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Tortured Souls: The Legend of Primordium
Dust jacket and interior illustrations by Bob Eggleton
Tortured Souls is one of the most vividly imagined, tightly compressed novellas ever written by the incomparable Clive Barker. At once violent and erotic, brutal and strangely beautiful, it takes us into the heart of the legendary “first city” known as Primordium, the site of political upheaval, passionate encounters, and astonishing acts of transformation.
Lurking at the edges of this extravagant tale is the ancient entity known as “Agonistes,” who accepts the pleas of selected “Supplicants,” transforming them, through a combination of art, magic, and pain, into avatars of violence and revenge.
The story begins when a freelance assassin named Zarles Krieger commits a routine murder-for-hire. This act will lead him to two life-altering encounters, one with the daughter of his victim, the other with Agonistes himself. This conjunction of the human and the inhuman stands at the center of this instantly absorbing creation.
With great authority and equally great economy, Tortured Souls expands to become a portrait of Primordium itself, with its hierarchies, its hidden mysteries, its shifting power structure, and—most significantly—its indelible cast of characters. A perfectly controlled example of what Barker calls “the fantastique,” Tortured Souls is something truly special, a story whose imaginative reach and sheer narrative power are evident on every page.
Tortured Souls is one of the most vividly imagined, tightly compressed novellas ever written by the incomparable Clive Barker. At once violent and erotic, brutal and strangely beautiful, it takes us into the heart of the legendary “first city” known as Primordium, the site of political upheaval, passionate encounters, and astonishing acts of transformation.
Lurking at the edges of this extravagant tale is the ancient entity known as “Agonistes,” who accepts the pleas of selected “Supplicants,” transforming them, through a combination of art, magic, and pain, into avatars of violence and revenge.
The story begins when a freelance assassin named Zarles Krieger commits a routine murder-for-hire. This act will lead him to two life-altering encounters, one with the daughter of his victim, the other with Agonistes himself. This conjunction of the human and the inhuman stands at the center of this instantly absorbing creation.
With great authority and equally great economy, Tortured Souls expands to become a portrait of Primordium itself, with its hierarchies, its hidden mysteries, its shifting power structure, and—most significantly—its indelible cast of characters. A perfectly controlled example of what Barker calls “the fantastique,” Tortured Souls is something truly special, a story whose imaginative reach and sheer narrative power are evident on every page.
87 pages
First published January 1, 2001
30 people are currently reading
898 people want to read
About the author
Clive Barker
706 books15.2k 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 143 reviews
December 8, 2014
This novelette was originally written to help sell the Todd McFarlane-designed figurines shown below. It was sliced up into six pieces and each figurine came with a part of the larger story.
Both the collectibles and the story seem like attempts to out Clive Barker Clive Barker.
I was entertained but not thrilled.
I'd only recommend this to Barker completists like myself.
Both the collectibles and the story seem like attempts to out Clive Barker Clive Barker.
I was entertained but not thrilled.
I'd only recommend this to Barker completists like myself.
April 9, 2015
Tortured Souls is set in the 'first city' of Primordium, a city of degradation, corruption and violence. On the periphery of this story is the ancient being known as Agonistes, for two thousand years he has walked the earth, making God's art from flesh or so he proclaims. A transformer of human flesh, if a supplicant comes to him, lost to hopelessness and desperate for revenge. If he agrees to the terms set, then Agonistes will remake the supplicant through a combination of art, magic and pain in the image of their monstrous ideal.
The story starts with assassin Zarles Krieger, whilst on a routine political murder ordered by the Emperor himself, he completes his nefarious task and then as he arranges his victim for maximum effect he is interrupted by the daughter of his victim, Lucidique. She implores him to look what is going on around them and Zarles Kreiger is persuaded. He seeks Agonistes in the burned desert with dreams of making Primordium a republic, singlehandedly and ending the dynasty of an Emperor.
