This may be the best book of horror stories ever written. When I read it thirty years ago, it convinced me that I could actually like a good horror story. When I read it again ten years ago, it was as fresh and scary as the first time. And last week, when I read it yet again, I took my time, and I finally let this superb book teach me what first-class horror is all about. You see, I have always been one of those guys who likes terror fiction better than horror fiction. I much prefer the ghosts o...

Honestly? This short story collection is flawless.Every single story in this was without fault. All of them were haunting and really, really well written, and get a full 5 stars each from me. The weakest one was, in my opinion, "Sex, Death and Starshine", but that just means that it was slightly worse than the others, not that it was leagues beneath. My favourite was possibly "The Yattering and Jack" because it was clever as hell, but honestly, it's really hard to choose.I've already started the...

got it mostly for the Midnight Meat Train story which turned out to be just ok but is one of my favorite movies. Books Of Blood was really good and i need to someday watch the movie...i feel like the translation was very mediocre and may be why i didn't enjoy it as much i thought it would... idk. i don't want to give it 3 stars so it's getting 4.

The Book of BloodThe Midnight Meat TrainThe Yattering and JackPig Blood BluesSex, Death and Star ShineIn the Hills, the CitiesThis is my favorite story from this volume. I found this image on deviant art, an awesome depiction of the giant made of people.

➜ Clive Barker has discovered a formula for writing successful short horror fiction : normal, common folk, put in unusual, paranormal, or horrific situations where the accent is on the terrifying acts and the universality in the main characters. Anyone can fall asleep on the last train to home, anyone can have something unsettling happen to them on a holiday in a place far from home, and we all know the fact that pigs can eat anything is somewhat strange. "The Book of Blood" ”That crack s...

Everybody is a book of blood; wherever we're opened, we're red.I didn't enjoy this as much as The Hellbound Heart but overall it entertained me somewhat. Some stories were hit or miss like most short story collections. Would I still recommend this book? Sure. Clive Barker has a wicked imagination unlike any horror author I've read and that alone is reason enough to pick up this book.The Book of Blood 3 stars: A nice opening story that sets the grotesque tone.The Midnight Meat Train 4 stars: My f...

Horror...gore...twisted, nightmare imagery...let's get under the covers and read something scary... There are some truly blood-chilling moments in this excellent collection. Barker has a very unique voice and I thought all of these stories were at least good, with several being remarkable 5+ star worthy gems. Deeply evocative with shocking depictions that will glue themselves to your memory. This is a worthy collection for fans of the genre or anyone who enjoys quality, creative writing and

Actual rating: 3.5 starsThis is one of the most unsettling, stomach-turning things I’ve ever read. The titular framework story, “The Midnight Meat Train,” and “In the Hills, the Cities” are all incredibly disturbing, and gross in various ways. I’m pretty sure “The Midnight Meat Train” is the first thing I’ve ever read that made me feel physically sick while reading it. I found “Sex, Death, and Sunshine” both overly sexual and bland. “The Yattering and Jack,” however, was a delight. That particul...

I am not a fan of Clive Barker the Novelist . I'll read his novels from time to time, but I try to stay away from his fan's favorites. His books are some of the most overwritten literature I've stumbled upon. But the readers who enjoy him seem to like that aspect of his work. He reminds me of a present day Lovecraft without all the fish people, squid-faced gods, and bigotry. Meaning, I like the idea of Barker's work more than the execution. That being said, I am a fan of Clive Barker the Short S...

Terror fiction at its macabric high! And I say this even after skipping one short story (Pig Blood Blues) in this collection. I mean I can handle a lot of weirdness but a story with 'human eating' pigs.... *shudders*! Overall a good volume consisting of terrifying pieces of morbid deliciousness ☠️😁!

I originally read this book when when I was fourteen. I remember buying it with my allowance at the local drugstore. I'm betting most of it went over my head at the time but I have fond memories of scaring people away from speaking to me when reading this. I'm curious how I'll feel about it now that I'm no longer a tormented teen looking to hide from reality.The Book of BloodAfter recently seeing the movie adaptation of this short story, which was dreary, sexualized and not too bad even with som...

I listened to the audio version of Books of Blood volume 1 and while not being blown away by the majority of the narration, I thought four of the stories exceptional and the remaining two just didn’t do it for me but I guess you will always get that in most collections.Book of Blood 4*The first story follows a psychic researcher and a medium as they investigate a haunted house. This story was adapted to become part of the film the Book of Blood and visions of the highway of the dead. The medium

Clive "the future of horror" Barker's first published work was the six volume "Books of Blood," a collection of horror short stories. Barker's creepy prose can be graphic at times yet provides its scares by creating a great sense of unease within the reader through wildly imaginative concepts that border on absurdity. See ratings for individual stories below along with, as usual, song lyrics that you may find useful, or insightful, or amusing. Or not. The Book of Blood - 5/5 - no new tale to tel...

My first Barker. Generally I'm more a fan of terror, the unknowable and otherworldly cosmic horrors from the likes of Lovecraft and Clark Ashton Smith, than mainstream horror fiction. Yet, I found more to like here than I was expecting. More than anything, this is a book of bodies. Murdered bodies, dead bodies, bloody bodies, human bodies, animal bodies, giant monster bodies. The title story is setup as a kind of framing device on which these tales of bodily horror are etched. The stories are de...

I love it when I don't know what the hell is going on but I'm enjoying it. Also, I'll never look at sows the same way again.Also, I know Cliver Barker is gay, but the John Waters level of craziness in these stories is absolutely flawless.

Reflecting back after 14 years, Barker writes:"I look at these pieces and I don't think the man who wrote them is alive in me anymore.... We are all our own graveyards I believe; we squat amongst the tombs of the people we were. If we're healthy, every day is a celebration, a Day of the Dead, in which we give thanks for the lives that we lived; and if we are neurotic we brood and mourn and wish that the past was still present. Reading these stories over, I feel a little of both. Some of the simp...

Clive Barker is my number one, MOST FAVORITE, writers and Books of Blood is one of my Top 3 favorite Barker books. I’ve read it numerous times, but this time around I wanted to listen to the audiobook. I was was not disappointed!!

3.5Books of Blood, Volume 1 is an entertaining six-story anthology. As usual, I didn't love every story. The last two didn't do much for me. The Book of BloodThe dead have highways and a team of three people is at Tollington Place 65 to witness one of those turnpikes and intersections. The Midnight Train Kaufman's love for New York is not as strong as when he came to live there. Someone is butchering people in the subway and he is going to get in the middle of it and learn some of the city's hi...

This is absolutely the best collection of horror stories I have ever read. The first chapter sets the tone for one hell of a ride through Clive Barker's twisted mind. Pure, 100% horror gold. Can you even call yourself a horror junkie without reading this book? Stop reading now and go get this book.😻😻😻😻😻

The first volume of Books of Blood is an excited debut that gushes with inventiveness the way the titular fluid leaves a severed artery. As gleefully moribund as they are perverse, each of the six stories collected here are elaborately conceived phantasmagorias that offer a reckoning for its protagonists who take the banality of existence for granted. For Barker, abandoned houses can be way stations on the highway of the dead; the subway can serve as a banquet cart for the underground rulers of