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Books of Blood #1
Books of Blood: Volume I
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. This first volume contains the short stories : "The Book of Blood," "The Midnight Meat Train," "The Yattering and Jack," "Sex, Death, and Starshine," and "In the Hills, the Cities."
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. This first volume contains the short stories : "The Book of Blood," "The Midnight Meat Train," "The Yattering and Jack," "Sex, Death, and Starshine," and "In the Hills, the Cities."
213 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1984
1512 people are currently reading
29166 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 1,453 reviews
September 26, 2011
Horror...gore...twisted, nightmare imagery...let's get under the covers and read something scary...
There are some truly blood-chilling moments in this excellent collection. Barker has a very unique voice and I thought all of these stories were at least good, with several being remarkable 5+ star worthy gems. Deeply evocative with shocking depictions that will glue themselves to your memory. This is a worthy collection for fans of the genre or anyone who enjoys quality, creative writing and isn't overly squeamish.
Here are the stories:
THE BOOK OF BLOOD: While a short story in and of itself, this really acts as the introduction to the series and ties the other stories together in a clever way. A good, solid story but worth reading more for its tie-in effect to the rest of the series (plus it is very short). 3.0 to 3.5 stars
THE MIDNIGHT MEAT TRAIN: An excellent story that on the surface is suspenseful and well written, though a fairly standard horror story. However, below the surface is a superb and nuanced tale about the numbing horrors and oppresive pain experienced by normal people each and every day. Barker really layered this tale well and I thought it was excellent. 4.0 to 4.5 stars.
THE YATTERING AND JACK: A comical story from Barker about a demon sent by Satan to drive a man insane. Worth reading but not one of my favorites. 3.0 stars
PIG BLOOD BLUES: My FAVORITE story in the collection. A brilliant, brutal narrative about the "kill or be killed" nature of life. The imagery, the prose and the visceral, creeping horror are very unsettling. I will be thinking about the end of this one for a LONG, LONG time. A DEFINITE MUST READ!! 5.5 stars.
SEX, DEATH AND STARSHINE:Good, solid story but not one of my favorites. Probably suffered by comparison to the previous story and the one that follows. 3.0 stars
IN THE HILLS, THE CITIES: This was an amazingly imaginative story that left me WOWing and WTFing when the story device was finally revealed. Original and stunning and clear evidence of Barker's high level of creativity. I Don't want to give anything away, but this is simply brilliant and the imagery from this story will stick to your eyes long after you finish it. 5.0 to 5.5 stars.
Overall, 4.0 to 4.5 stars and definitely the collection to try if you are looking to experience Barker's short fiction. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!
There are some truly blood-chilling moments in this excellent collection. Barker has a very unique voice and I thought all of these stories were at least good, with several being remarkable 5+ star worthy gems. Deeply evocative with shocking depictions that will glue themselves to your memory. This is a worthy collection for fans of the genre or anyone who enjoys quality, creative writing and isn't overly squeamish.
Here are the stories:
THE BOOK OF BLOOD: While a short story in and of itself, this really acts as the introduction to the series and ties the other stories together in a clever way. A good, solid story but worth reading more for its tie-in effect to the rest of the series (plus it is very short). 3.0 to 3.5 stars
THE MIDNIGHT MEAT TRAIN: An excellent story that on the surface is suspenseful and well written, though a fairly standard horror story. However, below the surface is a superb and nuanced tale about the numbing horrors and oppresive pain experienced by normal people each and every day. Barker really layered this tale well and I thought it was excellent. 4.0 to 4.5 stars.
THE YATTERING AND JACK: A comical story from Barker about a demon sent by Satan to drive a man insane. Worth reading but not one of my favorites. 3.0 stars
PIG BLOOD BLUES: My FAVORITE story in the collection. A brilliant, brutal narrative about the "kill or be killed" nature of life. The imagery, the prose and the visceral, creeping horror are very unsettling. I will be thinking about the end of this one for a LONG, LONG time. A DEFINITE MUST READ!! 5.5 stars.
SEX, DEATH AND STARSHINE:Good, solid story but not one of my favorites. Probably suffered by comparison to the previous story and the one that follows. 3.0 stars
IN THE HILLS, THE CITIES: This was an amazingly imaginative story that left me WOWing and WTFing when the story device was finally revealed. Original and stunning and clear evidence of Barker's high level of creativity. I Don't want to give anything away, but this is simply brilliant and the imagery from this story will stick to your eyes long after you finish it. 5.0 to 5.5 stars.
Overall, 4.0 to 4.5 stars and definitely the collection to try if you are looking to experience Barker's short fiction. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!
July 10, 2019
This may be the best book of horror stories ever written. When I read it thirty years ago, it convinced me that I could actually like a good horror story. When I read it again ten years ago, it was as fresh and scary as the first time. And last week, when I read it yet again, I took my time, and I finally let this superb book teach me what first-class horror is all about.
You see, I have always been one of those guys who likes terror fiction better than horror fiction. I much prefer the ghosts of M.R. James, the mad gods of H.P. Lovecraft, and the metaphysical abysses of Thomas Ligotti to the more visceral chronicles of rape and torture, those more precise, less atmospheric accounts of the rending of bone and flesh.
I still do. Clive Barker has not changed my preferences. But I think I now understand him—and his fellow writers of horror—better than I have ever understood them before.
For the horror writer—and the horror reader—spiritual, psychological, and metaphysical terror are nothing but mere evasions, wishful projections. In the last extremity, all we human beings can relate with--and through--is our body, with its pleasures and pains. Our deepest fear—no matter in what rarified or abstract veils we cloak it--is the final extinction of the corporeal self: we watch, as--deliberately, methodically--each carnal pleasure is transformed, first into gross animal pain, then into nothingness. It is our body and its loss—not spooks or madness—that we fear the most.
Barker keeps his six tales rooted in the privilege, pleasures, and pains of the body. This is true even of his two humorous pieces. The corporeal Jack (in “The Yattering and Jack”) exploits his ability to pass through certain boundaries that an unembodied minor demon like “The Yattering” does not share, and the most horrific revelation of “Sex, Death and Starshine” is rooted in how oral sex technques differ between the living and the undead.
The connections of the other four more serious tales with the body is even more explicit. “Books of Blood” makes the body itself a text of horror; “The Midnight Meat Train”—my favorite—begins with a serial killer and ends with something much more basic (namely, dinner); “Pig Blood Blues” is all about the contemplation of bodies, whether it be the delicate beauty of an adolescent boy or the enormity of a commanding old sow; and that fantastic tale “In the Hills, the Cities” is a fulfillment of this theme, in which the individual bodies of citizens comprise the giant bodies of their cities, cities which, with their heads literally in the clouds, march forth into the hills to do battle for the honor of the whole.
Like I said, I’m still a terror not a horror guy, and Clive Barker (although not in this volume) can occasionally be too explicit for my taste. But in everything he does, I can’t deny that he celebrates the totality of the human body—including its most excruciating failures and defeats.
January 19, 2023
El título de la antología es acertado en la medida que lees las historias y te das cuenta que la sangre está allí presente. Ya sea en pocas o grandes cantidades. La sangre solo es una muestra de lo mucho que se puede sacar de su simbología: historias de tortura, de miedo, de horror, de perturbación, de fantasía. Historias que son un popurrí de deseos y terrores que salen a la luz y dejan un reguero de incomodidad a su paso tomando como centro la vida, la muerte, el amor y el miedo. Me han gustado bastante aunque está más que claro que no todos están al mismo nivel y pueden gustar unos más que otros dependiendo de cada quien.
🩸Promedio general: 4.1★
🩸El libro de sangre 5/5★
No me veo capaz de hacer un resumen de esto porque ni siquiera yo he podido entenderlo del todo en un principio, con una relectura ya me quedó más claro. Solo diría que me parece un sueño, ese concepto onírico llevado al extremo en un desfile de muertos, sangre y tortura que resulta aterrador y alucinante en partes iguales y que es un cuento introductorio que da pie al resto de historias macabras.
🩸El tren nocturno de carne 5/5★
Premisa contada por un asesino serial apodado el "Carnicero" y un oficinista. Pero no se queda solo allí, oculta un ritual, un ser poderoso y costumbres anómalas. Lo que más rescato es que desde que empieza da una visión de New York totalmente viva, las paredes, el suelo, los edificios, los callejones oscuros, todo parece latir por una podredumbre y muerte que vibra día a día, constantemente. Luego, va abriendo y soltando capas hasta que muestra la otra cara oculta de la ciudad de la manera más abominable. Y no se queda solo en un thriller, es más que eso.
🩸El charlatán y Jack 3.5/5★
Lo que más me ha gustado es el intercambio de perspectivas entre los dos personajes y la tensa línea de combate que se entreteje entre el demonio frustado que hace hasta lo imposible por perturbar al individuo de la casa, ya sea provocando la cólera o el miedo en él. ¿Quién ganará? Ni idea, pero me ha parecido divertido en algunos puntos.
🩸El blues de la sangre de cerdo 4.5/5★
Es un relato bastante predecible pero que da mal rollo todo el tiempo. Ambientado en un centro para detención de menores (o reformatorio) con un subtexto animal y religioso bastante peliagudo que se va desentrañando a medida que el misterio se esclarece. Eso sí, el final me pareció magnífico y asfixiante por la imagen que me dejó impregnado en la cabeza.
🩸Sexo, muerte y luz de estrellas 3.5/5★
Es el más largo y para mí también el que más me llegó a cansar por no ir al grano. Sin embargo, me ha gustado mucho en su parte final, creo que logró un gran clímax en medio de un teatro (el entorno más adecuado) y la manera en que jugó con la vida y la muerte me pareció poética. No sé, por contradictorio que suene hubo belleza y terror y eso me fascina.
🩸En las colinas, las ciudades 5/5★
Esto es una pesadilla de proporciones grandes. Es el fin del mundo, un apocalipsis en toda regla protagonizado por un enfrentamiento entre dos ciudades: Popolac y Podujevo. Y aunque es horror en estado puro por la detallada y muy gráfica descripción de la hechura de sus cuerpos también lo deja a uno maravillado por lo que propone presenciar tal gigante colosal de carne humana... así mueras en los segundos o minutos siguientes.
🩸Terror 4.5/5★
Habla del terror (valga la redundancia). Es una exploración, un estudio y una profundización sobre los temores. Capaz y resulta muy convencional el cómo se cuenta pero me ha gustado tanto porque me he sentido incómodo y asfixiado y las últimas escenas que se van revelando están muy bien logradas. El desenlace como tal es un karma en toda regla.
🩸Acontecimiento infernal 2/5★
Podría decir de qué trata. Pero me da pereza porque no me ha gustado.
🩸Jacqueline Ess: últimas voluntades y testamentos 4/5★
Es la historia de una mujer con unos fascinantes y extraños poderes que la hacen ejercer total voluntad y manejo sobre su cuerpo y el de los hombres con los que se va mezclando a lo largo de la historia. El final romántico y sangriento de este relato para una antología muy perturbadora resulta bastante acertado.
🩸Promedio general: 4.1★
🩸El libro de sangre 5/5★
No me veo capaz de hacer un resumen de esto porque ni siquiera yo he podido entenderlo del todo en un principio, con una relectura ya me quedó más claro. Solo diría que me parece un sueño, ese concepto onírico llevado al extremo en un desfile de muertos, sangre y tortura que resulta aterrador y alucinante en partes iguales y que es un cuento introductorio que da pie al resto de historias macabras.
🩸El tren nocturno de carne 5/5★
Premisa contada por un asesino serial apodado el "Carnicero" y un oficinista. Pero no se queda solo allí, oculta un ritual, un ser poderoso y costumbres anómalas. Lo que más rescato es que desde que empieza da una visión de New York totalmente viva, las paredes, el suelo, los edificios, los callejones oscuros, todo parece latir por una podredumbre y muerte que vibra día a día, constantemente. Luego, va abriendo y soltando capas hasta que muestra la otra cara oculta de la ciudad de la manera más abominable. Y no se queda solo en un thriller, es más que eso.
🩸El charlatán y Jack 3.5/5★
Lo que más me ha gustado es el intercambio de perspectivas entre los dos personajes y la tensa línea de combate que se entreteje entre el demonio frustado que hace hasta lo imposible por perturbar al individuo de la casa, ya sea provocando la cólera o el miedo en él. ¿Quién ganará? Ni idea, pero me ha parecido divertido en algunos puntos.
