Horror

Books of Blood, Volumes 1-3

Books of Blood, Volumes 1-3

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  • Create Date：2021-07-31 09:57:08
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：Clive Barker
  • ISBN：075151022X
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Summary

Here are the stories written on the Book of Blood。 They are a map of that dark highway that leads out of life towards unknown destinations。 Few will have to take it。 Most will go peacefully along lamplit streets， ushered out of living with prayers and caresses。 But for a few， the horrors will come， skipping， to fetch them off to the highway of the damned。。。

Gathered together in one volume， here are sixteen mind-shattering stories from the awesome imagination of World Fantasy Award winning author Clive Barker。 They will take you to the brink – and beyond…

Contents:
- Foreword （May 1998） by Clive Barker
- Introduction （May 1983） by Ramsey Campbell

Volume 1
- The Book of Blood （1984）
- The Midnight Meat Train （1984）
- The Yattering and Jack （1984）
- Pig Blood Blues （1984）
- Sex， Death and Starshine （1984）
- In the Hills， the Cities （1984）

Volume 2
- Dread （1984）
- Hell's Event （1984）
- Jacqueline Ess: Her Will and Testament （1984）
- The Skins of the Fathers （1984）
- New Murders in the Rue Morgue （1984）

Volume 3
- Son of Celluloid （1984）
- Rawhead Rex （1984）
- Confession of a （Pornographer's） Shroud （1984）
- Scape-Goats （1984）
- Human Remains （1984）

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Reviews

Neil Bimbeau ，

Simply put， one of the finest collections of horror tales ever put to paper。 A foundational text for anyone who loves the genre。

Jess Linde ，

Favorite stories: -The Yattering and Jack-In The Hills， The Cities-Dread-Son of Celluloid-Rawhead Rex-Human Remains

Dries ，

Up until now， if you’d asked me to pick a word to describe my thoughts on Clive Barker as a writer， it would probably have been “frustrating”: his plots， characters， and imagery are always very interesting and grand in scope， but unfortunately， he doesn’t always seem capable of finding the right writing style to do his ideas justice。 That being said， in this collection of short stories Barker seems to have found the perfect voice to give utterance to his twisted imagination。 The stories range fr Up until now， if you’d asked me to pick a word to describe my thoughts on Clive Barker as a writer， it would probably have been “frustrating”: his plots， characters， and imagery are always very interesting and grand in scope， but unfortunately， he doesn’t always seem capable of finding the right writing style to do his ideas justice。 That being said， in this collection of short stories Barker seems to have found the perfect voice to give utterance to his twisted imagination。 The stories range from pure splatterpunk， to horror with a comedic twist， to stories where Barker briefly rises above his usual brand of gory body humour and creates a more sinister （and more disturbing） form of horror。 Two or three stories in the collection even rise to a level of pure Weird Fiction brilliance that I honestly didn’t think Barker was capable of。 Not every single story is a masterpiece of course， and a handful of them seem mostly filler material to me， but on the whole these first three instalments of the Books of Blood have done a lot to heighten my opinion of Barker as an author。There isn’t a whole lot more I can say about the work as a whole since the stories themselves are so varied， so here’s a list of my personal favourites:-“The Midnight Meat Train”-“The Yattering and Jack”-“Pig Blood Blues”-“Dread”-“Jacqueline Ess: Her Will And Testament”-“New Murders in the Rue Morgue”-“Confessions of a （Pornographer’s） Shroud”-“Human Remains” 。。。more

Emily ，

Did not finish。 I made it 3 or 4 stories in and lost interest。 I don't think I'm cut out for short story compilations。 🤷🏻‍♀️ Give me a novel any day。 Did not finish。 I made it 3 or 4 stories in and lost interest。 I don't think I'm cut out for short story compilations。 🤷🏻‍♀️ Give me a novel any day。 。。。more

