitnijih detalja opisanim grozotama - sakaćenja, raspolućene glave, izlomljene kosti, psihička tortura i mnogo čega drugog. Barker na odličan način hvata svog čitaoca i on, bez obzira na pročitano, uvek traži još.
Najjači utisak na mene je ostavila priča "Nova ubistva u ulici Morg" zbog toga što je najveći horor za mene čovekova spremnost da ide i grabi dalje, sve do potpunog ludila i na štetu svih u njegovom okruženju. Ni druge priče ne zaostaju puno što se utiska tiče, ali ovog puta sam imala favorita. Slična tema je provučena i kroz priču "Kože očeva", ali na mene nije ostavila toliko jak utisak.
Najjači utisak na mene je ostavila priča "Nova ubistva u ulici Morg" zbog toga što je najveći horor za mene čovekova spremnost da ide i grabi dalje, sve do potpunog ludila i na štetu svih u njegovom okruženju. Ni druge priče ne zaostaju puno što se utiska tiče, ali ovog puta sam imala favorita. Slična tema je provučena i kroz priču "Kože očeva", ali na mene nije ostavila toliko jak utisak.
November 3, 2020
My favorite from this volume was probably The Skins of the Fathers.
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