Tag Archives: Clive Barker

My Favorite Books Of 2019

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I read 53 books in 2019, which is more than the previous year. I enjoy consuming stories as audiobooks on Audible, eBooks on my Kindle, or as old-fashioned physical books. Thrillers, autobiographies, self-help books—I love them all! Below are five my favorite books that I read in 2019 and my thoughts on them.

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Audible Review: The Thief of Always by Clive Barker

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Prior to reading The Thief of Always, I had heard great things about this book. What I didn’t expect was how much I’d wind up enjoying it. The Thief of Always is now not only one of my favorite Clive Barker books, it’s one of my all-time favorite books in general, regardless of the author. Why? Because it is a tightly-woven fable with vivid imagery, whimsy, and grandeur. What impressed me most was the writing style. I’m used to Clive Barker’s dark, macabre writing style. You won’t get any of that here. It’s so dramatically different that I thought I was reading another author’s book. The Thief of Always has a charming and lovingly presented style that goes down as smoothly as an ice-cold orange cream soda on a sweltering summer day. The characters are splendid, and the story is epic and succinct all at once. While reading this book, I experienced the same joy that I did from watching The Neverending Story as a child. I was filled with awe and happiness because I was fully immersed in a world I didn’t want to leave. Even better, the narrator for this Audible Original is perfect. His warm, emotive voice perfectly captures the mood and tone of the book and enhances it tenfold. Everyone should experience The Thief of Always—it’s a timeless tale for young and old about the wonders of the world . . . and beyond.

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Audible Review: Tortured Souls by Clive Barker

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Clive Barker is an incredibly creative person. Books, movies, paintings⁠—Clive Barker has created them all and done so masterfully. Oftentimes, his artistry will span across multiple mediums at the same time, which is the case with Tortured Souls. This novella, which is an Audible exclusive, consists of writings that accompanied Todd McFarlane action figures of the same name. These figures were released between 2001-2002, and each of them included a 32-page novelette. There were two sets of figures. The first contained six figures⁠—each accompanied by a novelette exclusive to that figure. The second batch of six figures didn’t include any new written material. In February 2015, these novelettes were combined to create the Tortured Souls novella.

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Audible Review: Cabal by Clive Barker

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Originally released in 1988, Cabal is one of Clive Barker’s most well known stories because it was the basis for the cult classic film Nightbreed. The protagonist Boon is “a tortured soul haunted by the conviction that he has committed atrocious crimes.” According to the synopsis, “In a necropolis in the wilds of Canada, he seeks refuge and finds the last great creatures of the world – the shape-shifters known as the Nightbreed. They are possessed of unearthly powers-and so is Boone. In the hunt for Boone, they too will be hunted. Now only the courage of this strange human can save them from extinction. And only the undying passion of a woman can save Boone from his own corrupting hell…” Cabal is an inventive story, featuring wildly imaginative characters, and it has some of the most exquisite and poetic writing I’ve ever encountered.

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Meeting Clive Barker

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On August 18, I met one of my horror idols: Clive Barker. A multi-talented artist who has mastered numerous mediums, Clive is a playwright, an author, a director, and a painter. He created, wrote and directed Hellraiser, his most famous work, and he’s also known for Candyman and Nightbreed, as well as more than 20 novels, hundreds of incredible paintings, and so much more. Stephen King once said, “I’ve seen the future of horror, and his name is Clive Barker.” That’s the highest praise one can get in this genre, and Clive lived up to that prophecy and then some.

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Movie Review – The Cabin in the Woods

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I recently watched The Cabin in the Woods for the first time and, overall, it was enjoyable. When it came out in 2012, I remember hearing a lot of hype around it being a top-notch horror film, and it was marketed as “the Inception of horror.” Let me set something straight: This film wasn’t nearly as intricate as Inception, and, in some ways, that’s a good thing.

Being a horror-movie buff, I assumed that a film about a bunch of kids in the woods would be a straight-up slasher in the style of Friday the 13th. Thankfully, I was wrong. While there was plenty of blood and guts spilled in and around the cabin, the plot was deeper than that. Similar to The Hunger Games, it involved an organization controlling the action. What is this organization? And what is its purpose? These questions were answered towards the end of the film.

To me, the greatest horror film of all time was Wes Craven’s New Nightmare. This film doesn’t even come close to that. As a matter of fact, I don’t even think it’s more compelling or clever than the original Saw. But it is entertaining and it tried to do something different. The acting was a mixed bag, but some terrific thespians made up the supporting cast, one of which blew my mind when she appeared on the screen at the end.

If you like horror films, check this out. Just don’t expect it to be the next Halloween – no, not Rob Zombie’s Halloween – or Hellraiser.

Official Synopsis

Five friends go to a remote cabin in the woods. Bad things happen. If you think you know this story, think again. From fan favorites Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard comes The Cabin in the Woods, a mind blowing horror film that turns the genre inside out.