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Books of Blood #6
Books of Blood: Volume 6
Few authors can claim to have marked a genre so thoroughly and personally that their words have leaked into every aspect of modern pop culture. Clive Barker is such an author, and the Books of Blood marked his debut - his coming out to the world - in brilliant, unforgettable fashion. Crossroad Press is proud to present Clive Barker's "Books of Blood" in digital for the first time.
The Books of Blood combine the ordinary with the extraordinary while radiating the eroticism that has become Barker's signature. Weaving tales of the everyday world transformed into an unrecognizable place, where reason no longer exists and logic ceases to explain the workings of the universe, Clive Barker provides the stuff of nightmares in packages too tantalizing to resist.
Never one to shy away from the unimaginable or the unspeakable, Clive Barker breathes life into our deepest, darkest nightmares, creating visions that are at once terrifying, tender, and witty. The Books of Blood confirm what horror fans everywhere have known for a long time: We will be hearing from Clive Barker for many years to come.
In this, the sixth and final volume of Clive Barker's Books of Blood, with a new introduction by Mark Miller, five new stories of darkness unleashed:
THE LIFE OF DEATH - Hidden in the crypt of a derelict church she found Decay and Corruption in hits terrible glory. But such glamour can prove infectious....
HOW SPOILERS BLEED - They commited a crime no jury could convict them for. But there were other judges...other punishments...
TWILIGHT AT THE TOWERS - Ballard was the perfect spy. A man with all the cunning of an animal. Or was it vice-versa?
THE LAST ILLUSION - (A Harry D'Amour novella) - New York had shown Harry horrors enough for a dozen lifetimes. He thought he'd seen the worst that flesh could suffer. Then the beautiful widow walked into his life, with a husband who wouldn't lie down dead, and all Hell on her hells. And suddenly Harry was face to face with forces that could teach Manhattan a lesson in depravity.
ON JERUSALEM STREET (a Postscript) After the end, a new beginning: walking the highway of the dead...
The Books of Blood combine the ordinary with the extraordinary while radiating the eroticism that has become Barker's signature. Weaving tales of the everyday world transformed into an unrecognizable place, where reason no longer exists and logic ceases to explain the workings of the universe, Clive Barker provides the stuff of nightmares in packages too tantalizing to resist.
Never one to shy away from the unimaginable or the unspeakable, Clive Barker breathes life into our deepest, darkest nightmares, creating visions that are at once terrifying, tender, and witty. The Books of Blood confirm what horror fans everywhere have known for a long time: We will be hearing from Clive Barker for many years to come.
In this, the sixth and final volume of Clive Barker's Books of Blood, with a new introduction by Mark Miller, five new stories of darkness unleashed:
THE LIFE OF DEATH - Hidden in the crypt of a derelict church she found Decay and Corruption in hits terrible glory. But such glamour can prove infectious....
HOW SPOILERS BLEED - They commited a crime no jury could convict them for. But there were other judges...other punishments...
TWILIGHT AT THE TOWERS - Ballard was the perfect spy. A man with all the cunning of an animal. Or was it vice-versa?
THE LAST ILLUSION - (A Harry D'Amour novella) - New York had shown Harry horrors enough for a dozen lifetimes. He thought he'd seen the worst that flesh could suffer. Then the beautiful widow walked into his life, with a husband who wouldn't lie down dead, and all Hell on her hells. And suddenly Harry was face to face with forces that could teach Manhattan a lesson in depravity.
ON JERUSALEM STREET (a Postscript) After the end, a new beginning: walking the highway of the dead...
183 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 2, 1985
213 people are currently reading
2337 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 124 reviews
October 1, 2021
Clive Barker is a master. Two areas, I think, distinguish him from other writers. One is the sheer breadth of his imagination. I cut my horror teeth on stories like "Dread," "Rawhead Rex," "The Midnight Meat Train," and the incomparable "In the Hills, the Cities." In these tales one can find ancient rites leading to modern reckonings, settings both urban and sylvan, and a paradoxical marriage of fatedness and unpredictability.
The other area that separates Barker from the vast majority of writers is his dazzling wordsmithing. Simply put, the man can write. Barker's vocabulary is as expansive as it is razor-sharp, and it endows his work with an extra layer of enjoyability. It's like watching a master carpenter frame a house. You not only appreciate the architecture; you enjoy studying the carpenter at work.
So how do the tales in BOOKS OF BLOOD: VOLUME SIX measure up to the aforementioned classics?
For the most part, really well. The story that hit me the hardest was "How Spoilers Bleed." This narrative took a fairly simple concept and turned it into something truly frightening. Like most Barker tales, to synopsize it would be to spoil it, so I'll leave that tightrope act to others. Instead I'll just say that the merger of unpredictability and inevitability to which I alluded above is perfectly encapsulated here.
Five stars. Strongly recommended.
The other area that separates Barker from the vast majority of writers is his dazzling wordsmithing. Simply put, the man can write. Barker's vocabulary is as expansive as it is razor-sharp, and it endows his work with an extra layer of enjoyability. It's like watching a master carpenter frame a house. You not only appreciate the architecture; you enjoy studying the carpenter at work.
So how do the tales in BOOKS OF BLOOD: VOLUME SIX measure up to the aforementioned classics?
For the most part, really well. The story that hit me the hardest was "How Spoilers Bleed." This narrative took a fairly simple concept and turned it into something truly frightening. Like most Barker tales, to synopsize it would be to spoil it, so I'll leave that tightrope act to others. Instead I'll just say that the merger of unpredictability and inevitability to which I alluded above is perfectly encapsulated here.
Five stars. Strongly recommended.
October 30, 2017
Done with the "Books of Blood" collections! I have no idea why I kept putting it off for so long.
My favourite story from this volume was probably "How Spoilers Bleed", and my least favourite was maaaybe "Twilight at the Towers", but not by much.
I really, really enjoyed all 6 volumes, and all in all I have to say that my favourite stories were (in order of volume):
1. The Yattering and Jack
2. Dread
3. Rawhead Rex
4. Revelations
5. The Forbidden
6. How Spoilers Bleed
Superb :)
My favourite story from this volume was probably "How Spoilers Bleed", and my least favourite was maaaybe "Twilight at the Towers", but not by much.
I really, really enjoyed all 6 volumes, and all in all I have to say that my favourite stories were (in order of volume):
1. The Yattering and Jack
2. Dread
3. Rawhead Rex
4. Revelations
5. The Forbidden
6. How Spoilers Bleed
Superb :)
June 9, 2022
Books of Blood journey: complete. And Barker ends the series in style. I think this was the strongest volume of them all ... very consistent quality throughout. Did not disappoint!
March 14, 2017
آخر كتاب في سلسلة كتب الدم التي تحمل عصارة جهد باركر وخبرته وخياله القاتم. المجموعة جيدة جدا وتؤكد على قدرة باركر على التنوع الهائل، وصناعة الأجواء المقبضة ومزج الرعب بأفكار إنسانية أخرى. يحتوي الكتاب على عدة قصص متقاربة في الجودة، متباينة في الفكرة والظروف:
- حياة الموت: قصة شابة في الثلاثينيات تغرق في بحر من اليأس والكآبة بعد إجراءها عملية استئصال الرحم. تتعرف الفتاة مصادفة على رجل غريب الأطوار مهتم بالموت وماوراءه، فيلامس ذلك الشغف توقا معينا لديها مما يحدو بها أم تستكشف مدفنا يقبع تحت كنيسة قديمة يجري هدمها. أنت تعرف، ستكون العواقب وخيمة.
