Stellar review. I read The Great and Secret Show many years ago and was amazed by how imaginative and wildly inventive it was. The scientific fantasy (for lack of a better term) blends wonderfuly in a creative story with set pieces and divergent paths that defy the good vs evil structure and instead paints a vague tale of wonderment around a war for humanity through dreams and nightmares. Good stuff indeed. Cheers for making this video.
The beginning of this book was awesome for me when I was a kid. But damn, it just fizzled for me after the kids were all grown. Will have to give it another chance after this synopsis. Imajica was the same way. Really good with strange parts.
I read the two Books of the Art back in high school. I'm revisiting them. Finished Great & Secret Show and now onto Everville. I still enjoyed these. I really hope he finishes 3. He has claimed he will so fingers are crossed
I read this book when I was 12-13 and it enthralled me. It was the first real novel I'd ever read. Everville was fantastic as well. They were such an original premise. The American Gods comparison is spot on.
I read The Great And Secret Show about Ten Years ago. I really enjoyed the Book. The Nightmarish visions this story painted in my mind was equally amazing, shocking and frightening. Clive Barker's imagination is unfolded and envelopes the reader in a fantastic journey of the mind's innermost secrets and fears made physical and real. Great Book. I read Everville afterwards, i really enjoyed that too. Excellent video 👍
I'm doing a group re-read of this. I loved it so much the first time I read it and know I'll love rediscovering it all over again. Thoroughly enjoyed Everville also! It is a shame the trilogy hasn't yet been completed and may never be. Hopefully Clive Barker will decide to write the final book one day and give us closure on this magnificent story.
I have just started reading The Great and Secret Show and so far I am hooked. Your review is fantastic and makes me very excited to see how this story unfolds :-)
I think it's a shame that the person Barker said he was when he wrote Weaveworld, is dead. I wonder if living in LA provided so many ' distractions' that his priorities really changed. Once he rolled all of his creativity into Imajica, that was him done to all intents, re densely written fantasy horror. The Great and Secret Show reads like a King novel, a real change to how he had written before. He has even implied that Galilee, Coldhart Canyon and Sacrament were contractual obligation works. I honestly think that the books of the art series was left unfinished because he ran out of inspiration and any interest in it. Seems to me that Abaret was/is his only true love creatively since Imajica.
Interesting, I didn’t know that about those three being ‘obligations’. I actually liked some of those three a lot, but they are different types of book for sure. I always thought it was a shame he moved to LA. His best stuff is that juxtaposition of the fantastical and the everyday British backdrops of Weaveworld and the books of blood.
Loved it...... Have you read or seen the IDW comic book adaptation (of GREAT SECRET SHOW)? Or heard of the proposed MOVIE or mini-series proposed by JOE HILL (Stephen King's son)?
LONG ago,after reading this,I created a D&D character named Wesley Fletcher... a mage/cleric who claimed to be the master of life and death. You'd see him walking around with vials of a bright blue liquid and muttering to himself,"I want to be sky".
Even if you set aside his medical issues I get the sense that Barker bites off more than he can chew. He’s written numerous things since Everville so even though his output is down versus what it was for the say the first ten years of his writing career, he could have returned to it but didn’t. I suppose he’s like George RR Martin in that sense.
I do occassionally, particularly anything disturbing, horror or science fiction themed. I like to keep my fingers on the pulse of what is happening in underground cultures, especially here on the interwebz.
It's difficult to say; there seems to be a lot of obfuscation occurring concerning what's going on with Barker. Rumour on the underground is that he's currently so ill, he finds it difficult to get out of bed, let alone write. It's very clear with recent publications under his name that there's a fair bit of ghost writing involved (great swathes of The Scarlet Gospels are clearly not Barker's writing). I don't think the Barker who wrote these early works of sheer genius exists any more, to be honest.
Stellar review.
I read The Great and Secret Show many years ago and was amazed by how imaginative and wildly inventive it was.
The scientific fantasy (for lack of a better term) blends wonderfuly in a creative story with set pieces and divergent paths that defy the good vs evil structure and instead paints a vague tale of wonderment around a war for humanity through dreams and nightmares.
Good stuff indeed.
Cheers for making this video.
The beginning of this book was awesome for me when I was a kid. But damn, it just fizzled for me after the kids were all grown. Will have to give it another chance after this synopsis. Imajica was the same way. Really good with strange parts.