🩸El blues de la sangre de cerdo 4.5/5★
Es un relato bastante predecible pero que da mal rollo todo el tiempo. Ambientado en un centro para detención de menores (o reformatorio) con un subtexto animal y religioso bastante peliagudo que se va desentrañando a medida que el misterio se esclarece. Eso sí, el final me pareció magnífico y asfixiante por la imagen que me dejó impregnado en la cabeza.
🩸Sexo, muerte y luz de estrellas 3.5/5★
Es el más largo y para mí también el que más me llegó a cansar por no ir al grano. Sin embargo, me ha gustado mucho en su parte final, creo que logró un gran clímax en medio de un teatro (el entorno más adecuado) y la manera en que jugó con la vida y la muerte me pareció poética. No sé, por contradictorio que suene hubo belleza y terror y eso me fascina.
🩸En las colinas, las ciudades 5/5★
Esto es una pesadilla de proporciones grandes. Es el fin del mundo, un apocalipsis en toda regla protagonizado por un enfrentamiento entre dos ciudades: Popolac y Podujevo. Y aunque es horror en estado puro por la detallada y muy gráfica descripción de la hechura de sus cuerpos también lo deja a uno maravillado por lo que propone presenciar tal gigante colosal de carne humana... así mueras en los segundos o minutos siguientes.
🩸Terror 4.5/5★
Habla del terror (valga la redundancia). Es una exploración, un estudio y una profundización sobre los temores. Capaz y resulta muy convencional el cómo se cuenta pero me ha gustado tanto porque me he sentido incómodo y asfixiado y las últimas escenas que se van revelando están muy bien logradas. El desenlace como tal es un karma en toda regla.
🩸Acontecimiento infernal 2/5★
Podría decir de qué trata. Pero me da pereza porque no me ha gustado.
🩸Jacqueline Ess: últimas voluntades y testamentos 4/5★
Es la historia de una mujer con unos fascinantes y extraños poderes que la hacen ejercer total voluntad y manejo sobre su cuerpo y el de los hombres con los que se va mezclando a lo largo de la historia. El final romántico y sangriento de este relato para una antología muy perturbadora resulta bastante acertado.
May 23, 2023
"Night was approaching, mercifully bandaging up the wounds of the day, blinding eyes that had seen too much."
Initial Thoughts
More Clive Barker! Give me more Clive Barker!
I'm sad to say that at fourty-three years old, I'm only just getting into this author and thinking, "Clive baby, where have you been all my life?". I know there's some other hardcore horror fans out there right now in utter shock when they hear this. Well just so you know, I'm certainly making up for lost time.
I read books two and three of the Books of Blood over the past two months and can see why the guy has so many fans. Including none other than Stephen King. Mr Barker is just a fantastic writer with a wealth of imagination that will make your jaw hit the floor. Who'd have thought from the guy who brought Hellraiser and Candyman to the big screen? His style is a touch unusual, but you know what? I f'in love it!
The tone of his prose is just something that has to be experienced. It's dark, it's sexual, it's terrifying and beautiful all at the same time. Almost poetic. To say I couldn't wait to read the first book in the series was a serious understatement.
The Stories
As with all these collections there are going to be some absolute bangers and others that don't quite measure up. Lucky for you I'm going to rate each and stick them in order, best to least favourite.
The Midnight Meat Train 5 🌟's
Have you ever fell asleep while on a train? I know I have. Well imagine waking up to find you're trapped on there with a serial killer who's in the process of butchering a number of unlucky passengers. This is what's in store for the seriously unlucky Leon Kaufman who's going to have a battle for survival before this rides over.
It's very tense and very gory with a twist ending that absolutely knocked my socks off. Terrifying beyond comprehension. This is the reason I read horror. Barker absolutely knocks it out the park with this one.
It's worth noting that this one received a 2008 adaptation, starring none other than Bradley Cooper and Vinnie Jones. Bet you can't guess which one plays the villain! After reading this it's one I fully intend to watch.
In the Hills, the Cities 5🌟's
If ever you need an example of just how outrageously brilliant this authors imagination is, then look no further than this fantastic story. I've certainly not read anything like it and was left scooping my jaw off the floor after finishing. It's absolutely bonkers but in the best possible way.
Barker serves up an almost dreamlike story where two lovers travelling through Yugoslavia stumble upon an ancient tradition that takes place between neighbouring villages. Let's just say they all pull together, with each person playing their part as they battle it out with shocking results. Whatever you think is in store you're completely wrong. This one has to be read to believed.
Pig Blood Blues 4.5 🌟's
Another great story that focuses on a horrifying mystery that is investigated by an ex-cop turned teacher who starts work in juvenile detention centre. He quickly discovers that one of the boys may have committed suicide at a small farm that resides on the grounds.
There's a dirty secret hidden on that farm and a huge pig with inquisitive eyes that seems to know something. But the tension in this one builds expertly right up to a fantastic conclusion. It will satisfy and shock in equal measures. Just remember, there's nothing as greedy as a pig.
"Dead. A smaller word than alive; but it took the breath away."
The Yattering and Jack 4🌟's
The author mixes things up by throwing in a story that's tongue-in-cheek and darkly humourous. A chaotic demon goes head to head with the most passive man in history who's favourite saying is "che sara sara.". The prize will be his immortal soul, which Satan is desperate to get hold of after the man's family has crossed him in the past.
The demon tries his best to drive the man insane, but absolutely nothing seems to work. The guy can turn a blind eye to anything and it's the lowly demon who is being driven crazy as a result. Hilarity ensues. I really appreciated it and I'm sure you will to.
The Book of Blood 3 🌟's
This is a short little number that serves as an introduction to the entire series. A house that is an intersection for the spirits of the dead sets the scene as the dead can scribe on the walls within. Or on living flesh.
There's a bloody twist in this one that works really well and some great writing that would make an otherwise forgettable piece well worth a read. It certainly gives you a little taste of what's to come. But of course it doesn't measure up to the previous three barnstormers.
"The dead have highways. They run, unerring lines of ghost-trains, of dream carriages across the wasteland behind our lives, bearing an endless traffic to departed souls."
Sex, Death and Star Light 2.5 🌟's
The weakest story of this collection is a pretty boring yarn about the final performance in a closing theatre. The production has spent big on a celebrity who can't actually act and it's looking like it's going to be a night to forget. But there's a watcher backstage who has a vested interest and isn't going to allow for this type of failure.
I can see what Barker was going for here. I know he's written a few plays and is big into theatrics. But it commits the cardinal sin of being boring and didn't grab me at any point. But they can't all be five star knockouts.
Final Thoughts
So overall, Book One of the Books of Blood consists mostly of absolute hits. Extremely varied in scope with good helpings of violence and gore. I'm now well on my way to becoming a fan of Clive Barker. He's up there with almost any writer in the horror genre and surpasses many of them with the absolute quality of his prose.
I just love his very unique take on the horror genre, with zero happy endings. Almost pure nihilism in fact. It really is, like nothing I've experienced before. I can definitely see why he's gathered somewhat of a cult following!
So would I recommend Books of Blood? If you're in anyway a fan of horror then it's an absolute no brainer. No collection would be complete without these beauties. Books one to three in a complete volume is probably the best collection of short scary fiction out there. Enough said!
Thanks for reading and...cheers!
March 25, 2021
4.5*
"Lo tocó como nunca antes se había atrevido a hacerlo, acariciando su cuerpo con la punta de los dedos muy, muy suavemente, recorriendo la piel levantada como una mujer ciega leyendo braille"
Unos relatos que podrán gustar mas o menos, pero indudablemente a nadie deberían dejar indiferente.
Varios de estos relatos primerizos de Barker perfectamente podrían constituir un subgénero en si mismo dentro del terror.
1. El libro de sangre / The Book of Blood *5
2. El tren nocturno de carne/ The Midnight Meat Train *5
3. El charlatán y Jack / The Yattering and Jack *5
4. El blues de la sangre de cerdo / Pig Blood Blues *4
5. Sexo, muerte y luz de estrellas / Sex, Death and Starshine *4
6. En las colinas, las ciudades / In the Hills, the Cities *4
"Lo tocó como nunca antes se había atrevido a hacerlo, acariciando su cuerpo con la punta de los dedos muy, muy suavemente, recorriendo la piel levantada como una mujer ciega leyendo braille"
Unos relatos que podrán gustar mas o menos, pero indudablemente a nadie deberían dejar indiferente.
Varios de estos relatos primerizos de Barker perfectamente podrían constituir un subgénero en si mismo dentro del terror.
1. El libro de sangre / The Book of Blood *5
2. El tren nocturno de carne/ The Midnight Meat Train *5
3. El charlatán y Jack / The Yattering and Jack *5
4. El blues de la sangre de cerdo / Pig Blood Blues *4
5. Sexo, muerte y luz de estrellas / Sex, Death and Starshine *4
6. En las colinas, las ciudades / In the Hills, the Cities *4
July 28, 2023
Barker nos presenta un compendio de historias a cual más sangrienta y visual.
Nueve relatos a cual más original y sangriento.
No todos me han gustado en la misma medida, por eso no se lleva las cinco ⭐ pero es una obra que hay que leer si eres amante del terror y la sangre, aquí la encontrarás a toneladas.
Paso a comentarles brevemente los relatos que contiene y mis impresiones.
🔸El libro de sangre.
Un mundo onírico de pesadillas se abre paso. La brecha se ha abierto, los muertos quieren ser escuchados, ya no hay marcha atrás.
Este primer relato abre paso al resto de historias.
Historias escritas en el Libro de sangre.
Sublime.
"Sea cual fuera la violencia allí desatada, había abierto la casa igual que el cuchillo abre la tripa de un pez; y a través de aquel corte, de aquella herida en el mundo, los muertos se asomaban y pedían la palabra."
🔸El tren nocturno de la carne.
Me acordaré de este relato si alguna vez decido subirme en el metro de Nueva York. Me da pánico solo de imaginármelo, especialmente de noche.
Adéntrate y descubre el lado oscuro de esta gran ciudad.
Horror en estado puro.
"La verdad estaban colgando del vagón de al lado. Sonreía complacida consigo misma tras un delantal de cota de malla ensangrentado. Aquel era el tren nocturno de la carne."
🔸El Charlatán y Jack.
Divertido rifirrafe entre un demonio menor (El Charlatán) y el pobre habitante de la casa (Jack). Fue curioso comprobar esa doble perspectiva, la lucha diaria entre ambos y la culminación de todo.
Me ha encantado el tono de humor que desprende.
🔸El blues de la sangre de cerdo.
Un centro para jóvenes conflictivos y extraños rituales con cerdos de por medio.
Aunque intuyes el final logra crear una gran atmósfera.
Ese final es impactante.
🔸Sexo, muerte y luz de estrellas.
Es el más largo y se me ha hecho un pelín tedioso.
Nos narra ese amor por la interpretación y todo lo que rodea al mundo del teatro.
"Tarde o temprano debemos elegir entre servirnos a nosotros mismos o servir a nuestro arte."
🔸En las colinas, las ciudades.
Dos ciudades enfrentadas, Popolac y Podujevo, en una antigua batalla ceremonial que se repite cada 10 años.
Pero no es una batalla al uso, es de lo más original y perturbador la descripción que hace de esos combatientes.
¿Quién ganará?
"Popolac se internó en las colinas, cada uno de sus pasos abarcaba más de un kilómetro. Cada hombre, mujer y niño de aquella torre hirviente estaba ciego. Solo veían a través de los ojos de la ciudad."
🔸Terror.
"No hay mayor placer que el terror."
Así da comienzo este relato 😍
Es como asistir a una clase de filosofía sobre el miedo donde veremos la clase de experimentos que realiza un chiflado con tal de ver aflorar esos terrores que todos poseemos.
🔝"No hay mayor placer que el terror. Siempre que sea el de otra persona."
🔸Acontecimiento infernal.
Una carrera benéfica que esconde algo terrorífico detrás.
No ha sido de mis favoritos.
Lo mejor: la descripción de las muertes.
En eso Barker ya sabemos que es un genio.
🔸Jacqueline Ess: últimas voluntades y testamento.
En este último relato conoceremos a Jacqueline y el sangriento poder que ejerce sobre los hombres que se cruzan en su vida.