- كيف ينزف المفسدون: يبدو أن أغلب القراء يجمعون على أنها أفضل قصة في المجموعة، وليس هذا رأيي على كل حال. تدور القصة حول مجموعة من الأوربيين ناهبي الأرضي وقبيلة الهنود الحمر التي بدت مسالمة ومستسلمة مما أغرى المفسدين باستضعافهم. للهنود طرقا خاصة للمقاومة والانتقام ستجعل الناهبين يبكون دما، وليس هذا بتعبير مجازي. الجميل في القصة هو تصوير الجو الخانق المترع بالحشرات والمشبع بالعرق. أما إضفاء اللمسة الأخلاقية ومناقشة وخز الضمير فهي ولا شك لمسة فنان.
- الشفق عند البرج: يظهر عميل مخابرات روسي طالبا اللجوء إلى المخابرات البريطانية. يوفد البريطانييون عميلا مخضرما ليتفحص مدى مصداقية الروسي. يبدو هذا الأخير صادقا وخائفا لكن الأمر أعقد من ذلك وأرعب.
أعجبتني الجزئية التي دارت في خضم الضباب، شعرت فعلا بأن رؤيتي شبه معدومة وأنني مضطري ومشوش كالبطل تماما.
- الخدعة الأخيرة: هي أطول قصة في المجموعة وأكثرها احتشادا بالأحداث. يلقى ساحر شهير مصرعه وتوكل مهمة حراسة جثته إلى محقق خاص. يكتشف المحقق في تلك الليلة حقيقتين: الأولى هي أن جراب الساحر بم يفرغ من الخدع، والثانية هي أن له أعداء كثيرين. القصة جيدة ولكنني أفضل الرعب الهادئ المقبض أكثر من ذلك المليء بالمطاردات والإثارة الحركية.
يختم باركر الكتاب والمجموعة بالشطر الثاني من قصة كتب الدم التي ورد شطرها الأول في الكتاب الأول من المجموعة الأولى. ولأني لم أقرأ الشطر الأول فقد أجلت هذا الشطر حتى آتي على بقية المجموعة، وسأفعل إن شاء الله.
- حياة الموت: قصة شابة في الثلاثينيات تغرق في بحر من اليأس والكآبة بعد إجراءها عملية استئصال الرحم. تتعرف الفتاة مصادفة على رجل غريب الأطوار مهتم بالموت وماوراءه، فيلامس ذلك الشغف توقا معينا لديها مما يحدو بها أم تستكشف مدفنا يقبع تحت كنيسة قديمة يجري هدمها. أنت تعرف، ستكون العواقب وخيمة.
- كيف ينزف المفسدون: يبدو أن أغلب القراء يجمعون على أنها أفضل قصة في المجموعة، وليس هذا رأيي على كل حال. تدور القصة حول مجموعة من الأوربيين ناهبي الأرضي وقبيلة الهنود الحمر التي بدت مسالمة ومستسلمة مما أغرى المفسدين باستضعافهم. للهنود طرقا خاصة للمقاومة والانتقام ستجعل الناهبين يبكون دما، وليس هذا بتعبير مجازي. الجميل في القصة هو تصوير الجو الخانق المترع بالحشرات والمشبع بالعرق. أما إضفاء اللمسة الأخلاقية ومناقشة وخز الضمير فهي ولا شك لمسة فنان.
- الشفق عند البرج: يظهر عميل مخابرات روسي طالبا اللجوء إلى المخابرات البريطانية. يوفد البريطانييون عميلا مخضرما ليتفحص مدى مصداقية الروسي. يبدو هذا الأخير صادقا وخائفا لكن الأمر أعقد من ذلك وأرعب.
أعجبتني الجزئية التي دارت في خضم الضباب، شعرت فعلا بأن رؤيتي شبه معدومة وأنني مضطري ومشوش كالبطل تماما.
- الخدعة الأخيرة: هي أطول قصة في المجموعة وأكثرها احتشادا بالأحداث. يلقى ساحر شهير مصرعه وتوكل مهمة حراسة جثته إلى محقق خاص. يكتشف المحقق في تلك الليلة حقيقتين: الأولى هي أن جراب الساحر بم يفرغ من الخدع، والثانية هي أن له أعداء كثيرين. القصة جيدة ولكنني أفضل الرعب الهادئ المقبض أكثر من ذلك المليء بالمطاردات والإثارة الحركية.
يختم باركر الكتاب والمجموعة بالشطر الثاني من قصة كتب الدم التي ورد شطرها الأول في الكتاب الأول من المجموعة الأولى. ولأني لم أقرأ الشطر الأول فقد أجلت هذا الشطر حتى آتي على بقية المجموعة، وسأفعل إن شاء الله.
February 23, 2021
The final entry in Barker's breakout short story collection showcases some of his finest writing although by this point the shock value is slightly diminished. The final story (except for a small framing story that references the first story in the collection) "The Last Illusion" introduces detective Harry D'Amour who plays a part in other Barker works. This series is a must read for any horror fan but will be appreciated by any who enjoy well-written, thematically dark literature (NOTE: there are some graphic moments within - not for the squeamish). Stories are listed below, along with ratings and some song lyrics that you may find insightful and witty, or not:
The Life of Death - 4/5 - she had become like they are
How Spoilers Bleed - 4/5 - we got your disease, in the jungle...
Twilight at the Towers - 3/5 - secret agent man
The Last illusion - 4/5 - someday soon we'll stop to ponder what on Earth's this spell we're under
The Book of Blood (a postscript): On Jerusalem Street - 4/5 - if you want blood, you got it
The Life of Death - 4/5 - she had become like they are
How Spoilers Bleed - 4/5 - we got your disease, in the jungle...
Twilight at the Towers - 3/5 - secret agent man
The Last illusion - 4/5 - someday soon we'll stop to ponder what on Earth's this spell we're under
The Book of Blood (a postscript): On Jerusalem Street - 4/5 - if you want blood, you got it
January 28, 2019
Определено първите три Кървави книги са по-добри от вторите три. Но, все пак, това е Баркър, тъй че - четете.
March 30, 2013
This was my first foray into the weird and wonderful world of Clive Barker and I have to say I was very surprised. If I was rating the collection on the strength of the first two stories, it would definitely be a 4 star overall; as it is, I thought it was a book of two halves. The premise of 'How Spoilers Bleed' was very clever indeed and I enjoyed the parallels between the moral breakdown of Locke, Cherrick and Stumpf and various incidents in Conrad's Heart of Darkness. I was also left affected but troubled by the closing scene in 'The Life of Death' which challenged any hint of a moral conclusion to the incident between Elaine and Kavanagh. I have to say that the latter stories stalled the momentum for me and I found myself a little relieved to get to the end of the surreal 'The Last Illusion.'
I was expecting the tales to be visceral and they most certainly were but I didn't feel it was relentless or a shock tactic that becomes habitual. Barker spends a long time carefully animating his characters and making you understand what makes them tick and this is quite a skill in a short story. Obviously he enjoys pulling them apart afterwards in whatever way he can conjure and you shouldn't read these stories if you aren't prepared to allow the boundaries between inside and outside, human and monster and vulnerable and invicible to be toyed with. What is most poignant is that his protagonists are not heroes but fundamentally flawed, even perverse creations. You are never quite sure where the moral highground is, whose side you should be on or whether you should be enjoying the action at all.