Estephania ，

Sin duda leer Libros de sangre es toda una experiencia， ya que los relatos retratan muy bien los pensamientos， sensaciones y emociones que muchas veces condenan al ser humano。Reseña en: https://elavernoliterario。wordpress。c。。。 Sin duda leer Libros de sangre es toda una experiencia， ya que los relatos retratan muy bien los pensamientos， sensaciones y emociones que muchas veces condenan al ser humano。Reseña en: https://elavernoliterario。wordpress。c。。。 。。。more

Donna Roan ，

Boring。 Stories were predictable and not new idea's。 Boring。 Stories were predictable and not new idea's。 。。。more

colagatji ，

nieczęsto czytam horrorymój poziom lęku， strachu i obaw i tak jest już zbyt wysoki na co dzień， żeby jeszcze dokładać do niego podpałkęw gruncie rzeczy czytam je czasami tylko dlatego， żeby sobie przypomnieć dlaczego ich nie czytamw tym wypadku jednak， pomimo starań autora pozostał mi na twarzy lekki uśmiechich atmosfera przywodzi mi na myśl czas， kiedy będąc bardzo młodym szczylem przechadzałam swoją wyobraźnię po polach kultury wyższej znanych jako Opowieści z Kryptyw tej wersji trochę bardzie nieczęsto czytam horrorymój poziom lęku， strachu i obaw i tak jest już zbyt wysoki na co dzień， żeby jeszcze dokładać do niego podpałkęw gruncie rzeczy czytam je czasami tylko dlatego， żeby sobie przypomnieć dlaczego ich nie czytamw tym wypadku jednak， pomimo starań autora pozostał mi na twarzy lekki uśmiechich atmosfera przywodzi mi na myśl czas， kiedy będąc bardzo młodym szczylem przechadzałam swoją wyobraźnię po polach kultury wyższej znanych jako Opowieści z Kryptyw tej wersji trochę bardziej obscenicznie， makabrycznie i obrazoburczo， ale atmosfera groteski i kiczu wciąż pozostaje taka samanie jestem jednak pewna czy o to chodziło autorowitemat do dyskusjicoś pomiędzy dziełami zebranymi Poe， a Thrillerem Michaela Jacksona 。。。more

Marisa-Lee ，

As I was purchasing this book， the man at the counter said “these stories will stick with you”。 He wasn’t wrong。 So good I immediately opened it back up to read a second time。 Clive Barker is a horror genius。

