Reviews

Books of Blood: Volumes One to Three by Clive Barker

daveyjames's review

challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

4.75

Spooky Season, Pt. 4

Clive Barker is so depraved (compliment) that some of his works make me physically ill (compliment). The way he writes body horror is absolutely disgusting (compliment) and his stories are completely original and can only come from his fucked-up (compliment) mind. Horror at its finest. 

Ratings for 2023:
1 Star: DNF and will be a hater.
2 Stars: Finished but I was annoyed.
3 Stars: It was good!
4 Stars: Loved it — you should check it out.
5 Stars: Amazing! Read this book!

jenmat1197's review

4.0

This is a book of short horror stories. Combined together are the first 3 volumes in a 6 volume series. Since these are short stories and not easy to give a summary, I won't. I will just say that I really enjoyed this book. These are "put the book in the freezer" level of horror stories, which was just what I was looking for. I am a big Stephen King and Joe Hill fan, but Clive Barker is on a whole other lever when it comes to horror. These stories will keep you up at night, but are extemely well written. There is no doubt that Barker is a talented writer.

If you are looking for blood curdling stories - these are for you. I am going to get the next set of stories to keep this going. I have watched the show on Hulu as well.

barnitka's review

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

cait_henry56's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

There's a reason why Clive Barker is one of the kings of Horror. I enjoyed some short stories more than others, but many will stick with me for the rest of my life.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore

the_tridentarii's review

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

gorditacrunchpuzzle's review

dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

crispr_breadboard's review

4.0

Remarkable. Creative horror, with plots so imaginative I know I will never come across similar stories again. These little stories were delightfully eerie for an autumn read. My only qualm was the occasional overtly sexual metaphor or scene, which I never care for if it doesn’t add to a plot, but it’s a stylistic choice that I can 100% tolerate given the ingenuity of *everything* else. Great read. Very worth it.

edgyturnip's review

5.0

An incredibly well written book of short stories! The concept is very imaginative and I almost wish that each story had their own books to go along with it. Now to watch the movies…

radiohex's review against another edition

dark emotional funny mysterious relaxing tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

escragg92's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0