I was expecting the tales to be visceral and they most certainly were but I didn't feel it was relentless or a shock tactic that becomes habitual. Barker spends a long time carefully animating his characters and making you understand what makes them tick and this is quite a skill in a short story. Obviously he enjoys pulling them apart afterwards in whatever way he can conjure and you shouldn't read these stories if you aren't prepared to allow the boundaries between inside and outside, human and monster and vulnerable and invicible to be toyed with. What is most poignant is that his protagonists are not heroes but fundamentally flawed, even perverse creations. You are never quite sure where the moral highground is, whose side you should be on or whether you should be enjoying the action at all.
January 15, 2019
Як завършек на поредицата сборници с хорър творби, които още за времето си са били уау, а и до ден днешен, тридесет и кусур години по-късно, продължават да звучат все така страховито и да впечатляват читателя. Фантазията на Клайв Баркър не знае граници!
Последната илюзия
Нова среща с детектива-чешит Хари Д' Амур, подвизаващ се като главен герой и в Аленото евангелие. Вдовицата на световно известен илюзионист се свързва с него, дочула, че има опит с окултното, и молбата ѝ, то се знае, е крайно необикновена. Следват осемдесетина задъхани страници, в които чичко Клайв забърка шантавата си смес от ърбън фентъзи и сплетър пънк, а сцената с демоните, свирещи на инструменти от човешки тела беше черешката в кървавата торта, ха-ха.
Животът на смъртта
Силен разказ за жена, едва не починала по време на тежка операция, след която развива влечение към смъртта... Психологически барнати образи и полъх на разложение от древна крипта... разкошотия!
Те заплатиха с кръв
Безскрупулни предприемачи се опитват да изгонят индианци от поселището им в джунглата... Резултатът е меко казано разцепващ кожата, мхм.
Здрач зад кулите
Любопитен сетинг от времето на Студената война. Агенти на тайните служби се дебнат из мрачните улички на Берлин, а около тях витае сянката на нещо не точно човешко.
На улица "Йерусалим"
Кратък финален етюд, свързан с първия разказ от първия том, хитроумно затварящ цикъла на "кървавите" книги.
Безапелационна петорка!
Последната илюзия
Нова среща с детектива-чешит Хари Д' Амур, подвизаващ се като главен герой и в Аленото евангелие. Вдовицата на световно известен илюзионист се свързва с него, дочула, че има опит с окултното, и молбата ѝ, то се знае, е крайно необикновена. Следват осемдесетина задъхани страници, в които чичко Клайв забърка шантавата си смес от ърбън фентъзи и сплетър пънк, а сцената с демоните, свирещи на инструменти от човешки тела беше черешката в кървавата торта, ха-ха.
Животът на смъртта
Силен разказ за жена, едва не починала по време на тежка операция, след която развива влечение към смъртта... Психологически барнати образи и полъх на разложение от древна крипта... разкошотия!
Те заплатиха с кръв
Безскрупулни предприемачи се опитват да изгонят индианци от поселището им в джунглата... Резултатът е меко казано разцепващ кожата, мхм.
Здрач зад кулите
Любопитен сетинг от времето на Студената война. Агенти на тайните служби се дебнат из мрачните улички на Берлин, а около тях витае сянката на нещо не точно човешко.
На улица "Йерусалим"
Кратък финален етюд, свързан с първия разказ от първия том, хитроумно затварящ цикъла на "кървавите" книги.
Безапелационна петорка!
September 18, 2015
The six volumes together get five stars. It was one of the best horror story collections I've ever read, up there with 20th Century Ghosts, Skeleton Crew and Pump Six and Other Stories.
The afterword on the audio book I listened to was excellent. I'm excited to move on to his many, many novels.
The afterword on the audio book I listened to was excellent. I'm excited to move on to his many, many novels.
November 22, 2022
Τελευταίο μέρος της σειράς με τις καλές και μέτριες στιγμές του. Το υστερόγραφο έκλεισε πολύ ωραία την αρχική ιστορία. Αγαπημένα: "Η ζωή του θανάτου" και "η τελευταία ψευδαίσθηση". Συνολικά για τα έξι βιβλία να πω ότι είναι ένα must read για όλους τους λάτρεις του είδους.
February 26, 2009
In 1986, Clive Barker followed the enormous success of the first three volumes of The Books Of Blood with a final three volumes to create the entire Books Of Blood series. His two omnibus's were later to be broken down, to be sold as individual books. Barker was invited to be able to illustrate these covers with his dark and twisted artwork.
This volume was also released in the US under the title 'Cabal' by Poseiden Press, in which it included the extra tale 'Cabal' that was released as an independent story elsewhere in 1988. The six volumes were all released in their individual forms back in 1986, this sixth volume contains the following short stories:
The Life Of Death - 34 pages
"She nearly Died on the operating table. Masked men removed the cancers, and her womb. But Elaine Rider lived on, mourning. Until, after a midnight visit to the newly opened crypt of All Saints Church - A plague pit heaped with bodies, festering now they are exposed - she is suddenly a picture of health and vitality. Kavanagh's morbid preference was for the sad, fragile Elaine he met before. Before she had the power to kill with her touch. But who is Kavanagh? Elaine mistakes him for Death in disguise, her clean-boned guardian, her promised lover. He is something far worse, as she will learn". Barker carefully weaves this morbid and haunting tale, steadily building upon the tension, as you are taken to the grande finale with a nasty twist. I would say that this one is one of his best shorts from the Books Of Blood collection. The story was later adapted by Fred Burke in 1993 into the Eclipse Books graphic novel 'The Life Of Death' where it was illustrated by Stewart Stanyard.
How Spoilers Bleed - 31 pages
"They committed a crime no jury could convict them for. But there were other judges, other punishments". A gory and disturbing story that will anger and revolt you from the start. The plot slowly unfolds, bringing with it a tale of horrific revenge and cruelty. The story was later adapted in 1992 into the graphic novel 'Tapping The Vein - Book 5' where it was illustrated by Hector Gomez.
Twilight At The Towers - 31 pages
"Ballard was the perfect spy. A man with all the cunning of an animal. Or was it vice versa?" This story brings haunting glimpses of the novel to be later published in 1988 entitled 'Cabal'. This was surprising as the US edition of this volume of the Books Of Blood included the story of 'Cabal'. 'Twilight At The Towers' is a creepy and violent tale involving the manipulation of the flesh once again. A little slow-paced to start with, Barker soon gets you involved with the violent action and horror that follows. The story was later adapted by Steve Niles in 1993 into the Eclipse Books graphic novel 'Rawhead Rex' where it was illustrated by Hector Gomez.
The Last Illusion - 52 pages
(A Harry D'Amour Novella) "New York has shown Harry horrors enough for a dozen lifetimes. He thought he'd seen the worst that flesh could suffer. Then the beautiful widow walked into his life, with a husband who wouldn't lie down dead, and all Hell on her heels. And suddenly Harry was face to face with forces that could teach Manhattan a lesson in depravity". A bizarre and disturbing short story that pulls you into the unfolding dark and depraved madness from the very first page. The short spirals to a dramatic ending that could only come from the dark imagination of Clive Barker. This is one of the best short stories of the lot. The story was later adapted into the 1995 film 'Lord Of Illusions', which Clive Barker was the producer, director and screenwriter for. The short story differs from the film quite dramatically, with completely different storylines and endings.
The Book Of Blood (a postscript): On Jerusalem Street - 3 pages
"After the end, a new beginning: walking the highway of the dead". To conclude the whole Books Of Blood series, this postscript forms a perfect bookend together with the first short - The Book Of Blood (see Books Of Blood Volume One). A macabre little ending that ties the whole premise of the books together, leaving the collection feeling like a whole.
