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The Books of Blood, Volume 1 cover art

The Books of Blood, Volume 1

By: Clive Barker
Narrated by: Simon Vance, Dick Hill, Peter Berkrot, Jeffrey Kafer, Chet Williamson, Chris Patton
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Summary

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. This first volume contains the short stories : "The Book of Blood," "The Midnight Meat Train," "The Yattering and Jack," "Sex, Death, and Starshine," and "In the Hills, the Cities."

©1984 Seraphim Films (P)2013 David N. Wilson

What listeners say about The Books of Blood, Volume 1

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Very intriguing stories!

The stories are super unusual and are truly unnerving and makes you feel uncomfortable, but in a good way! It seems like it is set in our world, but with a disturbing twist in each tale.
The stories are a good length; long enough to get a good story in and make you feel immersed in the world, but also short enough to not feel like it is tedious and drawn out. You can listen to one story in a single sitting.

The only thing I would say is that some of the voices of some of the characters sounded silly and did make me giggle, which took away from the spooky atmosphere a little.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Brilliant stories!

I really enjoyed these tales of blood. Wasnt quite expecting a set of short stories, very pleasantly surprised.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great Stories - Shame about the Narration

Fabulous horror stories - Clive Barker is a real master storyteller. The concept of the Books of Blood is set up in the first story, then the following anthology displays the author's skill and range of imagination; from the NYC subway in Midnight Meat Train, to the very British trials and tribulations in the Yattering and Jack.


I felt that some narrators let the tales down by either over exaggerated depth of feeling and expression, or badly chosen "voices" for some of the characters. It's mildly annoying - not enough to prevent me from purchasing more in the series, but annoying enough that if I could never hear those narrators again, I would pay more to do so!

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Superb

Superb audio book from the brilliant mind of Clive Barker. Definitely worth giving it 5/5

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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Great

If you could sum up The Books of Blood, Volume 1 in three words, what would they be?

Unique, grotesque, marvellous.

What does the narrators bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

The narrator brings an eerie quality to the stories which you wouldn't experience if you had only read the book. This is especially evident when voicing the demon in "The Yattering and Jack"

Any additional comments?

I loved the surreal premise and unusual quality of the stories. Each one is completely different from the one that came before.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Horror at its finest, perfection narration

Hailed by Stephen King as "the future of horror", Clive Barker's debut collection was proof of that title then, and continues to be so now. Each tale is as groundbreaking now as it would have been upon initial release. This gathering of art-horror tales push all imagined boundaries to produce the finest short stories "genre writing" has seen. "The Midnight Meat Train" and "In the Hills; the Cities" are my two personal favourites from volume 1.

Each narrator has been perfectly selected for their respective tale, and only add to Barker's prose. I cannot recommend this collection enough.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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Bloody

Would you listen to The Books of Blood, Volume 1 again? Why?

Yes. The stories are so varied yet similarly brutal.

What did you like best about this story?

The language and the tone.

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

Yes, but as it is an anthology you can also read it in smaller sittings.

Any additional comments?

'Midnight Meat Train', 'Pig Blood Blues' and 'The Yattering and Jack' are all really excellent.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Mixed debut

The first Books of Blood collection is a mixed bag of treats. Overall good, with a couple of strong highlights, and one I didn't much care for at all. The voice performances were top of the line all the way through.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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chilling tales from Clive Barker

sex,blood and fantasy collide in these chilling tales from Clive Barker, Barker continues to be one of the most visceraly descriptive writers I have read, my favourite from this collection had to be "up in the hills the cities" and if you're like me you'll find yourself thinking about these stories for days

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Brilliant First Volume of Horror Classics

The Books of Blood are an unbelievably strong collection of stories, especially considering that these represent the first published work of Clive Barker.
There isn't a weak story in Volume 1. I like that different narrators were used for each story and I think the choices worked well.
It's been a long time since I first read these and it's been great revisiting them.
A top class collection from Crossroad Press.
Highly recommended.

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