Studonym ，

Of the three volumes， I liked the first the most and the second the least。 Your enjoyment will likely depend on your tolerance for more 'out there' concepts。 Few of the tales were all the scary or dread-inducing， but most were well-written and fun to read。The Book of Blood - More of an intro than an actual story。 Also， there's a weird， arguably unnecessary sexual thing going on here- one of Barker's hallmarks， you'll find。The Midnight Meat Train ***1/2 - I saw the movie of this when I was stuck Of the three volumes， I liked the first the most and the second the least。 Your enjoyment will likely depend on your tolerance for more 'out there' concepts。 Few of the tales were all the scary or dread-inducing， but most were well-written and fun to read。The Book of Blood - More of an intro than an actual story。 Also， there's a weird， arguably unnecessary sexual thing going on here- one of Barker's hallmarks， you'll find。The Midnight Meat Train ***1/2 - I saw the movie of this when I was stuck in bed with the flu as a teenager。 The actual story could have used a sprinkle more Vinnie Jones。The Yattering and Jack ***1/2 - Kinda clever。 Follows a yattery demon's attempts to ruin the life of his good friend， Jack。 Barker's a nice stylist， but he doesn't experiment too much with form in this collection （not that that's required or anything）。 Maybe some of these tales go on for longer than they strictly need to， but few， if any， bored me。Pig Blood Blues **** - Memorable， but goofy。 That could be said for a lot of these stories， actually。 Implied ulterior motives on part of the protagonist lend to some more sinister interpretations by the end。Sex， Death， and Starshine *** - The show must go on。In the Hills， In the Cities ***** - Satisfies the three B's。 Beautiful。 Bizarre。 Bonkers。 There's a reason so many people recommend this story。。。 and that reason should be kept a secret until you've backhanded yourself and actually bothered to read it。Dread *** - Not my favourite。 As I mentioned above， Volume Two didn't do much for me。 This one's about the dangers of bad friends and science experiments。Hell's Event ** - Too goofy。 Also， the whole Books of Blood conceit would suggest all these stories take place in the same universe/dimension， but that kind of takes away from the more grounded ones。Jacqueline Ess ** - Too goofy。。。 again！ And not that memorable。 You know how Junji Ito sometimes starts a story off like it's gonna be spooky， then gets bored of the conceit and takes it in a more comical direction？ No？ Well， the young Barker might （I don't know his mind） do that too。 I will say， he's a lot more tongue-in-cheek than some other horror authors I've read， and， for the most part， I appreciate that。 He's got a kind of ballsy oddballness about him。 It makes him stand out。The Skins of the Fathers *** - Goofy？ Yes。 Too goofy？ Hard to say。 Does the goofiness come at the expense of an otherwise decent story？ No。 The goofiness is the story。 If you've read this far into the collection， you should know whether you like this kind of stuff or not。 If you haven't， let's just say it starts off with a guy coming across a marching band of Seussian-fever-dream-demons in the middle of a desert。。。 and that it only gets weirder from there。New Murders in the Rue Morgue *** - I haven't read the Poe story this is referencing， so that definitely affected my interpretation。。。 which I don't have。 This is pretty straightforward stuff。 The ending was kind of funny， just for how ridiculous it is。Son of Celluloid *** - Engh。 Movie mayhem。 Kind of a familiar setup and payoff。 Like a darker， way more twisted version of an episode of some scary TV show some evil executives primed at you when you were a kid， an episode that you've stored in the harmless-traumatic-memories filing cabinet in your subconscious and that you still dream about - though you don't realize it - every now and again。Rawhead Rex **** - This story is twisted。 Another thing I appreciate about Barker is his willingness to go places that most authors won't。 He doesn't shy away from anything his brain conjures up， no matter how depraved it may make him appear。 And this story makes him look depraved。 Heads don't even get a chance to roll， they're gobbled up so fast。 It's a gory mess。 If you watched too many horror movies as a kid， you'll probably love it。Confessions of a （Pornographer's） Shroud **** - Goofy， goofy， goofy！ And yet。。。 memorable。 Especially the ending。 It's about a ghost who manifests as his own shroud。 Yaknow， the garment bodies are wrapped in for burial？ It's about an angry， haunted blanket， basically。 Yep。Scape-Goats *** - The setup of this one is really tense。 I love a good 'young people stumble on a seemingly deserted island and promptly disturb a monster's slumber' horror story。 Here， however， once the ambiguity is cleared up and you know what they're up against， I kinda stopped caring。Human Remains **** - Once again， a great setup and then， threat revealed， and then。。。 not as disappointing as Scape-Goats， but it is what it is。Look， Clive Barker's really unique。 If you haven't read much （or anything） by him， and you like horror， give him a shot。 Just know that his ideas can range anywhere from 'well， that's cute' to 'what the **** was this guy on？' all with varying efficacy。 None of the stories in Books of Blood are what I would call particularly scary， but plenty are unsettling， not to mention wonky， creative， and fun。-Love Stu 。。。more

