Infernal Parade

by Clive Barker

From the beginning of his distinguished career, Clive Barker has been the great visionary artist of contemporary dark fantasy, a form that Barker himself has termed “the Fantastique.” Through his many novels, stories, paintings and films, he had presented us with unforgettable images of the monstrous and the sacred, the beautiful and the grotesque. His body of work constitutes a great and varied contribution to modern popular culture.

This astonishing novella, Infernal Parade, perfectly encapsulates Barker’s unique abilities. Like the earlier Tortured Souls, an account of bizarre–and agonizing–transformations, Infernal Parade is tightly focused, intensely imagined, and utterly unlike anything else you will ever read. It begins with the tale of a convicted criminal, Tom Requiem, who returns from the brink of death to restore both fear and a touch of awe to a complacent world. Tom becomes the leader of the eponymous “parade,” which ranges from the familiar precincts of North Dakota to the mythical city of Karantica. Golems, vengeful humans both living and dead, and assorted impossible creatures parade across these pages. The result is a series of highly compressed, interrelated narratives that are memorable, disturbing, and impossible to set aside.

Infernal Parade is quintessential Barker: witty, elegantly composed, filled with dark and often savage wonders. It proves once again that, in Barker’s hands, the Fantastique is not only alive and well, but flourishing. This is vital, visionary fiction by a modern master of the form.

Genres: Horror, Fantasy, Short Stories, Fiction, Novella, Mythology, Monsters

81 pages, Hardcover

First published February 28, 2016

About the author

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Reviews

[Reading · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a novella containing a series of short stories and starts off with the executed murderer Tom Requiem who is resurrected by agents of the Underland to lead a parade, which will “send some fears into the hearts of men.”

Over the next 5 stories he expands his entourage to include the person he murdered, a murderous golem, a bunch of circus freaks, a mythical creature known as a Sabbaticus, and a woman tortured to death in an iron maiden.

It was a very quick read as it's just like 90 pages, even though it's brutal and dark as hell it's very different to anything I've read by Barker.

I liked it but overall I'd class it as a read-oncer.

[Char · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars!

Clive Barker always delivers in the creative department and this collection is no different.

Clocking in at only 88 pages, these short stories really pack a punch, yet as a whole, it feels like something is missing.

I think my favorite stories in the bunch were The Sabbaticus and The Golem, Elijah. Both could be interpreted as cautionary tales, as could Bethany Bled , and who doesn't like those? Be careful what you wish for and all that. These stories did make me miss (and long for) the Clive Barker of old with big old door-stopper books like Imajica or Weaveworld, where there was plenty of time for Mr. Barker to weave his spell.

However, Infernal Parade did give me a taste of the wild imagination and words of Mr. Barker, so how could that be bad?

Recommended for fans of the Clive Barker of old!

*Thanks to Subterranean Press and NetGalley for the e-ARC of this collection in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it. *

[LIsa Noell "Rocking the chutzpah!" · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've never been quite satisfied with Mr. Barker's short stories. I think it's because his writing is on such a grand scale that it's difficult for me to be completely happy when the fantastique is scaled down. I always end up wanting more. These short stories left me wanting, well.....more. Even one last tale showing this grotesque parade. It would have tied it all together. Still, I'll admit that I enjoyed the show. Mr. Barker is an original. There's never been anyone like him. He and his unbelievably vivid imagination have given me untold hours of pleasure, and at times pure unadulterated fear. Thank you, Subterranean Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this novella. Yep, I'd recommend it.
It's a 3.5 stars, kicked up to 4.

[Karl]

A dark fantasy novella told in six parts, bringing together pieces of story previously only available with action figures from McFarlane Toys issued in 2004, now with new illustra­tions by Bob Eggleton. Convicted criminal and King of Showmen Tom Requiem leads a parade of humans and fantastic creatures from North Dakota to the mythical city of Karantica.

Contents:

09 - "Tom Requiem"
21 - "Mary Slaughter"
31 - "The Golem, Eluah"
45 - "Dr. Fetter's Family of Freaks"
57 - "The Sabbaticus"
71 - "Bethany Bled"

Available as:

Lettered Edition $275.00 Out of Print
Limited Edition $60.00
Trade Edition $30.00

[Mogsy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum https://bibliosanctum.com/2017/01/13/...