Lucidique's meeting with Agonistes is under slightly different circumstances, kidnapped she is killed in view of the flesh transformer (that’s not one of those metal ones), her vengeance will be sated and she is changed almost beyond recognition.
Both become abominations in the eyes of others but it doesn't stop them entering into an unlikely affair that directly results in a shifting of power in Primordium. The relationship between the scythe master and his lover is almost a thing of beauty, amidst the carnage and depravity, brutal and ferocious yet undoubtedly loving. Lasting beyond death, yet even though she sought him out, Lucidique was never to cross paths with Agonistes again.
Tortured Souls: The Legend of Primordium is a beautifully vivid and passionately dark tale, I recommend the audio and that's probably the most cost effective method of enjoying this story. It's not on kindle and I think was only published by Subterranean so it’s a costly one if you want the book.
Also posted at http://paulnelson.booklikes.com/post/...
The story starts with assassin Zarles Krieger, whilst on a routine political murder ordered by the Emperor himself, he completes his nefarious task and then as he arranges his victim for maximum effect he is interrupted by the daughter of his victim, Lucidique. She implores him to look what is going on around them and Zarles Kreiger is persuaded. He seeks Agonistes in the burned desert with dreams of making Primordium a republic, singlehandedly and ending the dynasty of an Emperor.
Lucidique's meeting with Agonistes is under slightly different circumstances, kidnapped she is killed in view of the flesh transformer (that’s not one of those metal ones), her vengeance will be sated and she is changed almost beyond recognition.
Both become abominations in the eyes of others but it doesn't stop them entering into an unlikely affair that directly results in a shifting of power in Primordium. The relationship between the scythe master and his lover is almost a thing of beauty, amidst the carnage and depravity, brutal and ferocious yet undoubtedly loving. Lasting beyond death, yet even though she sought him out, Lucidique was never to cross paths with Agonistes again.
Tortured Souls: The Legend of Primordium is a beautifully vivid and passionately dark tale, I recommend the audio and that's probably the most cost effective method of enjoying this story. It's not on kindle and I think was only published by Subterranean so it’s a costly one if you want the book.
Also posted at http://paulnelson.booklikes.com/post/...
July 5, 2015
I thought this was a new novella by Barker, but it's not, really. The material here was originally written back in 2001. Each 'chapter' of the novella originally accompanied a collectible figure produced by McFarlane Toys.
The story is similar in concept, although I don't believe it's directly related, to Clive Barker's 'Hellraiser' series - the characters are just like the Cenobites of those stories, with their sadomasochistically altered flesh and enhanced abilities.
As a story, it's not bad, but feels a little underdeveloped and choppy, which make sense considering that it basically functioned as 6 'introductions' to each character. In the ancient city of Primordium, a Senator's daughter encounters the assassin who was hired to kill her beloved father. Filled with a sense of destiny, she co-opts him to her own agenda, and brings him to meet the enigmatic and ancient Agonistes, who will change the flesh and being of his supplicants.
Apparently, there was a planned movie to accompany the concept, but it's been shelved.
The story is similar in concept, although I don't believe it's directly related, to Clive Barker's 'Hellraiser' series - the characters are just like the Cenobites of those stories, with their sadomasochistically altered flesh and enhanced abilities.
As a story, it's not bad, but feels a little underdeveloped and choppy, which make sense considering that it basically functioned as 6 'introductions' to each character. In the ancient city of Primordium, a Senator's daughter encounters the assassin who was hired to kill her beloved father. Filled with a sense of destiny, she co-opts him to her own agenda, and brings him to meet the enigmatic and ancient Agonistes, who will change the flesh and being of his supplicants.
Apparently, there was a planned movie to accompany the concept, but it's been shelved.
July 21, 2015
Primordium is a city full of chaos and corruption run but by an empire that enjoys the decadence and gore of everything. When an assassin-for-hire named Zarles Kreiger kills a Senator, he meets up with the daughter of the killed Senator who introduces him to a creature who transforms him into a monster. Want to read more? Check this out for yourself and find out.
