Rating: 
Summary: Unpredictable & Different
Review: This is the first Clive Barker book I have ever read & I can say it won't be the last. This is a excellent & different story with great character & plot development. This book is unpredictable and moves smoothly making it difficult to put down. This is a must read book.
Rating: 
Summary: The Good and secret Show
Review: This is the fourth book I've read by barker and I think I've figured out why I haven't turned into a fan. But before I get into that, let me say that "The Show" is so far the best clive barker Book I've read (out of Imajica,Damnation game,Inhuman Condition). It is NOT the best book ever as some people on the site claim but it is good. I admit ,the simple parts of the story keeps you interested and makes you beg for more . (Good Vs.evil) (dreams vs. fears), but clive complicates things to the ninth degree with useless Sci-fi, fantasy imagery. This story like Imajica , is full of complex but underdeveloped themes. That's when I figured out why I'm not a fan. I truly feel that great forms of art are born from simple, basic and minimal ideas that have room to grow and develop. I personally get more involved with characters and plots that develop through-out the book. The books I've read so far by Barker have themes that seemed to be complete and complex before you start reading. They don't develop, they just simply exist and you are force to accept them. Both Imajica and The Show are identical is this way. I would love for barker to take a simple premise like "envy" and develop it into a complete and concise novel. But from past experience I now know that barker would rather take "Envy" and match it up with the 4 dimensions, the end of the world and a land called Rezirdan that you can reach through sex. Lol. With that said. I will still probably read everville but maybe not until next year sometime. I just need some simple depth out of my novels for a change.
Rating:
Summary: In the Middle
Review: This is the third book I've read by Barker. The last one, Damanation game I really did not care for, But the Thief of Always I loved. This falls somewhwere in the middle. The imagery and fable like quality of storytelling work well here. Just like almost every other Barker book, it has a healthy dose of sexuality mixed in with gore. Barker fans know what I'm talking about. First timers may find it a bit much. Creating your own mythology is hard to pull off. Barker manages better than most who have attempted it. He slowly explains his concepts letting the reader digest what he is trying to get across one small portion at a time.
However, the characterization is hit and miss. Jaffe, the antagonist is fully developed and Barker really makes the ambiguity of the character tangible and you feel for him. But you don't realize the "true" protagonist until a good third into the book because they do not show up until then. When it does happen, the revelation seems whimsical and I found it difficult to accept. Especially when he does such a great job with Jaffe. There is a Shakespearian element to this book that works very well and should have been the dominating element to this story. I think readers would have been satisfied with that. The love triangle and the events that led up to it are fully realized. He had enough to propel his grand scheme with just that. But the additional characters, such as the reporter and his friend were gratuitous. Maybe they play a bigger part in the sequel called "Everville." I can see why people love this book and I can see why people hate it. Some great stuff but it's unbalanced.
Rating: 
Summary: This refers to the 'abridged' audiobook, not the novel.
Review: This was a great book but this is an AWFUL abridgement. Literally, the tapes (672 pages boiled down to two audio cassettes) should be call THEGTW as that is how boiled down it is. Whole characters are gone. Whole story lines are discarded. Stephen King once said that he won't ever allow abridgements and now I understand why. Clive, if you are reading this...did you actually ok there tapes. They are really bad. DO read the novel. DO NOT buy, rent or borrow this horrific abridgement.
Rating:
Summary: This refers to the 'abridged' audiobook, not the novel.
Review: This was a great book but this is an AWFUL abridgement. Literally, the tapes (672 pages boiled down to two audio cassettes) should be call THEGTW as that is how boiled down it is. Whole characters are gone. Whole story lines are discarded. Stephen King once said that he won't ever allow abridgements and now I understand why. Clive, if you are reading this...did you actually ok there tapes. They are really bad. DO read the novel. DO NOT buy, rent or borrow this horrific abridgement.
Rating: 
Summary: Not A Fan
Review: This was the first Clive Barker book I've read. I was not impressed by anything - characters, plot, or writing style. It was laborious to read and would never be a reading recommendation I would make. The story is not especially suspenseful or compelling and there was no real empathy established with the characters though horrific things happen to them.
Rating:
Summary: Barker never ceases to amaze
Review: This, simply put, is one of the best books ever written. The characters are well drawn out, the plot never stops twisting, and there is more imagination put into the inventions in this book than in any other two. It is not a hardcore horror novel but there are some interesting, cerebral scares nonetheless. Clive is able to create other worlds and conventions so efforlessly that concepts like The Art, The Shoal, and Quiddity seem commonplace once you are done the book. The characters got to be so familiar that I couldn't wait to read Everville (also mind-bogglingly amazing) so I could revisit old friends and places. If you want to introduce yourself to Barker or are already familiar with his work and haven't read this novel, you WILL buy this book.
Rating:
Summary: The past, the future, and the dreaming moment between
Review: When Randolph Jaffe applies for a job in the "Dead Letter Office" in Omaha, Nebraska he has no clue of what kind of world he is about to enter. Most of the lost letters that are brought to his office are of no importance - unless they contain money, of course. But once in a while the content of a letter suggest more than a common human will ever be able to understand. They talk about crossroads between worlds - thin spots in the fabric of reality. It doesn't take long before Randolph is totally hooked. But when he is about to be fired, a murder changes his plans completely: he now must find a crossroads - even if this means losing his life. There is only one word strong enough to describe this book: masterpiece. Clive Barker is admired for his fantastic stories, interwoven with ... suspense, darkness and pure horror. This book is certainly no exception. But what makes this one so special is its vastness. Even when you only read the first pages, you know for sure that this is story huge - nothing less than epic; you realise immediately that you are on the verge of a mind-blowing experience. This book is the first part of three. The second book - or The Second Book of The Art - is already available: Everville. As with The Great and Secret Show, it is an absolute treasure. Sadly enough, the third volume is not planned for the near future. Clive has explained in an interview that the third part is a real struggle: it has a tendency of growing bigger that part one and two together. This could only mean more joy, of course! So, please Clive, don't let us wait any longer! This book should be on the shelf of every fantasy and horror lover.
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