Infernal Parade by Clive Barker is a novella containing a series of short stories which, including the illustrations (by Bob Eggleton), comes in at under 100 pages and probably took me less than an hour to read. For such a slim volume though, it held a surprising amount of fascination for me. Thing is, out of context, the half dozen or so tales in here might seem a little random until you know a bit more about their history. Back in the early 2000s McFarlane Toys put out a couple lines of horror action figures which came distributed with portions of fictional pieces about them written by Barker as an added incentive. “The Infernal Parade” was one of these toy lines, inspired by a nightmarish circus filled with monstrous attractions and other gruesome curiosities. It included six figures.

Things kick off with the tale of our ringmaster, the convicted killer Tom Requiem. Hanged for his crimes, he nonetheless returns from the brink of death to head up a literal freak show spotlighting the terrifying and the tortured. From all across globe and even into the mythical realms, Tom scours through time and space for creatures to join his macabre parade, starting with the woman he murdered, Mary Slaughter the blade swallower. The two of them are next joined by Elijah, a bloodthirsty golem that killed the master who created it; the tormented members of Dr. Fetter’s family of freaks; the Sabbaticus, a monster out of the wilds of Karantica; and last but not least, Bethany Bled, the prisoner in the Iron Maiden.

These are their stories, brought together in this one handy collection. They don’t form a single overarching narrative per se, since each tale can be read as a standalone, in any order, as they were meant to accompany their individual action figures. If you think about it, it’s actually rather ingenious, because having glimpsed the actual Infernal Parade toys on comic book and game store shelves over the years, it’s not hard to see why some might be repelled by their disturbing and grotesque nature (as striking and gorgeously detailed as they are)—but if you happen to be a Clive Barker fan, a horror buff, or perhaps you are simply curious about a particular figure’s backstory, I can understand the appeal behind these shorts. The stories in here are each around 6-10 pages long, but there’s a world of imagination packed in every single one. They feel very much like creepy little fables or grisly tales you would tell around a campfire.

That said, even knowing the origins behind Infernal Parade might not not take away the clipped and disjointed feeling of this collection, though in all fairness I don’t typically do well with the super-short fiction format, so this might actually work better for others than it did for me. To their credit too, each story left me wanting more—in the good way. As intended, they feel like snippets in a character’s life story, specifically the circumstances around how they joined up with Tom Requiem and became a part of his parade. As much as I enjoyed these individual tales though, they often left me with the sense that the best is yet to come. For example, I probably had just as much fun imagining in my head everything that would happen in “the after” once this hideous crew got on the road. Where would they tour? Who or what would come out to see them? Think of the sheer potential behind all these crazy scenarios.

Bottom line: those looking for a more substantial read or something that feels more “complete” might not find it here, though if you’re a Clive Barker fan or a collector of rare fiction, it doesn’t get much cooler than this. Infernal Parade is a very special opportunity to get your hands on a unique collection of his short stories that might be tougher to find these days. Even if you’re reading Barker for the first time (like I was) I feel this book would be a wonderful introduction to his dark and distinct style.

[Althea Ann · Rating 2 out of 5]

I see "Clive Barker" and I say, "Yes please!"

But in this case, I should've investigated further. This is another publication like 2014's "Tortured Souls: The Legend of Primordium." It is NOT a novella; it's a collection of brief texts that were designed to accompany collectible figures produced by McFarlane Toys.

The texts (or 'chapters') don't come together as a finished whole - which makes sense, as they weren't really designed to. They simply form the premise for having a collection of gruesome and grotesque horror characters and why they might appear together: a vicious executed killer comes back from the dead, and is 'assigned'? to collect a group of similarly depraved and tortured souls to form a kind of carnival procession of the damned. Why? To what purpose? Dunno.

As is to be expected, the segments are well-written and imaginative - but they didn't need to be collected as a book.

Thanks to Subterranean and NetGalley for the opportunity to read. As always, my opinions are solely my own.

[Cody · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clive Barker is certainly an imaginative, creative author. Infernal Parade, a collection of short (too short, really) stories, shows he can still pack a punch while making his readers think, even after writing for decades.

The six stories contain herein are loosely related, starting with "Tom Requiem" — a tale of a crime and hanging that almost crackles and pops with style. Tom Requiem himself gets pulled into the Infernal Parade (willingly, of course — much like Frank Cotton's submission to fatal pleasure in The Hellbound Heart) and becomes the conductor of sorts. The five stories that follow "Tom Requiem" branch out from there, all zig-zagging in unpredictable directions that certainly got my pulse up on occasion.

I think my favorite story here is "The Golem, Elijah" or maybe "Bethany Bled". Both certainly have horrific elements that recall Barker's earliest work; they also contain certain fantastical, old-fashioned motifs that almost push this collection into fairly tale territory. Not that I am complaining: it's a blend Barker does well!