This was a pretty good and weird horror novella from Clive Barker. If you enjoyed Clive Barker's horror stories, definitely check this out. The Illustrations are awesome too. Look for this book at your local library and wherever books are sold.
This was a pretty good and weird horror novella from Clive Barker. If you enjoyed Clive Barker's horror stories, definitely check this out. The Illustrations are awesome too. Look for this book at your local library and wherever books are sold.
November 27, 2023
A quick read for Halloween...a harsh nightmare world that transports you to the topography of your fears. CB has long been one of the writers I read when I want to experience (what I call) 'visceral horror' - stories that actually make you check you from door to make sure it is locked - and even then you are scared!
May 16, 2015
4.5*
April 1, 2020
This was very good, but too short to leave a lasting impression. It does pack a powerful punch. Barker somehow manages to make us deeply feel for his characters even with a tale this short and twisted. Zarles Kreiger, or The Scythe-Meister, is my favorite character in this one. He's kind of humanly flawed and he does some terrible things, but he also, in a purely Barker-way, gets a redemption arc. It's a delightful little treat for all gore-enthusiasts, so if you are one - I warmly recommend it.
July 20, 2015
Tortured Souls: The Legend of Primordium by Clive Barker is a collection of vignettes that make of a fast paced, beautifully written novella. The stories were originally released to accompany a set of action figures/toy sculptures by Macfarlane toys. That being Todd Macfarlane of comic book fame, the artist creator of Spawn and arguably the best artist to ever draw Spider-man. But Barker does not slouch on this and creates an erotica, bloody and disturbing tale in Tortured Souls.
"...It is an art, what Agonistes achieves.
He claims it is The First Art, this creation of new flesh, being the art God used to call life into being. Agonistes believes in God: prays to Him night and morning: thanking Him for making a world in which there is so much hopelessness and such a profound hunger for revenge that Supplicants will seek him out and beg him to reconfigure them in the image of their monstrous ideal.
And it appears that God apparently finds no offence in what Agonistes does, because for two and a half thousand years he has walked the planet, performing what he calls his holy art, and no harm has come to him. In fact he has prospered..."
In the first city known as Primordium, there is corruption and those that question the leadership find themselves in peril at the hands of hired assassins. One such assassin is Zarles Krieger who in the course of committing a killing, meets the daughter of his victim and in the ensuing days comes to find that he cannot continue in his ways. Under her guidance, he gives himself to the ancient entity Agonistes to be re-made into a monstrous killing machine. Once he is complete, the new creature that once was Krieger goes forth and massacres the ruling family of Primordium. But the remaining rulers of Primordium view Krieger as a threat and have monsters of their own to unleash.
Tortured Souls is old style Clive Barker, a remnant of what should have been part of the Books of Blood and the Hellraiser series rather than the more fantasy driven novels that have been his recent tales. Barker weaves the blood and gore with human emotions that border on the erotic. The lovemaking at times as brutal as the killing.
Agonistes is a separate creature in all of this. A legend created on the seventh day, when God was tired and weakened from creation. More demon than man yet doing only what he was created to do. This is what the original Books of Blood were like when Barker was heralded as the new Stephen King and the future of horror. Unfortunately it didn't hold that way as he went more into the fantasy realm and horror in today's writing is as it is.
This addition of Tortured Souls is also a release from Subterranean Press, a small publishing house that supports horror fiction by re-publishing classic modern horror and give a voice to new unknown horror writers today.
A good and fun read!
"...It is an art, what Agonistes achieves.
He claims it is The First Art, this creation of new flesh, being the art God used to call life into being. Agonistes believes in God: prays to Him night and morning: thanking Him for making a world in which there is so much hopelessness and such a profound hunger for revenge that Supplicants will seek him out and beg him to reconfigure them in the image of their monstrous ideal.
And it appears that God apparently finds no offence in what Agonistes does, because for two and a half thousand years he has walked the planet, performing what he calls his holy art, and no harm has come to him. In fact he has prospered..."