El broche de oro perfecto para cerrar esta brutal antología.
Me ha encantado.
👌🔝En palabras del propio Barker en el prólogo; "son pequeños viajes; pequeños desfiles, si os parece mejor, que se alejan de las calles familiares y se adentran en un territorio cada vez más oscuro hasta que, en algún lugar muy lejos de todo lo que conocemos, nos encontramos en compañía extraña, extraña a nosotros."
Si te gusta el terror es un autor al que no puedes dejar pasar. Las descripciones de las muertes son tan gráficas, potentes y originales que esas imágenes perdurarán para siempre en lo más recóndito de tu mente para aflorar cuando menos te lo esperes.
¡Adelante con el!
📖 Próxima lectura:
"Abismo" (Demencia II) - Leandro Pinto.
https://www.facebook.com/LaLocadelosL... 📚 💜
Nueve relatos a cual más original y sangriento.
No todos me han gustado en la misma medida, por eso no se lleva las cinco ⭐ pero es una obra que hay que leer si eres amante del terror y la sangre, aquí la encontrarás a toneladas.
Paso a comentarles brevemente los relatos que contiene y mis impresiones.
🔸El libro de sangre.
Un mundo onírico de pesadillas se abre paso. La brecha se ha abierto, los muertos quieren ser escuchados, ya no hay marcha atrás.
Este primer relato abre paso al resto de historias.
Historias escritas en el Libro de sangre.
Sublime.
"Sea cual fuera la violencia allí desatada, había abierto la casa igual que el cuchillo abre la tripa de un pez; y a través de aquel corte, de aquella herida en el mundo, los muertos se asomaban y pedían la palabra."
🔸El tren nocturno de la carne.
Me acordaré de este relato si alguna vez decido subirme en el metro de Nueva York. Me da pánico solo de imaginármelo, especialmente de noche.
Adéntrate y descubre el lado oscuro de esta gran ciudad.
Horror en estado puro.
"La verdad estaban colgando del vagón de al lado. Sonreía complacida consigo misma tras un delantal de cota de malla ensangrentado. Aquel era el tren nocturno de la carne."
🔸El Charlatán y Jack.
Divertido rifirrafe entre un demonio menor (El Charlatán) y el pobre habitante de la casa (Jack). Fue curioso comprobar esa doble perspectiva, la lucha diaria entre ambos y la culminación de todo.
Me ha encantado el tono de humor que desprende.
🔸El blues de la sangre de cerdo.
Un centro para jóvenes conflictivos y extraños rituales con cerdos de por medio.
Aunque intuyes el final logra crear una gran atmósfera.
Ese final es impactante.
🔸Sexo, muerte y luz de estrellas.
Es el más largo y se me ha hecho un pelín tedioso.
Nos narra ese amor por la interpretación y todo lo que rodea al mundo del teatro.
"Tarde o temprano debemos elegir entre servirnos a nosotros mismos o servir a nuestro arte."
🔸En las colinas, las ciudades.
Dos ciudades enfrentadas, Popolac y Podujevo, en una antigua batalla ceremonial que se repite cada 10 años.
Pero no es una batalla al uso, es de lo más original y perturbador la descripción que hace de esos combatientes.
¿Quién ganará?
"Popolac se internó en las colinas, cada uno de sus pasos abarcaba más de un kilómetro. Cada hombre, mujer y niño de aquella torre hirviente estaba ciego. Solo veían a través de los ojos de la ciudad."
🔸Terror.
"No hay mayor placer que el terror."
Así da comienzo este relato 😍
Es como asistir a una clase de filosofía sobre el miedo donde veremos la clase de experimentos que realiza un chiflado con tal de ver aflorar esos terrores que todos poseemos.
🔝"No hay mayor placer que el terror. Siempre que sea el de otra persona."
🔸Acontecimiento infernal.
Una carrera benéfica que esconde algo terrorífico detrás.
No ha sido de mis favoritos.
Lo mejor: la descripción de las muertes.
En eso Barker ya sabemos que es un genio.
🔸Jacqueline Ess: últimas voluntades y testamento.
En este último relato conoceremos a Jacqueline y el sangriento poder que ejerce sobre los hombres que se cruzan en su vida.
El broche de oro perfecto para cerrar esta brutal antología.
Me ha encantado.
👌🔝En palabras del propio Barker en el prólogo; "son pequeños viajes; pequeños desfiles, si os parece mejor, que se alejan de las calles familiares y se adentran en un territorio cada vez más oscuro hasta que, en algún lugar muy lejos de todo lo que conocemos, nos encontramos en compañía extraña, extraña a nosotros."
Si te gusta el terror es un autor al que no puedes dejar pasar. Las descripciones de las muertes son tan gráficas, potentes y originales que esas imágenes perdurarán para siempre en lo más recóndito de tu mente para aflorar cuando menos te lo esperes.
¡Adelante con el!
📖 Próxima lectura:
"Abismo" (Demencia II) - Leandro Pinto.
https://www.facebook.com/LaLocadelosL... 📚 💜
October 13, 2021
I originally read this book when when I was fourteen. I remember buying it with my allowance at the local drugstore. I'm betting most of it went over my head at the time but I have fond memories of scaring people away from speaking to me when reading this. I'm curious how I'll feel about it now that I'm no longer a tormented teen looking to hide from reality.
The Book of Blood
After recently seeing the movie adaptation of this short story, which was dreary, sexualized and not too bad even with some cliches thrown in, I was compelled to revisit this novel to see how the film matched up. Much was changed, of course. This “Book of Blood” is actually the introduction to all of the stories that follow it. The movie stands alone and is quite a bit different.
The dead have highways and at one of these intersections sits the house at 65 Tollington Place. It looks like any other home but stay there too long and you’re sure to leave much different than when you arrived. A trio of paranormal investigators are successfully documenting the goings-on of the place but more is going on than meets the eye. The young medium that secretly lusts for fame and fortune and will do whatever must be done to acquire it is keeping secrets. Secrets that are enraging the dead. His beatific smile easily wins over Mary Florescu whose life’s work has been documenting paranormal events. She should know better but is overcome with desire and is blind until it’s too late and the dead have their way with him. Now he’s no longer beautiful and she must translate the stories the dead have written upon his skin. No one does dread and dank atmosphere like Clive Barker.
The Midnight Meat Train Kaufman once adored the idea of New York until he lived there and saw the ugliness up close. Now New York is just another city and has lost its allure. A brutal string of murders in the subway system further sickens him in this city whose streets are awash with fresh blood.
A man thinking himself a night-stalker and taking his job seriously preys the underground in search of a body whose flesh is worthy of his skill.
Kaufman will discover he knew little of the true atrocities carried out in the city until he rides the subway one dark, lonely night . . . This story is gory, gritty and gives you something to think about.
The Yattering and Jack This story was made into a super cheesy "Tales from the Darkside" episode. I watched it recently on the Chiller channel and am curious to see just how much they ruined the original story.
This is a surprisingly "lighter" and slightly humorous story from Barker. The Yattering is a lower devil demon ousted from Hell to torment a human named Jack Polo. He doesn't know why and is thoroughly frustrated with his inability to drive the boring human into a raving lunatic. No matter how desperately the Yattering tries to upset Polo he remains unmoved. When Polo's daughters come for a visit the Yattering ratchets up his fright-fest. There's a funny scene involving the Yattering and his genitals that I didn't see in the televised version, hmmm. . . Needless to say, in the end, Polo isn't as dense as Yattering assumes. This version, of course, was much better than the cheesy Tales from the Darkside episode.
Pig Blood Blues This one is dark and bloody and has the sexual undertones that color much of Barkers work. Redman, a former police officer, has been hired to teach wayward adolescents at a juvenile detention center. He quickly takes pity on a youth named Lacey who is continually the victim of bullying and offers him protection. As he gets to know the boy, he tells him a bizarre tale about the farm on the property involving suicide and a hungry pig. This one is strange and haunting.
Sex, Death and Starshine
Barker never pretties up his dead. Oh sure, they may have a facade of skin over their rotting corpses but you always know what they truly are the moment they enter the story and step out of the shadows. His dead are always putrefying, raw and terrifying but they’re quite often more classy than the living. I believe this is what has always drawn me to his work. This little story is about a theater's last production of Twelfth Night and the drama that ensues behind the scenes. While the temperamental theater folks are busy stabbing each other in the back over silly jealousy and pettiness some major drama is about to happen upon the scene in the form of a creepy stranger and his beautiful wife who wants the starring role.
This wasn’t one of the best stories in the book but it highlights Barker’s love for his dead and his knack for embodying them with a dark grace. The humans come off as vulgar and petty and lacking in morals while the dead are much more refined even though they’re decaying corpses.
In The Hills, The Cities
Mick doesn’t discover that his lover is an obnoxious political bigot until he’s stuck with him on a trip to Yugoslavia and nearly bored to death by his tedious opinions. While Judd thinks Mick is an airhead who is content to keep his head in the clouds. It was supposed to be their honeymoon but apparently they should have spent some together before embarking on their trip. The only thing they have going for them is attraction.
But in the hills hides the greatest wonder of the world. Within the hills its citizens are preparing an ancient ceremonial battle that pits city against city. Mick and Judd who are busy bickering and traversing these endless roads haplessly stumble upon something they were never meant to see. And of course they can’t look away when they should . . .
This was a very original short story, unlike anything I've read before or since, but considering what happens Barker doesn't stay focused on the gore as he easily could have but more on the reactions of the two who witness this bizarre event.
Funny, I remember this book as being shocking and horrifying and terribly gory but I didn't think it was any of those things the second time around. Guess I'm just too jaded now.
The Book of Blood
After recently seeing the movie adaptation of this short story, which was dreary, sexualized and not too bad even with some cliches thrown in, I was compelled to revisit this novel to see how the film matched up. Much was changed, of course. This “Book of Blood” is actually the introduction to all of the stories that follow it. The movie stands alone and is quite a bit different.
The dead have highways and at one of these intersections sits the house at 65 Tollington Place. It looks like any other home but stay there too long and you’re sure to leave much different than when you arrived. A trio of paranormal investigators are successfully documenting the goings-on of the place but more is going on than meets the eye. The young medium that secretly lusts for fame and fortune and will do whatever must be done to acquire it is keeping secrets. Secrets that are enraging the dead. His beatific smile easily wins over Mary Florescu whose life’s work has been documenting paranormal events. She should know better but is overcome with desire and is blind until it’s too late and the dead have their way with him. Now he’s no longer beautiful and she must translate the stories the dead have written upon his skin. No one does dread and dank atmosphere like Clive Barker.
The Midnight Meat Train Kaufman once adored the idea of New York until he lived there and saw the ugliness up close. Now New York is just another city and has lost its allure. A brutal string of murders in the subway system further sickens him in this city whose streets are awash with fresh blood.
A man thinking himself a night-stalker and taking his job seriously preys the underground in search of a body whose flesh is worthy of his skill.
Kaufman will discover he knew little of the true atrocities carried out in the city until he rides the subway one dark, lonely night . . . This story is gory, gritty and gives you something to think about.
The Yattering and Jack This story was made into a super cheesy "Tales from the Darkside" episode. I watched it recently on the Chiller channel and am curious to see just how much they ruined the original story.
This is a surprisingly "lighter" and slightly humorous story from Barker. The Yattering is a lower devil demon ousted from Hell to torment a human named Jack Polo. He doesn't know why and is thoroughly frustrated with his inability to drive the boring human into a raving lunatic. No matter how desperately the Yattering tries to upset Polo he remains unmoved. When Polo's daughters come for a visit the Yattering ratchets up his fright-fest. There's a funny scene involving the Yattering and his genitals that I didn't see in the televised version, hmmm. . . Needless to say, in the end, Polo isn't as dense as Yattering assumes. This version, of course, was much better than the cheesy Tales from the Darkside episode.
Pig Blood Blues This one is dark and bloody and has the sexual undertones that color much of Barkers work. Redman, a former police officer, has been hired to teach wayward adolescents at a juvenile detention center. He quickly takes pity on a youth named Lacey who is continually the victim of bullying and offers him protection. As he gets to know the boy, he tells him a bizarre tale about the farm on the property involving suicide and a hungry pig. This one is strange and haunting.
