Books of Blood 1-3

Within its context, I think Clive Barker's Books of Blood is an essential read for horror fans. It's amazing this book (or books, if you consider the volumes separate and distinct) even exists at all, let alone that Barker got it published when he did. It had everything working against it (Collection of stories? Nobody wants to read those if they're not written by Stephen King. This is really serious horror that doesn't feature slashers or isn't written by Stephen King? Nobody wants that.). Yet, it got out there, and then Barker wrote The Hellbound Heart and did Hellraiser, and everyone promptly misunderstood everything Barker was about.

I'm not sure these stories give you a good idea what Barker's about. I think you'd probably want to show more turn to his later work for that. Still, within its context, we see a budding genius at work. His creativity is unrestrained, and it leads him to some very dark places.

Reading it today, it's a bit dated, and it's certainly not Barker's best writing, both of which he addresses in this book's introduction. But, I'm sort of in awe at the remarkable consistency of it all during a time of a writer's life when we all want to try new things. You can see Barker pushing into different places as he's searching for something, but the form, voice, etc. is all there.

If you've never read any Barker, I'm not sure this is the best place to start, but if you're working your way through historic horror staples like I am, I think this is a necessary stop. If you're curious about Barker, read some of his other books, too. show less

I first read most of these short stories as a teenager in the 90s, and Clive Barker has been my favorite fiction author ever since. Over two decades later, I enjoyed the Books of Blood threefold more than when I first read them. Simply put, Barker is more inspiring and imaginative in one line than most authors are in an entire book. As far as horror and dark literature goes, there is no equal. His combination of creepy suspense, existential doom, physical gore, and paradoxes of human emotion (often all in one story) is undeniably powerful. Add to that his boundless imagination and precise imagery, and you have tales that prompt fear and provoke thought in ways that are simultaneously entertaining and enlightening. Revisiting Books of show more Blood was both nostalgic and invigorating for me, and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys dark fiction that goes way beyond the simple scares. show less

There's something quite Holy about really good horror. I'm not talking about hack 'n slash stuff but the masters of the macabre that can take a story and turn it so well you can't help but evaluate your own shadow and leanings to the dark. Early Clive Barker is one that does this so well in the Books of Blood that upon finishing you'll exclaim like Pogo "We have met the enemy and he is us."

A mixed bag of short stories - not as good as the first volume, but most of the stories were still impressive.

Unfortunately the first short story, Dread, wasn't too my liking. Strange since I usually love the book of blood stories, but it was weird and just kind of pointless. A man obsessed with fear trials takes it too far to make his point.

Hell's Event was my favorite of the group. A charity race held every hundred years where the contest winnings could literally mean the end of the world as Hell unleashes its fury - but all the contestants don't know that. Some of the key players have it rigged to turn out demented, of course, but the main character is a diverse individual who comes across fresh and well-rounded. It's dark and show more demented and twisted but awesome and well-written to boot.

Jacqueline Ess was an interesting take on a woman who comes into her own power and then takes it to a demented level. Told with multiple shifts from a man who became obsessed with a woman he shouldn't and the woman herself. Filled with blood-drenched sexual scenes and bizarre twists on a traditional love story, the ending is a disturbing twist that imprints on the mind.

The Skins of the Fathers started a little slow and hard to get into but ultimately was satisfying. Creatures have come out to attack but there is not a horrible and monstrous backstory with them, but with humans instead. It became fascinating and of course sad.

New Murders in the Rue Morgue may pay homage to the original story and involves a primate, but it didn't hold my interest as much as some of the others. Still well-done and imaginative enough.

Even if the first was a bit better, Clive Barker just rocks with short fiction and all the Books of Blood installment are recommended. show less

Working through this collection. These stories are blood soaked building blocks for his future work. His short fiction is always razor sharp and the reader will not realize they have been cut until noticing they are on the floor bleeding out and gasping for help.

This was my first time reading Barker; the sum total of my knowledge of him was that I'd seen "Clive Barker's _______" in the title of some horror movies. Given his involvement with horror cinema, I'd expected the fear and adrenaline factor in Books of Blood 1-3 to be rather high. This turned out to be a misplaced expectation, as Barker's writing seems to be more on the Weird Horror than Scary Horror side of things. That's not a bad thing in my books: I actually prefer well-executed weirdness over scariness. New readers should just be aware of this, to avoid "Hmm... this isn't so frightening after all" reactions.

As far as individual stories go, these three left the biggest impression on me:

The first story in Volume One, 'The Book Of show more Blood', serves as both a story in and of itself and as an introduction to the collection. An original twist on introductions.

'The Yattering and Jack' is a light and humourous look at demonic torment. A funnier version of Screwtape.

As other reviewers have noted, 'Dread' is a great story. It's a well-crafted blend of the Weird Horror and Scary Horror that I mentioned above. The circular nature of the plot really struck me. show less

Volume 1- 3stars
Volume 2- 4 stars
Volume3- 4 stars

I definitely think that Barker has a tendency to over explain. There were many stories that I would have liked more if a little mystery was left for the reader to think about. Barker's need to wrap everything up nicely often pushed the story over into ridiculous territory because the explanation was absurd. Overall, I enjoyed most of these short stories (especially in volumes 2 &3), and am glad I read them.