This final installment into the Books Of Blood series is a weird and haunting one. 'The Life Of Death' and 'The Last Illusion' are absolutely superb. You will be very happy to own the whole collection.
This volume was also released in the US under the title 'Cabal' by Poseiden Press, in which it included the extra tale 'Cabal' that was released as an independent story elsewhere in 1988. The six volumes were all released in their individual forms back in 1986, this sixth volume contains the following short stories:
The Life Of Death - 34 pages
"She nearly Died on the operating table. Masked men removed the cancers, and her womb. But Elaine Rider lived on, mourning. Until, after a midnight visit to the newly opened crypt of All Saints Church - A plague pit heaped with bodies, festering now they are exposed - she is suddenly a picture of health and vitality. Kavanagh's morbid preference was for the sad, fragile Elaine he met before. Before she had the power to kill with her touch. But who is Kavanagh? Elaine mistakes him for Death in disguise, her clean-boned guardian, her promised lover. He is something far worse, as she will learn". Barker carefully weaves this morbid and haunting tale, steadily building upon the tension, as you are taken to the grande finale with a nasty twist. I would say that this one is one of his best shorts from the Books Of Blood collection. The story was later adapted by Fred Burke in 1993 into the Eclipse Books graphic novel 'The Life Of Death' where it was illustrated by Stewart Stanyard.
How Spoilers Bleed - 31 pages
"They committed a crime no jury could convict them for. But there were other judges, other punishments". A gory and disturbing story that will anger and revolt you from the start. The plot slowly unfolds, bringing with it a tale of horrific revenge and cruelty. The story was later adapted in 1992 into the graphic novel 'Tapping The Vein - Book 5' where it was illustrated by Hector Gomez.
Twilight At The Towers - 31 pages
"Ballard was the perfect spy. A man with all the cunning of an animal. Or was it vice versa?" This story brings haunting glimpses of the novel to be later published in 1988 entitled 'Cabal'. This was surprising as the US edition of this volume of the Books Of Blood included the story of 'Cabal'. 'Twilight At The Towers' is a creepy and violent tale involving the manipulation of the flesh once again. A little slow-paced to start with, Barker soon gets you involved with the violent action and horror that follows. The story was later adapted by Steve Niles in 1993 into the Eclipse Books graphic novel 'Rawhead Rex' where it was illustrated by Hector Gomez.
The Last Illusion - 52 pages
(A Harry D'Amour Novella) "New York has shown Harry horrors enough for a dozen lifetimes. He thought he'd seen the worst that flesh could suffer. Then the beautiful widow walked into his life, with a husband who wouldn't lie down dead, and all Hell on her heels. And suddenly Harry was face to face with forces that could teach Manhattan a lesson in depravity". A bizarre and disturbing short story that pulls you into the unfolding dark and depraved madness from the very first page. The short spirals to a dramatic ending that could only come from the dark imagination of Clive Barker. This is one of the best short stories of the lot. The story was later adapted into the 1995 film 'Lord Of Illusions', which Clive Barker was the producer, director and screenwriter for. The short story differs from the film quite dramatically, with completely different storylines and endings.
The Book Of Blood (a postscript): On Jerusalem Street - 3 pages
"After the end, a new beginning: walking the highway of the dead". To conclude the whole Books Of Blood series, this postscript forms a perfect bookend together with the first short - The Book Of Blood (see Books Of Blood Volume One). A macabre little ending that ties the whole premise of the books together, leaving the collection feeling like a whole.
This final installment into the Books Of Blood series is a weird and haunting one. 'The Life Of Death' and 'The Last Illusion' are absolutely superb. You will be very happy to own the whole collection.
August 7, 2020
This series was a hell of a journey. So glad I finally read all of these.
September 7, 2022
Το χειρότερο από όλη τη σειρά, απίστευτα βαρετό.
February 27, 2019
Последни истории на ужаса от Клайв Баркър: http://knigolandia.info/book-review/k...
В последната част от “Кървави книги” мрачният майстор на ужаса отвежда в пет зловещи посоки. В “Последната илюзия” познатият Хари Д’Амур се забърква в илюзионистки заговор, който се отдалечава от сферата на фокусите и навлиза в тази на истинската магия, произхождаща директно от Ада. И няма как заплахата да не ескалира. “Животът на смъртта” описва тайната, скрита в запечатаната крипта на стара църква, която трябва да бъде разрушена – не е добре да се пипа там, където някога ужасът е бил заключен. “Те заплатиха с кръв” отвежда в джунглата, където модерната алчност се сблъсква с древни проклятия – и може да се досетите кое се оказва по-силно. “Здрач зад кулите” пък е шпионска история, която внезапно задълбава с научни проекти за създаване на нов, по-съвършен вид човек – или в крайна сметка чудовище.
Colibri Books
http://knigolandia.info/book-review/k...
В последната част от “Кървави книги” мрачният майстор на ужаса отвежда в пет зловещи посоки. В “Последната илюзия” познатият Хари Д’Амур се забърква в илюзионистки заговор, който се отдалечава от сферата на фокусите и навлиза в тази на истинската магия, произхождаща директно от Ада. И няма как заплахата да не ескалира. “Животът на смъртта” описва тайната, скрита в запечатаната крипта на стара църква, която трябва да бъде разрушена – не е добре да се пипа там, където някога ужасът е бил заключен. “Те заплатиха с кръв” отвежда в джунглата, където модерната алчност се сблъсква с древни проклятия – и може да се досетите кое се оказва по-силно. “Здрач зад кулите” пък е шпионска история, която внезапно задълбава с научни проекти за създаване на нов, по-съвършен вид човек – или в крайна сметка чудовище.
Colibri Books
http://knigolandia.info/book-review/k...
October 10, 2022
Definitely my least favorite of the Books of Blood. None of the stories really grabbed me, (though the first one was the best of the bunch even if it left a bad taste in my mouth.) The tale of the magician specifically started out great and became confusing by the end. Even when the content is not my favorite, though, Clive Barker's writing is still beautiful. Maybe I will try one of his novels next.
December 28, 2015
The Life of Death - Elaine has just had a hysterectomy and she is feeling literally and figuratively empty. Being the gender nonconformist that I am, I usually have something of a problem with this because it bothers me when men and women are defined by their reproductive organs and the ability of said organs to function the way they're "supposed to." But Elaine has a lot of shitty outside pressure in this area, so it worked for me. Anyway, Elaine finds and becomes very interested in a church that's in the process of being demolished. She meets a guy named Kavanagh at the site and they strike up a strange relationship that revolves pretty heavily around death. One night Elaine sneaks into the crypts of the church and finds a plague pit full of bodies that have been sealed in so well that they're hardly decayed. And then people around her start dying... This one has a trigger-y ending that involves rape but if you can handle that I definitely recommend reading it.
How Spoilers Bleed - Some European assholes buy land that belongs to an Amazonian tribe. You can see where this is going, right? What's that you say? A curse? DING DING DING WE HAVE A WINNER! This is a pretty freakin' awesome curse, though. And by "awesome" I , of course, mean "fucking horrifying to imagine experiencing." Again, Clive Barker takes a tried and true trope (I'm sorry, I hate alliteration, too, but I can't come up with phrasing that I like better) and makes it interesting even though you've heard it dozens of times before.
