Clive Barker's : Books of Blood Vol 1-3

[Nightbreed]

I just started reading these short stories from Clive Barker including, Rawhead Rex, Hell's Event, Pig Blood Blues to name a few and I am really getting into them, Now I dont know too much about the literature scene and my parents picked this up for me a while back. My question is Has anyone else read this or anything similar that can reccomend some good short stories simliar to this genre that dont suck. Any help would be great!. Thanks

[BloodMan]

I'm reading those too... I have Vol 1,2 and 4 though... gotta look for Vol. 3... "Midnight Meat Train" is a great story!!
I picked up a big lot of 25 horror anthology books last month... I am really enjoying the "Shadows" series by Charles Grant (editor) right now...

[bigdaddyhorse]

If you haven't read The Bachman Books from Stephen King, you'll love them as well.

[DeathDealer]

Was able to get Barker to sign it over at comic-con. Cool!

[JW77]

Barker actually has six "Books of Blood." The short story collections "Cabal" (which contains the story "Cabal" which was the basis for the film "Nightbreed"), "The Inhuman Condition," and "In the Flesh" are volumes 4, 5, and 6.

And if you haven't read Stephen King's collections "Night Shift" and "Skeleton Crew" you need to.

I would also strongly recommend Thomas Ligotti to any fans of Barker. Most of his short story compilations are out of print, but there's a "best of" available called "The Shadow at the Bottom of the World."

Another one might be Poppy Z. Brite's first collection of short fiction, "Wormwood" (alternate title "Swamp Foetus").

[dirkwu]

I enjoyed the Books of Blood. It was nice to see the Yattering on Tales from the Darkside. as for Barker novels... a fucking snoozefest. He should stick to short fiction.

The illustrator who did the original coverart for the books of blood is a local in my town.

Originally Posted by dirkwu

I enjoyed the Books of Blood. It was nice to see the Yattering on Tales from the Darkside. as for Barker novels... a fucking snoozefest. He should stick to short fiction.

The illustrator who did the original coverart for the books of blood is a local in my town.

Jim Warren lives in your town? sweet

...I have both of his card sets that came out like 13 years ago

[Shannafey]

Originally Posted by JW77

Barker actually has six "Books of Blood." The short story collections "Cabal" (which contains the story "Cabal" which was the basis for the film "Nightbreed"), "The Inhuman Condition," and "In the Flesh" are volumes 4, 5, and 6.

Are you sure JW? I think there are actually official Books 4, 5 and 6. I have them at home, marked as such, but maybe they just retitled them? I will look tonight.

[DVD Connoisseur]

There are definitely books 4-6. I have these volumes twice, once in 2 compilation volumes (2 x 3) and then the separate original prints, signed by Barker.

The graphic novel adaptations of some of the tales are worth checking out.

[dirkwu]

Originally Posted by DVD Connoisseur

The graphic novel adaptations of some of the tales are worth checking out.

absolutely they are! Some of the best graphic novels ever. Although the first issues of the nightbreed series sucked balls (he didn't write the series).

I read an article where Clive said that if he had his choice he would write nothing but short stories because they are so much fun. But his agent was dead set against it becuase the market for short fiction was so poor.

Clive's novels read like a really long short story, if that makes any sense. The human characters are uniformly dull but he has amazing imagination for the fantastique. Also his books have minimal plots if any at all. Characters do stuff for no real reason, end up burning to death and I am left saying, "So what?"

but the short fiction... he really excels.

[mutleyhyde]

There have been several editions over the years, but when they first came out the books were published "BoB vols. 1-6" in England in two separate sets of 3 with cover art by Barker himself.




Here in the states we got "BoB 1-3" separately in paperback, but then 4 and 5 were published in hardback under the titles "The Inhuman Condition" and "In the Flesh". BoB 6 was published in hardback in America originally as an extra in Cabal, just as JW said.

Then they came out with a collected hardback edition of 1-3 in one volume in the US because people who had bought Inhuman Condition and In the Flesh in hardback wanted their own hardback copy of the first 3. The collection originally came out from Scream Press in an expensive, limited pressing, but the following is the later mass market Putnam hardback, which is the one I have.


As for the reads, I think you just cannot beat the first three books. They are all solid. After that, it's a bit hit and miss.

Of course, if you dig the BoBs, you gotta read The Hellbound Heart (the novella that Hellraiser was made from), originally published in America in the Night Visions series by Dark Harvest, but since published in mass paperback under it's own title.

Originally Posted by mutleyhyde

I love the Marilyn Monroe with labial mouth skirt....very Barkerian

[Shokk]

I take that would be... Son of Celluloid .

Rawhead Rex rules all..Midnight Meat Train would be a close second.

[Nightbreed]

I am definitly going to have to pick up volumes 4-6, I cant get enough of these short stories, personally I have a very short attention span so reading a book more than 30-40 pages is very unlikely for me

[Shannafey]

Originally Posted by DVD Connoisseur

There are definitely books 4-6. I have these volumes twice, once in 2 compilation volumes (2 x 3) and then the separate original prints, signed by Barker.

The graphic novel adaptations of some of the tales are worth checking out.

I guess I have the UK editions of the paperbacks! That's why they are titled 4-6!! I also have some of the graphic novels. I was lucky enough to get them at a convention for $1 each!