I spent six bucks on this collection, and I feel that is a fair price. At 88 pages this release is a little skimpy; almost every story here could have been fleshed out. A common criticism of Barker is he's too wordy and overwrites; the opposite is true here. I immediately fell in love with the idea of the Infernal Parade. It could have been another Clive Barker tome, matter of fact. But what's here is okay, too. I liked it. 3.5 stars.

[Orrin Grey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Huh. Given that this, like Tortured Souls, was a collection of short fragments that originally accompanied Todd McFarlane action figures, I was expecting it to be about as lackluster as that book was. Instead, I was pleasantly surprised. While these stories all sort of tie together, in that each piece is a vignette about how each character becomes a part of the titular Infernal Parade, these read more like stand-alone short stories, which helps them to work a little better than the cobbled together novelette that was Tortured Souls.

Still not anywhere near Barker's best work, but more enjoyable than I had expected.

[R.J. Roles · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short and felt unfinished.

[Vicente Ribes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spanish Review

Buena colección de historias. La imaginación macabra de Barker en todo su esplendor mezclando fantasía y horror a partes iguales. Los pecados y vidas de los personajes me recordaron a los cenobitas y la historia del desfile infernal es muy original.
Me gustaron mucho los relatos del Golem y Bethany Bled. Es fantástico como Barker puede despelgar su imaginación en tan pocas líneas.

English Review

Good collection of stories. Barker's macabre imagination in all its splendor mixing fantasy and horror in equal parts. The sins and lives of the characters reminded me of the cenobites and the story of the infernal parade is very original.
I really liked the stories of the Golem and Bethany Bled. It's fantastic how Barker can unleash his imagination in so few lines.

[Spencer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Whilst I enjoyed this collection of interconnected stories I believe that this would have benefitted from an additional piece bringing all the stories together. I am aware that the stories originally came with a series of McFarlane toys but I think it would have been awesome to have read of the infernal parade in procession with all the characters brought together. The art throughout is brilliant but I also would have liked to have seen more of each of the characters each tale is based upon or maybe some concept art of the toys. Despite these criticisms the book is well written dark fantasy that Barker fans will definitely enjoy.
I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley in return for a fair and unbiased review.

[Lora Milton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first Barker read, though I'm familiar with his work through the film, Nightbreed. There is no denying that Barker has a wild imagination when it comes to creating monsters!

Infernal Parade is shorter than most of his books. It's a series of short stories that are tied together with a theme, preparation for the Infernal Parade when the dead and demented invade the ordinary world. The one thing that is missing is that the book doesn't take us through to the actual manifestation of this parade, only the individual stories about some of the people and creatures destined to take part.

Barker manages to strike a balance with some of the more gruesome scenes in his stories so that every bit of torn flesh, every drop of blood spilled is relevant to the story at hand and never crosses into the gratuitous. This is a rare skill!

The individual stories each had their own morbid fascination. There were no duds among them. As much as I'm sensitive to Horror stories that involve murder and gore, Barker's treatment of the material just makes me want to read more of his work. The plots were original and imaginative at a level seldom seen in this genre.

[Wayne McCoy · Rating 2 out of 5]

'Infernal Parade' by Clive Barker is a title I was initially excited to read, as I've been an occasional fan of his work. What we get here is a series of short stories that were originally written for a line of Todd McFarlane action figures.

The book is a collection of 6 linked stories about the formation of a gruesome parade of strange people with weirdly obvious names. Tom Requiem is a murderer who has been hanged and buried, and he is rescued from his coffin. Mary Slaughter kills babies and has a collection of dangerous swords. There is the unfortunate golem who finds himself without a master and Bethany Bled who is made to be tortured for the amusement of the crowd.

These are all stories of terrible people or victims of terrible people who find themselves grotesquely transformed, but we never learn the overarching reason for this. These are not very nice people and when they get their comeuppance, I just found myself not caring at all. If you are looking for the Barker of 'Books of Blood' or 'Hellraiser' fame, I'm afraid you'll have to look elsewhere.

I received a review copy of this ebook from Subterranean Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.

[Rajeev Singh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four stars for having glimmerings of the Clive Barker prose I fell in love with as I read - or day-dreamed while I read - the incredible Books of Blood, back in 2013. He sounds somewhat like he does in Tonight, Again: fluid and masterful but too simple, like he is pampering a kid with a story. The artwork in the beginning of each chapter is quite good, but it's not Clive, and hence there is nothing sexual or Abarat about it.

