The Books of Blood: Volume 5 cover art

The Books of Blood: Volume 5

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The Books of Blood: Volume 5

By: Clive Barker
Narrated by: Jeffrey Kafer, Melissa Exelberth, Scott O'Neill, Vanessa Hart
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About this listen

Few authors can claim to have marked a genre so thoroughly and personally that their words have leaked into every aspect of modern pop culture. Clive Barker is such an author, and the Books of Blood marked his debut - his coming out to the world - in brilliant, unforgettable fashion. Crossroad Press is proud to present Clive Barker's Books of Blood as an audiobook for the first time.

The Books of Blood combine the ordinary with the extraordinary while radiating the eroticism that has become Barker's signature. Weaving tales of the everyday world transformed into an unrecognizable place, where reason no longer exists and logic ceases to explain the workings of the universe, Clive Barker provides the stuff of nightmares in packages too tantalizing to resist.

Never one to shy away from the unimaginable or the unspeakable, Clive Barker breathes life into our deepest, darkest nightmares, creating visions that are at once terrifying, tender, and witty. The Books of Blood confirm what horror fans everywhere have known for a long time: We will be hearing from Clive Barker for many years to come.

©2013 Clive Barker, Inc (P)2013 David N. Wilson Anthologies Anthologies & Short Stories Fiction Horror Short Stories Scary Witty

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All stars
Most relevant  
I think these stories would be a lot more enjoyable if the narrators had British accents.

Accents

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Would you listen to The Books of Blood: Volume 5 again? Why?

Have done.

What other book might you compare The Books of Blood: Volume 5 to, and why?

Compared to the previous four volumes, this book carries on the tradition of blood and horror, though they begin to change. Less short stories and more novellas, the scope and scale of the storytelling is evolving.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, it is good to listen to the stories individually.

Any additional comments?

Volume 5 is a definite transition for Clive Barker's writing, he is evolving. And the first story, The Forbidden, is the inspiration for the classic horror film The Candyman.

Fifth Volume of Blood

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The quality of the story telling is much better, like Barker found a more developed style and it is so much more enjoyable than volumes 1-4. There are less short stories and a handful of longer ones which allows you to connect more to the character and plot.

Better than vol 1-4

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Ok, so if you have read the previous books in the series, then you know what you're in for. There are some good stories it's worth reading, but it lacks the brilliance of the early books.

A decline in quality I think.

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Barker is great, and it was wonderful to revisit this collection.

English pronunciation is clearly difficult for American narrators, research helps.

Classic horror

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Listener received this title free

The Books of Blood: Volume 5 is another fantastic collection of short horror stories from a true master of the genre. Each tale is fascinating in its own right, but In The Flesh is probably my highlight. It sets the tone for some of Barker's later work like The Hellbound Heart and Everville.
The narrators all did fine jobs, but I probably would've prefered British narrators for the stories that took place in the UK.
Another winner from Crossroad Press.

Another Fantastic Collection

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Listener received this title free

Never having actually read any of Clive Barker's work, I'd always assumed him to be a gore-monkey peddler of tacky '80s bondage horror, which proves once again that old adage about books and covers. Originally published in 1985, this is the fifth volume of the story collections that first made his name. It's a wilfully eccentric beast: more dark fantasy than horror. Each of the four stories here is read by a different narrator and most do an excellent job (unfortunately, I lost patience with the reading of 'The Madonna' and skipped it, hence the docking of one star overall). The most famous of these is the opening story, 'The Forbidden', which was adapted into the classic '80s horror flick 'Candyman'. Here, removed from the Chicago projects setting and racial dynamics of the film, the story is revealed to be a very English strain of urban noir; not dissimilar to M. John Harrison (were he a more ghoulish and explicit writer).
'Babel's Children' is a quirky farce about the secret rulers of the world, entirely removed from the horror genre, and the sort of thing Douglas Adams might have sketched out.
Finally, 'In The Flesh' returns to the haunting dark fantasy that began the collection and is something that wouldn't have been out of place amongst J. G. Ballard's short stories of the '70s.
So, a pleasant surprise! To fans of the Hellblazer comic I would strongly recommend this book. Hopefully the others in the series are just as engaging.

You can't judge honey by looking at the bee

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