In the first city known as Primordium, there is corruption and those that question the leadership find themselves in peril at the hands of hired assassins. One such assassin is Zarles Krieger who in the course of committing a killing, meets the daughter of his victim and in the ensuing days comes to find that he cannot continue in his ways. Under her guidance, he gives himself to the ancient entity Agonistes to be re-made into a monstrous killing machine. Once he is complete, the new creature that once was Krieger goes forth and massacres the ruling family of Primordium. But the remaining rulers of Primordium view Krieger as a threat and have monsters of their own to unleash.
Tortured Souls is old style Clive Barker, a remnant of what should have been part of the Books of Blood and the Hellraiser series rather than the more fantasy driven novels that have been his recent tales. Barker weaves the blood and gore with human emotions that border on the erotic. The lovemaking at times as brutal as the killing.
Agonistes is a separate creature in all of this. A legend created on the seventh day, when God was tired and weakened from creation. More demon than man yet doing only what he was created to do. This is what the original Books of Blood were like when Barker was heralded as the new Stephen King and the future of horror. Unfortunately it didn't hold that way as he went more into the fantasy realm and horror in today's writing is as it is.
This addition of Tortured Souls is also a release from Subterranean Press, a small publishing house that supports horror fiction by re-publishing classic modern horror and give a voice to new unknown horror writers today.
A good and fun read!
March 4, 2015
A short series of closely connected tales surrounding the mythos of Agonistes, rearranger of flesh, and his role in the decline and fall of the corrupt city-nation Primordium.
September 23, 2015
This is a very quick read and, as you can see in many of the reviews, it is essentially a series of character sketches. I think most folks know this going into a reading at this point, and I think it's important to approach the short piece with its purpose/structure in mind (and without the expectation of a complex plot, etc.). I've never enjoyed Barker's human characters very much, but he is and has always been a master of the monstrous. It's a weird sort of fascination that's generated in this novella: "what horrible thing will be created next?" It's the same allure of the Cenobites, of course, and it allows the reader to contemplate what their own twisted form might be if in the same position. Additionally, the "sketch" quality of its style (for me, at least) contributed to the sense that it was a work that chronicled "legends"--the "big"/surfacey tales passed down within various cultures to explain the boogeyman. I enjoyed it and would recommend it if you're looking for something reliably "Barker-esque," only marginally gory (or maybe I'm desensitized by The Scarlet Gospels; I don't know), and interesting.
November 2, 2014
I'm a Barker sycophant; you'll get nothing unbiased from me when it comes to this author. I like every dark and disgusting thing that shoots out of his fingertips and into my brain.
In the end I like that I got a very "Sin City" meets "Sodom and Gomorrah" vibe from this novella, but I wish the whole thing were longer. I feel like there could have been a great (long, drawn out, exhausted) series based in this world... Well maybe there is and I just haven't googled it yet. -Googles....-
Okay, so maybe there is a "sequel" or some type of film media afoot, but I've noticed that when it comes to Clive Barker there are many whispers about the future works and so little substance comes of it (See: Abarat, the movie).
So we will see. I will continue to expect nothing, except the occasional pleasant surprise or deathly fear (often confused as to which corresponds to which) that a new book has come out or that a series will never be finished.
In the end I like that I got a very "Sin City" meets "Sodom and Gomorrah" vibe from this novella, but I wish the whole thing were longer. I feel like there could have been a great (long, drawn out, exhausted) series based in this world... Well maybe there is and I just haven't googled it yet. -Googles....-
Okay, so maybe there is a "sequel" or some type of film media afoot, but I've noticed that when it comes to Clive Barker there are many whispers about the future works and so little substance comes of it (See: Abarat, the movie).
So we will see. I will continue to expect nothing, except the occasional pleasant surprise or deathly fear (often confused as to which corresponds to which) that a new book has come out or that a series will never be finished.