I read the two Books of the Art back in high school. I'm revisiting them. Finished Great & Secret Show and now onto Everville. I still enjoyed these. I really hope he finishes 3. He has claimed he will so fingers are crossed
I read this book when I was 12-13 and it enthralled me. It was the first real novel I'd ever read. Everville was fantastic as well. They were such an original premise. The American Gods comparison is spot on.
I read The Great And Secret Show about Ten Years ago.
I really enjoyed the Book.
The Nightmarish visions this story painted in my mind was equally amazing, shocking and frightening.
Clive Barker's imagination is unfolded and envelopes the reader in a fantastic journey of the mind's innermost secrets and fears made physical and real.
Great Book.
I read Everville afterwards, i really enjoyed that too.
Excellent video 👍
Thanks for inspiring me to delve into Barker's back catalog!
I'm doing a group re-read of this. I loved it so much the first time I read it and know I'll love rediscovering it all over again. Thoroughly enjoyed Everville also! It is a shame the trilogy hasn't yet been completed and may never be. Hopefully Clive Barker will decide to write the final book one day and give us closure on this magnificent story.
Great book description.. Clive is my go-to influence nowdays, reading from his body of works this is an epic synopsis
Greetings from MT, U.S.A. The level of erudition in these retrospectives is refreshing. Looking forward to more of them.
Your review is making me think i will be rereading Imagica! And I hope it"s similar!
I have just started reading The Great and Secret Show and so far I am hooked. Your review is fantastic and makes me very excited to see how this story unfolds :-)
Marina Schnierer , buckle up Tesla,it's gonna be a bumpy ride!
I love your review, quite well spoken and I love this book so much. Thanks for sharing!
Man you do a wonderful job of reviewing. I'm looking forward to your other videos.
I think it's a shame that the person Barker said he was when he wrote Weaveworld, is dead. I wonder if living in LA provided so many ' distractions' that his priorities really changed. Once he rolled all of his creativity into Imajica, that was him done to all intents, re densely written fantasy horror. The Great and Secret Show reads like a King novel, a real change to how he had written before. He has even implied that Galilee, Coldhart Canyon and Sacrament were contractual obligation works. I honestly think that the books of the art series was left unfinished because he ran out of inspiration and any interest in it. Seems to me that Abaret was/is his only true love creatively since Imajica.
Interesting, I didn’t know that about those three being ‘obligations’. I actually liked some of those three a lot, but they are different types of book for sure. I always thought it was a shame he moved to LA. His best stuff is that juxtaposition of the fantastical and the everyday British backdrops of Weaveworld and the books of blood.
Loved it...... Have you read or seen the IDW comic book adaptation (of GREAT SECRET SHOW)? Or heard of the proposed MOVIE or mini-series proposed by JOE HILL (Stephen King's son)?
LONG ago,after reading this,I created a D&D character named Wesley Fletcher... a mage/cleric who claimed to be the master of life and death. You'd see him walking around with vials of a bright blue liquid and muttering to himself,"I want to be sky".
i got myself a copy of your strange playgrounds george, really enjoying it.
Thanks so much! Very glad you're enjoying it.
Great review thanks man 😎
Loving this series. Please review Galilee next? :)
There are certain similarities between TGASS and Thomas Pynchon's The Crying of Lot 49.
Will the third book of The Art ever be completed?
What is the official reason for Barker never finishing this series? I know he got very sick at one point. But he's well now, isn't he?
Even if you set aside his medical issues I get the sense that Barker bites off more than he can chew. He’s written numerous things since Everville so even though his output is down versus what it was for the say the first ten years of his writing career, he could have returned to it but didn’t. I suppose he’s like George RR Martin in that sense.
Flood the world with "the Death of the Occult"
do you ever read web comics?
I do occassionally, particularly anything disturbing, horror or science fiction themed. I like to keep my fingers on the pulse of what is happening in underground cultures, especially here on the interwebz.
well there is one you should check out,it's called KILL SIX BILLION DEMONS.
Timgika
Randolf Jaff sounds like "Bukowski"..... oh and whats going on with barker now...? why don't he write....?
It's difficult to say; there seems to be a lot of obfuscation occurring concerning what's going on with Barker. Rumour on the underground is that he's currently so ill, he finds it difficult to get out of bed, let alone write. It's very clear with recent publications under his name that there's a fair bit of ghost writing involved (great swathes of The Scarlet Gospels are clearly not Barker's writing). I don't think the Barker who wrote these early works of sheer genius exists any more, to be honest.
Jeez, that's too bad. I hope he ends up ok, whether he writes again or not.