Twilight at the Towers - I really wanted to love this story. I mean, it's a werewolf story. By Clive Barker. Right up my alley, right? Well, this is also a spy story. KGB and all that. Which is not right up my alley quite so much. I did still like the story. I just didn't love it like I wanted to.
The Last Illusion - A magician is killed under mysterious circumstances (SURPRISE! LOLZ!) and a private detective is hired to watch his body until it can be cremated to make sure nothing happens to it. ...Things happen to it. DEMONS FROM HELL happen to it. It doesn't sound like a very original concept, does it? But it's done really well, and there are a couple of characters that I absolutely adored. Thumbs up.
On Jerusalem Street (a postscript) - A nice little quickie to bring everything back full circle to the first story of the first volume of the series. There were some really nice visuals in this.
How Spoilers Bleed - Some European assholes buy land that belongs to an Amazonian tribe. You can see where this is going, right? What's that you say? A curse? DING DING DING WE HAVE A WINNER! This is a pretty freakin' awesome curse, though. And by "awesome" I , of course, mean "fucking horrifying to imagine experiencing." Again, Clive Barker takes a tried and true trope (I'm sorry, I hate alliteration, too, but I can't come up with phrasing that I like better) and makes it interesting even though you've heard it dozens of times before.
Twilight at the Towers - I really wanted to love this story. I mean, it's a werewolf story. By Clive Barker. Right up my alley, right? Well, this is also a spy story. KGB and all that. Which is not right up my alley quite so much. I did still like the story. I just didn't love it like I wanted to.
The Last Illusion - A magician is killed under mysterious circumstances (SURPRISE! LOLZ!) and a private detective is hired to watch his body until it can be cremated to make sure nothing happens to it. ...Things happen to it. DEMONS FROM HELL happen to it. It doesn't sound like a very original concept, does it? But it's done really well, and there are a couple of characters that I absolutely adored. Thumbs up.
On Jerusalem Street (a postscript) - A nice little quickie to bring everything back full circle to the first story of the first volume of the series. There were some really nice visuals in this.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
August 20, 2024"Livros de Sangue" é uma coleção em seis volumes que reúne as narrativas curtas de Clive Barker. A maioria dos textos são noveletas, mas há também contos pontuais e novelas.
Geralmente quando se pensa no autor o que vem em mente são os cenobitas de Hellraiser por conta dos filmes e da penca de quadrinhos, mas ele tem um trabalho bastante diverso que inclui horror gore, weird, fantasia, horror psicológico... E todo um repertório de vilões e monstrinhos: demônio, fantasma, lobisomem, serial killer, lenda urbana; tem para todos os gostos.
"In the hills, the cities / Nas colinas, as cidades", do volume 1, continua sendo imbatível, mas o volume 6 também traz boas histórias:
The Life of Death / A Vida da Morte - Uma história trabalhada nas sutilezas, acompanha uma mulher que acabou de passar por uma situação médica complicada e se vê "atraída" por um lado mais mórbido da vida, justamente por ter se sentido mais próxima da morte. Enquanto lida com esse sentimento e certa inadequação ao voltar para a rotina ela esbarra com um sujeito misterioso com quem começa a flertar. O interesse dele por assuntos mórbidos gera uma identificação entre os dois com desdobramentos mais interessantes do que o título da noveleta pode levar a pensar. Tem um final que eu queria muito que fosse diferente, mas ainda assim considero uma das pérolas perdidas do Clive Barker.
How Spoilers Bleed / Como Grileiros Sangram - É o famoso caso em que a ficção oferece a catarse e a vingança que o mundo real não foi capaz de oferecer. Aqui, um grupo de grileiros europeus compra terras na Amazônia. Chegando lá dão de cara com indígenas e começam a colocar medo neles para que desocupem as terras. É fato conhecido que muitos indígenas morreram ao entrar em contato com as doenças trazidas pelos brancos. A própria ditadura brasileira utilizou de estratégia parecida nos seus planos de "progresso" para a região. Pois bem, no conto do Barker a violência dos invasores encontra uma resistência que os enche de pavor. Em termos de prosa não é tão limpo quanto o primeiro, mas ainda acho uma ótima história. Tem um espírito meio western, embora seja ambientado aqui na América do Sul.
Twilight at the Towers / Crepúsculo nas Torres - Passada em Berlim, a história aproveita o clima de espionagem da guerra fria e coloca um espião britânico (meio que) em contato com um membro da KGB. Ele tem uma estrutura mais pop, com brigas, tiroteios e perseguições, mas também traz momentos mais psicológicos e reflexivos. A grande brincadeira é que os personagens de ambos os lados desse mundo dividido descobrem ter algo em comum e precisam repensar essa questão de aliados vs inimigos imposta por tempos estranhos. Foi uma boa surpresa e gostei demais. Daria um ótimo filme e pra mim é MUITO horror queer.
The Last Illusion / A última ilusão - É uma das histórias mais conhecidas do Barker por ter gerado o filme "O mestre das ilusões", sucesso total na era das locadoras. Comecei a ler cheio de expectativa, mas achei fraco, fraco. É todo organizado em cima de trama, com acontecimento atrás de acontecimento, o que gera um ritmo interessante até. Mas o desenvolvimento dos personagens não fica no nível que se espera e o resultado é caído. Pelo que sei a noveleta traz a estreia do detetive Harry D'amour, especializado em casos demoníacos, e que mais tarde ganha maior destaque tendo que lidar com os cenobitas. (se um dia você vir um cenobita segurando uma arma de fogo, saiba que a culpa é do D'amour).
On Jerusalem Street / Na Jerusalem Street - É um conto feito para encerrar a coleção e se conecta com o primeirão do livro 1 chamado "Book of Blood", justamente. Em termos de prosa é bem caprichado, funciona sozinho, mas é mais interessante tendo lido o "book of blood".
Geralmente quando se pensa no autor o que vem em mente são os cenobitas de Hellraiser por conta dos filmes e da penca de quadrinhos, mas ele tem um trabalho bastante diverso que inclui horror gore, weird, fantasia, horror psicológico... E todo um repertório de vilões e monstrinhos: demônio, fantasma, lobisomem, serial killer, lenda urbana; tem para todos os gostos.
"In the hills, the cities / Nas colinas, as cidades", do volume 1, continua sendo imbatível, mas o volume 6 também traz boas histórias:
The Life of Death / A Vida da Morte - Uma história trabalhada nas sutilezas, acompanha uma mulher que acabou de passar por uma situação médica complicada e se vê "atraída" por um lado mais mórbido da vida, justamente por ter se sentido mais próxima da morte. Enquanto lida com esse sentimento e certa inadequação ao voltar para a rotina ela esbarra com um sujeito misterioso com quem começa a flertar. O interesse dele por assuntos mórbidos gera uma identificação entre os dois com desdobramentos mais interessantes do que o título da noveleta pode levar a pensar. Tem um final que eu queria muito que fosse diferente, mas ainda assim considero uma das pérolas perdidas do Clive Barker.
How Spoilers Bleed / Como Grileiros Sangram - É o famoso caso em que a ficção oferece a catarse e a vingança que o mundo real não foi capaz de oferecer. Aqui, um grupo de grileiros europeus compra terras na Amazônia. Chegando lá dão de cara com indígenas e começam a colocar medo neles para que desocupem as terras. É fato conhecido que muitos indígenas morreram ao entrar em contato com as doenças trazidas pelos brancos. A própria ditadura brasileira utilizou de estratégia parecida nos seus planos de "progresso" para a região. Pois bem, no conto do Barker a violência dos invasores encontra uma resistência que os enche de pavor. Em termos de prosa não é tão limpo quanto o primeiro, mas ainda acho uma ótima história. Tem um espírito meio western, embora seja ambientado aqui na América do Sul.
Twilight at the Towers / Crepúsculo nas Torres - Passada em Berlim, a história aproveita o clima de espionagem da guerra fria e coloca um espião britânico (meio que) em contato com um membro da KGB. Ele tem uma estrutura mais pop, com brigas, tiroteios e perseguições, mas também traz momentos mais psicológicos e reflexivos. A grande brincadeira é que os personagens de ambos os lados desse mundo dividido descobrem ter algo em comum e precisam repensar essa questão de aliados vs inimigos imposta por tempos estranhos. Foi uma boa surpresa e gostei demais. Daria um ótimo filme e pra mim é MUITO horror queer.
The Last Illusion / A última ilusão - É uma das histórias mais conhecidas do Barker por ter gerado o filme "O mestre das ilusões", sucesso total na era das locadoras. Comecei a ler cheio de expectativa, mas achei fraco, fraco. É todo organizado em cima de trama, com acontecimento atrás de acontecimento, o que gera um ritmo interessante até. Mas o desenvolvimento dos personagens não fica no nível que se espera e o resultado é caído. Pelo que sei a noveleta traz a estreia do detetive Harry D'amour, especializado em casos demoníacos, e que mais tarde ganha maior destaque tendo que lidar com os cenobitas. (se um dia você vir um cenobita segurando uma arma de fogo, saiba que a culpa é do D'amour).
On Jerusalem Street / Na Jerusalem Street - É um conto feito para encerrar a coleção e se conecta com o primeirão do livro 1 chamado "Book of Blood", justamente. Em termos de prosa é bem caprichado, funciona sozinho, mas é mais interessante tendo lido o "book of blood".
December 31, 2021
2.75/5
This collection was a little disappointing as there were no real stand out stories even though The Last Illusion was the best story of the five in the book.
This collection was a little disappointing as there were no real stand out stories even though The Last Illusion was the best story of the five in the book.
August 23, 2022
L’ultimo libro conclusivo dei sei libri di sangue conclude degnamente la raccolta di racconti del maestro dell’horror. Il cameo finale mi ha spiazzato non me lo aspettavo proprio.
January 14, 2018
*She stripped off her robe, and looked herself over critically. She was pleased with what she saw. Her breasts were full and dark, her skin had a pleasing sheen to it, her pubic hair had regrown more lushly than ever. The scars themselves still looked and felt tender, but her eyes read their lividness as a sign of her cunt's ambition, as though any day now her sex would grow from anus to navel (and beyond perhaps) opening her up; making her terrible.*
What the actual f*ck, Barker? Terrible way to describe a woman's body.
What the actual f*ck, Barker? Terrible way to describe a woman's body.
May 24, 2015
More Books of blood.
I love the Books of Blood. This collection seemed to have less stories but not lacking in anyway. Clive Barker continues his winning series with stories that are more than fillers, tales that take you to darker places.
I love the Books of Blood. This collection seemed to have less stories but not lacking in anyway. Clive Barker continues his winning series with stories that are more than fillers, tales that take you to darker places.
August 31, 2020
So it's been a while since I posted something here and given I have a bunch of audiobooks on my Ipod, I really don't have any excuse not to post something. And given that Clive Barker is my man-crush in terms of literary sages, I figured I'd start here. So let's go!
The Books of Blood are Barker at his earliest and most distilled; dark fantasy, creative body horror, a touch of poetic florid language and a surprising lust for life, love and hope. But even the best authors can run the well dry and volume 6 shows that even the well was beginning to run dry for Barker around here. It makes sense that he'd break away into longer novels after this. So let's go through the motions; I'll give you a quick capsule review of each story in turn and you can sit there and tell me how much of a peoples' poet I am.
Totally not a snapshot of yours truly....
The Life of Death: Elaine has just had a hysterectomy after a cancer scare. She's feeling hopeless and empty inside. Then one day she comes across an old church that is being demolished and meets a man called Cavanaugh. And maybe Death is stalking her.....
This one's a slow burn, weaving its theme of death throughout the story to build a sense of dread. Elaine is decently fleshed out, digging into her personality and psyche, the emptiness she feels, the lack of womanliness she feels and a loss of her identity. The ending does feel like a shock the first time you read it and the horror is low-boil stuff, more akin to the revulsion of the scenario. I'd say it's biggest flaw is that it drags. The pacing is a little too slow to the point where you can tell that something is wrong early on and yet Barker feels the need to pad things out unnecessarily.
I think she needs some skin cream....
How Spoilers Bleed: Locke and company have just subdued a South American tribe on behalf of some land developers. Amidst tensions and broken negotiations, Locke's fellow merc Cherek shoots a kid. The tribe's elder in retaliation puts a curse on the group, a curse that turns their skin as thin as paper and ten times as sensitive.
Probably my favourite of the book. Locke is a vile sack of shit but Barker does a good job of digging into his psyche to make you understand his nihilism and greed. The others in Locke's group are also decently fleshed out which does go a long way to make you squirm when the curse hits them. The anti-colonial sentiments are pretty heavy-handed but seriously people, it's Barker. If you haven't figured out his personal politics at this point, you're a bloody idiot. The gore is overall pretty gnarly and painful and Stumpf's death in particular is especially nasty.
Twilight at the Towers: Ballard is a British spy. Mironenko is KGB. After a meeting with Mironenko, he disappears and Ballard wants to know why. Then things get bloody and furry.
What starts out as a standard spy thriller story goes batshit bonkers into a werewolf story at about the halfway mark in only the way that Barker can do with any degree of seriousness. Ballard and Mironenko are both aging spies past their prime and they do get some screentime but spy fiction has never really grabbed me and neither of them really grabbed me either. The plot is kind of meandering and ends in a way that feels like a wet squib. The gore is suitably nasty and the dialogue between Ballard and Mironenko does feel melancholy. It's not a bad story, but it's just not really my thing.
The Last Illusion: Harry D'Amour is a private dick working in New York when he is contacted by the widow of now-dead stage illusionist Swann. She wants him to watch over her husband's body for a night and then cremate it. Sounds simple, except Swann was dealing in some nasty circles and his debtors have come to collect.
This one was loosely turned into the movie "Lord of Illusions" starring Scott Bakula who I will insist is an underrated actor until my dying days but that's neither here nor there!
Annnnnnywaaaaay......
The Last Illusion is pretty standard fantastic noir, combining detective fiction with dark fantasy and a healthy dose of surreal/satanic horror. The main thrust of the story is a pretty typical Faustian bargain between Swann and "The Gulfs" but what makes it work is D'Amour being a pretty likeable protagonist, Swann's final trick and the surreal moments where magic gets involved. That's not to say of the things that come out crawling out of the dark, like the Castrato.
I'd say the story's biggest weakness is its overeliance on infodumps about Swann's backstory and an overreliance on melodrama. Some of the dialogue feels like it was ripped straight out of a noir story for better or worse and Barker's better than that.
I was born to murder the world
On Jerusalem Street: An epilogue/wraparound to the first story from the first volume. Simon McNeal is approached by a man named Wyburd who is seeking the Book of Blood i.e. Simon's skin, for a prospective buyer.
A short sweet ending to the series that suitably horrorific and thematically appropriate. The dead have stories and they don't ever stop.
