Continuing with this special feature, today I am pleased to welcome Kai from Fiction State of Mind to share about the book that first terrified her!
The Books of Blood by Clive Barker
I still can remember the first time I heard Clive Barkers name. I was sitting in the kitchen, a cereal bowl on my right hand side and my left hand clutching a copy of Stephen King’s Pet Semetary. My cereal was growing soggy as I lost my self in the narrative. Then from the living room I herd the familiar Good Morning America theme music and the announcer’s words “Next up, Stephen King and debut Author Clive Barker…”
I dropped my book and raced into the living room where my Mother was reading the paper and half watching the TV. I looked at the clock. If the segment aired soon I could catch it before school. A few seconds later the screen showed a grinning King and a young dark haired man sitting nervously, yet excitedly next to him.
The pair were on the show discussing the USA release of Clive’s writing debut, a short story anthology: The Books of Blood. The reason the pair were drawing the interest on such a national level was because of King’s famous quote, the one he wrote after reading an advanced copy of the first volume of Clive’s debut collection: “I have seen the future of the horror genre and his name is Clive Barker”
Strong words from the Master of Horror, the author who made me a horror fan. King was so excited to be on the show and spent the entire segment singing Clive’s praises. I had never seen anything like it! As I went through my school day I counted the hours until I was free and could speed to my local book store. When I saw the lurid cover of the book I was certain I knew what to expect . The cover spoke of familiarity. I had this horror thing down. I was reading King, watching zombie and werewolf flicks; I was immersed in Poe and had just been introduced to the fringe authors that would soon make up the Splatterpunk generation. I had no idea. No idea that horror could slip into your heart, stir up deep primal fears and splash them across the page bright and ripe.
From the opening prologue I knew this book was different. The world slowed down, snapped into a sharp prickling focus as I read page after page. There is nothing better in a horror fans life than to be guided by a masterful writer. And guide you Clive does, from the opening lines: “The dead have highways”. Our guide on this journey is McNeal, a liar and a fake. McNeal has lured a team of paranormal investigators to study him and his “gifts” The dead are tired of his farce and give him what he claims to possess: A gift. The dead inscribe their tales on McNeal’s body. Every inch of flesh and the reader is invited to explore it:
“So Read. Read and Learn”
And I did, A lot. I learned to wonder in the depths night what my body might be thinking after I read The Body Politic: “Charlie’s hands creep out of the warmth of the bed and into the open air”
I wondered if I would ever ride a subway late at night again “The truth was hanging in the next car. It was smiling contentedly …This was The Midnight Meat Train”
It is impossible to express in one post how wonderful these stories were to me. They opened me to a whole new world of writing style and fear. These stories travel the world: From the bowels of New York to small English villages. Their characters are cowards and lovers, sadists and pleasure seekers. And the women! No fainting damsels here. Clive’s women are strong and capable. They are not perfect and they often make horrible choices but they stand by them and fight to the end.
I devoured all three volumes of the American release of Books of Blood and a few years later when I had the opportunity to meet Clive at a convention I picked up the original six volume set with Clive’s original illustrations gracing each cover. These books are the pride of my book collection. They are the format I think all great Horror should be read in: A paperback warm in your hand, a cover splashed with red and black, a presence that cannot be ignored a warning to those who love to ask “what are you reading?”, and pages, thick and thin, crisp or faded, they slide across the fingers as we make the decision, court the thrill. Turn The Page.
I hope you invite these books into your life and your dreams! They are wonder and madness! Enjoy!
Thank you, Kai! Tune in next week for more of The First Book That Terrified You!
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