Everville

Rating:
Summary: Tour de Force
Review: 'Everville' could possibly be the best work Clive Barker has ever written. Although considered a sequel to 'The Great and Secret Show,' 'Everville' will stand on its own for most readers. TG&SS provides some important background material on, for example, the nature of the conflict between the inhabitants of Quiddity (the Dream Sea) and the humans here on Earth. The book overflows with Barker's imagery, and he presents vivid depictions of the Dream Sea and its otherworldly menace, the Iad Urobros. His characters are fleshed out in the extreme, and many rank with some of the most memorable in all of literature: The orphan-Maeve O'Connell, the religious skeptic-Harry D'Amour, and the unspeakably evil men vying for control of the portal to the Dream Sea above Everville, Kissoon and Tommy-Ray.

'Everville' tells the story of a cosmic battle taking place on Earth for control to a portal to the Dream Sea, Quiddity. This portal is open on a mountain peak above the sleepy Oregon city of Everville, founded by an orphan, Maeve O'Connell, and her husband from Quiddity, Coker Ammiano. The battle for control begins when the portal is opened, and takes place across the entire United States, from Everville to New York, as forces struggle to either close the portal, or keep it open, for unknown to humanity, an unspeakable evil is moving towards the Cosm (the area of the universe inhabited by humans), the Iad Urobros, described as "Chaos itself." Throughout its broad course, 'Everville' documents this struggle, and the multitude of people (there are over 50 principal characters) involved in it. Another tour-de-force from Clive Barker!

Rating:
Summary: great parable for modern man
Review: 'everville' for Everyman that occurs Everyday. Some of the most erotic scenes and post-modern ending before it was known as such. A good read.

Rating:
Summary: Not much fun to read a sequel...
Review: ...when you haven't read the first part. Somehow I missed the fact that this was a sequel when I picked up this book. I only gradually picked up on it as I read, when the text kept referring to characters as if I should already be familiar with their histories and with past events as if I had prior knowledge of them. That, the large cast of characters and the disjointed nature of the writing left me confused and frustrated as I delved deeper into the book. I must confess that I was hooked by a strong, interesting beginning, but I was quickly lost in a muddy sea of characters and events, feeling I was on the outside without some secret knowledge that would keep me from fully enjoying the book. Barker should probably have done a better job of making this a standalone novel, and the book's cover should have done a better job of making clear that this was a sequel (in which case, I probably would never have started reading it in the first place). As it was, I was left feeling dissatisfied and like I had wasted a huge chunk of my reading time, once again convinced to remove Barker's works from my reading list.

Rating:
Summary: Somebody Shoot Me
Review: All I can say is that this is one book I wish I had never read. If you are a fan of The Great and Secret Show, like I am, DO NOT read this book. Mr. Barker basically destroys everything he built in The Great and Secret Show. When I look back I find I can name numerous things I hated about this book and nothing I liked about it. The only reason I can think of that this book was ever written for was the money. All I can hope is that a third book in this series is written and we find out that all that happened in this book was just a bad dream of one of the main characters. In conclusion, treat this book like the plague and never touch it.

Rating:
Summary: *~A dreamlike web of love, lust, and other vicious circles~*
Review: An amazing story...fast-paced, complex, teeming with imagery both sensual and disturbing. For Barker fans, and those with a dark streak, this series should prove to be quite a gratifying read...anyone else may find themselves a bit lost and confused. I loved it.

Rating:
Summary: What's Next?
Review: As a young reader i really enjoyed this book by Clive Barker. I learned about TG&SS last year from a student teacher. She told me to read it and gave me a copy of the book. When I finally got around to reading TG&SS i couldn't put it down. When i was finished i asked my mom to go out and buy the sequel "Everville". I didn't think it could get better but it did. Clive Barker is a true genius and these two books prove it. One thing has been bothering me however since i finished Everville. What's Next?? There has to be more. If anybody knows which book it is (if it exists...) please email me at [e-mail]. thank you.

Rating:
Summary: What's Next?
Review: As a young reader i really enjoyed this book by Clive Barker. I learned about TG&SS last year from a student teacher. She told me to read it and gave me a copy of the book. When I finally got around to reading TG&SS i couldn't put it down. When i was finished i asked my mom to go out and buy the sequel "Everville". I didn't think it could get better but it did. Clive Barker is a true genius and these two books prove it. One thing has been bothering me however since i finished Everville. What's Next?? There has to be more. If anybody knows which book it is (if it exists...) please email me at [e-mail]. thank you.

Rating:
Summary: INCREDIBLY IMAGINATIVE!!
Review: Clive Barker writes an incredible story in which he brings alive a very rich and colorful word filled with incredible creatures. Filled with colorful villians and interesting hereos and heroines, this continuation of the Barker's first book "The Great and Secret Show", explores not only what the show is, but the fantastic world in which it takes place. I definately recommend this book. It is a great read whether you have read the first book or not.

Rating:
Summary: Not for the simple of mind.
Review: Complex imagery, fantastic characters, and metaphysical soul churning typify Clive Barker's Everville, which defies inane genre characterizations like "horror." The ability to effectively transverse the line between the benign and the astutely wonderful is required of all whom wish to immerse themselves in this wonderous prose. Everville is not straight-forward, and Barker has a penchant for verbosity at certain points, but the rewards lie in the rich imagery and fantastic character devlopment which those extra words provide. Definitely, take your time to read this work if you want something a little more Faustian and metaphysical than blood and gore.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful sequel by Barker to The Great and Secret Show
Review: Everville continues the story started in the Great and Secret Show, this time about a cosmic-proportion battle taking place on Earth for control to the portal of the secret world found in the first novel. Full of incredible creatures and characters, superb writing and great story-telling. Barker delivers an epic of awesome proportions and a superb sequel to a fantastic trilogy.