[Regina · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Being a fan of Clive Barker’s books since I first read his Books of Blood I was thrilled to come across this little book. Though I was disappointed the artwork was not his own, but rather Bob Eggleton, it was still was pleasant visually.

The stories though short were enjoyable in that lovely dark way that Cliver knows how to craft: dark, creepy, and deliciously twisted. Loosely tied to each other, I felt that this was only partially completed; that there are more tales to tell, and that they would all be tied together in a grand parade through Hell at the end.

I crave more.

[Mark Tallen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A dark, whimsical novella from Clive Barker that I enjoyed. I didn't quite enjoy this as much as his Tortured Souls novella. The imagery that Clive paints with his prose is really good and his creations and characters are as unique as ever. The interior illustrations are also excellent.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

A series of very dark, connected shorts.

[R. K. Saenz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Only problem is I wanted more.

[Arsenovic Nikola · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pročitao sam je na engleskom iako to izbegavam ali knjižica je mala 29 stranica. Došao sam na ideju da je pročitam zbog figure koju sam kupio uradjena po ovoj knjizi. Figura Tom Reqviema. Knjiga ima nekoliko interesantnih priča koje se na neki način spajaju. Meni se najviše svidela prva gde sveštenici izmisle čudovište koje im posle dodje glave. Ima neku napetu atmosferu preporucujem

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tom Requiem is led to the gallows for the murder of Mary Slaughter, hung, and buried. But Tom was buried alive, intentionally, for the fates have a new task for him: he will become the ringleader of the Infernal Parade, a crazed cast of characters pulled into the parade to wander a sad world between life an death. The novella consists of six stories, each one tracking a character in the parade: first Tom, then his lover-victim Mary, before branching out into stranger ground. There's the golem, Elijah, created for the purpose of single-minded murder; Dr. Fetter and his family of freaks; and The Sabbaticus, a monster called forth in a fantastic realm of bleak and sadistic justice. The stories don't have a narrative arc per se, instead focusing on the exotic characters.

Clive Barker has built an impressive reputation as a master of the "dark fantastique," writing stories that blend horror, dark fantasy, and surreal weirdness in ways that few other authors come close to. At his best, he is a grim visionary; at his worst, he offers unique and readable strange tales. Infernal Parade leans more to that latter because it's a bit disjointed; it originated as a series of short stories packaged with the McFarlane toy line of the same name, one story per figure/character. As such, the stories are a bit short and better at giving a feel for their character than any narrative as a whole. That said, they show that Barker's limitless imagination shows no sign of slowing down, the stories presenting a vivid array of characters and settings unrestrained by physics or reason. That creativity is Barker's main selling point, along with his blending of the grotesque with the sensuous, and his short stories do a great job of capturing that feel.

At the end of the day, Infernal Parade is a fascinating volume perfect for Barker fans---the fact that it's sold as a signed and limited hardcover should be one indication. Reading it gave me flashbacks to reading his Books of Blood short stories. But readers looking for a more complete, substantial read may be disappointed by a collection that's somewhat disjointed and inconsistent. I would have appreciated a little more meat to the stories, a little something more binding them together. Despite Barker's wild and vivid imagination, it feels like there's something missing from the collection as a whole, though the stand-out stories ("The Sabbaticus" in particular) are masterful. So, one that should be appreciated by Barker fans and short-fiction aficionados, especially readers who enjoyed his fantasies like Imajica or his older collections of short fiction.

[Ian · Rating 2 out of 5]

WAY overpriced. Not what I was hoping for.

I have read a few of Clives books and enjoyed them, big Hellraiser fan...I'm underwhelmed with this one. He should have tried harder.

[Fantasy Literature]

2 stars from Jason, read the full review at FANTASY LITERATURE

Disclaimer: just so you know, some of the books we review are received free from publishers

This is an unfortunately disappointing collection of microstories from Clive Barker, an author who helped define my reading experience in mid-1980’s junior and high school. The six very loosely connected stories that make up the 88 pages of Infernal Parade (2017) were originally provided as exclusive companions to collectables made by McFarlane Toys in 2004. I believe these are part of a larger macroverse of characters published in Barker’s 2014 novella, Tortured Souls: The Legend of Primordial.

Weaveworld and Books of Blood, the “Hellraiser” movies based on The Hellbound Heart, and The Damnation Game were formative to my development of interest in horror and fantasy literature. As one might imagine, stories written to go with toys may not fare as strongly without the toys themselves. And these don’t.

