Rating: 
Summary: Mandingo Does Dallas
Review: Having read many of the reviews here on this site for Galilee: A Romance, I realize that I am not the only Clive Barker fan who is dissapointed with his latest work. I devour anything and everything written by Mr. Barker because it is always so delicious and satisfying. This time however I feel well undernourished. I went into this book knowing that Mr. Barker had decided to focus less on horror and fantasy. I had no problem with that because I feel that he is talented enough to successfully travel any road in literature. Galilee however failed to move me like his other works had. I felt that the foundation of the story - the relationship between Rachel & Galilee - was just not believable. The characters were underdeveloped for a story of this size. As the story continued I felt myself not caring about what happened to Rachel & Galilee. The best part of the novel were the excerpts from the Civil War Journal. The story from the Journal would have made a much more interesting novel. Hopefully if Mr. Barker decides to continue the story of the Barbarossas he will focus on their rich past rather than their current situation.
Rating: 
Summary: Frustrating
Review: This was my first Clive Barker book. The concept of the book was a good one, but unfortunately, the characters didn't have depth. There were many, many loose ends and many topics that should have been touched on more. Sure it would have made for a much longer book, but a more interesting and less frustrating one as well.
Rating: 
Summary: Puerile
Review: Having never read a Barker book before, I had no expectations of this book and none were met. A well-woven plotline was sacrificed for frequent forays into the labored "isn't sexuality diverse?" area. The idea that women, as a rule, fall in love with men who are well-endowed, sexual maestros is one-dimensional and ridiculous. If this is supposed to be poking fun at the predeliction of women to fantasize about the heroes of "bodice-rippers," the joke goes on too long to be truly amusing. Actually, the whole book seemed like one long joke at the expense of the reader: characters without depth or true complexity, a plot which meandered into nowhere, and a cynical use of cliche plot devices to fill in the threadbare parts. The ending was a bleeding wound with a Band-Aid stuck on, presumably so that a sequel may be written, the Band-Aid ripped off and the two parts grafted together. I won't be around to watch.
Rating:
Summary: NOT FOR NIGHT-WATCHMEN OR PEOPLE OPERATING HEAVY MACHINERY!!
Review: Cliche as it might sound....ahem....I'm a huge Barker fan. I've read and re-read nearly every novel and short story he's written, and even if I had been told prior to reading "Galilee" that it was a departure from from CB's usuall style, or that it was boring, I still would have read it. I usually complete a Barker novel with similar feelings to that when one returns from an exotic vacation,.... vivid memories of strange sights and customs and regret that you couldn't have stayed longer. With "Galilee", I found myself wondering if it would ever end.
Rating: 
Summary: The interracial aspect carried too many stereotypes.
Review: I'm a big fan of Barker and I'd be lying if I didn't read this novel from cover to cover at a lightening fast speed. It held my interest. Howvever, being a black woman, I had to stifle a lot of my beliefs in order to get through the novel. I felt Barker exotified black men and black women. He also seemed to feed into that stereotype of why white women want black men so much: because of their "sexual prowess" (something I strongly believe to be a myth). Aside from that side of it, I liked this book. And regardless, I still urge people to read it, it's a good piece of fiction.
Rating:
Summary: Mostly enjoyable; never stellar
Review: I must admit that Mr. Barker has written better stories than Galilee. But, even though Galilee doesn't hit the high mark set by Barker in Imajica, The Great And Secret Show or Everville, it is still a good story so far. I say "so far" because it is apparent that the story will continue in future releases. As such, it's difficult (and a bit unfair) to judge a book like this. To do so is something like judging a partially finished painting. One has to let this man finish his thought.Frankly, I'm looking forward to reading on about the Barbarossas and the Gearys. They certainly aren't original characters (in fact, Cesaria and her kin are really little more than vampires that don't bite), but they're entertaining. Barker has certainly given us his best for a long time now. I suppose every author is entitled to a bit of fluff now and again. Let's just hope he doesn't make a habit of it as Ms. Rice has done.