June 11, 2016
I really enjoyed this novella by Clive Barker. It was originally published in six parts that were packaged with six Tortured Souls horror figures. I am a fan of Clive Barker's work but I never bought those models so I was unable to read the story. I was really pleased that Subterranean Press published the novella in a standalone edition. The book itself is of high quality, the artwork, the paper quality and the binding are excellent. The story is a superb example of horror and fantasy fiction that are blended together into what Clive himself refers to as the 'fantastique'. Of late, I have read large novels so this along with a couple of Laird Barron novellas made a refreshing change. Tortured Souls is one of my very favourite shorter pieces of fiction from Clive Barker and I'd love a sequel!! Somehow I doubt there will be one and perhaps in fairness there doesn't need to be one. Tortured Souls got a Starred review from Publishers Weekly and I have no reservations in giving it 5 stars. For me it was a perfect fantasy horror novella..short, deep and rich.
November 28, 2012
An intriguing and surprisingly successful experiment. I'm not sure anyone but Barker could have pulled it off. This novella was released in segments with the Tortured Souls action figure series, each character packaged with a chapter depicting their origins while forwarding the overall story. And in the end, it's an interesting story (and a dark corner of the Hellraiser mythology, perhaps) with memorable, visceral characters and another glimpse, short as it is, into Barker's talent for world building.
My main complaint: due to the style it is not necessarily a true novella, and thus feels awkward at times, and nowhere near the "wow" factor of some of his other works. Still recommended, although extremely hard to track down.
My main complaint: due to the style it is not necessarily a true novella, and thus feels awkward at times, and nowhere near the "wow" factor of some of his other works. Still recommended, although extremely hard to track down.
February 9, 2015
This is utterly fantastic. A short work by Clive Barker that immediately sucks you in and shakes you until it is finished. I loved this little book. I wish there was so much more. The world he creates in the Primordium is absolutely fascinating and you get caught up in the vivid details and characters that live there. This is a world I would love for him to plunge into whole heartedly with a full novel.
August 10, 2020
Otro genial relato de Clive Barker. En este caso, Barker crea una historia para una linea de figuras de acción. El resultado es un bello y terrorífico cuento que nos recuerda a los cenobitas de Hellraiser.
La trama gira en torno a la ciudad de Primordium, una especie de degenarada urbe romana donde diferentes personajes se encontrarán a un dios, Agonistes, que les transformará en monstruos mezclando carne y metal de manera sadomaso como le gusta a Barker.
La historia entre el asesino Scythe Meister y la hija del emperador Ludifique, trágica y violenta, nos muestra que Barker necesita unas pocas páginas para crear un relato redondo.
La trama gira en torno a la ciudad de Primordium, una especie de degenarada urbe romana donde diferentes personajes se encontrarán a un dios, Agonistes, que les transformará en monstruos mezclando carne y metal de manera sadomaso como le gusta a Barker.
La historia entre el asesino Scythe Meister y la hija del emperador Ludifique, trágica y violenta, nos muestra que Barker necesita unas pocas páginas para crear un relato redondo.
March 10, 2017
I don't know the actual word count, though this thing calls itself a novella. Whatever it is, it's really short, I read the whole thing in about an hour. It reads like what it is: glorified back-matter for a series of Todd McFarlane action figures. As such, it (like a lot of later Clive Barker stuff, honestly) feels a lot like someone trying to mimic Clive Barker without really understanding what made his stuff work in the first place, which is weird, since this is Clive Barker, but what're you gonna do?
Anyway, it had its moments.
Anyway, it had its moments.
December 3, 2014
Tortured Souls is a slightly unusual project from Clive Barker. The story was divided into six parts and each part was included with a figure from the Tortured Souls collection. These figures were brought to life by Todd McFarlane (creator of Spawn) and were based on the characters from the story.
