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Clive Barker’s Dark Worlds: The Art and History of Clive Barker
"I've seen the future of horror... and his name is Clive Barker." In the mid-1980s, Stephen King inducted a young English novelist into the world of great genre writers, and since then, this genius creator has only continued to expand his field of activity. Created by his two most loyal collaborators, Phil and Sarah Stokes, Clive Barker’s Dark Worlds is a deep dive into the creative world and personal archive of the master of horror Clive Barker, from Hellraiser and Candyman to today—the first book to shed light on the massive scope of Barker’s creative work. With the help of Barker himself, this book contains exclusive comments from people who have worked with him creatively and professionally, as well as close friends such as Neil Gaiman. The book also features an exceptional collection of images and documents from the author's private archives.
The book spans Barker’s world, highlighting classics such as the character Pinhead, an icon in the pantheon of horror cinema; the Hellraiser series of ten films and a forthcoming HBO miniseries; and the cult films Nightbreed and Candyman, the latter of which was rebooted as a Jordan Peele production in 2021. In literature, Barker has written the horror anthology series Books of Blood, which was recently adapted by Hulu, as well as numerous fantasy sagas. Weaveworld and The Great and Secret Show have become instant genre classics, and Abarat is a beloved bestselling series for young adults. In the world of comics, Barker has partnered with major publishers such as Marvel and BOOM! Studios. This tireless creator has also dipped his toes into the worlds of toys, video games, and art, and his incredible collection of paintings, drawings, and photographs have been exhibited in galleries over the world.
The book spans Barker’s world, highlighting classics such as the character Pinhead, an icon in the pantheon of horror cinema; the Hellraiser series of ten films and a forthcoming HBO miniseries; and the cult films Nightbreed and Candyman, the latter of which was rebooted as a Jordan Peele production in 2021. In literature, Barker has written the horror anthology series Books of Blood, which was recently adapted by Hulu, as well as numerous fantasy sagas. Weaveworld and The Great and Secret Show have become instant genre classics, and Abarat is a beloved bestselling series for young adults. In the world of comics, Barker has partnered with major publishers such as Marvel and BOOM! Studios. This tireless creator has also dipped his toes into the worlds of toys, video games, and art, and his incredible collection of paintings, drawings, and photographs have been exhibited in galleries over the world.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published October 18, 2022
42 people are currently reading
329 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
October 11, 2022
Now I'm a huge fan of all things Clive Barker so when I heard about Dark Worlds I wasn't sure what new information this book could bring to me.
Is this book even for me? Is it for the casual reader?
The answer is Clive Barker's Dark Worlds is for ANYONE with an interest in Clive Barker. Packed with photos and images from Clive's personal collection and beautifully curated by Phil and Sarah Stokes this is a surprisingly deep dive into everything Barker related.
Broken into the key main chapters you'd expect (Hellraiser, Books Of Blood, Weaveworld etc etc) what makes this such a deep read are the chapters you may not expect (comics, video games, poetry, toys, art)
Dark Worlds will have new readers going to their favourite store and buying titles from Clive's bibliography. Current fans will possibly be re-evaluating books like Sacrament and Coldheart Canyon due to the extra colour Clive adds to the books development.
Another thing Dark Worlds does is make you think about what could be coming. Additional books formulated during the Scarlet Gospels process (I so hope we get to see these). The Harry D'Amour movies and subsequent D'Amour projects. So much is touched upon in refreshingly honest detail.
Saying that, a few contentious areas are touched upon but not detailed. This again leads to speculation to whom Clive is referring to. I appreciate it was/is a dark time for Clive but I'd love to see this area expanded upon. It'll colour the whole Scarlet Gospels period and possibly maybe lay some ghosts to rest.
Dark Worlds is a beautiful book. A love letter to Clive Barker's fans and a stunning celebration of the life of an artist. A life that's dedicated to creation and long may it continue.
Love you Clive.
Is this book even for me? Is it for the casual reader?
The answer is Clive Barker's Dark Worlds is for ANYONE with an interest in Clive Barker. Packed with photos and images from Clive's personal collection and beautifully curated by Phil and Sarah Stokes this is a surprisingly deep dive into everything Barker related.