Andy Black ，

Quality ranges from pretty lame to absolutely brilliant。 For my money， "Pigs Blood Blues" hits the hardest。 Quality ranges from pretty lame to absolutely brilliant。 For my money， "Pigs Blood Blues" hits the hardest。 。。。more

stix_antics ，

The dead have highways。tThey run， unerring lines of ghost-trains， of dream-carriages， across the wasteland behind our lives， bearing an endless traffic of departed souls。 Their thrum and throb can be heard in the broken places of the world， through cracks made by acts of cruelty， violence and depravity。 Their freight， the wandering dead， can be glimpsed when the heat is close to bursting， and sights that should be hidden come plainly into view。The career of master author Clive Barker was kickst The dead have highways。tThey run， unerring lines of ghost-trains， of dream-carriages， across the wasteland behind our lives， bearing an endless traffic of departed souls。 Their thrum and throb can be heard in the broken places of the world， through cracks made by acts of cruelty， violence and depravity。 Their freight， the wandering dead， can be glimpsed when the heat is close to bursting， and sights that should be hidden come plainly into view。The career of master author Clive Barker was kickstarted by the first three volumes of a series of short story collections， the Books of Blood。 While the series wasn’t finished until 1985， the final three instalments being released after Barker’s first full-length novel， THE DAMNATION GAME， the first Books of Blood trilogy launched him into the mainstream of horror literature in ’84 despite these being the first ever publications from Barker。 This kind of popularity at a debut can be compared to that of Stephen King’s CARRIE， the first trilogy boasting Barker’s potential for scaring the shit out of his readers。 If I’m being honest， I prefer dark-fantasy Barker to horror Barker， as the former incarnation of one of the greatest author’s ever showcases the brilliance of his unorthodox imagination。 However， that’s not to say that he isn’t a good horror author—far from it， in fact。 Barker’s first trilogy in the Books of Blood presents blood-soaked stories that never let gore override a good scare; sure， while there’s a loooooot of violence， there are also genuine frights to be found within these bloody pages。 While some of the scares come from the monsters or macabre acts undergone by people， the other batch of chills is provided by the realistic portrayal of the worst kinds of humans。 While you still feel afraid for the characters here， only one or two of them can be called pure-blood “good guys”。 Almost every one of Barker’s victims falls into that grey area that separates good from evil—and some of them waver towards the dark side。 While a fair few of the stories in OMNIBUS ONE deal with supernatural threats， others offer psychologically disturbing tales of suffering caused by humans。 The best example of this is Volume II’s opening story， “Dread”， in which a disturbed man tries to understand the source of fear in order to cure his own phobias。 Despite not concerning demonic entities， “Dread” is still probably one of the most terrifying stories in OMNIBUS ONE， depicting the protagonist’s descent into pitch-black madness as he becomes the baddy’s next experiment。 However， the supernatural stories are still pretty chilling。 From Barker’s disturbing descriptions of his monsters to what the beasts do， the ghosts and demons in the Books of Blood cross the line from being “spooky” to being “terrifying”。 Barker’s monsters never feel artificial or kiddish， unpredictable as to make you guess at whether they are going to commit doing horrible deeds without pausing to consider their actions or do what they perceive to be “the right thing” （which， compared to the narcissism of the people who fight agains them， it may be）。 When a demon arrives at the scene， you never know what they’re going to do， only that it’s going to be bad for the poor， pathetic humans。 One was perhaps eighteen or twenty feet tall。 Its skin， that hung in folds on its muscle， was a sheath of spikes， its head a cone of exposed teeth， set in scarlet gums。 Another was three-winged， its triple ended tail thrashing the dust with reptilian enthusiasm。 A third and fourth were married together in a union of monstrosities the result of which was more disgusting that the sum of its parts。 Through its length and breadth this symbiotic horror was locked in seeping marriage， its limbs thrust in and out through wounds in its partners flesh。 Though the tongues of its heads were wound together it managed a cacophonous howl。However， as skilled as Barker is， the first trilogy of the Books of Blood aren’t perfect。 As mentioned earlier， I believe that he is better at writing dark fantasy than he is horror， mostly because， when writing dark fantasy， he is a good as he can possibly be， while in horror everything about him—his imagination， his style， his themes， etc。—seems dampened somehow。 There were quite a few stories in OMNIBUS ONE that I could barely tolerate like “Hell’s Event”， and others like “The Yattering and Jack” that I couldn’t finish at all。 While some of the stories here are some of the best short stories to be produced by the horror genre， others are…well， I think you get the idea。 However， since Barker is one of my favourite authors （ever）， I’ll stop focusing on the negatives of his first ever release; if you want to see how many stories I enjoyed in comparison to those I didn’t， just look at my individual ratings for the stories below。 （I have to admit: for a first effort， Volume I of the Books of Blood is an outstanding work。 It’s truly hard to believe that， up until its release， he hadn’t written any other professional pieces of fiction。）Despite being a spectacular writer of dark fantasy， Clive Barker is best known for his horror works like THE HELLBOUND HEART and the Books of Blood。 This first trilogy， OMNIBUS ONE， captures the bleak powers of Barker’s mind for horror in a way that would be perfect if not for the stories that feel like， to be blunt， excess fat that drags the collection down。 Volume I“The Book of Blood”: 4 Stars“The Midnight Meat Train”: 4。5 Stars“The Yattering and Jack”: 2 Stars“Pig Blood Blues”: 3。5 Stars“Sex， Death and Starshine”: 2 Stars“In the Hills， the Cities”: 5 StarsFinal Score: 3。5 StarsVolume II“Dread”: 4 Stars“Hell’s Event”: 3 Stars “Jacqueline Ess: Her Will and Testiment”: 2 Stars“The Skins of the Fathers”: 3 Stars“New Murders in the Rue Morgue”: 3。5 StarsFinal Score: 3 StarsVolume III“Son of Celluloid”: 2 Stars“Rawhead Rex”: 3。5 Stars“Confessions of a （Pornographer’s） Shroud”: 3 Stars“Scape-Goats”: 4 Stars“Human Remains”: 3 StarsFinal Score: 3 Stars 。。。more

Maureen ，

Transgressive， visceral and shuddering with all life and death’s vital fluids。

Joshua Jorgensen ，

Clive Barker's BOOKS OF BLOOD are the most astonishing and spell-binding tales of horror fiction ever collected。 Originally published in 1984--this collection has no equal。 The literary flair Barker brings to these imaginative tales of terror is breathtaking。 The syntax and the sentences are delicious， even though they are describing death， blood， sex， monsters， creatures， and cosmic-fantastical tidings。 Of course， this is the same short story collection that lead to the legendary blurb from Ste Clive Barker's BOOKS OF BLOOD are the most astonishing and spell-binding tales of horror fiction ever collected。 Originally published in 1984--this collection has no equal。 The literary flair Barker brings to these imaginative tales of terror is breathtaking。 The syntax and the sentences are delicious， even though they are describing death， blood， sex， monsters， creatures， and cosmic-fantastical tidings。 Of course， this is the same short story collection that lead to the legendary blurb from Stephen King himself: "I have seen the future of horror and his name is Clive Barker。" I won't go into detail reviewing every short story。 But I will give them each a star ranking。 Pick this one up， if you haven't already。 BOOK 1: "The Book of Blood" 4。5 stars （introductory piece） "The Midnight Meat Train" 5 stars "The Yattering and Jack" 5 stars "Pig Blood Blues" 5 stars （my favorite story from book 1） "Sex， Death and Starshine" 4 stars "In the Hills， the Cities" 5 stars （my second favorite story） BOOK 2: "Dread" 5 stars （my favorite story from book 2） "Hell's Event" 5 stars "Jacqueline Ess: Her Will and Testament" 3 stars "The Skins of the Fathers" 5 stars "New Murders in the Rue Morgue" 5 stars （My second favorite--a modern take on Poe's classic short） BOOK 3: "Son of Celluloid" 5 stars （my second favorite story from book 3） "Rawhead Rex" 5 stars （my favorites story from book 3） "Confessions of a （Pornographer's） Shroud" 4 stars "Scape-Goats" 5 stars "Human Remains" 4 stars 。。。more

