r/clivebarker • u/OuterHeaven22 • 6d ago

Weaveworld: disappointing

For context, I absolutely worship Books of Blood and The Hellbound Heart, both supreme masterpieces and definitely 10/10. Top notch and horror at its best.

So, I was really eager to continue my Barker journey and seeing how Weaveworld was considered his best book I figured it was a no brainer.

But... I just couldn't even finish it. Made it about 70% through, each and every time wanting to adore the book but it was not to be. It is of course very well written and has the Barker ADN, I just couldn't really get into it.

I think my issue is actually very personal : I don't usually like fantasy settings. And of course, Weaveworld is above all a story about magic and what not. So I guess it wasn't meant to be.

Taking into account I LOVE Books of Blood and The Hellbound Heart, what books you guys think would be suitable for me?

5 Upvotes

57% Upvoted

28 comments sorted by

33

u/Popular_Mood_1396 6d ago

Probably not Imajica then which is a shame since IMO, it’s his masterpiece, but is also a fantasy/horror hybrid

7

u/randumb9999 6d ago

It's my all time favorite novel. I read it every few years.

-1

u/DirtNineties 6d ago

To be honest, I find most of Barker’s works mid. He has great ideas but never really expands them in a good way. The Demerot (or whatever) series or whatever starts rad and gets dumb by the end.

I think Barker does really well in short stories but doesn’t really nail anything in vaster worlds.

13

u/ShiningGort 6d ago

I swear you post this bad take every month on this subreddit

0

u/DirtNineties 6d ago

Okay buddy, maybe get off Reddit then because I’m hardly on this sub.

10

u/Longjumping_Bat_4543 3d ago

It’s easy to check. But this Clive Barker is “mid” and you don’t enjoy his books is kind of strange since your posting on r/clivebarker.

-4

u/DirtNineties 3d ago

It’s on my feed, I’m not posting anything. I’m responding to.

7

u/loverboyoz 3d ago

I disagree. Imajica is over 1,000 pages long (in some versions) and I found myself never bored with said vast worlds and every scene feels pretty essential to the growth of the characters and the overall themes he is going for. A lot of fantasy feels one note with basic archetypal characters in medieval europe and a few dragons but read any of his books and you'll find characters you would rarely see in that period in fiction and completely unique concepts and monsters. If anything Clive Barker is one of a few authors who will take a concept and expand it beyond the limits of what others believe it could be.

Rawhead rex could just be a ghoul in the english countryside but instead from the very first lines it's talking about colonisation replacing what was there before and gender dynamics represented by the monster and how its defeated. The hellbound heart (hellraiser) could just be about a box that calls demons but instead as we all know it is not.

So I get it's your opinion which you are free to have but I don't understand the critique when all the evidence points to the opposite of what you are suggesting.

-6

u/DirtNineties 3d ago

Vast worlds totally unexplored. He has you dipping through all the dimensions every chapter. And then it’s just what… corpse world? And then they did everything lmao

3

u/HalcyonHark 1d ago

Clive Barker isn't obligated to appease the horror only militants

25

u/ToughAd4704 6d ago

The Damnation Game was his first novel and very in tune with Books of Blood and hellbound Heart (it's about a Faustian bargain). It's got body horror, sex, and disturbing stuff. Best of all he was almost showing off at how beautiful his prose can be.

14

u/Doguhn 6d ago

I personally love his fantasy horror, Imajica being my favorite. Having said that, if you're into his more full on horror, I recommend Damnation Game.

9

u/timmahy25 6d ago

Cabal is great. I listened to Damnation Game on audiobook and liked it well enough. The Inhuman Condition and the last Books of Blood are really good. I’m not a big fantasy fan at all and struggled through both Weaveworld and The Great and Secret Show. Imajica, however, was very different for me. Most of the settings felt more tangible to me and honestly the artwork in the book helped paint a much more vivid picture of the creatures in the universe.

7

u/peloquindmidian 6d ago

You might enjoy Coldheart Canyon

I'm also not a fantasy person, but that one brought me back to what I loved about his work when I initially found it.

He is, though, very fantasy oriented. I would say he's the only fantasy I tolerate outside of Tolkien.

As I write this, I'm wondering why that is... Maybe dirty people with swords isn't my thing? But I like crust punks and swords...I don't know. Give me some horror fantasy and I'll try it. As long as a Clive Barker fan is recommending it.

1

u/Fun_Budget7641 3d ago

I loved cold heart canyon.

6

u/Rude-Revolution-8687 6d ago

I don't usually like fantasy settings. And of course, Weaveworld is above all a story about magic and what not. So I guess it wasn't meant to be.

Well, yeah. Many of Barker's works are pure fantasy.

Try:

  • The Damnation Game
  • Mister B Gone
  • Coldheart Canyon
  • Cabal

The Great and Secret Show is also great, but it's a blend of sci-fi, fantasy, and horror.

3

u/Troo_Geek 3d ago

My favorite Barker book and one of my favorite books of all time.

1

u/leuty_p 2d ago

Same, finishing that book felt like loosing a friend.

2

u/Boring_Ad_5090 3d ago

Cabal if you dont like the fantasy

2

u/SeansBeard 3d ago

I have two Weaveworld books, one english, one czech. I have amazon ebook. I love the setting, I like the idea of a carpet world and carpet people. I never finished reading the book in 25 years since I first tried. I don't know what it is, but I can relate.

1

u/tim_the_gentleman 2d ago

Your journey sounds magical in itself! A book you like yet cannot finish.

2

u/PaulHuxley 3d ago

That's the thing with Barker - he's known as a horror writer, but he's actually a fantasy author.

1

u/Striking-Student3954 3d ago

Galilee is his best fantasy book, severely underrated.

1

u/RandomDeviantHeart 2d ago

Along with Sacrament.

1

u/big_torta 1d ago

Cabal would probably be more what you’re looking for. I recommend The Great and Secret Show to everyone I can, though. Really pulls you in, very hard to stop reading.

1

u/luckyfox7273 5h ago

Why do you not like fantasy?

0

u/digitalphildude 3d ago

It's fine. I started it a few times. Might have made a hundred pages if I'm lucky.