Broken into the key main chapters you'd expect (Hellraiser, Books Of Blood, Weaveworld etc etc) what makes this such a deep read are the chapters you may not expect (comics, video games, poetry, toys, art)
Dark Worlds will have new readers going to their favourite store and buying titles from Clive's bibliography. Current fans will possibly be re-evaluating books like Sacrament and Coldheart Canyon due to the extra colour Clive adds to the books development.
Another thing Dark Worlds does is make you think about what could be coming. Additional books formulated during the Scarlet Gospels process (I so hope we get to see these). The Harry D'Amour movies and subsequent D'Amour projects. So much is touched upon in refreshingly honest detail.
Saying that, a few contentious areas are touched upon but not detailed. This again leads to speculation to whom Clive is referring to. I appreciate it was/is a dark time for Clive but I'd love to see this area expanded upon. It'll colour the whole Scarlet Gospels period and possibly maybe lay some ghosts to rest.
Dark Worlds is a beautiful book. A love letter to Clive Barker's fans and a stunning celebration of the life of an artist. A life that's dedicated to creation and long may it continue.
Love you Clive.
December 25, 2025
"The more you know, the more there is to be scared of."
At a young age I was welcomed into the world of horror and I never looked back. Probably watched and read things that weren’t age appropriate but it shaped me into the horror obsessed weirdo I am today. The one guy who stuck out to me during my adolescence was Clive Barker.
This was an interesting look at the life and career of a legend. The way his words flow they not only scare but are also thought provoking. You don’t get that with many authors. You get the full package here.
Fans of Barker and his twisted tales will love this in-depth look of how things came to be and almost came to be. It was intriguing from start to finish.
"I am so exquisitely empty."
At a young age I was welcomed into the world of horror and I never looked back. Probably watched and read things that weren’t age appropriate but it shaped me into the horror obsessed weirdo I am today. The one guy who stuck out to me during my adolescence was Clive Barker.
This was an interesting look at the life and career of a legend. The way his words flow they not only scare but are also thought provoking. You don’t get that with many authors. You get the full package here.
Fans of Barker and his twisted tales will love this in-depth look of how things came to be and almost came to be. It was intriguing from start to finish.
"I am so exquisitely empty."
January 25, 2024
A very good coffee table book overview of horror author Clive Barker's career that while for the really die-hard Barker fans will probably not have too many new surprises is still a worthy volume to check out if you have any interest in the subject!
It has lots of great rare pictures from barker's personal archive and some really cool details on the many unmade/unrealized film projects from over the years that barker was attached to!
It has lots of great rare pictures from barker's personal archive and some really cool details on the many unmade/unrealized film projects from over the years that barker was attached to!
February 4, 2023
****1/2
A must-have for Clive Barker devotees. His archivists, Phil and Sarah Stokes, present here a comprehensive discussion of the author/writer/painter/filmmaker's history, published works, unfinished works, ideas, etc, going back to the 1970s and continuing up to the present day.
Almost every page features color photos, reprints of Clive's artwork, candid shots from movie shoots and play productions. Pretty much everything you could want. It's told mostly in chronological order, with a chapter devoted to each of his projects, switching up time periods occasionally for the sake of narrative cohesion.
To think, I hesitated on my purchase of this book, due to the price. If you are similarly hesitant, I urge to spend the money. This thing won't be in print forever, and if it's like many of Clive's own books, will go for some money years later. You will regret it if you don't pick it up before then.
A must-have for Clive Barker devotees. His archivists, Phil and Sarah Stokes, present here a comprehensive discussion of the author/writer/painter/filmmaker's history, published works, unfinished works, ideas, etc, going back to the 1970s and continuing up to the present day.
Almost every page features color photos, reprints of Clive's artwork, candid shots from movie shoots and play productions. Pretty much everything you could want. It's told mostly in chronological order, with a chapter devoted to each of his projects, switching up time periods occasionally for the sake of narrative cohesion.
