The Great and Secret Show

Rating:
Summary: A master of seemingly inexhaustible gifts.
Review: I don't believe words alone can do justice to not only this novel, but the man responsible for its making. I read a Clive Barker interview several years ago where he says he loves working with big canvases- the bigger the canvas, the more possibilities there are to create, and create he does!

There is a big, sprawling canvas set out before you here when you read this book. The characters pull you in with them, making you feel what they feel, see what they see, hear what they hear. The description of the other worlds, and the mysterious sea of Quiddity really hooked me.

Perhaps its most redeeming value is the fact that so many different strands of ideas are tossed in and jumbled up that you think he will screw up, you think there is no possible way of ending this, not without calling for a Deus Ex Machina- but he has an ace up his sleeve that he lets slide out at the perfect moment, bringing the First Book of the Art to a close.

What is very upsetting, though, is to know that Everville, the second book, is no longer in print. Which is why I am thankful I have found it through a used book dealer. The only other negative aspect of all this is to wait for the third installment to come out...and when it comes out, knowing that there won't be anymore of it.

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: Quiddity must be preserved!
Review: Randolph Jaffe was a man at the end of his rope. He hungered to be a big man, a king, yet all his life he had never managed to rise higher than a private in the ranks as he passed from job to job. At 37 he felt that time was running out. Now he had a dead end job in the central Dead Letter Office of the U.S. Postal Service. Yet, even here his brutal, vulgar coworkers and supervisor left him no peace. He found himself forced to participate in systematic looting of unclaimed mail for money and valuables. As he did this day after day he seriously began to contemplate suicide.

Then, as he started to read the letters that he was opening he discovered, slowly, that the world was not what it seemed- not even remotely. Here and there, certain people hinted at a world behind the world, a Sea of Seas, the Shoal, Quiddity- and the Art.

One day, Jaffe found a medallion in the mail- and everything changed. What had first been synchronicity in his life as he deciphered the mystery, now turned to direct supernatural power.

Unfortunately, this was a power that Jaffe never should have possessed. He was a petty, unworthy, little man that had learned nothing from his own maltreatment by others. He used the power from the start to murder and exploit. Yet, he hungered for even more power to remake the world to serve his ego.

Unfortunately, this would create all sorts of problems for the guardians who were worthy of the secrets of the Art....

Rating:
Summary: I WISH I COULD GIVE IT MORE THAN 5 STARS
Review: THIS IS THE BEST BOOK I HAVE EVER READ (the only books that come close are other Barker novels.) Don't let the other bad reviews fool you (they just bring down the review average from 5 stars to 4 and half) This book does take some serious thought, but it's well worth it and if you've spent most of your time reading Stephen, Dean and Anne, you'll never want to go back. By the way, if you decide to order this, you'd better order Everville because Everville isn't really a sequel, it's the middle of this great story (and Clive says the end will be put out soon and it will be huge.)

Rating:
Summary: Clive Barker is amazing
Review: My first impression of Clive Barker was that he was just a plain old horror writer. That label kind of kept me away from his books. But, for a lack of anything else to read, I picked up The Great and Secret Show. That was the best decision I could have ever made in choosing a book. Clive's style of writing is so amazing. He makes Dean Koontz and Stephen King look like children's book authors. Barker's a very literate man, and it shows in his writing. The flowing dialogue and beautifully described worlds captured me from the get go. The character development, fantastic storyline, and just the overall feeling of this book makes it one of Clive's finest. I recommend this book to anyone in need of a story that will completely shock you, seduce you, scare you, and just completely envelop you!!!! Totally amazing!!!!!!!

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: 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: Wow.
Review: I consider myself a fairly slow reader, but I finished this book in about a week. It was not at all hard to read or understand. I could not put it down!! I almost called off work just to be able to finish the last chapter! It's a huge mix of everything possible (love, war - not your typical war either!, murder, sex, insanity, imagination, monsters, fears, dreams) and you never know what to expect! I really enjoyed this book. "Everville" is on my bookshelf waiting it's turn to be read.

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: Thinking Man's (or Woman's) Horror
Review: GSS is a compelling mixture of stories that only a master like Clive Barker could pull together.

Among the many stories a lucky ready will find in this book are star-crossed lovers (ala Romeo&Juliet), clashing forces of magic vs. technology, believeable characters with everyday concerns overcome by extraordinary events, "sins of the fathers", self-immolation, visits from ethereal porn stars and just to finish things off in style, a minor apocalypse that destroys the sunny California suburb of Palomo Grove. (By the way, this brief synopsis doesn't begin to cover a fraction of the characters and events in this book!)

GSS is a challenging, thought-provoking book that will definitely appeal to people who love horror stories with substance.