B。 ，

All that I knew about Clive Barker was Hellraiser and because of that I had many assumptions about what his writing might be like。 I was wrong and I'm floored。 These stories， especially in book one， were so surprisingly creative。 Books two and three became more stereotypically horror with less of that creative spark， but the writing was still great。 And since he doesn't consider himself a horror writer anymore I'm curious to check out his most recent works。A side note- The Son of Celluloid pisse All that I knew about Clive Barker was Hellraiser and because of that I had many assumptions about what his writing might be like。 I was wrong and I'm floored。 These stories， especially in book one， were so surprisingly creative。 Books two and three became more stereotypically horror with less of that creative spark， but the writing was still great。 And since he doesn't consider himself a horror writer anymore I'm curious to check out his most recent works。A side note- The Son of Celluloid pissed me off。 Going on and on about his protagonists' weight， especially when most of his protagonists were male， was really irritating and unnecessary。 As the fat girl lead in my own life， I was just not having it。 。。。more

Brice Williams ，

Masterful。 A great assortment of some of the most beautiful yet gruesome stories Ive ever witnessed。 Ill be reading a lot more of his。

Ryan ，

A fantastic collection of short horror stories from one of the absolute masters of the genre。I started this collection back in April with the HOWL Society and barely managed to keep up through the first two volumes。 By Volume 3， I simply needed to take a break。 Barker's prose is incredibly rich and his stories have seriously meat to them （heh）， they simply should not all be read in a single week。 All 3 volumes showcase Barker's incredible talent， but there were a few stories that really stood ou A fantastic collection of short horror stories from one of the absolute masters of the genre。I started this collection back in April with the HOWL Society and barely managed to keep up through the first two volumes。 By Volume 3， I simply needed to take a break。 Barker's prose is incredibly rich and his stories have seriously meat to them （heh）， they simply should not all be read in a single week。 All 3 volumes showcase Barker's incredible talent， but there were a few stories that really stood out to me。Midnight Meat Train （vol。 1） - perfect gruesome little cosmic talePig Blood Blues （vol。 1） - what goes around， comes around！In the Hills， the Cities （vol。 1） - definitely more of a "weird" tale than horror， wonderful imageryDread （vol。 2） - an exploration of human fear， this one left me incredibly uncomfortableConfessions of a （Pornographer's） Shroud （vol。 3） - wicked gross， wicked funOverall， Volume 1 definitely felt the strongest， but I enjoyed the time I spent reading all of these。 If you're a fan of the dark， the horror， or the weird， I highly recommend checking out Barker's work！ Now I need to find myself a copy of Volumes 4-6！ 。。。more

David Haynes ，

Excellent collection of dark， very dark tales by a master。

Aaron ，

While not every story was a revelation， none of them were boring in the slightest which is achievement in a book of sixteen stories。 All were interesting， bizarre and unsettling in their own way。

Chavonne Wargrave ，

I was expecting more gore from this but I feel like it ended up being an interesting sight into the human mind of hopes and fears。

Kristen Lindsey ，

3。5 rounded to 4I'm boo boo the fool for not reading this before Xoldheart Canyon。 Oof。This is everything I wanted in trying to really see if I want to continue reading Barker。 Book 1 and 3 were the strongest entries， while book 2 kinda fell flat for me as far as any memorable stories。 My absolute favorites are "Midnight Meat Train" and "Son of Celluloid"， but every story is robust enough that you could easily find something to enjoy in each entry。If you want a Barker sampler， start here。 It fee 3。5 rounded to 4I'm boo boo the fool for not reading this before Xoldheart Canyon。 Oof。This is everything I wanted in trying to really see if I want to continue reading Barker。 Book 1 and 3 were the strongest entries， while book 2 kinda fell flat for me as far as any memorable stories。 My absolute favorites are "Midnight Meat Train" and "Son of Celluloid"， but every story is robust enough that you could easily find something to enjoy in each entry。If you want a Barker sampler， start here。 It feels there's something for everyone， plus it displays his excellent writing style and his twisted mind。 This should have been my gateway into Barker's work。。。and I've busted through it， hungry for more。 。。。more