To think, I hesitated on my purchase of this book, due to the price. If you are similarly hesitant, I urge to spend the money. This thing won't be in print forever, and if it's like many of Clive's own books, will go for some money years later. You will regret it if you don't pick it up before then.
January 25, 2023
I've been a fan of Clive Barker since the late '80s, and I had to chuckle at what I think was the introductory chapter... it could be summed up as "Clive Barker? You mean the 'Hellraiser' guy?"
Yes, THAT Clive Barker. But as I've told countless people, if you know Clive Barker only for those first few Hellraiser movies, then you don't really know Clive Barker. At all. Yes, he wrote the story, "The Hellbound Heart," upon which "Hellraiser" was based (though Pinhead appears nowhere in that story). He also directed that first movie and played a part in making the next few movies. But a few of the later adaptations of his work, like "Nightbreed" (based on his book "Cabal") and "Lord of Illusions" (based on "The Last Illusion") are closer in tone to the dark fantasy thread that is more common in his written work. Plus there's his art, and his comic books, and the list goes on.
If you are a fan like me, then you've already read "Weaveworld" and "The Damnation Game" and the Books of the Art (he's supposedly still working on that third volume). You also picked up "Imajica" and "Sacrament" and "Coldheart Canyon," as well as his books for younger readers, "The Thief of Always" and the three (so far -- again, he's supposedly working on a fourth and now a fifth) books in the Abarat series. But you'd have to be a VERY dedicated fan to not learn new things from this book, written by the couple who once ran a fan website, became friends with Barker himself, and now administer his archives.
Not only is it chock full of background and insider information and knowledge, but it's lavishly illustrated with photos, reproductions of Barker's art, images of handwritten manuscript pages, and much more. And while on its surface, it looks imposing -- it's the very definition of a coffee table book, large and heavy enough to give your arms a little bit of a workout -- the information contained inside is packaged in nice, digestible packets, kind of brush strokes assembled mostly chronologically, but especially by theme. There will be three or so pages of text about his TV work, for example, with plenty of illustrations. Or a page or two about his poetry, or about this film or that novel or one or another set of paintings. There are short chapters about his days as a schoolboy in Liverpool, or about his college years or his time spent doing experimental stage productions in the '70s -- again, all nicely illustrated. The end result is a book that you can consume in bits and pieces, reading one short chapter or three or four in a row, but never far away from a point where you can put the volume down. And it was published just last year, which means the teasers at the end about his current projects are still exciting because they are fresh, not stale.
If you are a superfan, or if you barely know anything about the man, this book is designed for you. If you have any interest at all, you can't go wrong checking this one out.
Yes, THAT Clive Barker. But as I've told countless people, if you know Clive Barker only for those first few Hellraiser movies, then you don't really know Clive Barker. At all. Yes, he wrote the story, "The Hellbound Heart," upon which "Hellraiser" was based (though Pinhead appears nowhere in that story). He also directed that first movie and played a part in making the next few movies. But a few of the later adaptations of his work, like "Nightbreed" (based on his book "Cabal") and "Lord of Illusions" (based on "The Last Illusion") are closer in tone to the dark fantasy thread that is more common in his written work. Plus there's his art, and his comic books, and the list goes on.
If you are a fan like me, then you've already read "Weaveworld" and "The Damnation Game" and the Books of the Art (he's supposedly still working on that third volume). You also picked up "Imajica" and "Sacrament" and "Coldheart Canyon," as well as his books for younger readers, "The Thief of Always" and the three (so far -- again, he's supposedly working on a fourth and now a fifth) books in the Abarat series. But you'd have to be a VERY dedicated fan to not learn new things from this book, written by the couple who once ran a fan website, became friends with Barker himself, and now administer his archives.
Not only is it chock full of background and insider information and knowledge, but it's lavishly illustrated with photos, reproductions of Barker's art, images of handwritten manuscript pages, and much more. And while on its surface, it looks imposing -- it's the very definition of a coffee table book, large and heavy enough to give your arms a little bit of a workout -- the information contained inside is packaged in nice, digestible packets, kind of brush strokes assembled mostly chronologically, but especially by theme. There will be three or so pages of text about his TV work, for example, with plenty of illustrations. Or a page or two about his poetry, or about this film or that novel or one or another set of paintings. There are short chapters about his days as a schoolboy in Liverpool, or about his college years or his time spent doing experimental stage productions in the '70s -- again, all nicely illustrated. The end result is a book that you can consume in bits and pieces, reading one short chapter or three or four in a row, but never far away from a point where you can put the volume down. And it was published just last year, which means the teasers at the end about his current projects are still exciting because they are fresh, not stale.
