Rating: 
Summary: Much too long
Review: The 600-page story contained a lot of detail in it, which must have taken the forever author to write. For this effort alone, he deserves 2 stars.You try writing a 600+ page story and publish it. See how far that takes you. (Thank goodness I checked this book out of the library... who wants to waste money paying for a lot of paper! ) However, half of the book's length could have been omitted (not joking), along with half of the characters. Some characters were only seen once in the story, but were described in full detail for 3 pages +. There were like 20+ of those, which adds an additional 60 pages+ that could have been omitted, plus some confusion. I don't know about you, but I tend to try to keep track of all the characters whenever I read a book. However, when the character is not to be mentioned again for the next 500 pages, it's really useless. Besides the unnecessary detail (which added nothing to the story, btw), the storyline was not that great either. It was completely unrealistic and was like a melodrama-soap mix (when the story actually made sense). The "romantic" scenes (which only appeared twice during the whole 600+ pages) were kinky, and being written by Maddox- one of the lover's brother (who is another unnecessary character, btw), those scenes were completely taboo- incestous even! Having that said, don't bother wasting your money on Galilee: A Romance, by Clive Barker. It's not much a romance to begin with, and if nothing else, the paper print costs money. Check it out of the library if you must, and if you don't, you're not missing anything.
Rating: 
Summary: Clive Barker ROCKS!
Review: Galilee uses the writer within the story technique that Stephen King has been using with some frequency of late (Green Mile for instance). Barker uses this to meld together what is essentially an historical fiction novel with the modern time resurgence of the narrator. Personally I don't care if Barker is writing romance, horror, or fantasy... he is brilliant. This novel surely had more of an Anne Rice flavor than any to date, but I still enjoyed it greatly. Not really getting to the climax at the end is my only strong reservation, but having just spotted the release date for G2 I hold judgement (with much anticipation).
Rating: 
Summary: Praise for Galilee
Review: This is probably one of the best books I have ever read. It is beautifully written and the story is both original and interesting. Some of the fans of earlier Clive Barker works might be disappointed though, as the book is more like a romantic drama than a horror book.
Rating:
Summary: Difficult to Sum Up
Review: I enjoyed the book but I also had the hindsight of knowing that there is no big bang ending (just read the reviews below). There is a bit of truth to most of the reviews (whether or not the book was liked or despised). Galilee is wonderfully written with an interesting story line, but it is also frustrating to read. It's often mind boggling how Barker can capture, construct and describe his thoughts with such clarity; he is a true talent when it comes to writing a sentence (although at times he goes way overboard and digs much too deep into his well of words). In Galilee his characters come to life and one starts to get caught up in the whole fantasy and story line; but here lies the frustration. The reader wants to know where it is all going after 400-500 pages, and one starts to lose faith that he/she will ever find out the answers to all of those questions/mysteries. It is entertaining (which really counts at the end of the day) but you feel as if the time invested in the read should yield a higher return. The story carries on at a fairly good pace but never really peaks. Hence if you start reading this book with the expectation of a tremendous climax you're bound to be disappointed; you never really get the answers to the maze of questions. If truth be told it seems as if Clive woke up one morning and decided that enough was enough - that the book was getting to long and he needed to end it in the next 50 pages; thus he didn't have enough time to tie up all of those loose ends (perhaps the reason for his sequel). Having said that, however, if you have patience, an appetite for a long and entertaining story, and appreciating of fine writing, then read the book. Perhaps all of the answers will surface in the March 2000 sequel. One more word of caution. Don't expect the horror of Hellbound Heart/Books of Blood, nor the fantasy of Imajica. This is more of a Dominic Dunne type of novel about two corrupt families full of secrets and hidden agendas, with a bit of fantasy and mystery thrown in for good measure. The book is a contradictory of sorts, as well as my review of it. I must admit that I enjoyed it even though it falls short of it's potential. Don't worry Clive, this Monday morning quarterback of a critic will buy your sequel in hopes that all of my questions will be answered.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't waste your time
Review: Don't waste your time with this book. It is way too many pages of no plot, no characters, no setting, no reason to read. There are continuous promises from the narrator of grand revelations about fascinating characters and a massive conflagration at the end, but nothing pans out that way. Instead there are predictable, dull, 2-dimensional characters who do nothing out of the ordinary. The book lacks the imagination of Imajica -- there is no grand setting or detailed description of a new world. And worst of all, the narrator's promise of grand revelations and conflagration never come true. Barker seems to have collected up some second rate notes and thrown them together in a "book" for no good reason. The first giveaway should have been the blurb on the back of the book -- "Sexy as Stephen King and inventive as Anne Rice." Seems to me that was a bit of a tongue-in-cheek review since I always thought of Anne Rice as sexy and Stephen King as inventive. Don't waste your time or money on this one.
Rating:
Summary: A different genre of book for Barker - one worth reading
Review: While this is not exactly a horror story, Barker does take the reader into the world of the supernatural in his book Galilee. It is the story of two warring families caught up in a web of corruption, illicit sex and star-crossed love. The Gearys are the wealthy, powerful family, reminiscent of the Kennedy clan, and the Barbarossas are a mysterious black clan that seems to be something other than human, certainly they have been around since the beginning of time. Cesaria is the head of the Barbarossas and Galilee is her Christ-like son whose relationships with the Geary family women is at the head of the feud between the families. Galilee is full of emotion. It is part soap opera, part fantasy, part family saga, part historical novel. It promises the reader great things, but it falls short. There is to be a sequel that will answer all the building questions. Galilee is imaginative and rapturous. Definitely a different genre of book for Barker, but one worth reading.
Rating: 
Summary: Barker takes a different path
Review: Clive Barker's books tell a lot about the man himself. Most of his books explain his own personal philosophies in one way or another, and Galilee is no exception. An epic novel detailing the anguish and love of two families entwined by fate and by action, Galilee expresses Barker's personal visions in a languid and less graphic manner than Weaveworld or The Great and Secret Show, a style that sets it apart from his previous novels. The tale is told by an observer this time, and not by the novel's main character Galilee, and takes many pauses and meanderings which come together in the end. The style is almost more Victoria Andrews than Clive Barker, but it is still engaging and thought-provoking, and still makes obvious his own thoughts on life, if you can read between the lines. It is clearly apparant that Barker has written this novel with a movie in mind, and with a little luck he will get this beautiful story turned into a film that does it justice.
Rating:
Summary: Not what I had hoped...<yawn!>
Review: Unfortunately, this was my first Clive Barker novel and it was less than I had hoped it would be. Although Mr. Barker can paint some pretty images with his poetic words, GALILEE really left me wondering what the point was. I suppose not being a romance fan didn't help either...
Rating:
Summary: A poor attempt at romance without the fantasy I expected.
Review: If you want romance, you'll have to wade through three quarters of this disappointment for one erotic moment. The only other image that sticks in my mind was the description of a fellow who "mined" something from his nose a flicked it away. Except for those "highlights," I'm sorry I kept with it. Hey Clive, stick to the Weaveworld theme!
Rating:
Summary: Not Clive's best...
Review: While this book was interesting and engaging, it was too long for its story. This story, I believe, would have been great with about a quarter of the story cut out!!! And the end was really not that well done or creative. You expect a lot more and get less. Read Imijica or Everville. These are his BEST works...
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