Fifth Volume of Blood

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.

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Better than vol 1-4

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.

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Accents

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

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A decline in quality I think.

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.

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Classic horror

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

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

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1 person found this helpful

Another Fantastic Collection

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.

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You can't judge honey by looking at the bee

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.

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