We are taken to the decadent and putrid city of Primordium, which is ruled by cruel and corrupt leaders. No one man can stand up to them; no one, that is, until an assassin, Zarles Kreiger, is offered the opportunity. Before he has a chance, he must first be reshaped at the hands of a man named Agonistes. Legend has it that Agonistes was created by an exhausted God on the seventh day, and given terrible gifts. He shares these terrible gifts with those who come to him, offering either death or excruciating transformation. Through each chapter in the book we are introduced to a new tortured soul as the story of Primordium develops. The other characters are Talisac, a sick doctor working for the leaders of the city; his creation, Venal Anatomica; and his child, Mongroid.
This is classic Clive Barker, revealing his familiar obsessions with transformation of the flesh, sado-masochism, love, and sexuality throughout. From the tormented descriptions of the transformed, there is more than a little cenobite in them. Although the transformed are agents of revenge and death, there is also a surprisingly strong bond of love between Krieger, also known as the Scythe-Meister, and Lucidique. Despite their vile appearances to the rest of the world, they find beauty in each other and are perfect together as lovers and companions – a wonderfully taboo intimacy.
Barker has created a fantastic world in this novella, rich and full of vibrant characters. The only drawback with the novella is that it’s a novella. After reading this, I think of how much more could be told from this world. It sparks the imagination and leaves you wanting more. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem that there will be a follow up, as this originally came out in 2001. There was a second series of the figures created by Barker and McFarlane which did not include any additional story and there was also talk of a film adaptation that never came to fruition.
We are taken to the decadent and putrid city of Primordium, which is ruled by cruel and corrupt leaders. No one man can stand up to them; no one, that is, until an assassin, Zarles Kreiger, is offered the opportunity. Before he has a chance, he must first be reshaped at the hands of a man named Agonistes. Legend has it that Agonistes was created by an exhausted God on the seventh day, and given terrible gifts. He shares these terrible gifts with those who come to him, offering either death or excruciating transformation. Through each chapter in the book we are introduced to a new tortured soul as the story of Primordium develops. The other characters are Talisac, a sick doctor working for the leaders of the city; his creation, Venal Anatomica; and his child, Mongroid.
This is classic Clive Barker, revealing his familiar obsessions with transformation of the flesh, sado-masochism, love, and sexuality throughout. From the tormented descriptions of the transformed, there is more than a little cenobite in them. Although the transformed are agents of revenge and death, there is also a surprisingly strong bond of love between Krieger, also known as the Scythe-Meister, and Lucidique. Despite their vile appearances to the rest of the world, they find beauty in each other and are perfect together as lovers and companions – a wonderfully taboo intimacy.
Barker has created a fantastic world in this novella, rich and full of vibrant characters. The only drawback with the novella is that it’s a novella. After reading this, I think of how much more could be told from this world. It sparks the imagination and leaves you wanting more. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem that there will be a follow up, as this originally came out in 2001. There was a second series of the figures created by Barker and McFarlane which did not include any additional story and there was also talk of a film adaptation that never came to fruition.
March 22, 2015
Finished this in a day.
What does that say?
Well it's good. It's Clive Barker being dark and mysterious, constructing a mythos. All these things he's great at.
However, for it to really excel, Barker needs more room than a novella. Especially for something of this magnitude. Instead it looks to the figures (of which this tale surrounds) to fill in the blanks of what details should exist for the creatures.
There is plenty of room for the mythos to thrive, but not enough to really send the story off. Even as the end comes, it feels cut short. As though there were so many separate plot lines that Barker wanted to explore but were cut out for the sake of fitting it into the small sections for the figures.
What does that say?
Well it's good. It's Clive Barker being dark and mysterious, constructing a mythos. All these things he's great at.
However, for it to really excel, Barker needs more room than a novella. Especially for something of this magnitude. Instead it looks to the figures (of which this tale surrounds) to fill in the blanks of what details should exist for the creatures.
There is plenty of room for the mythos to thrive, but not enough to really send the story off. Even as the end comes, it feels cut short. As though there were so many separate plot lines that Barker wanted to explore but were cut out for the sake of fitting it into the small sections for the figures.