If you are a superfan, or if you barely know anything about the man, this book is designed for you. If you have any interest at all, you can't go wrong checking this one out.
February 12, 2025
É um grande livro (pelo tamanho) das obras do Clive Barker começando bem jovenzinho com as peças e os curtas que fez com seu grupo de amigos para ir evoluindo para contos (os famosos Livros De Sangue), livros e os filmes.
A variedade de meios que Barker se expressa é enorme, além dos citados há a artes plásticas, os quadrinhos, os games, a tv, as pinturas corporais, a fotografia, e a poesia. Acho que só na música ele não se aventurou.
Os autores vão registrando, um pouco na ordem cronológica, as obras de Barker, tendo declarações do próprio Barker e outros colaboradores. Não pretendo ser um texto de análise das obras, mas de registro mesmo. Opiniões alheias na imprensa aparecem de vez em quando.
Ao final os próprios autores explicam sua ligação com Barker e vemos como foram de fãs da obra dele que desenvolveram um site para registrar tudo até uma aproximação com Barker, virando amigos e acabarem virando arquivistas da obra dele (e até biógrafos e herdeiros da manutenção do espólio).
Também na parte final se fala dos problemas de saúde que Barker teve anos atrás e como foi uma recuperação lenta e difícil. Por isso suas obras não apareciam mais seja com livros, filmes, quadrinhos e outros meios.
A obra é muito bem ilustrada, principalmente com as pinturas e esboços que Barker fez por todo esse tempo. Mesmo assim pelo tamanho da letra e o texto em duas colunas em cada página há muito texto junto, não sendo um mero portfólio.
Um livro de fãs para fãs da obra de Clive Barker.
A variedade de meios que Barker se expressa é enorme, além dos citados há a artes plásticas, os quadrinhos, os games, a tv, as pinturas corporais, a fotografia, e a poesia. Acho que só na música ele não se aventurou.
Os autores vão registrando, um pouco na ordem cronológica, as obras de Barker, tendo declarações do próprio Barker e outros colaboradores. Não pretendo ser um texto de análise das obras, mas de registro mesmo. Opiniões alheias na imprensa aparecem de vez em quando.
Ao final os próprios autores explicam sua ligação com Barker e vemos como foram de fãs da obra dele que desenvolveram um site para registrar tudo até uma aproximação com Barker, virando amigos e acabarem virando arquivistas da obra dele (e até biógrafos e herdeiros da manutenção do espólio).
Também na parte final se fala dos problemas de saúde que Barker teve anos atrás e como foi uma recuperação lenta e difícil. Por isso suas obras não apareciam mais seja com livros, filmes, quadrinhos e outros meios.
A obra é muito bem ilustrada, principalmente com as pinturas e esboços que Barker fez por todo esse tempo. Mesmo assim pelo tamanho da letra e o texto em duas colunas em cada página há muito texto junto, não sendo um mero portfólio.
Um livro de fãs para fãs da obra de Clive Barker.
January 14, 2023
This is a pretty good overview of Clive's life and work. The authors explore his books, screenplays, paintings, comics, computer games, and movies ... but there were some editing and formatting mistakes that I found distracting. Perhaps this was a fan-made project?
June 1, 2023
Bravo and thank you. This really hammers home how remarkable this guy is. No more than 5 pages on any given subject yet this book is 350+ pages long. He hasn't wasted a second. Thanks to Phil and Sarah Stokes for this.
November 28, 2022
A wonderful insight into the works of Clive Barker. Whether you’re new to his books or a long time fan, there’s something here for everyone. Highly recommended!
July 22, 2023
learned things i knew. i learned things i didn't know. overall a wonderful book to behold.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews