Most Popular Books by Clive Barker

A famous photographer lying in a coma holds the key to the salvation of the world. But first he must travel back into the traumatic events of his childhood.

"Some of the stories in this volume have been previously published in Great Britain by Sphere Books, Ltd."--T.p. verso.

THE INSPIRATION FOR THE HULU ORIGINAL FILM Rediscover the true meaning of fear in this collection of horror stories from Clive Barker, New York Times bestselling author and creator of the Hellraiser series. Everybody is a book of blood; wherever we''re opened, we''re red. In this tour de force collection of brilliantly disturbing tales, Clive Barker combines the extraordinary with the ordinary, bringing to life our darkest nightmares with stories that both seduce and devour. As beautiful as they are terrible, the pages of this volume are stained with unsettling imagery, macabre humor, and visceral dread. Here then are the stories written on the Book of Blood. Read, if it pleases you, and learn.... This Volume includes: “The Book of Blood” • “The Midnight Meat Train” • “The Yattering and Jack” • “Pig Blood Blues” • “Sex, Death and Starshine” • “In the Hills, the Cities”

In the small Californian town of Palomo Grove several children are born, the offspring of the Jaff, a man-spirit obsessed with darkness and depravity, and of Fletcher, a force for light, who has fought the Jaff across America.

The classic tale of supernatural obsession from the critically acclaimed master of darkness—and the inspiration for the cult classic film Hellraiser From his scores of short stories, bestselling novels, and major motion pictures, no one comes close to the vivid imagination and unique terrors provided by Clive Barker. The Hellbound Heart is one of Barker’s best—a nerve-shattering novella about the human heart and all the great terrors and ecstasies within its endless domain. It is about greed and love, desire and death, life and captivity, bells and blood. It is one of the most frightening stories you are likely to ever read. Frank Cotton''s insatiable appetite for the dark pleasures of pain led him to the puzzle of Lemarchand''s box, and from there, to a death only a sick-minded soul could invent. But his brother''s love-crazed wife, Julia, has discovered a way to bring Frank back—though the price will be bloody and terrible . . . and there will certainly be hell to pay.

"Our most accomplished contemporary purveyor of horror fiction strikes again in Everville, a tale of worlds in conflict. . . . [Barker''s] extravagantly unconventional inventions are ingenious refractions of our common quest to experience and understand the mysterious world around us and the mysteries within ourselves." — New York Times Book Review From master storyteller and New York Times bestselling author Clive Barker comes the spectacular sequel to his masterpiece of dark fantasy, The Great and Secret Show, that reveals once again the age-old battle between good and evil. On the borderland between this world and the world of Quiddity, the sea of our dreams, sits Everville. For years it has lived in ignorance of the gleaming shore on which it lies. But its ignorance is not bliss. Opening the door between worlds, Clive Barker delivers his characters into the heart of the human mystery; into a place of revelation, where the forces which have shaped our past—and are ready to destroy our future—are at work.

"I wonder if the reverse is not also in some way true. That the artist is constantly working on an elaborate and fantasticated self-portrait, but at the end has drawn, unbeknownst, a picture of the world." -- Clive Barker, "Private Legends: An Introduction" Clive Barker, award-winning and New York Times bestselling author, playwright, artist, producer, director, screenwriter, and one of the world''s master storytellers, writing in the haunting and moving traditions of Poe and Dickens, invites us to join him on a dazzling, wondrous journey through the worlds of his imagination and to experience visions, dreams, love, terror, heaven and hell, and revenge. As we read, we discover and explore the dream-sea Quiddity and the islands of Ephemeris; the five Dominions of the Imajica, of which the Earth is but an imperfect facet; the rapturous world woven into an ancient, threadbare carpet in a derelict house in Liverpool; Hood''s Holiday House where each day contains four seasons and children''s wishes may come true; the Sky Room of Galilee, where the creation of the universe may be witnessed; and the clubs and bars of San Francisco and New York, in which all manner of sexual adventures lie in wait. In these stories, the real and the miraculous are within a breath of one another, life gives way to death, and death to life; doorways open into other states of existence, and each doorway leads us back to our own dreams and fears. The Essential Clive Barker is an irresistible narrative compendium that superbly represents the impressive quality and range of Barker''s fiction, spanning more than twenty years of writing. It contains more than seventy excerpts from novels and plays and four full-length short stories, all personally selected by Barker, and offers a privileged insight into a remarkable writer and his art.

A deluxe anthology of the Eisner-nominated mini-series bringing the best of Barker''s short stories to the comics medium. Barker''s stories are brought to a stunning visual realisation by the comics world''s greatest artistic talent, including John Bolton, P. Craig, Russell, Klaus Jansen, Tim Conrad, Stan Woch, Hector Gomex and more. Collected here are such horror classics as Skins of the Fathers'', ''Human Remains'', ''In the Hills, In the Cities'', ''Down Satan'', ''How Spoilers Bleed'', ''The Madonna'' and ''Hell''s Event''...just to name a few.

“Think of a darker, more aggressive version of C.S. Lewis’ The Screwtape Letters. . . . Filled with wicked mischief and dark dares.” — Kansas City Star From Clive Barker, the great master of horror and the macabre, comes a brilliant and truly unsettling tour de force of the supernatural—a terrifying work that escorts the reader on an intimate and revelatory journey to uncover the shocking truth of the battle between Good and Evil. “Burn this book!” So warns Jakerbok, the spellbinding narrator of this fabulously original “memoir,” a tale of good and evil deliberately “lost” for nearly six hundred years. Jakerbok is no ordinary soul; he is a minion of hell with a terrifying plan to cast the world into darkness and despair—a plan thwarted by a young apprentice of Johannes Gutenberg who buried the one and only copy of this damnable manuscript that his master printed in 1438. Compelling and direct, Jakerbok shares the secrets of his life, going back centuries to recall the events that shaped his childhood, including the traumas he suffered at the hands of his parents, super demons themselves. He explains how he rose from “minor” to “major” demon status, and gleefully reveals his nefarious plot to “invade” the minds and hearts of unwitting humans everywhere thanks to the ingenious Gutenberg and his invention. “Burn this book!” he advises throughout—a taunt, a warning, and a command that will actually unleash the evil with which he has hidden in every word and every page, infusing the very ink and paper upon which they are printed. Inventive and irresistible, Mister B. Good reaffirms Clive Barker is one of our most brilliant and original voices, an artist with a keen insight into mysteries deep within the human heart.

Pinhead returns to screens in Fall 2022 in an all new Hellraiser streaming series! The Scarlet Gospels takes readers back many years to the early days of two of Barker''s most iconic characters in a battle of good and evil as old as time: The long-beleaguered detective Harry D''Amour, investigator of all supernatural, magical, and malevolent crimes faces off against his formidable, and intensely evil rival, Pinhead, the priest of hell. Barker devotees have been waiting for The Scarlet Gospels with bated breath for years, and it''s everything they''ve begged for and more. Bloody, terrifying, and brilliantly complex, fans and newcomers alike will not be disappointed by the epic, visionary tale that is The Scarlet Gospels. Barker''s horror will make your worst nightmares seem like bedtime stories. The Gospels are coming. Are you ready?

CLIVE BARKER''S FIRST TALES First Tales, the inaugural self-published release from Clive Barker''s SeraphimInk is a book that contains two original stories of fantastic fiction penned by Clive when he was a young man of 17... The book begins with "The Wood on the Hill", a short story about a bourgeois woman who is soon to learn a terrifying lesson concerning her complete disregard for anyone other than herself. The second tale, "The Candle in the Cloud", is a novella of dark fantasy which follows three children who discover a magical candle that transports them to a world where a plague-cloud is destroying everything in its wake. These two tales, the first ever written by Clive, are offered here for the very first time. Their production has been lovingly supervised by Clive himself to ensure that these are not mere books, but works of art to be cherished. Complete with original illustrations and appendices on select editions, First Tales is sure to delight everyone from longtime fans to new readers. In his own words: "These two stories represent the two essential structures of fantastique literature. ’The Wood on the Hill’ is about an incursion of unearthly elements into an approximation of our world. ’The Candle in the Cloud’ is about a journey taken by people from our world into another reality. Yin and Yang, if you like. Forces pulling in opposing directions but to achieve the same end: Revelation."

Mr. Hood''s Holiday House has stood for a thousand years, welcoming countless children into its embrace. It is a place of miracles, a blissful rounds of treats and seasons, where every childhood whim may be satisfied... There is a price to be paid, of course, but young Harvey Swick, bored with his life and beguiled by Mr. Hood''s wonders, does not stop to consider the consequences. It is only when the House shows it''s darker face — when Harvey discovers the pitiful creatures that dwell in its shadows — that he comes to doubt Mr. Hood''s philanthropy. The House and its mysterious architect are not about to release their captive without a battle, however. Mr. Hood has ambitious for his new guest, for Harvey''s soul burns brighter than any soul he has encountered in a thousand years...

John Furie Zacharias, Judith Odell, and Pie "oh" Pah are caught in an epic quest to capture the moment when the four dominions bound together reunite with the missing fifth of Imajica: the Earth.

The second anthology of short story comics set in Barker''s incredibly popular horror film milieu, this book collects ten Hellraiser-themed offerings, in full-colour from an all-star line-up of comics writers and illustrators, including Larry Wachowski (The Matrix), John Bolton, John Van Fleet, Dwayne McDuffie, Dave Dorman and many others.

Discover the magical and illuminating world of Clive Barker’s bestselling Abarat. This ebook also includes excerpts from the sequel, Abarat: Days of Magic, Nights of War, and the long-anticipated third installment: Abarat: Absolute Midnight. It begins in the most boring place in the world: Chickentown, U.S.A. There lives Candy Quackenbush, her heart bursting for some clue as to what her future might hold. When the answer comes, it''s not one she expects. Out of nowhere comes a wave, and Candy, led by a man called John Mischief (whose brothers live on the horns on his head), leaps into the surging waters and is carried away. Where? To the Abarat: a vast archipelago where every island is a different hour of the day, from The Great Head that sits in the mysterious twilight waters of Eight in the Evening, to the sunlit wonders of Three in the Afternoon, where dragons roam, to the dark terrors of Gorgossium, the island of Midnight, ruled over by the Prince of Midnight himself, Christopher Carrion. Candy has a place in this extraordinary world: She is here to help save the Abarat from the dark forces that are stirring at its heart. Forces older than Time itself, and more evil than anything Candy has ever encountered.

“[Clive Barker] is a mapmaker of the mind, charting the farthest reaches of the imagination.” —Washington Post From The Books of Blood to Hellraiser to Imajica, Abarat, and Mister B. Gone, Clive Barker’s extraordinary vision knows no bounds. With Coldheart Canyon, the New York Times bestselling master of dark fantasy who has been called “a cross between Stephen King and Gabriel Garcia Marquez” (Boston Herald) thrills readers with a “Hollywood ghost story” as audacious and chilling as anything he (or anyone else) has ever written. Film''s most popular action hero needs a place to heal after surgery that has gone terribly wrong. His fiercely loyal agent finds him just such a place in a luxurious, forgotten mansion high in the Hollywood Hills. But the original owner of the mansion was a beautiful woman devoted to pleasure at any cost, and the terrible legacy of her deed has not yet died. There are ghosts and monsters haunting Coldheart Canyon, where nothing is forbidden. USA Today calls Barker''s novel, “Endlessly entertaining…wickedly enjoyable,” and fans everywhere will agree—a tense and winding trip down into the hellish depths of Coldheart Canyon is well worth making.

Here is storytelling on a grand scale — the stuff of which a classic is made. Weaveworld begins with a rug — a wondrous, magnificent rug — into which a world has been woven. It is the world of the Seerkind, a people more ancient than man, who possesses raptures — the power to make magic. In the last century they were hunted down by an unspeakable horror known as the Scourge, and, threatened with annihilation, they worked their strongest raptures to weave themselves and their culture into a rug for safekeeping. Since then, the rug has been guarded by human caretakers. The last of the caretakers has just died. Vying for possession of the rug is a spectrum of unforgettable characters: Suzanna, granddaughter of the last caretaker, who feels the pull of the Weaveworld long before she knows the extent of her own powers; Calhoun Mooney, a pigeon-raising clerk who finds the world he''s always dreamed of in a fleeting glimpse of the rug; Immacolata, an exiled Seerkind witch intent on destroying her race even if it means calling back the Scourge; and her sidekick, Shadwell, the Salesman, who will sell the Weaveworld to the highest bidder. In the course of the novel the rug is unwoven, and we travel deep into the glorious raptures of the Weaveworld before we witness the final, cataclysmic struggle for its possession. Barker takes us to places where we have seldom been in fiction--places terrifying and miraculous, humorous, and profound. With keen psychological insight and prodigious invention, his trademark graphic vision balanced by a spirit of transcendent promise, Barker explores the darkness and the light, the magical and the monstrous, and celebrates the triumph of the imagination.