Tom Requiem is the first character we meet, a murderous liar who is hanged and buried. His “savior” pulls him from his grave and informs Tom that he:...2 stars from Jason, read the full review at FANTASY LITERATURE

[Cale · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book makes no sense unless you're familiar with the collectible figures. I had to go and confirm that they were a series after reading it. And even seeing the figures that these stories describe, I was left seriously underwhelmed by this collection.
It's in many ways a follow-up to Tortured Souls, but doesn't work nearly as well. Barker was able to weave the Tortured Souls characters into one relatively cohesive plot. That doesn't happen here; instead there are a half dozen short segments describing the figures (and in one or two cases, explaining how they came to be immortalized) with a brief 'and then they joined the Infernal Parade' as the only attempt at a link.
That would be acceptable if the stories were interesting on their own, but for the most part they aren't. They're torture porn with little justification - the best of the collection is The Sabbaticus, which does have a story and even a bit of a moral/twist. But Mary Slaughter and The Golem, Elijah are more description than story. And the illustrations included don't reference the figures at all, and aren't distinctive enough to stand on their own without the figures. You either need to be a Barker completionist or a huge fan of the collectibles to bother with this admittedly (and mercifully) brief selection.

[David Agranoff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Weird little short story collection masked as a Novella. Full review coming

[Laura Newsholme · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is such a hard book to review because I really enjoyed it, but it feels so unfinished, It tells the story of the Infernal Parade - a ragtag collection of rogues and freaks who will wander the land. This is a great premise, but this incredibly short book briefly tells the tale of some of these individuals being recruited into the Parade. Obviously, the prose is great and easy to read, but I can't get past the fact that it feels more like the prologue or first part of a far longer work.

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

knowing the context of the stories (written in 2004 for an action figure set) softens the blow a bit, but these are still kinda soft for Barker... i did enjoy them, though, but had hoped for rather a lot more, especially since the hardcover book is a $30 investment and not quite worth that if i was to be asked (artwork is average there is hardly enough of it as it is, along with maybe 40 'pages' of text)... i borrowed mine from the local library so i was spared the "i just paid $30 for this?!?!?" moment and was simply able to enjoy some old writings by Barker... i eagerly await Abarat 4, since i think Barker has ebbed a tad when it comes to his fiction-for-adults...

[Joshua Jorgensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vintage Clive Barker!!
Although the work is comprised of loosely connected short stories, each vignette nearly stands on its own accord.
Some of these stories feel as though they belong in the Books of Blood. They are gruesome, fantastic, dark, and bitter.
Clive Barker is a master, and this short novella, just 81 pages of text, is a stunning reminder that when it comes to fantasy horror, there is nobody that does it better.

[Josef Hernandez · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting story collection for longtime Barker fans

For a full review, please go to https://areviewerdarkly.blogspot.com/... and follow me on Twitter @josenher

[Matthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

A demented Aesop's Fables? Perhaps. I just love Barker's worlds. Short and satisfying.

[S.B. (Beauty in Ruins) · Rating 3 out of 5]

In reading Clive Barker's Infernal Parade, it's important to remember that these stories were originally published and packaged (much like the Tortured Souls collection from 2015) with the McFarlane toy line. That means they were designed to serve as stand-alone stories, connected, but not necessarily forming a linear narrative.

What that means for fans is that we get an all-too-rare serving of vintage Barker, with stories written during the very early days of Abarat, long before his 2012 brush with death. In putting the collection together, however, I feel like there's a missed opportunity here - one that would have made this collection truly memorable. We're introduced to Tom Requiem and the freaks of his Infernal Parade, but we never get to see them brought together. With the opening story suggesting a Books of Blood feel to the collection, I would have loved to see a new story at the other end to tie it all together.

That's a minor quibble, however, and not a criticism of the stories themselves. These are short, but powerful stories of torture and transformation, true horror with a freakish, monstrous feel. They have an almost fable-like feel to them, being stories of human cruelties and supernatural retribution. Sometimes it's the who and what they are that makes them freaks, but the stories are at their best when it's how and why they die that casts them into the Infernal Parade, doomed (or perhaps blessed) to endlessly relive pain for pleasure.

The stories of Bethany Bled, with its fateful wish that dooms a pair of lovers, and the Golem Elijiah, with it's dark twist of an ill thought-out command, are probably closest to that fable feel, but it's the stories of Mary Slaughter and Tom Requiem himself that remind me the most of Barker's most classic tales.


Originally reviewed at Beauty in Ruins

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary ARC of this title from the publisher in exchange for review consideration. This does not in any way affect the honesty or sincerity of my review.