So overall, I'd say Book 6 is two for two. How Spoilers Bleed and The Last Illusion are the highlights while The Life of Death and Twilight at the Towers are the weaker ones. I'd say it's more out of personal preference than actual quality as Barker's work across the board is pretty consistent, albeit with a few hits and misses. The problem I'd say overall is more than Book 6 feels like Barker s running the well dry. In earlier stories we had tales of sentient cancers, undead actors, giant god-things made from bodies and physically aware sentient body parts. Here we've got ruminations on death, a werewolf story, a curse and a detective story involving demons. Seems a little tame compared to earlier volumes.
Now I have to go back and go over previous volumes. Can only get better from here I guess.
The Books of Blood are Barker at his earliest and most distilled; dark fantasy, creative body horror, a touch of poetic florid language and a surprising lust for life, love and hope. But even the best authors can run the well dry and volume 6 shows that even the well was beginning to run dry for Barker around here. It makes sense that he'd break away into longer novels after this. So let's go through the motions; I'll give you a quick capsule review of each story in turn and you can sit there and tell me how much of a peoples' poet I am.
Totally not a snapshot of yours truly....
The Life of Death: Elaine has just had a hysterectomy after a cancer scare. She's feeling hopeless and empty inside. Then one day she comes across an old church that is being demolished and meets a man called Cavanaugh. And maybe Death is stalking her.....
This one's a slow burn, weaving its theme of death throughout the story to build a sense of dread. Elaine is decently fleshed out, digging into her personality and psyche, the emptiness she feels, the lack of womanliness she feels and a loss of her identity. The ending does feel like a shock the first time you read it and the horror is low-boil stuff, more akin to the revulsion of the scenario. I'd say it's biggest flaw is that it drags. The pacing is a little too slow to the point where you can tell that something is wrong early on and yet Barker feels the need to pad things out unnecessarily.
I think she needs some skin cream....
How Spoilers Bleed: Locke and company have just subdued a South American tribe on behalf of some land developers. Amidst tensions and broken negotiations, Locke's fellow merc Cherek shoots a kid. The tribe's elder in retaliation puts a curse on the group, a curse that turns their skin as thin as paper and ten times as sensitive.
Probably my favourite of the book. Locke is a vile sack of shit but Barker does a good job of digging into his psyche to make you understand his nihilism and greed. The others in Locke's group are also decently fleshed out which does go a long way to make you squirm when the curse hits them. The anti-colonial sentiments are pretty heavy-handed but seriously people, it's Barker. If you haven't figured out his personal politics at this point, you're a bloody idiot. The gore is overall pretty gnarly and painful and Stumpf's death in particular is especially nasty.
Twilight at the Towers: Ballard is a British spy. Mironenko is KGB. After a meeting with Mironenko, he disappears and Ballard wants to know why. Then things get bloody and furry.
What starts out as a standard spy thriller story goes batshit bonkers into a werewolf story at about the halfway mark in only the way that Barker can do with any degree of seriousness. Ballard and Mironenko are both aging spies past their prime and they do get some screentime but spy fiction has never really grabbed me and neither of them really grabbed me either. The plot is kind of meandering and ends in a way that feels like a wet squib. The gore is suitably nasty and the dialogue between Ballard and Mironenko does feel melancholy. It's not a bad story, but it's just not really my thing.
The Last Illusion: Harry D'Amour is a private dick working in New York when he is contacted by the widow of now-dead stage illusionist Swann. She wants him to watch over her husband's body for a night and then cremate it. Sounds simple, except Swann was dealing in some nasty circles and his debtors have come to collect.
This one was loosely turned into the movie "Lord of Illusions" starring Scott Bakula who I will insist is an underrated actor until my dying days but that's neither here nor there!
Annnnnnywaaaaay......
The Last Illusion is pretty standard fantastic noir, combining detective fiction with dark fantasy and a healthy dose of surreal/satanic horror. The main thrust of the story is a pretty typical Faustian bargain between Swann and "The Gulfs" but what makes it work is D'Amour being a pretty likeable protagonist, Swann's final trick and the surreal moments where magic gets involved. That's not to say of the things that come out crawling out of the dark, like the Castrato.
I'd say the story's biggest weakness is its overeliance on infodumps about Swann's backstory and an overreliance on melodrama. Some of the dialogue feels like it was ripped straight out of a noir story for better or worse and Barker's better than that.
I was born to murder the world
On Jerusalem Street: An epilogue/wraparound to the first story from the first volume. Simon McNeal is approached by a man named Wyburd who is seeking the Book of Blood i.e. Simon's skin, for a prospective buyer.
A short sweet ending to the series that suitably horrorific and thematically appropriate. The dead have stories and they don't ever stop.
So overall, I'd say Book 6 is two for two. How Spoilers Bleed and The Last Illusion are the highlights while The Life of Death and Twilight at the Towers are the weaker ones. I'd say it's more out of personal preference than actual quality as Barker's work across the board is pretty consistent, albeit with a few hits and misses. The problem I'd say overall is more than Book 6 feels like Barker s running the well dry. In earlier stories we had tales of sentient cancers, undead actors, giant god-things made from bodies and physically aware sentient body parts. Here we've got ruminations on death, a werewolf story, a curse and a detective story involving demons. Seems a little tame compared to earlier volumes.
Now I have to go back and go over previous volumes. Can only get better from here I guess.
March 22, 2025
- La Vita della Morte 🌟🌟🌟✨
Horror più sottile rispetto ad altri racconti di Barker, ma non meno disturbante.
Finale ambiguo e inquietante. Più vicino a un thriller psicologico che a un horror viscerale.
- Il Sangue dei Predatori 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Un racconto feroce e brutale in cui un gruppo di colonialisti occidentali in Amazzonia si scontra con la vendetta di una tribù indigena.
Atmosfera opprimente e senso di ineluttabilità, per un horror crudele e senza speranza.
La maledizione è descritta in modo viscerale, rendendo il racconto disturbante e memorabile.
Torri all'imbrunire 🌟🌟🌟✨
Un racconto di spionaggio con un tocco sovrannaturale: un agente segreto scopre che la guerra tra URSS e Occidente è condizionata dalla presenza di lupi mannari infiltrati nei servizi segreti.
Meno disturbante rispetto ad altri racconti di Barker.
L'ultima illusione 🌟🌟🌟🌟✨
Forse il racconto più celebre del volume, che ha ispirato il film Lord of Illusions di Barker. La storia segue Harry D’Amour, investigatore del paranormale (uno dei personaggi ricorrenti di Barker), incaricato di proteggere il cadavere di un famoso illusionista dai demoni che vogliono impossessarsene.
Ottimo mix tra noir e horror sovrannaturale.
Nel complesso, è un volume che mostra le varie sfaccettature della scrittura di Clive Barker, capace di spaziare tra generi diversi senza perdere il suo tocco inquietante e visionario.
Horror più sottile rispetto ad altri racconti di Barker, ma non meno disturbante.
Finale ambiguo e inquietante. Più vicino a un thriller psicologico che a un horror viscerale.
- Il Sangue dei Predatori 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Un racconto feroce e brutale in cui un gruppo di colonialisti occidentali in Amazzonia si scontra con la vendetta di una tribù indigena.
Atmosfera opprimente e senso di ineluttabilità, per un horror crudele e senza speranza.
La maledizione è descritta in modo viscerale, rendendo il racconto disturbante e memorabile.
Torri all'imbrunire 🌟🌟🌟✨
Un racconto di spionaggio con un tocco sovrannaturale: un agente segreto scopre che la guerra tra URSS e Occidente è condizionata dalla presenza di lupi mannari infiltrati nei servizi segreti.
Meno disturbante rispetto ad altri racconti di Barker.
L'ultima illusione 🌟🌟🌟🌟✨
Forse il racconto più celebre del volume, che ha ispirato il film Lord of Illusions di Barker. La storia segue Harry D’Amour, investigatore del paranormale (uno dei personaggi ricorrenti di Barker), incaricato di proteggere il cadavere di un famoso illusionista dai demoni che vogliono impossessarsene.
Ottimo mix tra noir e horror sovrannaturale.
Nel complesso, è un volume che mostra le varie sfaccettature della scrittura di Clive Barker, capace di spaziare tra generi diversi senza perdere il suo tocco inquietante e visionario.
June 1, 2022
I had such a good time with this series! My favorite in this final volume is the erotic, disturbing, goth romanticism- suffused "The Life Of Death".
February 15, 2024
Very solid book. I preferred the 1st three volumes, but volumes 4, 5, and 6 were strong. I still loved The Last Illusion. Perfect!!!!!
January 15, 2014
I had originally read these stories when they were released in "Cabal" about the time that the movie 'Nightbred' came out. While they seemed slightly familiar when reading them again many years later, nothing really stuck out as something I definitely read in the past. Overall, it wasn't a bad read. Only a few times did any of the stories strike me as being full-blown Barker, though. Not sure really how to explain that though.
THE LIFE OF DEATH - Interesting little story. Barker played me pretty easily with this one, and when I thought I knew what was going on, I had fallen for it completely.
HOW SPOILERS BLEED - I had built this story up in my head a bit more than I probably should have. I remember reading in some Werewolf: The Apocalypse books that mentioned this story as reading material for stories set in the Amazon. While an interesting story, it seemed too short, and too... meh.
TWILIGHT AT THE TOWERS - Spy tale set in Europe. Only near the end does it start to feel like a Barker tale.
THE LAST ILLUSION - IIRC, 'The Lord of Illusions' was based on this story. I liked this story the most. Even though it was the first time I ran across the main character Harry D'Amour, I felt like I had been in his world before. Very familiar, and very exotic and strange. But it works. I am curious as to how the movie is now.
ON A JERUSALEM STREET - This is just a brief little postscript. And it's very, _very_ Barker-y.
I've not read any others of the Books of Blood, but given how fast I was able to work through this one, I'll probably start the other five soon.
THE LIFE OF DEATH - Interesting little story. Barker played me pretty easily with this one, and when I thought I knew what was going on, I had fallen for it completely.
HOW SPOILERS BLEED - I had built this story up in my head a bit more than I probably should have. I remember reading in some Werewolf: The Apocalypse books that mentioned this story as reading material for stories set in the Amazon. While an interesting story, it seemed too short, and too... meh.
TWILIGHT AT THE TOWERS - Spy tale set in Europe. Only near the end does it start to feel like a Barker tale.
THE LAST ILLUSION - IIRC, 'The Lord of Illusions' was based on this story. I liked this story the most. Even though it was the first time I ran across the main character Harry D'Amour, I felt like I had been in his world before. Very familiar, and very exotic and strange. But it works. I am curious as to how the movie is now.
ON A JERUSALEM STREET - This is just a brief little postscript. And it's very, _very_ Barker-y.
I've not read any others of the Books of Blood, but given how fast I was able to work through this one, I'll probably start the other five soon.
January 18, 2016
This book is simply amazing. If you do not already know about Clive Barker and his style, then what this encompasses (along with the other 5 Books of Blood, is a group of short stories, told in Barker's characteristic, horror/fantasy/adventure mode. In this series the stories seem to be connected by disease, disease of the soul and mind as well as disease of the body. How disease and death can actually have a life of their own, and how that can affect we measly humans! Absolutely amazing in my mind and the 5 stars indicate that I will in likelihood re-read some if not all of these stories. My favorites are "The Last Illusion" so I can get my Harry D'Amour fix as well as "How Spoilers Bleed." Each and every story here is thought provoking and has a moral. Barker is NOT just splatterpunk or just blood and guts. He gives you something to think about each and every time.
October 14, 2019
Цялото ревю можете да прочетете тук:
http://radiradev.blogspot.com/2019/09...
Ако Стивън Кинг представлява Реда в литературата на ужаса, то Клайв Баркър олицетворява Хаоса. Имам предвид, че при Кинг атмосферата и развитието на героите могат да отнемат по-голямата част от книгата, а действието да се прояви главоломно едва накрая ("Гробище за домашни любимци). Докато при Баркър всичко се движи от самото начало и то по зашеметяващ начин.
Още щом отворих "Кървави книги 6" и прочетох няколко страници от първия разказ "Последната илюзия" се сетих, че съм гледал филм с подобен сюжет и, че негов сценарист е Клайв Баркър. Беше толкова отдавна. Самият филм се разпространяваше на видеокасети под заглавие "Магьосникът" (докато заглавието на екранизацията е "Lord of illusions").
Цялото ревю можете да прочетете тук:
http://radiradev.blogspot.com/2019/09...
http://radiradev.blogspot.com/2019/09...
Ако Стивън Кинг представлява Реда в литературата на ужаса, то Клайв Баркър олицетворява Хаоса. Имам предвид, че при Кинг атмосферата и развитието на героите могат да отнемат по-голямата част от книгата, а действието да се прояви главоломно едва накрая ("Гробище за домашни любимци). Докато при Баркър всичко се движи от самото начало и то по зашеметяващ начин.
Още щом отворих "Кървави книги 6" и прочетох няколко страници от първия разказ "Последната илюзия" се сетих, че съм гледал филм с подобен сюжет и, че негов сценарист е Клайв Баркър. Беше толкова отдавна. Самият филм се разпространяваше на видеокасети под заглавие "Магьосникът" (докато заглавието на екранизацията е "Lord of illusions").
Цялото ревю можете да прочетете тук:
http://radiradev.blogspot.com/2019/09...
December 21, 2015
I primarily listened to the audiobooks for this series, and was very disappointed. With very few exceptions, these are British stories in British settings with British words and phrasing, featuring British characters (starting to see a pattern here?).
But almost all of the stories were read by North American narrators, which was a constant distraction and detriment to these stories.
I submit that 'Twilight at the Towers', which is essentially a spy story, is arguably the best story in the entire series. I think that the author might have missed a true calling.
The Good:
The Life of Death
Twilight at the Towers
The Last Illusion
On Jerusalem Street
The Not So Good:
How Spoilers Bleed
The Goofy:
Nothing to report
But almost all of the stories were read by North American narrators, which was a constant distraction and detriment to these stories.
I submit that 'Twilight at the Towers', which is essentially a spy story, is arguably the best story in the entire series. I think that the author might have missed a true calling.
The Good:
The Life of Death
Twilight at the Towers
The Last Illusion
On Jerusalem Street
The Not So Good:
How Spoilers Bleed
The Goofy:
Nothing to report
March 16, 2014
One of the more uneven Books Of Blood collections, featuring a couple of stories that feel like they should be novels: "The Last Illusion" (basis for the utterly terrible film Lord Of Illusions) and "Twilight At The Towers," a spy story where the unexplained doesn't seem mysterious so much as frustrating. This particular collection more than others feels like Barker working his way toward longer, more ambitious prose rather than doing the most with the short-story form, though "How Spoilers Bleed" is a neat bit of high-impact horror, and "Life Of Death" is one of his best, a sort of love story with a series of stacked surprise endings.
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