EVERYBODY IS A BOOK OF BLOOD; WHEREVER WE''RE OPENED, WE''RE RED. — Clive Barker Few authors can claim to have marked a genre so thoroughly and personally that their words have leaked into every aspect of modern pop culture. Clive Barker is such an author, and the Books of Blood marked his debut - his coming out to the world - in brilliant, unforgettable fashion. Crossroad Press is proud to present Clive Barker''s "Books of Blood" in digital for the first time. The Books of Blood combine the ordinary with the extraordinary while radiating the eroticism that has become Barker''s signature. Weaving tales of the everyday world transformed into an unrecognizable place, where reason no longer exists and logic ceases to explain the workings of the universe, Clive Barker provides the stuff of nightmares in packages too tantalizing to resist. Never one to shy away from the unimaginable or the unspeakable, Clive Barker breathes life into our deepest, darkest nightmares, creating visions that are at once terrifying, tender, and witty. The Books of Blood confirm what horror fans everywhere have known for a long time: We will be hearing from Clive Barker for many years to come. This fourth volume contains the short stories : "The Inhuman Condition," "The Body Politic," "Revelations," "Down, Satan," and "The Age of Desire," as well as a new introduction by author Al Sarrantonio.

Rediscover the true meaning of fear in this collection of horror stories from New York Times bestselling author Clive Barker. “The most provocative tales of terror ever published.”—The Washington Post Everybody is a book of blood; wherever we''re opened, we''re red... With the publication of Books of Blood, Clive Barker became an overnight literary sensation. His tour de force collection of brilliantly disturbing tales demonstrated a genius for dark invention that rivaled Poe and Sade. He was hailed by Stephen King as “the future of horror,” and won both the British and World Fantasy Awards. Now, with his numerous bestsellers, graphic novels, and hit movies like the Hellraiser films, Clive Barker has become an industry unto himself. It is his powerful writing style and arresting imagery that have made Books of Blood a classic—and Clive Barker a cult phenomenon.

Rich and powerful, the Geary dynasty has reigned over American society for decades. But it is a family with dark, terrible secrets. Its adversaries are the Barbarossas, a clan whose timeless origins lie in myth. When Galilee, prodigal prince of the Barbarossa clan, meets Rachel, young bride of the Gearys'' own scion Mitchell, they fall in love, consumed by a passion that unleashes long-simmering hatreds. Old insanities arise, old adulteries are uncovered, and a seemingly invincible family will begin to wither, exposing its unholy roots.

As time continues to run out for Tristan & Elspeth in Providence, their last chance becomes their final test, while some very interested onlookers watch their every move. Meanwhile, Julian and Cara reach their respective breaking points, just as Wick forces a new loyalty test upon them. Clive Barker’s newest creation reaches its penultimate issue!

Tristan and Elspeth believe they’ve figured out how to finally end Wick’s reign, but the disciples of the Lord Of Colors have reached Providence, determined to stop that from happening...

Includes the titles, "Crazyface", in which a clown lands in Europe''s dark ages; "Paradise Street," in which Liverpool is transformed by time-travelers; and "Subtle Bodies," a play about the Sea of Dreams.

Collecting Clive Barker''s Hellraiser #1-20 and Hellraiser Annual #1, prepare your soul for over 500 pages of epic horror from one of the genre''s greatest voices, starring one of the genre''s greatest characters.

18 short stories take us to the end of the world in this anthology of post-apocalyptic fiction featuring bestselling authors like Emily St. John Mandel, China Miéville, Samuel R. Delaney, Clive Barker, and more! In the moments when it all comes crashing down, what will we value the most, and how will we save it? Featuring new and exclusive post-apocalyptic short stories, as well as classics of the genre, editor Preston Grassmann takes us through the fall and beyond—to the things that are created after. This anthology includes stories by: • China Miéville • Emily St. John Mandel • Clive Barker • Carmen Maria Machado • Charlie Jane Anders • Samuel R. Delaney • Ramsey Campbell, • Lavie Tidhar • Kaaron Warrern • Anna Tambour • Nina Allan • Jeffrey Thomas • Paul Di Filippo • Ron Drummond • Nikhil Singh • John Skipp • Autumn Christian • Chris Kelso • Rumi Kaneko • Nick Mamatas • D.R.G. Sugawara Calling on the finest traditions of post-apocalyptic fiction, this anthology asks us what makes us human, and who we will be when we emerge out of the ruins?

Once a novella bundled in ''Books of Blood'' and ''Cabal,'' Clive Barker''s ''The Last Illusion'' appears as a self-contained novel in this annotated edition.