Everville

Rating:
Summary: Truly Ingenious
Review: STOP! This is part two, the first book is The Great and Secret Show (which is not obvious to look at Everville in a local book store.) In fact, when reading it I myself didn't realize what it was a continuation of until about 100 pages in when a barage of characters came into the book I recognized. As so much of Barker's work does this delves heavily into bizarre occult fiction with its characters passing in between alternate universes/realities through strange passageways and many of the main characters nearly immortal. If you enjoyed the Great and Secret Show, you'll love this book and its a must read. This ranks high among the Barker collection of other such greats as Weaveworld, Imajica and Sacrament. Best for patient readers who enjoy long books with complex story lines. If you're idea of reading is short stories and comics, don't bother. But if you're into an adventure it is mandatory reading.

Rating:
Summary: One of Clive's best
Review: This book forces one into a world of imagination like no other book has to me before. The beginning is fairly dull, but the rest of the book makes up for that. You probably should read the Great and Secret Show first, but the imagery and character development is good enough to read it in reverse order, honestly.

Rating:
Summary: Give us more, Barker. MORE!!
Review: When I read this book for the first time a few years ago, it put me in a addictive state of shock and admiration. This was the best book I had ever read - no kidding.

Though it is a sequel I hadn't at that time read TG&SS and had therefore no forehand knowledge of the many more-than-human characters roaming this book. I followed the story which was at times quite confusing but allways intriguingly fascinating as it grew through the book into epic proportions. As allways with Barker you never know what to expect throughout the book, but he rarely dissapoints and more likely he takes the tale even higher than you imagined possible. You just want to read on and on, to know what happens.

Barker has a unique way of opening the readers mind to strange new ideas that is unparalleled in any other writing. If you haven't read Barker before this is as good a place as any to start. If you have, you certainly can't afford to miss this one! At present I have read just about anything Clive has written - some powerfull stuff a lot of it - but I will never forget my "first time" with Everville.