Sex, Death and Starshine
Barker never pretties up his dead. Oh sure, they may have a facade of skin over their rotting corpses but you always know what they truly are the moment they enter the story and step out of the shadows. His dead are always putrefying, raw and terrifying but they’re quite often more classy than the living. I believe this is what has always drawn me to his work. This little story is about a theater's last production of Twelfth Night and the drama that ensues behind the scenes. While the temperamental theater folks are busy stabbing each other in the back over silly jealousy and pettiness some major drama is about to happen upon the scene in the form of a creepy stranger and his beautiful wife who wants the starring role.
This wasn’t one of the best stories in the book but it highlights Barker’s love for his dead and his knack for embodying them with a dark grace. The humans come off as vulgar and petty and lacking in morals while the dead are much more refined even though they’re decaying corpses.
In The Hills, The Cities
Mick doesn’t discover that his lover is an obnoxious political bigot until he’s stuck with him on a trip to Yugoslavia and nearly bored to death by his tedious opinions. While Judd thinks Mick is an airhead who is content to keep his head in the clouds. It was supposed to be their honeymoon but apparently they should have spent some together before embarking on their trip. The only thing they have going for them is attraction.
But in the hills hides the greatest wonder of the world. Within the hills its citizens are preparing an ancient ceremonial battle that pits city against city. Mick and Judd who are busy bickering and traversing these endless roads haplessly stumble upon something they were never meant to see. And of course they can’t look away when they should . . .
This was a very original short story, unlike anything I've read before or since, but considering what happens Barker doesn't stay focused on the gore as he easily could have but more on the reactions of the two who witness this bizarre event.
Funny, I remember this book as being shocking and horrifying and terribly gory but I didn't think it was any of those things the second time around. Guess I'm just too jaded now.
August 19, 2019
Terror fiction at its macabric high! And I say this even after skipping one short story (Pig Blood Blues) in this collection. I mean I can handle a lot of weirdness but a story with 'human eating' pigs.... *shudders*!
Overall a good volume consisting of terrifying pieces of morbid deliciousness ☠️😁!
Overall a good volume consisting of terrifying pieces of morbid deliciousness ☠️😁!
January 6, 2022
This is absolutely the best collection of horror stories I have ever read. The first chapter sets the tone for one hell of a ride through Clive Barker's twisted mind. Pure, 100% horror gold. Can you even call yourself a horror junkie without reading this book? Stop reading now and go get this book.
😻😻😻😻😻
😻😻😻😻😻
April 23, 2021
Il Libro di Sangue:☆☆☆☆
Il giovane Simon McNeal, un falso medium, sceglie la casa sbagliata per esercitare la sua discutibile professione. I morti sono permalosi e vendicativi ed il ciarlatano imparerà una dolorosa lezione: siamo tutti libri di sangue; in qualunque punto ci aprano, siamo rossi.
Macelleria Mobile di Mezzanotte: ☆☆☆☆☆
Un sanguinario serial killer si aggira nella metropolitana di New York al calare delle tenebre, lo sventurato Leon Kaufman scoprirà suo malgrado la verità dietro gli omicidi e molto altro...
È un vero peccato che lo splendido film con Bradley Cooper, Vinnie Jones e Brooke Shields ispirato a questo racconto breve, a detta di molti il migliore di Barker, abbia avuto una pessima distribuzione impedendo all'autore di completare la sua trilogia cinematografica dedicata ai Padri Fondatori di New York. Disturbante ed indimenticabile.
Il Ciarliero e Jack: ☆☆☆☆
Al Ciarliero, un demone minore, è stato assegnato l'ingrato compito di acchiappare l'anima di Jack J. Polo, vittima talmente insipida ed imperturbabile da superare indenne ogni agguato e da non offrire alla malvagità il benché minimo appiglio. Racconto grottesco ed esilarante di cui mi ero dimenticato aver letto in passato la splendida versione a fumetti disegnata da John Bolton e che mi ha fatto venire voglia di vederne la versione televisiva, un episodio di Tales from the Darkside, serie ideata da George Romero ed andata in onda anche qui in Italia con il nome Un salto nel buio, del quale ignoravo completamente l'esistenza.
"Que sera, sera."
Mai dire maiale: ☆☆☆☆☆
“Prima ancora di vederli, già sentivi l’odore dei ragazzini, quello del loro giovane sudore che impregnava i corridoi di finestrelle a sbarre, quello del loro alito sottochiave divenuto rancido, quello delle loro chiome molli di sporcizia. Poi ne udivi le voci, smorzate dal regolamento della detenzione.
Non si corre. Non si grida. Non si fischia. Non si fa a botte”.
Neil Redman, ex poliziotto dichiarato non idoneo dal Dipartimento, ottiene un nuovo lavoro presso il riformatorio minorile Tetherdowne. Il carcere cela però un terribile segreto...
Racconto viscerale e disturbante che migliora progressivamente fino all'agghiacciante finale.
Sesso, morte e stelle: ☆☆☆
Terry Calloway è il direttore di una scalcagnata compagnia teatrale in cui le doti d'attrice della bella primadonna Diane Duvall, sono inversamente proporzionali al suo talento nell'appagare sessualmente il suo mecenate ed amante.
L'Elysium Theather, dove va in scena La dodicesima notte di Shakespeare rischia quindi la chiusura, ma l'enigmatico ha in mente idee diverse al riguardo.
Storia grandguignolesca di ambientazione teatrale a base di sesso, humour nero e morti viventi.
Carina ed originale ma non mi ha fatto impazzire.
In collina, le città: ☆☆☆☆☆
Popolac camminava e Popolac cantava. Esisteva forse in tutta Europa una tale meraviglia?
Popolac e Podujevo, città gemelle della Jugoslavia, condividono un'oscura tradizione millenaria.
Gli sventurati Mick e Judd, turisti inglesi in luna di miele stanno per scoprire quale e non gli piacerà.
Racconto viscerale e parecchio disturbante dall'originalità dirompente, il migliore dell'antologia insieme a Macelleria Mobile di Mezzanotte e Mai dire maiale.
November 20, 2024
4.5 stars
A grotesque burlesque of a collection of stories. I look forward to moving on to the next volume and seeing what else Barker has in store. Forty years later and each story remains quite impressively original.
A grotesque burlesque of a collection of stories. I look forward to moving on to the next volume and seeing what else Barker has in store. Forty years later and each story remains quite impressively original.
July 13, 2021
I love it when I don't know what the hell is going on but I'm enjoying it. Also, I'll never look at sows the same way again.
Also, I know Cliver Barker is gay, but the John Waters level of craziness in these stories is absolutely flawless.
Also, I know Cliver Barker is gay, but the John Waters level of craziness in these stories is absolutely flawless.
April 10, 2018
Οι ιστορίες που οι νεκροί έγραψαν σε κάθε χιλιοστό του φρέσκου δέρματος του νεαρού Σάιμον δημιουργώντας στο κορμί του ένα ζωντανό βιβλίο αίματος [‘Το βιβλίο του αίματος’], ένας serial killer που μετατρέπει το τρένο του υπόγειου σιδηρόδρομου της Νέας Υόρκης σε σφαγείο [‘Το τρένο του μεσονυχτίου’], ένα φαινόμενο poltergeist και η αγωνιώδης προσπάθεια του θορυβώδους πνεύματος να τρομοκρατήσει επιτέλους τον Τζάκ Πόλο [‘Το φλύαρο και ο Τζακ’], η μυστηριώδης εξαφάνιση ενός ανηλίκου σε έν αναμορφωτήριο εφήβων παραβατών και η ζοφερή πραγματικότητα που αντιμετωπίζει ένας πρώην αστυνομικός που προσλαμβάνεται για να καθησυχάσει τις αρχές [‘Μπλουζ αίματος για ένα γουρούνι’], μια τελευταία παράσταση της Δωδέκατης Νύχτας (της νύχτας, δηλαδή, που όλα επιτρέπονται) από έναν παράξενο θίασο ζωντανών και νεκρών ηθοποιών [‘Σεξ, θάνατος κι αστροφεγγιά’], κι ένα ταξίδι στην πάλαι ποτέ Γιουγκοσλαβία που θα διακόψει απότομα το αποτρόπαιο θέαμα της ‘πτώσης’ μιας πόλης στο πλαίσιο ενός τοπικού εθίμου [‘Στους λόφους, οι πόλεις’].
Ευφάνταστες μακάβριες ιστορίες (οι περισσότερες λιγότερο τρομακτικές από ό,τι περίμενα, έχοντας κατά νου το ‘Hellraiser’ και το ‘The Scarlet Gospels’) από τον μετρ του horror/dark fantasy Clive Barker στην πρώτη του γνωριμία με το κοινό, το σωτήριο έτος 1984. Πρώτο βιβλίο αίματος από τα έξι, περιμένω διακαώς την επανέκδοση και των υπολοίπων.
Ευφάνταστες μακάβριες ιστορίες (οι περισσότερες λιγότερο τρομακτικές από ό,τι περίμενα, έχοντας κατά νου το ‘Hellraiser’ και το ‘The Scarlet Gospels’) από τον μετρ του horror/dark fantasy Clive Barker στην πρώτη του γνωριμία με το κοινό, το σωτήριο έτος 1984. Πρώτο βιβλίο αίματος από τα έξι, περιμένω διακαώς την επανέκδοση και των υπολοίπων.
May 29, 2022
Realmente Barker es único.
He recordado lo mucho que me encantaba ciertos relatos de este volumen. Sanguinarios, vicerales, macabros y absolutamente bestiales.
Barker no defrauda y sus relatos son una adicción. Fue un excelente reencuentro.
Recomendadísimo 🔥
He recordado lo mucho que me encantaba ciertos relatos de este volumen. Sanguinarios, vicerales, macabros y absolutamente bestiales.
Barker no defrauda y sus relatos son una adicción. Fue un excelente reencuentro.
Recomendadísimo 🔥
April 14, 2024
BOOKS OF BLOOD VOLUME I [2014] By Clive Barker
My Review Four Stars Out Of 5
“I have seen the future of horror and his name is Clive Barker.”- Stephen King
BOOKS OF BLOOD: Volumes One to Three (Books of Blood, #1-3) by Clive Barker were assigned for the month of April’s Book Read Discussion. Clive Barker’s “Books of Blood” comprised a series of six horror anthologies which were penned by him in 1984 and 1985. He had been a playwright prior to the publication of “Books of Blood” and this marked his debut as an author and spearheaded his success as a novelist. It could be said that it was Barker’s anthology series that sowed the seed which grew his fanbase of adoring horror fans around the globe.
First, I would like to thank Crossroad Press for presenting Barker’s “Books of Blood” in digital format. I was able to rent the first volume in the series of six (eBook format) released in 2014. The Kindle Edition sports 306 pages. I was not a fan of Barker’s in the ‘80s but in good book club spirit I decided to read the first volume, and then reassess both my eagerness to read additional volumes and the amount of time I had left in the month of April to read the novels my other book club memberships had recommended.
That said, I found that I did enjoy reading the introductory anthology in Barker’s classic series. I was unable to read the second anthology because unlike book one it was in an epub format. It was just as well because talk about time management! This month has been horrible for daytime problems, scheduled appointments, and sleepless nights. I am finding myself conked out with my tablet slid between me and the cat. But as Hannibal said “Okey Dokey, then”.
Fans of Barker’s know that his tagline for the anthology was:
"Everybody is a book of blood; wherever we're opened, we're red."
The first story entitled “The Book of Blood” is an introduction to the entire series. It is much more than Barker weaving his own conception of a haunted house tale. The story was exquisitely written and as the narrative unfolded the reader was sympathizing with the female protagonist Mary Florescu. She was in a cursed dwelling which was situated along the highway of the dead. She was in a state of longing for the young man who occupied the space in the house above her. He was a pretender, a performance artist who professed to be a psychic. In my interpretation of the story, it was Mary who was revealed to be the true psychic, but in any case, the malevolent spirits attacked the terrified boy. The cursed hands of the vengeful spirits decisively remade the young man into a true messenger of the dead. The entirety of his unblemished skin was rendered a blank tableau upon which the spirits of the dead wrote their stories on his body. A book of blood, made of blood, and painstakingly written on his skin in blood. The boy Mary longed for became a book of blood and she was cast in the role of his sole translator as she led him naked into the blackness of the night. Then there is the invitation for the reader to proceed and read the tales of horror that are written in this “book of blood”. I enjoyed this story of the young male pretender and his female admirer and benefactor. I rated it 5 Stars.
