- Paperback: 640 pages
- Publisher: HarperCollins; (Reissue) edition (2 Oct 2009)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0006514685
- ISBN-13: 978-0006514688
- Product Dimensions: 19.2 x 13 x 4 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,208,850 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
The Essential Clive Barker represents the kind of accolade few horror writers are granted and this selection of pieces has all the imaginative scope and fiery invention of his very best work. The settings move from the Yorkshire Moors to a grim inner-city London, while the bizarre magical tribes created by Barker (such as the Seerkind and Nightbreed) may be found alongside working-class heroines and refugees from post-war Warsaw. Some of the tales have only minimal supernatural elements, while others take their protagonists into realms of existence far beyond our own. This is an ambitious summation of Barker's career, a veritable treasure chest which has over 70 excerpts from novels, plays and novellas selected, and with fascinating introductions, by Barker himself. In 20 years, his literary achievement is more considerable than that of Stephen King, and his place in modern writing (not just the horror and fantasy genres) is assured. Few are as adroit at Barker at plunging the reader into a surrealistic dreamworld:
The dream-sea leapt up against her face when she spoke its name, and its undertow pulled at her legs. She didn't attempt to fight it, but let it lift her off her feet and carry her away like an eager lover. The waves, which were substantial enough at the shore, soon grew titanic. When they raised her up on their shoulders she could see a wall of darkness at the horizon, the likes of which she remembered from her last moments in Kissoon's Loop. When they dropped her into their troughs, and she plunged below the surface, she glimpsed another spectacle entirely: vast shoals of fish, moving like thunderheads below her. And weaving between the shoals, luminous forms that were, she guessed, human spirits like herself.--Barry Forshaw
Amazon.co.uk Review
This 576-page sampler of Clive Barker's darkly fantastic work has an unusual format. You'd expect a huge collection of his macabre short stories (like the three 1984 Books of Blood that made his name in horror), or perhaps an omnibus of the sinisterly exotic novels in which he moved from Grand Guignol to his own warped brand of epic fantasy. Instead, here's a book of bits: 70-odd passages from novels and plays, plus four complete stories and an introduction in which our author offers glimpses of what makes him tick. The Essential Clive Barker is thematically arranged in thirteen sections, each with its own brief prologue--"Doorways", "Journeys", "Visions and Dreams", "Lives", and so on. Some of these fragments are powerful and evocative, some numinous, some horrid; many are teasers to make you wonder what comes next. Reading this is like sitting through a movie-length feature composed entirely of trailers flaunting pyrotechnic effects. It's a volume for dipping into rather than swallowing whole. There are fine things here, especially the complete stories--including "In the Hills, the Cities", that unforgettable mix of surreal horror and Balkan political allegory. But aficionados will already own the books containing these excerpts, while newcomers surely prefer to begin with a complete novel or collection. A perfect present for the Barker fan who has everything else. -- David Langford
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This collection acts as a personal review by the author of his extensive bibliography, incorporating his many novels, short stories and plays. The main themes of his work, such as Love, are sectioned off, giving the reader the chance to chart the development and repetition of these themes. Of course, the book is also an enjoyment for any reader who wishes to appreciate excellent prose and vivid characterisation.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Distills all of Barker's favourite (and arguably) best pieces into one volume. Highly recommended for readers new to Barker's work; it brilliantly introduces the themes that preoccupy all of his books. Insightful essays by the author himself explain the origin of these themes and occasionally expound on them further.
Wonderful ....
1 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
A rambling, maudling hash of extracts from his books with comments from the man himself. No need. He should have chosen extracts from other writers, that would have been far more interesting and leant a better insight. Chunks from books we've read! Cheap. What's worse is that I fell for it! See Danse Macabre by Stephen King a much better read with added social comment and recommendations.
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