July 28, 2015
Horror, Gore, and utterly fantastical. This is the sort of dark utterly fantastical horror that made me a Barker fan years ago. Tortured Souls is old style Clive Barker, a remnant of what could have been part of the Books of Blood or the Hellraiser series rather than the more dark fantasy driven novels such as Weaveworld and Imajica. Barker weaves the blood and gore with human emotions that border on the erotic. More horrible than anything King has ever written. A novella that can be read in an hour.
August 31, 2016
A very good mix of horror and dark fantasy. It's not at all very scary, but does have some heavy horror elements. Even though it's a fast 87 page read it feels like it's much more epic of a tale for some reason. The characters are all very strong.
December 16, 2022
Apparently this Novella was originally written in six parts to sell six horror action figures. Somehow it still forms a cohesive storyline.
Can an author plagiarize themselves? The characters are very reminiscent of his Book(s) of the Damned or Hellraiser. Despite this the writing is still very engaging.
I had an overall hard time rating this so settled on 3-stars. I’d say it’s a must read for die hard fans of the author but wouldn’t really recommend to others.
Can an author plagiarize themselves? The characters are very reminiscent of his Book(s) of the Damned or Hellraiser. Despite this the writing is still very engaging.
I had an overall hard time rating this so settled on 3-stars. I’d say it’s a must read for die hard fans of the author but wouldn’t really recommend to others.
September 16, 2021
This was much more my speed, though obviously it's very short. I usually prefer Barker's novels (I love when he has a sweeping, epic space to tell his stories), but this was a nice, compact tale with illustrations that were suitably horrific. (I was a little surprised that it wasn't illustrated with Clive's own twisted artwork.)
February 15, 2019
I felt the love of Hellraiser, such a great idea!
A book connected with the figures tortured souls, just great, and even more when I have the full series 1.
But I was expecting something more close to Gods or something like that, the monsters cannot cry.
A book connected with the figures tortured souls, just great, and even more when I have the full series 1.
But I was expecting something more close to Gods or something like that, the monsters cannot cry.
April 15, 2024
As someone who collects the Tortured Souls figures, which is what this short story is based off of, I really enjoyed it. I enjoyed learning about how each character came to be and how they interact with one another. As a stand-alone book, there could have been a bit more to it, but I don't think its fair to complain too much considering the original purpose of each little story. Overall, I really love the world he created with the entire Tortured Souls line, reminds me a bit of Clive Barker's Jericho.
July 16, 2015
This short novel collects the story that was serialized and packaged with the Tortured Souls figures that were released by McFarlane Toys in 2001. It tells of the ancient, decadent city of Primordium, the mysterious entity called Agonistes, and the various individuals who were changed by him. If it's light on story, it more than makes up for it in grotesquerie. A quick, occasionally nauseating read.
August 28, 2015
Purchased as part of a Humble Bundle a while back.
I take it that this was part of a "backstory" developed for a set of figurines. There really isn't much of a story here: a demi-god who remakes people's bodies into tools of destruction, an assassin, his murderous lover, and a monster created to destroy them both, combined with an unnatural "child" monster born from a man's DNA in an external womb. Er...weird? Didn't make much sense? Yeah.
I take it that this was part of a "backstory" developed for a set of figurines. There really isn't much of a story here: a demi-god who remakes people's bodies into tools of destruction, an assassin, his murderous lover, and a monster created to destroy them both, combined with an unnatural "child" monster born from a man's DNA in an external womb. Er...weird? Didn't make much sense? Yeah.
April 21, 2015
This book was so awful I had to keep reading just to see if there was any hope that it would get better. I thought I remembered Barker being a good writer, but honestly, my 12-year-old writes like this.
June 24, 2011
I couldn't connect with any of the characters. It was as though there is a curtain between me and the story. Perhaps the events moved too fast.
I'm not sure, but I didn't feel this one.
I'm not sure, but I didn't feel this one.
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