In addition to the first volume containing the author’s introduction to his horror anthologies, the Kindle Edition contained the original introduction to Volumes I-III by Ramsey Campbell (5 May 1983). The Publisher’s Intro by David Niall Wilson 3/7/2013 was terrific.
“The first volume contains some of the most memorable and unnerving tales the horror genre has to offer.”
Wilson provides a titillating description of the individual stories contained in this first volume in the anthology series. I enjoyed his concise and colorful impressions of the tales to follow. I would add that I use a simple formula for rating an anthology or book of short stories. I rate the individual tales, and then arrive at an average rating which I allot to the novel.
The second story entitled “The Midnight Meat Train” earned another 5-Star Rating from me. Barker’s prose is both artistic and exquisite. I loved his characterization:
“He had seen her wake in the morning like a slut, and pick murdered men from between her teeth, and suicides from the tangles of her hair. He had seen her late at night, her dirty back streets shamelessly courting depravity. He had watched her in the hot afternoon, sluggish and ugly, indifferent to the atrocities that were being committed every hour in her throttled passages.”
A man who is searching for meaning in his life finds it on the “The Midnight Meat Train” and learns all about the “Palace of Delight”.
The third story up is called “The Yattering and Jack” and it is hands down my favorite. An easy 5 Stars. Like the Publisher’s Intro says this one is not as “over the top” as other stories in this Volume I of Books of Blood. The Publisher practically offers up a synopsis on this one. But that cannot match the sheer entertainment of reading it. Loved it.
“Pig Blood Blues” came up to bat in the fourth position and put a heavy foot down on a string of 5-Star Ratings. The Publisher’s comments are respectful and admits that this one comes across at first “like pure, straightforward horror”. Ultimately, I was not sure exactly HOW I felt about this chilling narrative which tells the tale of an ostensibly caring but misguided ex-cop named Redmon and his short stint of employment at a boy’s reformatory. A bit of Nietzsche, cultism, ritual blood sacrifice, cannibalism, suppressed pedophilia, and even sick strategies for immortality made for some stomach-churning reading It eked out a Rating of 3 Stars from me.
“Sex, Death, and Starshine” behind door number five did not ring any bells for me. Remember that Barker was a playwright before he was a writer, and I would posit that he has a place in his heart for the great Shakespeare. Though it would take a Taser to get me into a theater seat for a play, and perhaps a firearm AND a Taser if it was Shakespearean, I grudgingly admit that I felt that the tale was refreshingly original and sap that I am, it was also poignant in places. I will not offer up a “Spoiler” to quantity why original and why emotionally touching to me. Rated 3.5 Stars.
The last story at number six in this Volume I of Barker’s famous anthology series is titled “In the Hills, In the Cities”. It is the tale of two mismatched lovers (Judd and Mick) traveling by automobile through the countryside to enjoy the scenery. These two quarreling partners crisscrossing Europe for entertainment is an example of the old saying “Be careful of what you ask for”. The Publisher had rather a lot to say about this one. He does declare it to be “one of the most outlandish, and intricately woven tales in the whole of the form”. I would second that emotion. Frankly I am chagrined that I was unable to get over the hump of “outlandish”, or to use another word “unbelievable” in this one. It is my opinion that the reader is supposed to discern Barker’s deeper meaning in this one, much like you analyze your crazy-arse nightmares when you awake in a cold sweat. I awarded 2.5 Stars reluctantly because of the rich characterization of the lovers, and my heavens, Barker’s narrative style is both sensationally descriptive but also poetic and moving when it is against all odds that it should be.
In the final analysis, Clive Barker’s Volume I of his lauded “Books of Blood” earns a respectable overall Rating 4 Stars Out Of 5 from this reader. Time does not permit my strategizing this month how to manage reading another two volumes in April.
My thanks to the voters and the Moderator of HORROR HAVEN. I enjoyed this book and respectfully acknowledge I would not have sought it out without a nudge from the club members.
BOOKS OF BLOOD AN ACKNOWEDGED TREASURE FROM EARLY BARKER
My Review Four Stars Out Of 5
“I have seen the future of horror and his name is Clive Barker.”- Stephen King
BOOKS OF BLOOD: Volumes One to Three (Books of Blood, #1-3) by Clive Barker were assigned for the month of April’s Book Read Discussion. Clive Barker’s “Books of Blood” comprised a series of six horror anthologies which were penned by him in 1984 and 1985. He had been a playwright prior to the publication of “Books of Blood” and this marked his debut as an author and spearheaded his success as a novelist. It could be said that it was Barker’s anthology series that sowed the seed which grew his fanbase of adoring horror fans around the globe.
First, I would like to thank Crossroad Press for presenting Barker’s “Books of Blood” in digital format. I was able to rent the first volume in the series of six (eBook format) released in 2014. The Kindle Edition sports 306 pages. I was not a fan of Barker’s in the ‘80s but in good book club spirit I decided to read the first volume, and then reassess both my eagerness to read additional volumes and the amount of time I had left in the month of April to read the novels my other book club memberships had recommended.
That said, I found that I did enjoy reading the introductory anthology in Barker’s classic series. I was unable to read the second anthology because unlike book one it was in an epub format. It was just as well because talk about time management! This month has been horrible for daytime problems, scheduled appointments, and sleepless nights. I am finding myself conked out with my tablet slid between me and the cat. But as Hannibal said “Okey Dokey, then”.
Fans of Barker’s know that his tagline for the anthology was:
"Everybody is a book of blood; wherever we're opened, we're red."
The first story entitled “The Book of Blood” is an introduction to the entire series. It is much more than Barker weaving his own conception of a haunted house tale. The story was exquisitely written and as the narrative unfolded the reader was sympathizing with the female protagonist Mary Florescu. She was in a cursed dwelling which was situated along the highway of the dead. She was in a state of longing for the young man who occupied the space in the house above her. He was a pretender, a performance artist who professed to be a psychic. In my interpretation of the story, it was Mary who was revealed to be the true psychic, but in any case, the malevolent spirits attacked the terrified boy. The cursed hands of the vengeful spirits decisively remade the young man into a true messenger of the dead. The entirety of his unblemished skin was rendered a blank tableau upon which the spirits of the dead wrote their stories on his body. A book of blood, made of blood, and painstakingly written on his skin in blood. The boy Mary longed for became a book of blood and she was cast in the role of his sole translator as she led him naked into the blackness of the night. Then there is the invitation for the reader to proceed and read the tales of horror that are written in this “book of blood”. I enjoyed this story of the young male pretender and his female admirer and benefactor. I rated it 5 Stars.
In addition to the first volume containing the author’s introduction to his horror anthologies, the Kindle Edition contained the original introduction to Volumes I-III by Ramsey Campbell (5 May 1983). The Publisher’s Intro by David Niall Wilson 3/7/2013 was terrific.
“The first volume contains some of the most memorable and unnerving tales the horror genre has to offer.”
Wilson provides a titillating description of the individual stories contained in this first volume in the anthology series. I enjoyed his concise and colorful impressions of the tales to follow. I would add that I use a simple formula for rating an anthology or book of short stories. I rate the individual tales, and then arrive at an average rating which I allot to the novel.
The second story entitled “The Midnight Meat Train” earned another 5-Star Rating from me. Barker’s prose is both artistic and exquisite. I loved his characterization:
“He had seen her wake in the morning like a slut, and pick murdered men from between her teeth, and suicides from the tangles of her hair. He had seen her late at night, her dirty back streets shamelessly courting depravity. He had watched her in the hot afternoon, sluggish and ugly, indifferent to the atrocities that were being committed every hour in her throttled passages.”
A man who is searching for meaning in his life finds it on the “The Midnight Meat Train” and learns all about the “Palace of Delight”.
The third story up is called “The Yattering and Jack” and it is hands down my favorite. An easy 5 Stars. Like the Publisher’s Intro says this one is not as “over the top” as other stories in this Volume I of Books of Blood. The Publisher practically offers up a synopsis on this one. But that cannot match the sheer entertainment of reading it. Loved it.
“Pig Blood Blues” came up to bat in the fourth position and put a heavy foot down on a string of 5-Star Ratings. The Publisher’s comments are respectful and admits that this one comes across at first “like pure, straightforward horror”. Ultimately, I was not sure exactly HOW I felt about this chilling narrative which tells the tale of an ostensibly caring but misguided ex-cop named Redmon and his short stint of employment at a boy’s reformatory. A bit of Nietzsche, cultism, ritual blood sacrifice, cannibalism, suppressed pedophilia, and even sick strategies for immortality made for some stomach-churning reading It eked out a Rating of 3 Stars from me.
“Sex, Death, and Starshine” behind door number five did not ring any bells for me. Remember that Barker was a playwright before he was a writer, and I would posit that he has a place in his heart for the great Shakespeare. Though it would take a Taser to get me into a theater seat for a play, and perhaps a firearm AND a Taser if it was Shakespearean, I grudgingly admit that I felt that the tale was refreshingly original and sap that I am, it was also poignant in places. I will not offer up a “Spoiler” to quantity why original and why emotionally touching to me. Rated 3.5 Stars.
The last story at number six in this Volume I of Barker’s famous anthology series is titled “In the Hills, In the Cities”. It is the tale of two mismatched lovers (Judd and Mick) traveling by automobile through the countryside to enjoy the scenery. These two quarreling partners crisscrossing Europe for entertainment is an example of the old saying “Be careful of what you ask for”. The Publisher had rather a lot to say about this one. He does declare it to be “one of the most outlandish, and intricately woven tales in the whole of the form”. I would second that emotion. Frankly I am chagrined that I was unable to get over the hump of “outlandish”, or to use another word “unbelievable” in this one. It is my opinion that the reader is supposed to discern Barker’s deeper meaning in this one, much like you analyze your crazy-arse nightmares when you awake in a cold sweat. I awarded 2.5 Stars reluctantly because of the rich characterization of the lovers, and my heavens, Barker’s narrative style is both sensationally descriptive but also poetic and moving when it is against all odds that it should be.
In the final analysis, Clive Barker’s Volume I of his lauded “Books of Blood” earns a respectable overall Rating 4 Stars Out Of 5 from this reader. Time does not permit my strategizing this month how to manage reading another two volumes in April.
My thanks to the voters and the Moderator of HORROR HAVEN. I enjoyed this book and respectfully acknowledge I would not have sought it out without a nudge from the club members.
BOOKS OF BLOOD AN ACKNOWEDGED TREASURE FROM EARLY BARKER
May 22, 2018
Το πρώτο από τα βιβλία του αίματος είναι από τις αγαπημένες μου συλλογές διηγημάτων. Για κάποιον λόγο κατά το παρελθόν το είχα ανταλλάξει και ευτυχώς που οι εκδόσεις ΟΞΥ προχώρησαν σε επανέκδοσή του και μου έδωσαν έτσι την ευκαιρία να το διαβάσω ξανά.
Η άποψή μου δεν άλλαξε, μου φάνηκε και πάλι εκπληκτικό. Εξακολουθούσα να θυμάμαι με ανατριχιαστική ακρίβεια τα midnight meat train και in the hills, the cities κι αυτό μάλλον λέει τα πάντα από μόνο του.
Το απόλυτο Must σε όσους συγγραφείς αρέσκονται στον τρόμο και γράφουν διηγήματα.
Η άποψή μου δεν άλλαξε, μου φάνηκε και πάλι εκπληκτικό. Εξακολουθούσα να θυμάμαι με ανατριχιαστική ακρίβεια τα midnight meat train και in the hills, the cities κι αυτό μάλλον λέει τα πάντα από μόνο του.
Το απόλυτο Must σε όσους συγγραφείς αρέσκονται στον τρόμο και γράφουν διηγήματα.
October 30, 2017
Honestly? This short story collection is flawless.
Every single story in this was without fault. All of them were haunting and really, really well written, and get a full 5 stars each from me. The weakest one was, in my opinion, "Sex, Death and Starshine", but that just means that it was slightly worse than the others, not that it was leagues beneath. My favourite was possibly "The Yattering and Jack" because it was clever as hell, but honestly, it's really hard to choose.
I've already started the next volume.
Every single story in this was without fault. All of them were haunting and really, really well written, and get a full 5 stars each from me. The weakest one was, in my opinion, "Sex, Death and Starshine", but that just means that it was slightly worse than the others, not that it was leagues beneath. My favourite was possibly "The Yattering and Jack" because it was clever as hell, but honestly, it's really hard to choose.
I've already started the next volume.
April 5, 2021
Es una excelente recopilación de relatos, por eso quise leerlo una segunda vez. Mi reseña de cada relato:
El Libro de Sangre: 3/5.
Es la historia introductoria al libro, al leerlo por segunda vez creo que tomó la idea del Hombre Ilustrado de Ray Bradbury, es buena historia, pero siento que fue un "agregado" para darle una introducción al libro.
El Tren Nocturno de Carne: 10/5.
Este cuento es buenísimo, muchísimo gore, terror puro. Un ejecutivo se topa con un asesino serial en un tren nocturno, el desenlace fenomenal.
El Charlatán y Jack: 4.5/5.
De repente pudiera parecer sosa al principio, pero tiene un excelente final, buena historia.
El Blues de la Sangre de Cerdo: 5/5.
Excelente cuento, me ha gustado muchísimo, su atractivo está centrado en algo fantasioso (que no mencionaré porque la gran parte de la experiencia de este relato es descubrir de que se trata). El ambiente de tensión, resignación y gore bizarro están presentes.
Sexo, Muerte y Luz de Estrellas: 4/5.
Buen relato cuyo escenario es un teatro y está centrado en las relaciones existentes entre las personas que le dan vida, actores, actrices, directores, productores, etc. Tiene grandes componentes eróticos. Sin embargo, no me quedaron claras algunas cosas.
En las Colinas, las Ciudades: 4/5.
Me gusto la idea de la pelea fantástica entre las ciudades, sin embargo, me hubiese gustado un poco más un desarrollo de la pelea como tal.
Terror: 5/5.
Una historia muy muy buena acerca de una persona que "estudia" la evolución del terror en las personas. Excelente final.
Acontecimiento Infernal: 3.5/5.
Gira en torno a una carrera entre representantes del infierno y representantes humanos en donde se decide el destino de la humanidad por los próximos 100 años. No me impacto tanto, al principio es un poco confuso y cuesta entender un poco quien es quien y de que va todo, al final mejora notablemente y genera un poco de tensión, pero en toda la primera parte me sentí un poco perdido.
Jacqueline Ess Últimas Voluntades y Testamento: 5/5.
Con este relato se cierra con broche de oro, me gustó muchísimo. Una mujer que de algún modo genera cierto tipo de poder, el cual al principio no controla adecuadamente y trata de que le enseñen. Este relato presenta un gore muy muy bueno al mejor estilo de Clive Barker.
El Libro de Sangre: 3/5.
Es la historia introductoria al libro, al leerlo por segunda vez creo que tomó la idea del Hombre Ilustrado de Ray Bradbury, es buena historia, pero siento que fue un "agregado" para darle una introducción al libro.
El Tren Nocturno de Carne: 10/5.
Este cuento es buenísimo, muchísimo gore, terror puro. Un ejecutivo se topa con un asesino serial en un tren nocturno, el desenlace fenomenal.
El Charlatán y Jack: 4.5/5.
De repente pudiera parecer sosa al principio, pero tiene un excelente final, buena historia.
El Blues de la Sangre de Cerdo: 5/5.
Excelente cuento, me ha gustado muchísimo, su atractivo está centrado en algo fantasioso (que no mencionaré porque la gran parte de la experiencia de este relato es descubrir de que se trata). El ambiente de tensión, resignación y gore bizarro están presentes.
Sexo, Muerte y Luz de Estrellas: 4/5.
Buen relato cuyo escenario es un teatro y está centrado en las relaciones existentes entre las personas que le dan vida, actores, actrices, directores, productores, etc. Tiene grandes componentes eróticos. Sin embargo, no me quedaron claras algunas cosas.
En las Colinas, las Ciudades: 4/5.
Me gusto la idea de la pelea fantástica entre las ciudades, sin embargo, me hubiese gustado un poco más un desarrollo de la pelea como tal.
Terror: 5/5.
Una historia muy muy buena acerca de una persona que "estudia" la evolución del terror en las personas. Excelente final.
Acontecimiento Infernal: 3.5/5.
Gira en torno a una carrera entre representantes del infierno y representantes humanos en donde se decide el destino de la humanidad por los próximos 100 años. No me impacto tanto, al principio es un poco confuso y cuesta entender un poco quien es quien y de que va todo, al final mejora notablemente y genera un poco de tensión, pero en toda la primera parte me sentí un poco perdido.
Jacqueline Ess Últimas Voluntades y Testamento: 5/5.
Con este relato se cierra con broche de oro, me gustó muchísimo. Una mujer que de algún modo genera cierto tipo de poder, el cual al principio no controla adecuadamente y trata de que le enseñen. Este relato presenta un gore muy muy bueno al mejor estilo de Clive Barker.
August 12, 2019
Ευκολοδιάβαστη συλλογή διηγημάτων του Μπάρκερ.
Κάποια διηγήματα ήταν συμπαθητικά και κάποια μέτρια. Στο σύνολο τους όμως δεν με ενθουσίασαν. Η γραφή του Μπάρκερ έμοιαζε κάπως πρόχειρη και γενικά μου φάνηκαν όλες οι ιστορίες χωρίς συνοχή. Πρωτότυπες ιδέες σίγουρα υπάρχουν αλλά μέχρι εκεί. Ανακατεμένο σπλάτερ, με κοσμικό τρόμο, σεξ και χιούμορ. Μια συνταγή που την ξέρει καλά ο συγγραφέας αλλά δεν αποδίδει πάντα…
Το «Το καταραμένο παιχνίδι» παραμένει πάντοτε ένα από τα πιο αγαπημένα μου βιβλία, όμως ό,τι άλλο και να διάβασα από τον συγκεκριμένο συγγραφέα, το βρήκα από μέτριο έως απωθητικό.
Επιστρέφοντας στην συγκεκριμένη συλλογή διηγημάτων, να πω πως μου άρεσε κάπως η ιστορία με τον Δαίμονα Φλύαρο, διότι είχε χιούμορ, πρωτοτυπία και θύμιζε επεισόδιο της σειράς «Tales from the crypt». Επίσης η ιστορία με τις δυο πόλεις στην Γιουγκοσλαβία ήταν πρωτότυπη αλλά μου φάνηκε τόσο κακογραμμένη που ουσιαστικά η αρχική ιδέα σταδιακά αποδυναμώθηκε. Οι υπόλοιπες ιστορίες απλά μέτριες…
2,5* από μένα…
ΥΓ1: Κακή μετάφραση από τις εκδόσεις Οξυ. Ορθογραφικά λάθη, μεταφραστικά ολισθήματα και μάλλον άγαρμπος χειρισμός λέξεων
ΥΓ2: Απαίσιες εκδόσεις με χαρτί ανακυκλωμένο τελευταίας ποιότητας…
Κάποια διηγήματα ήταν συμπαθητικά και κάποια μέτρια. Στο σύνολο τους όμως δεν με ενθουσίασαν. Η γραφή του Μπάρκερ έμοιαζε κάπως πρόχειρη και γενικά μου φάνηκαν όλες οι ιστορίες χωρίς συνοχή. Πρωτότυπες ιδέες σίγουρα υπάρχουν αλλά μέχρι εκεί. Ανακατεμένο σπλάτερ, με κοσμικό τρόμο, σεξ και χιούμορ. Μια συνταγή που την ξέρει καλά ο συγγραφέας αλλά δεν αποδίδει πάντα…
Το «Το καταραμένο παιχνίδι» παραμένει πάντοτε ένα από τα πιο αγαπημένα μου βιβλία, όμως ό,τι άλλο και να διάβασα από τον συγκεκριμένο συγγραφέα, το βρήκα από μέτριο έως απωθητικό.
Επιστρέφοντας στην συγκεκριμένη συλλογή διηγημάτων, να πω πως μου άρεσε κάπως η ιστορία με τον Δαίμονα Φλύαρο, διότι είχε χιούμορ, πρωτοτυπία και θύμιζε επεισόδιο της σειράς «Tales from the crypt». Επίσης η ιστορία με τις δυο πόλεις στην Γιουγκοσλαβία ήταν πρωτότυπη αλλά μου φάνηκε τόσο κακογραμμένη που ουσιαστικά η αρχική ιδέα σταδιακά αποδυναμώθηκε. Οι υπόλοιπες ιστορίες απλά μέτριες…
2,5* από μένα…
ΥΓ1: Κακή μετάφραση από τις εκδόσεις Οξυ. Ορθογραφικά λάθη, μεταφραστικά ολισθήματα και μάλλον άγαρμπος χειρισμός λέξεων
ΥΓ2: Απαίσιες εκδόσεις με χαρτί ανακυκλωμένο τελευταίας ποιότητας…
July 31, 2022
A diverse collection of classics from one of the masters of horror.
I've read this series before -at some point a long time ago- So I decided to try the audiobooks, and wasn't disappointed. I've seen all the movies and tv adaptations made of the stories, but there's nothing like the books themselves. Josh Malerman's book 'Pearl' was a homage to one of the stories. Not every story is a winner, though. I wasn't a fan of Sex, Death, and Starshine - undeniably well-written, just not my style. Overall, a must read for any horror fan or budding horror author. 80's horror at it's finest.
4.5 Stars
I've read this series before -at some point a long time ago- So I decided to try the audiobooks, and wasn't disappointed. I've seen all the movies and tv adaptations made of the stories, but there's nothing like the books themselves. Josh Malerman's book 'Pearl' was a homage to one of the stories. Not every story is a winner, though. I wasn't a fan of Sex, Death, and Starshine - undeniably well-written, just not my style. Overall, a must read for any horror fan or budding horror author. 80's horror at it's finest.
4.5 Stars
September 26, 2014
I listened to the audio version of Books of Blood volume 1 and while not being blown away by the majority of the narration, I thought four of the stories exceptional and the remaining two just didn’t do it for me but I guess you will always get that in most collections.
Book of Blood 4*
The first story follows a psychic researcher and a medium as they investigate a haunted house. This story was adapted to become part of the film the Book of Blood and visions of the highway of the dead. The medium doesn’t fare to well, you see frauds very often don’t and his final thought may well have been along the lines of wishing this particular door to the dead stayed well and truly shut. Nevertheless he ends up with the stories from the books of blood carved into his dead flesh becoming the literal source of the tales.
The Midnight Meat Train 5*
This one was my favourite, loved both the film and the short story and it’s interesting to see how the film was padded out to increase the screen time. The Midnight meat train is a vessel used to transport food to the age old masters under the city, the food is those humans who are unfortunate enough to pick this particular train and at the same time be deemed fit for consumption. Mahogany is the train’s butcher, with no regard for human life and a bag of tools you’ll never want to see opened. The Midnight Meat Train on a subway to hell, a brutal harbinger of death and the one place on earth Kaufman shouldn’t have fallen asleep.
The Yattering and Jack 4*
A demon called the Yattering is sent by Beelzebub to haunt Jack, taunt him until his sanity breaks but it gets a little more than it bargained for. Its victim is frustratingly oblivious and seemingly unconcerned with the demons increasingly harsh course of harassment. The Yattering is luckily not too bright but can Jack turn the tide, or is it just a game with an assured victor. Demon or man?
Pig Blood Blues 3*
Couldn’t take to this story, I must subconsciously have something against pigs because when the sow in this story was described as being beautiful and alluring or words of that effect, I was lost never to recover.
Sex, Death and Starshine 4.5*
This tale starts of as an old fashioned theatre performance, the narrator put on a splendidly posh voice that was perfect for the setting and although probably not intended, I did laugh when he cursed and swore. Profanity in a posh voice just does it for me, don’t know why but I did laugh. On the whole though this turned into a chilling story of the dead come back to watch and star in the theatres last performance with a couple of disturbing sex scenes thrown in to add even more bite.
In the Hills, the Cities 2.5*
Mick and Judd, take a romantic but strained vacation in Yugoslavia and unwittingly find themselves in the middle of the strangest of wars. Couldn’t get into this story, thought it a bit strange at times and this was my least favourite.
http://paulnelson.booklikes.com/post/...
Book of Blood 4*
The first story follows a psychic researcher and a medium as they investigate a haunted house. This story was adapted to become part of the film the Book of Blood and visions of the highway of the dead. The medium doesn’t fare to well, you see frauds very often don’t and his final thought may well have been along the lines of wishing this particular door to the dead stayed well and truly shut. Nevertheless he ends up with the stories from the books of blood carved into his dead flesh becoming the literal source of the tales.
The Midnight Meat Train 5*
This one was my favourite, loved both the film and the short story and it’s interesting to see how the film was padded out to increase the screen time. The Midnight meat train is a vessel used to transport food to the age old masters under the city, the food is those humans who are unfortunate enough to pick this particular train and at the same time be deemed fit for consumption. Mahogany is the train’s butcher, with no regard for human life and a bag of tools you’ll never want to see opened. The Midnight Meat Train on a subway to hell, a brutal harbinger of death and the one place on earth Kaufman shouldn’t have fallen asleep.
The Yattering and Jack 4*
A demon called the Yattering is sent by Beelzebub to haunt Jack, taunt him until his sanity breaks but it gets a little more than it bargained for. Its victim is frustratingly oblivious and seemingly unconcerned with the demons increasingly harsh course of harassment. The Yattering is luckily not too bright but can Jack turn the tide, or is it just a game with an assured victor. Demon or man?
Pig Blood Blues 3*
Couldn’t take to this story, I must subconsciously have something against pigs because when the sow in this story was described as being beautiful and alluring or words of that effect, I was lost never to recover.
Sex, Death and Starshine 4.5*
This tale starts of as an old fashioned theatre performance, the narrator put on a splendidly posh voice that was perfect for the setting and although probably not intended, I did laugh when he cursed and swore. Profanity in a posh voice just does it for me, don’t know why but I did laugh. On the whole though this turned into a chilling story of the dead come back to watch and star in the theatres last performance with a couple of disturbing sex scenes thrown in to add even more bite.
In the Hills, the Cities 2.5*
Mick and Judd, take a romantic but strained vacation in Yugoslavia and unwittingly find themselves in the middle of the strangest of wars. Couldn’t get into this story, thought it a bit strange at times and this was my least favourite.
http://paulnelson.booklikes.com/post/...
November 13, 2013
The Book of Blood
The Midnight Meat Train
The Yattering and Jack
Pig Blood Blues
Sex, Death and Star Shine
In the Hills, the Cities
This is my favorite story from this volume. I found this image on deviant art, an awesome depiction of the giant made of people.
The Midnight Meat Train
The Yattering and Jack
Pig Blood Blues
Sex, Death and Star Shine
In the Hills, the Cities
This is my favorite story from this volume. I found this image on deviant art, an awesome depiction of the giant made of people.
February 15, 2022
Al ser una recopilación de relatos es bastante sólido en cuanto a la calidad del contenido. La prosa de Barker es muy bonita y cuidada a pesar de pertenecer al género de terror, algo que aprecio bastante. Un libro se disfruta muchísimo más si la escritura no molesta en ningún sentido.
El libro de sangre: Este es el introductorio y el que une a los demás, por así decirlo. Es bastante complicado de entender pero está escrito muy bello. Ojalá exploren más sobre esto en los próximos volumenes.
El tren nocturno de carne: Pensé que iba a ser el típico relato slasher pero dio una vuelta de tuerca muy satisfactoria. Verdaderamente sorprendente.
El charlatán y Jack: Divertido y original. Me gustó como jugó con las perspectivas.
El blues de la sangre de cerdo: Uno de mis favoritos. La ambientación es excelente, siempre pensé que esos tipos de lugares son los ideales para hacer historias macabras y reales. Hay un tono muy por debajo de la historia que si se presta atención se entrelaza muy bien con la trama principal. Fue bastante turbia, bien lograda.
Sexo, muerte y luz de estrellas: La única que no me gustó. Muy simple y tonta, sencillamente. El título es lo único llamativo de ella.
En las colinas, las ciudades: Otra de mis favoritas. Estuvo muy interesante. Amo el tema de la histeria colectiva y esta es una que fue más allá de lo imaginable. El final es muy simbólico también.
Terror: ESTE ES MI FAVORITO. Genuinamente me asustó y me hizo replantarme muchas cosas. Es una de esas historias que contienen algo real, que te hace pensar en el verdadero significado del miedo y cómo este nos afecta tanto en nuestro subconsciente como en el día a día. El último párrafo es excelente.
Acontecimiento infernal: Estoy medio conflictuada con esta. Me gustó, pero podría haber tomado otro camino con más sencillez. Medio sí y medio no.
Jacqueline Ess, últimas voluntades y testamento: Igual que la anterior. De todas maneras estuvo entretenida y no se alargó de más ni buscó otras pretenciones.
En general fue un libro entretenido. Muy pronto me leeré los demás volumenes porque el autor me dejó muy intrigada. Necesito saber que más tiene para ofrecer.
El libro de sangre: Este es el introductorio y el que une a los demás, por así decirlo. Es bastante complicado de entender pero está escrito muy bello. Ojalá exploren más sobre esto en los próximos volumenes.
El tren nocturno de carne: Pensé que iba a ser el típico relato slasher pero dio una vuelta de tuerca muy satisfactoria. Verdaderamente sorprendente.
El charlatán y Jack: Divertido y original. Me gustó como jugó con las perspectivas.
El blues de la sangre de cerdo: Uno de mis favoritos. La ambientación es excelente, siempre pensé que esos tipos de lugares son los ideales para hacer historias macabras y reales. Hay un tono muy por debajo de la historia que si se presta atención se entrelaza muy bien con la trama principal. Fue bastante turbia, bien lograda.
Sexo, muerte y luz de estrellas: La única que no me gustó. Muy simple y tonta, sencillamente. El título es lo único llamativo de ella.
En las colinas, las ciudades: Otra de mis favoritas. Estuvo muy interesante. Amo el tema de la histeria colectiva y esta es una que fue más allá de lo imaginable. El final es muy simbólico también.
Terror: ESTE ES MI FAVORITO. Genuinamente me asustó y me hizo replantarme muchas cosas. Es una de esas historias que contienen algo real, que te hace pensar en el verdadero significado del miedo y cómo este nos afecta tanto en nuestro subconsciente como en el día a día. El último párrafo es excelente.
Acontecimiento infernal: Estoy medio conflictuada con esta. Me gustó, pero podría haber tomado otro camino con más sencillez. Medio sí y medio no.
Jacqueline Ess, últimas voluntades y testamento: Igual que la anterior. De todas maneras estuvo entretenida y no se alargó de más ni buscó otras pretenciones.
En general fue un libro entretenido. Muy pronto me leeré los demás volumenes porque el autor me dejó muy intrigada. Necesito saber que más tiene para ofrecer.
July 2, 2016
Knjiga krvi 1 je prvi deo Barkerovog krvavog serijala.
Barker je jako eksplicitan prilikom opisa gnusnih delova i krvi ima na sve strane, a čak i kad krene fino i polako sa uvođenjem u priču, čitalac jednostavno zna da ga čeka nešto strašno, vrlo moguće odvratno i samo je pitanje kada i kako će do toga doći.
Ja sam jedna od onih osoba koji se užasavaju gomile toga, pri čemu imam tu "bolesnu" potrebu da što mi je nešto gnusnije to meni više "ide voda na usta" da vidim šta se dalje dešava :) Znate ono - nešto vam je odvratno i muka vam je od toga, ali vam neki đavo ne da mira i hoćete još i još i još, što strašnije i odvratnije - to bolje. Tako da je Barker za mene odličan.
Knjiga krvi 1 obuhvata šest priča i to :
- Knjiga krvi
- Ponoćni kasapski voz
- Jetering i Džek
- Bluz svinjske krvi
- Seks, smrt i sjaj zvezda
- U bregove, gradovi.
Najveći utisak na mene su ostavile priče: "U bregove, gradovi" (koja je ujedno i jedna od najboljih priča ovog žanra koje sam pročitala) i "Ponoćni kasapski voz", i kad bih ih pojedinačno ocenjivala dala bih im 5+, dok su najslabiji utisak na mene ostavile: "Seks, smrt i sjaj zvezda" i "Jetering i Džek" i otuda konačna ocena cele zbrike 4*
Ne bi bilo loše kad bi se neki domaći izdavač odvažio da ponovo izda ovaj serijal, jer mislim da to zaslužuje i da je proteklo dovoljno vremena od poslednjeg izdanja. Algoritam je pre 3 godine izdao tvrdokoričeno izdanje Barkerovih Knjiga krvi 4-6 i jedno vreme sam se nadala da će i prve tri zbirke ugledati svetlost dana u njihovom izdanju, ali izgleda da od toga nema ništa.
October 18, 2014
3.5
Books of Blood, Volume 1 is an entertaining six-story anthology. As usual, I didn't love every story. The last two didn't do much for me.
The Book of Blood
The dead have highways and a team of three people is at Tollington Place 65 to witness one of those turnpikes and intersections.
The Midnight Train
Kaufman's love for New York is not as strong as when he came to live there. Someone is butchering people in the subway and he is going to get in the middle of it and learn some of the city's history and its dark secrets along the way.
The Yattering Jack
My favourite story. Hilarious. Yattering Jack is a lower level demon with a seemingly easy task to drive one man crazy. However, whatever he tries 'seemed to make no dent in his perfect indifference'.
Pig Blood Blues
I hate pigs so that only added to the horror. Very disturbing story of a former police officer who got a job at a Centre for Adolescent Offenders only to realize that something is not quite right with the place.
Sex, Death and Shine
A story of one last production of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. People are too busy being horrible, petty and mean to notice anything weird around them.
In the Hills, the Cities
A couple is on a trip in the Balkan hills. They are just realizing how incompatible they are and how little they have in common only to stumble upon a weirdest battle anyone has ever seen.
Books of Blood, Volume 1 is an entertaining six-story anthology. As usual, I didn't love every story. The last two didn't do much for me.
The Book of Blood
The dead have highways and a team of three people is at Tollington Place 65 to witness one of those turnpikes and intersections.
The Midnight Train
Kaufman's love for New York is not as strong as when he came to live there. Someone is butchering people in the subway and he is going to get in the middle of it and learn some of the city's history and its dark secrets along the way.
The Yattering Jack
My favourite story. Hilarious. Yattering Jack is a lower level demon with a seemingly easy task to drive one man crazy. However, whatever he tries 'seemed to make no dent in his perfect indifference'.
Pig Blood Blues
I hate pigs so that only added to the horror. Very disturbing story of a former police officer who got a job at a Centre for Adolescent Offenders only to realize that something is not quite right with the place.
Sex, Death and Shine
A story of one last production of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. People are too busy being horrible, petty and mean to notice anything weird around them.
In the Hills, the Cities
A couple is on a trip in the Balkan hills. They are just realizing how incompatible they are and how little they have in common only to stumble upon a weirdest battle anyone has ever seen.
September 6, 2024
Note finale : 4.5/5
Je crois que c'est le premier recueil de nouvelles dont j'aime toutes les nouvelles ! A des degrés différents et pour des raisons différentes mais elles ont toutes une identité très forte mais dans une cohérence éditoriale quand même. C'est de l'horreur, de l'horreur qui tâche fort, on y trouve ce qu'on vient chercher quand on ouvre un Clive Barker mais j'avais un peu peur, surtout en lisant la première nouvelle, que ce soit un peu répétitif.
La première nouvelle raconte l'histoire d'un tueur en série et a de gros accents Lovecraftien. La deuxième, à ma grande surprise, est plutôt marrante et se base plus sur le surnaturel religieux. La troisième, La Truie, ressemble davantage à la première mais joue davantage sur le flou entre folie et surnaturel. La quatrième, Les feux de la rampe, ma préférée, est celle qui a le message le plus fort et aussi l'atmosphère la plus forte, ça parle de théâtre et de la différence entre celles et ceux qui font des métiers d'art par vocation ou par "plaisir". Et la dernière, Dans les Collines, les Cités est nettement plus métaphorique. Enfin belle diversité, une très chouette découverte grâce au Club du Coin Lecture (merci Andrea !)
Je crois que c'est le premier recueil de nouvelles dont j'aime toutes les nouvelles ! A des degrés différents et pour des raisons différentes mais elles ont toutes une identité très forte mais dans une cohérence éditoriale quand même. C'est de l'horreur, de l'horreur qui tâche fort, on y trouve ce qu'on vient chercher quand on ouvre un Clive Barker mais j'avais un peu peur, surtout en lisant la première nouvelle, que ce soit un peu répétitif.
La première nouvelle raconte l'histoire d'un tueur en série et a de gros accents Lovecraftien. La deuxième, à ma grande surprise, est plutôt marrante et se base plus sur le surnaturel religieux. La troisième, La Truie, ressemble davantage à la première mais joue davantage sur le flou entre folie et surnaturel. La quatrième, Les feux de la rampe, ma préférée, est celle qui a le message le plus fort et aussi l'atmosphère la plus forte, ça parle de théâtre et de la différence entre celles et ceux qui font des métiers d'art par vocation ou par "plaisir". Et la dernière, Dans les Collines, les Cités est nettement plus métaphorique. Enfin belle diversité, une très chouette découverte grâce au Club du Coin Lecture (merci Andrea !)
April 17, 2024
This volume consists of six short stories: a spectral introduction called Book of Blood, and five longer stories.
My particular favourite is Pig Blood Blues, a horror story set in a borstal full of bastard boys and their carers. It has a distinct Animal Farm by George Orwell element to it, with a revered deity in the guise of a fetid and sordid pig.
The Yattering And Jack is really good story also, played like a game of chess between the demonic Yattering spirit and Jack Polo, being a distinct retelling of The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde, but like all of Clive Barker's stories, is more grisly and sinister.
These are other people's stories told in a horrific way, but that's okay when they're as rich, fresh and seemingly unique as this, and I like them all. Clive Barker has a way of expressing his ideas in a vividly harrowing manner that compensates for his far out imagination.
The Midnight Meat Train is a memorable day-in-the-life account of a brutal serial killer who delivers carcasses via the subway; Sex, Death and Starshine is surprisingly charming for its quotes and references to Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare; and the final story, In the Hills, the Cities is downright bizarre, featuring a gay male couple, tourism in Yugoslavia and a man-made fight between two regional cities.
This is a really good collection and I recommend it. My only criticism is the constant retellings, but so what when they're as imaginative as this?
There are SIX volumes available in total, this being the first, so plenty more wondrous tales from the strange brain of Clive Barker.
Be aware of a misleading administration error. Pig Blood Blues, and Sex, Death and Starshine are listed as a single story: 'Pig Blood and Starshine'.
My particular favourite is Pig Blood Blues, a horror story set in a borstal full of bastard boys and their carers. It has a distinct Animal Farm by George Orwell element to it, with a revered deity in the guise of a fetid and sordid pig.
The Yattering And Jack is really good story also, played like a game of chess between the demonic Yattering spirit and Jack Polo, being a distinct retelling of The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde, but like all of Clive Barker's stories, is more grisly and sinister.
These are other people's stories told in a horrific way, but that's okay when they're as rich, fresh and seemingly unique as this, and I like them all. Clive Barker has a way of expressing his ideas in a vividly harrowing manner that compensates for his far out imagination.
The Midnight Meat Train is a memorable day-in-the-life account of a brutal serial killer who delivers carcasses via the subway; Sex, Death and Starshine is surprisingly charming for its quotes and references to Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare; and the final story, In the Hills, the Cities is downright bizarre, featuring a gay male couple, tourism in Yugoslavia and a man-made fight between two regional cities.
This is a really good collection and I recommend it. My only criticism is the constant retellings, but so what when they're as imaginative as this?
There are SIX volumes available in total, this being the first, so plenty more wondrous tales from the strange brain of Clive Barker.
Be aware of a misleading administration error. Pig Blood Blues, and Sex, Death and Starshine are listed as a single story: 'Pig Blood and Starshine'.
February 8, 2021
Unos relatos imposibles de olvidar.
"Somos nuestros propios cementerios; nos instalamos entre las tumbas de las personas que éramos. Si estamos sanos, cada día es una celebración, un Día de difuntos en el que damos gracias por las vidas vividas; si estamos neuróticos, nos lamentamos, nos obsesionamos y deseamos que el pasado todavía fuera presente."
Desde el prólogo (escrito por el propio Barker) me dí cuenta de que me iba a gustar su estilo. Se notaba que iba ir sin rodeos, y eso me gusta mucho en una historia sin importar su género.
Nos encontramos con nueve relatos donde ninguno carece de originalidad, y creo que no podré olvidarlos, es difícil después de la forma en que el autor plasma allí lo más oscuro del ser humano, desde sus deseos hasta sus temores. Me encantó la manera en que Barker pasaba de la primera a la tercera persona para potenciar la narración, eso hacía que los relatos estuvieran mejor cargados de horror, terror, y lo que los caracteriza, de sangre.
Me debatí mucho entre 4 o 5 estrellas, pero creo que por su originalidad, y porque algunos son muy geniales, se ganó el mayor reconocimiento.
Recomiendo mucho estos relatos. Pero, hay que tener en cuenta que se van a encontrar con situaciones grotescas, personajes despreciables, y momentos que los van hacer retirar la vista de las páginas. No son relatos para cualquiera, pero si se quieren adentrar en ellos, adelante.
"No hay placer como el terror. Mientras sea el de los demás."
No soy de los que califica cada relato, no es algo de mi agrado, sin embargo, voy a enfatizar en los que más gustaron, y la percepción sobre uno en especial:
El tren nocturno de carne: Debo decir que esperaba mucho más de éste relato, ya que ya había visto la adaptación cinematográfica y me encantó. Y siento que está mejor lograda que el relato, a pesar de basarse en él, no es un mal relato, pero se quedó corto a mis expectativas.
El blues de la sangre de cerdo: Muy perturbador. Un relato que no deja indiferente al lector, además de que su final es bastante impactante.
En las colinas las ciudades: No podía creer que a alguien se le ocurriera un idea tan increíble (Barker estás demente). Al inicio me forjé una idea del relato muy común, pero a medida que fui avanzando no podía creer lo que leía. De verdad que tienen que leerlo si o si.
Jaqueline Ess: Últimas voluntades y testamento: Para mí es el relato mejor construido. Desde personajes e historia, es envolvente hasta el final. Y me hizo pensar el Amor de otra manera. Es el relato más sangriento, pero a la vez conmovedor, su final para mí, fue una experiencia inefable.
"Así que ahora miro esas historias y, casi como si se tratara de una foto tomada en una fiesta, encuentro todo tipo de señales e indicios de quién era yo. ¿Era? Sí, era. Miro esas historias y no creo que el hombre que las escribió siga vivo dentro de mí."
"Somos nuestros propios cementerios; nos instalamos entre las tumbas de las personas que éramos. Si estamos sanos, cada día es una celebración, un Día de difuntos en el que damos gracias por las vidas vividas; si estamos neuróticos, nos lamentamos, nos obsesionamos y deseamos que el pasado todavía fuera presente."
Desde el prólogo (escrito por el propio Barker) me dí cuenta de que me iba a gustar su estilo. Se notaba que iba ir sin rodeos, y eso me gusta mucho en una historia sin importar su género.
Nos encontramos con nueve relatos donde ninguno carece de originalidad, y creo que no podré olvidarlos, es difícil después de la forma en que el autor plasma allí lo más oscuro del ser humano, desde sus deseos hasta sus temores. Me encantó la manera en que Barker pasaba de la primera a la tercera persona para potenciar la narración, eso hacía que los relatos estuvieran mejor cargados de horror, terror, y lo que los caracteriza, de sangre.
Me debatí mucho entre 4 o 5 estrellas, pero creo que por su originalidad, y porque algunos son muy geniales, se ganó el mayor reconocimiento.
Recomiendo mucho estos relatos. Pero, hay que tener en cuenta que se van a encontrar con situaciones grotescas, personajes despreciables, y momentos que los van hacer retirar la vista de las páginas. No son relatos para cualquiera, pero si se quieren adentrar en ellos, adelante.
"No hay placer como el terror. Mientras sea el de los demás."
No soy de los que califica cada relato, no es algo de mi agrado, sin embargo, voy a enfatizar en los que más gustaron, y la percepción sobre uno en especial:
El tren nocturno de carne: Debo decir que esperaba mucho más de éste relato, ya que ya había visto la adaptación cinematográfica y me encantó. Y siento que está mejor lograda que el relato, a pesar de basarse en él, no es un mal relato, pero se quedó corto a mis expectativas.
El blues de la sangre de cerdo: Muy perturbador. Un relato que no deja indiferente al lector, además de que su final es bastante impactante.
En las colinas las ciudades: No podía creer que a alguien se le ocurriera un idea tan increíble (Barker estás demente). Al inicio me forjé una idea del relato muy común, pero a medida que fui avanzando no podía creer lo que leía. De verdad que tienen que leerlo si o si.
Jaqueline Ess: Últimas voluntades y testamento: Para mí es el relato mejor construido. Desde personajes e historia, es envolvente hasta el final. Y me hizo pensar el Amor de otra manera. Es el relato más sangriento, pero a la vez conmovedor, su final para mí, fue una experiencia inefable.
"Así que ahora miro esas historias y, casi como si se tratara de una foto tomada en una fiesta, encuentro todo tipo de señales e indicios de quién era yo. ¿Era? Sí, era. Miro esas historias y no creo que el hombre que las escribió siga vivo dentro de mí."
October 21, 2020
Clive "the future of horror" Barker's first published work was the six volume "Books of Blood," a collection of horror short stories. Barker's creepy prose can be graphic at times yet provides its scares by creating a great sense of unease within the reader through wildly imaginative concepts that border on absurdity. See ratings for individual stories below along with, as usual, song lyrics that you may find useful, or insightful, or amusing. Or not.
The Book of Blood - 5/5 - no new tale to tell twenty-six years on my way to hell
The Midnight Meat Train - 5/5 - mental wounds not healing, life's a bitter shame
The Yattering and Jack - 4/5 - I'm not crazy, you're the one that's crazy
Pig Blood Blues - 5/5 - pigs in zen
Sex, Death and Starshine - 3/5 - in touch with some reality beyond the gilded cage
In the Hills, the Cities -3/5 - we built this city
The Book of Blood - 5/5 - no new tale to tell twenty-six years on my way to hell
The Midnight Meat Train - 5/5 - mental wounds not healing, life's a bitter shame
The Yattering and Jack - 4/5 - I'm not crazy, you're the one that's crazy
Pig Blood Blues - 5/5 - pigs in zen
Sex, Death and Starshine - 3/5 - in touch with some reality beyond the gilded cage
In the Hills, the Cities -3/5 - we built this city
May 27, 2025
3.5 stars
This is a re-read for me after about 30 years. I still like what Barker was doing back then but it’s definitely not for everybody.
The good: Barker’s writing is much more stylized than many in this genre. If you’re looking for something more expressive than the standard formula, this is it. The gore score is a bit lighter than I remember, but when things get visceral you better watch out. Your mom doesn’t like Clive Barker. There are ideas here that simply wouldn’t fly in the hands of any other horror writer at that time. The short story format works perfectly here as I doubt a story like Pig Blood Blues would work as a 400 page novel.
The bad: Barker relates far too many things in relation to a character’s crotch. Those who’s read Barker will confirm. The last two stories didn’t hold my interest at all. I know I mentioned Pig Blood Blues wouldn’t work as a novel, but it barely works as a short story either. Things moved too quickly and any mystery was tossed out as a result.
Yeah, these are classics. I remembered the story titles more than I remember the stories themselves, but any horror fan should try early 1980s Barker at least once.
This is a re-read for me after about 30 years. I still like what Barker was doing back then but it’s definitely not for everybody.
The good: Barker’s writing is much more stylized than many in this genre. If you’re looking for something more expressive than the standard formula, this is it. The gore score is a bit lighter than I remember, but when things get visceral you better watch out. Your mom doesn’t like Clive Barker. There are ideas here that simply wouldn’t fly in the hands of any other horror writer at that time. The short story format works perfectly here as I doubt a story like Pig Blood Blues would work as a 400 page novel.
The bad: Barker relates far too many things in relation to a character’s crotch. Those who’s read Barker will confirm. The last two stories didn’t hold my interest at all. I know I mentioned Pig Blood Blues wouldn’t work as a novel, but it barely works as a short story either. Things moved too quickly and any mystery was tossed out as a result.
Yeah, these are classics. I remembered the story titles more than I remember the stories themselves, but any horror fan should try early 1980s Barker at least once.
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