Jennifer Matchett ，

Clive Barker he such a way with words。。。existential torment， pleasure， indifference。。。he can make you feel every last emotion in each of his characters。 His knack for creating nightmarish creatures and horrifying scenarios never ceases to amaze me。 This collection is one of the best horror books I’ve ever read。 It’s hard to pick a favorite bc every story was special and brilliant in its own right。 An absolute must for horror fans！

Harvey ，

It's hard to believe that all these short stories are written by the same author。 So many different styles of horror。 Classic gothic， psychological terror， kitsch black humour， fantastical theatre， slasher， contemporary imaginings and so much more。 Gruesomely descriptive joy。 A lesson in horror writing。 Awesome。 It's hard to believe that all these short stories are written by the same author。 So many different styles of horror。 Classic gothic， psychological terror， kitsch black humour， fantastical theatre， slasher， contemporary imaginings and so much more。 Gruesomely descriptive joy。 A lesson in horror writing。 Awesome。 。。。more

Michael ，

When it comes to classic horror The Books of Blood is a dark， and often times violent collection that doesn't show a writer at the beginning of his career。 It's easy to see why so many writers cite Barker as an influence and due to his writing style。 You can see who his Influences are while remaining original。 Each story takes the reader on a journey to places normal people don't visit yet you go along willingly， and are often glad you came。 When it comes to dark fiction Barker knows what he's When it comes to classic horror The Books of Blood is a dark， and often times violent collection that doesn't show a writer at the beginning of his career。 It's easy to see why so many writers cite Barker as an influence and due to his writing style。 You can see who his Influences are while remaining original。 Each story takes the reader on a journey to places normal people don't visit yet you go along willingly， and are often glad you came。 When it comes to dark fiction Barker knows what he's doing and while Stephen King may have once been the face of horror， Barker clearly could have taken his spot at any given time。 The Books Of Blood is an introduction to a gifted writer who does his own thing without worrying about the rules of how horror should be written。 It doesn't get any better than this。 As a collection it simply works。 Each story flows seamlessly into the next without too much filler。 。。。more

Taylor Ketterer ，

I read this book over a week with a group。 I think it would’ve otherwise gotten a better rating， but trying to read all the stories so quickly made it more of a chore for me。 Several stories were really good but others were pretty boring。

Ernesto ，

Una auténtica maravilla。 Con todo y sus casi 40 años， la mayoría de los relatos son de lo más original que me he encontrado。 Destaco El Blues de la Sangre de Cerdo， Jacqueline Ess， Restos Humanos y， mi favorito por mucho， En las colinas， las ciudades， una obra maestra del género。

A。R。 Kingston ，

I may have a serious crush on Clive Barker， or at least his writing style as his descriptions are so poetic at times that they can make decapitation seem beautiful。 Now， if you are looking for scary monsters to keep you up at night， you won't find them here。 Yes， these short stories have monsters in them， and a lot feature the supernatural， but Barker's monsters aren't scary; they are just monsters doing what monsters do。 These are a more subtle kind of horror， the one you won't notice until you I may have a serious crush on Clive Barker， or at least his writing style as his descriptions are so poetic at times that they can make decapitation seem beautiful。 Now， if you are looking for scary monsters to keep you up at night， you won't find them here。 Yes， these short stories have monsters in them， and a lot feature the supernatural， but Barker's monsters aren't scary; they are just monsters doing what monsters do。 These are a more subtle kind of horror， the one you won't notice until you pass a mirror in the middle of the night and catch a glimpse of your pallid reflection or are sitting on a lone subway late at night with only one other soul to share your journey。 That's when it will hit you， and you'll get covered in goosebumps and realize why you are suddenly so scared because what Barker does best is capture the true horror of our world， the one found in us。 And that is exactly what you will get in these stories， tales of people doing horrible things out of lust， greed， ambition， and all the other horrible things that make us tick， and in my opinion， that is the best horror of all。 。。。more