Rating: 
Summary: Sublime
Review: I have been a fan of Clive Barker since the release of Books of Blood in those awful paper backs with the masks on the cover. I actually had a good chuckle over that with Clive at a booksigning for Weaveworld. Sure he has changed, we all have, and some might not appreciate the direction he has grown. But Galilee is a wonderfully written novel that is not slow, boring, or "trashy" romance. There is alot that happens beneath the surface in this book which I thought was absolutely amazing. Clive has always had the ability to suck me into his worlds regardless of the strange, or lack of strange things, that happen in them. Galilee is a fantastic example of how Barker has grown and changed, yet remained the same. Sure it doesn't have monsters or parallel worlds but it is still weird. There are a lot of things to like about this book and I can't wait to see what he does next.
Rating:
Summary: Buyer Beware
Review: Do not buy this book with out reading a few chapters first. This is one of those "either you like it or hate it" books. This novel is not like any other Clive Barker novel, which is disappointing. I bought this because I was intrigued with the premise and because I was a geat fan of Barker's previous works. The book promises much but does not deliver. I found nothing intriguing about the the relationships and secrect past of the two main familys. This book calls itself a romances but I found nothing romatic about it. The characters were flat and their actions irrational, and Barker attempts to pass lust for love, and I fail to see how love could develop between Rachel and Galilee. The the so called mysterious tangled past of the Gearys and Barborossas was a major let down, Barker could have redeemed himself by elaborating more, but the result is a very ordinary story strewn with random suggestions of the supernatural in a failed attempt to create something different. To cut it short this book was just damn BORING !!! A big waste of money and a shame to have sitting on my bookself. (Nice Cover though) Go read IMAJICA instead. If you are really big Clive Barker fan and must have everthing he writes try to go the local Borders, buy a cup of coffee, a read a couple chapters of Galilee first. You might just find yourself getting up and putting it back on the shelf.
Rating:
Summary: A masterfully written novel
Review: Wow! I've just read some reviews of this novel. Good or bad, they make me appreciate this book more. Clive Barker weaves a tight tale with Galilee. The novels swept me away in the first few pages and could not be put down until it was finished. Barker has a magical way of weaving words into enthralling tales. I say this because I've read some of his other novels as well. Even when he writes horror he captures your attention and takes you places you could never find on your own. Barker's writings evoke images of places, situations and characters that are vivid, clear, and incredibly tangible. Galilee is no exception. This is a novel about two families-the Barbarossas and the Gearys--that have become inextricably interwoven, but not to their mutual benefit. It is a tale of the lives, loves and sufferings of these two families and the people they affect. From the beginning the tale is woven with threads of the most vibrant hue, each string used to create a history that takes the reader through a range of emotional and sensual experiences. For those readers who've commented on typos, dangling threads of the story, and the narrator. You missed a good book. Read it again. The typos and dangling strings are fitting. It gives the reader a feel for the haste with which Maddox--the writer/narrator--is trying to capture this history before it escapes him. He is the perfect narrator. Who but a half-breed could better understand both the world of the divine Barbarossas and the rich and powerful, but human Geary's? If you're thinking about reading this book, don't deny yourself the pleasure. It's beautiful, entertaining, and thoroughly captivating. Thank you Mr. Barker for another masterful and imaginative ride. I'm glad I picked up this novel and will certainly find the ones I missed along the way.
Rating:
Summary: Clive Barker, low-key but on top of his game
Review: Clive Barker, the writer, is himself a work in progress. It is therefore without surprise that Galilee comes across as another reshaping of his themes and tricks. Yet, even though Galilee is never as brilliant and pyrotechnic as Imajica or Weaveworld, nor straightforward like Cabal, it may be Barker's best balanced book so far. Chiseled, measured, it will disappoint the horror afficionado and still remain a little too odd to be really mainstream. But it is elegant, cunning, and shows once more that Clive Barker dreams more with other British writers like Tanith Lee than with the hordes of Stephen King followers. Most interesting, by comparison to a genre that loves to create chaos as a story progresses, Clive Barker manages, better than ever, to make order and structure gradually emerge. And, oh well, it is already pretty well cut to make a screenplay. Just in case.
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