…I read Clive Barker’s Books of Blood. Such a long time ago. I was a mere babe at the time, so young, so new. Sure, I read my share of Stephen King and other horror writers that I can’t recall right now. But nothing prepared me for Clive Barker (sorry Stephen). As luck would have it, I only read the first Book of Blood. I picked up a special edition with the first three books, so to be re-reading the first one and now the others is a special treat. And I’m so glad I did.
Wow. The level of horror, the sheer scope of these tales, the memories. Yes, the memories, as I continued reading and saying things like “Oh yeah, I remember this”. I did remember, it came back to me, in a fevered rush of monster filled dreams and cold sweats that kept me up all night. Well, not really, cuz I like that kind of stuff, but I feel that is how I want to think of them. Because his stories don’t necessarily have happy endings. Or they do, depending on your perspective. But they don’t mostly. Good times.
For those that don’t know who he is, Clive Barker wrote a story called The Hellbound Heart which was later made into the movie Hellraiser. He has an impressive resume of books and movies, most of which I’ve read and seen. They’re usually world spanning tales, like Weaveworld, The Damnation Game, Imajica. I think the one story that really shook me was Rawhead Rex. There’s a scene where the titular monster does something unthinkable to… well, I don’t want to give it away. Let’s just say it isn’t pleasant. Let’s also say the levels of horror this man creates are many.
His monsters, be it creature or human, take many forms, sometimes Lovecraftian in nature, purely original, and mostly have ties to the Earth in such a way that the idea of them being monsters are again one of perspective. They are certainly strange and other-worldly. They poke and prod at your senses, with grand views and epic proportions. There are twists and turns to keep you guessing about what happens next. There are sexual elements that change form from normalcy to a weird extravagance. Lives are shifted and arranged around a single point, then these points expand or implode to encompass everything.
All that just to say, Clive Barker is one of my favorite authors. I enjoy his books and am considering getting the ones I’ve read already so long ago just for the fun of re-reading them, like I’m doing now with the Books Of Blood. I have the first three and I have to find the next three. I would suggest his stories to everyone wit ha big enough imagination to gather all that happens in them, because indeed, his stories aren’t small. There are whole worlds in his tales, and they don’t leave the planet. Different realms, planes of existence, even backyards and busy streets are his playground. I highly recommend his books, and will look forward to picking up more of them.
Arid Testimony 