Alvaro ，

Cómo siempre， nunca defrauda este escritor。

Jonathan Rosas ，

Todos los cuentos son excelentes， aunque definitivamente cada uno de los tres libros tiene sus cuentos emblemáticos: “El tren de la carne de medianoche”; “Terror”; “Cabezacruda Rex”。 Es un escritor de terror como pocos otros， puede volver un sudario o un cancer todo un objeto-terror， un monstruo。 En particular， me gustaron muchísimo: “El tren。。。”， “Sexo， muerte y brillo de estrellas”， “En las colinas， en las ciudades”， “Jacqueline Ess” y “Cabezacruda Rex”。

avery （avereads） ，

4。5 “There is no delight the equal of dread。”Books of Blood volumes 1-3 packs in sixteen gruesome and gore filled short stories。 I love short stories， I’ve read my fair share， but Clive Barker has mastered the horror short。 He tackles some terrifying fears and just doesn’t stop。 I am dying to get to the other volumes。 I read volume one in a standalone edition， but I carried my ratings over to this one:Volume One The Book of Blood 🌟🌟🌟🌟The Midnight Meat Train 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟The Yattering and Jack 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟Pig B 4。5 “There is no delight the equal of dread。”Books of Blood volumes 1-3 packs in sixteen gruesome and gore filled short stories。 I love short stories， I’ve read my fair share， but Clive Barker has mastered the horror short。 He tackles some terrifying fears and just doesn’t stop。 I am dying to get to the other volumes。 I read volume one in a standalone edition， but I carried my ratings over to this one:Volume One The Book of Blood 🌟🌟🌟🌟The Midnight Meat Train 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟The Yattering and Jack 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟Pig Blood Blues 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟Sex， Desth and Starshine 🌟🌟🌟🌟In the Hills， The Cities 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟Volume TwoDread 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟Hell’s Event 🌟🌟🌟Jacqueline Ess: Her Will and Testament 🌟🌟🌟🌟The Skins of the Fathers 🌟🌟🌟🌟New Murders in the Rue Morgue 🌟🌟🌟🌟Volume ThreeSon of Celluloid 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟Rawhead Rex 🌟🌟🌟🌟Confession of a （Pornographer’s） Shroud 🌟🌟🌟Scape-Goats 🌟🌟🌟🌟💫Human Remains 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟All added and rounded lead to a 4。5 （but since I rounded up for that， I rounded down for my Goodreads rating if that makes sense）。 Anyways， highly recommend this if you like a lil bit of gore， and if you don’t， maybe stay away！ Can’t wait to read more Books of Blood but also can’t wait for more by Barker。 。。。more

Sara Westbrook ，

Book 1:The Book of Blood ⭐️⭐️⭐️The Midnight Meat Train ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️The Yattering and Jack ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Pig Blood Blues ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Sex， Death， and Starshine ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️In the Hills， The Cities ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Book 2:Dread ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Hell’s Event ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Jacqueline Ess: Her Will and Testament ⭐️⭐️⭐️The Skins of the Fathers ⭐️⭐️New Murders in the Rue Morgue ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Book 3:Son of Celluloid ⭐️⭐️⭐️Rawhead Rex ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Confessions of a （Pornographer’s） Shroud ⭐️⭐️⭐️Scape-Goats ⭐️⭐️Human Remains ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Books of Blood, Volumes 1-3

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Books of Blood, Volumes 1-3&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Books of Blood, Volumes 1-3&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0