If you enjoy horror fiction…

Have you ever heard of Clive Barker? If you’ve been into a bookstore lately no doubt you have. His novella The Hell Bound Heart has been popping up in book stores all over the country as a promotional tool for Mr. Barker’s remake of his stunning 1988 classic, Hellraiser.

That’s all well and good, but Barker’s true talent lies not in his ability to make another slaughterfest movie, but in his amazing writing abilities. If you buy no other books from this man then pick up his “Books of Blood” series which is a collection of superior short stories penned by Clive. These stories were originally released in 1987 and have gone through many incarnations, especially in the United States. Either way they are classics with a couple of them in the process of being ruined made into movies.

Here’s an introduction to a few of them.

Dread

There is no delight the equal of dread. If it were possible to sit, invisible, between two people on any train, in any waiting room or office, the conversation overheard would time and again circle on that subject. Certainly the debate might appear to be about something entirely different; the state of the nation, idle chat about death on the roads, the rising price of dental care; but strip away the metaphor, the innuendo, and there, nestled at the heart of the discourse, is dread. While the nature of God, and the possibility of eternal life go undiscussed, we happily chew over the minutiae of misery.

The Yattering and Jack

Why the powers (long may they hold court; long may they shit light on the head of the damned) had sent it out from Hell to stalk Jack Polo, the Yattering couldn’t discover.

Human Remains

Some trades are best practiced by daylight, some by night. Gavin was a professional in the latter category. In midwinter, in midsummer, leaning against a wall, or poised in a doorway, a firefly cigarette hovering at his lips, he sold what sweated in his jeans to all comers.

I could go on and on, but if you’re looking for an excellent read you MUST checkout Clive Barker. Be forwarned they are not tame like Stephen King so it’s not something you’d buy for most kids.

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Tags: authors, clive barker, fiction, horror fiction