#649 in our old book database. Not rated.

Barker's self contained universes would be split into trilogies by other authors. Sometimes he manages to fill an entire world into the pages of a single book. Sometimes, like here, that universe is only half realized, and in trying to spread its wings beyond being just a horror story, it ultimately sinks the project. It could have been a much tighter written 300 page novel without losing anything at all. ( )

Not a bad book, this has Barker's flavour and that is a very good thing.

I rated it three stars for the plot. It doesn't really... tell you anything, and the finale was very anticlimactic.

Granted, this is a story from 1985 and as such started a lot of tropes that would be used later in other novels..... but this book just felt like it was missing something.

Read at your own peril. There are better Barker books. ( )

Pretty Graphic descriptions, not for the faint of heart. It all comes together in a pretty interesting way though, with some great structure and word associations that emphasize the depth of writing. ( )

Early Barker. Lively and pretentious. The Story is unnerving and bold. He has a real way with personalities especially when they are twisted. ( )