I really appreciate your Clive Barker reviews! Barker is probably my favorite writer of all time. I discovered him when I was maybe 17 and his books completely changed my life. And it's really great to see someone like you who is so passionate about his work. You make me want to read him again and I think I will begin with sacrament!
I know right! I've never read a Clive Barker book but I'm seriously excited to read him now after watching all these reviews! This guy really gets into the depth in his work with such raw and honest enthusiasm...I've never seen anyone talk about books the way this guy talks about Clive Barker it's made me more excited about reading a book than I can remember. Amazing.
I love your commentary here. Im a life long lover of Clive Barker and his work and Sacrament is my favorite work of his-- it is so beautiful and, i feel, the closest to how actual magic works. I'm a straight, white, American female yet I relate so much to this novel as a lifelong loner and individualist; as one who relates to very few other humans. It is a very special book, indeed...
After meeting Clive Barker recently during Monster Mania, I immediately had to pick up one of his novels that I haven’t read yet. I’m about halfway through Sacrament and it is so far my favorite of his books that I’ve read. Everything about this book is just breathtaking and I’m connecting with the characters on such a deep level. P.S. loving your videos!
Your commentaries are amazing! I am currently reading sacrament because of your insights. Admittedly when I was younger I dismissed this book because I'm not gay and I was almost hesitant to allow Clive Barker influence to me on this issue, being that he was after all my favorite writer. I finally read the book in my later 20s. I liked it but considered it inferior to some of his others such as imagica. Now is a 43 year old man, I have approached this novel with a more mature frame of mind. And as you pointed out I like it even better. In fact I think it's amazing and I am surprised that this novel did not resonate with me during my first read. Anyhow all this to say I appreciate your commentaries. Question. I don't see a video on Mister B. Gone. Curious to know your thoughts on that one.
rosa McGee, but i know you knew that. it really is a magical book. i am going in for a 3rd read. im still getting my head around it, i love the triggers, i love how it makes me think and how i feel after reading it.
I've always avoided Sacrament because I had heard that it wasn't quite the same material as Cabal, Weaveworld, Hellbound Heart, etc.; but your review has me very intrigued and I can't wait until it shows up in my mailbox now.
Read this book when I had just started college, I enjoyed it and remember certain images but I didn't quite grasp everything going in it. Your review makes me want to read it again. Fantastic series you're doing, keep it up.
Hey man, another amazing and insightful review. I really honestly appreciate the depth and amount of thought you put into your reviews and also how you manage to convey so eloquently the very essence of each of Barker's works. The things you highlight upon really resonated with me, especially regarding the comparison of types of relationships and the problems with allowing society to judge what is best for us where intimate relationships are concerned. Being a gay man myself I completely see where you are coming from and completely agree. I honestly was a little skeptical at first in picking up Sacrament - having heard some very mixed things - but you have definitely now convinced me lol. I have finished Imajica (for the second time) and Weaveworld so far this year and am hoping to at least complete the majority of his bibliography by the end of the year. Do you have a Goodreads by chance?
Just finished this book for the first time in my life as a gay man who just turned 30. And honestly I am not sure if I enjoyed Sacrament. There are definitely moments and quotes from this book that will remain with me for a very long time, but they are so few and far between. The stuff in between was just too much symbolism and metaphors for my tastes. I would argue that this book is more about religion, especially Christianity, than about being a gay man. And the fact that I am reading it for the first time in 2023 also doesn't help cause a fair amount of gay related things in this book are very outdated or no longer relevant now. There are also many things in this book that just happened and I thought they'll be important later, but they never do. Feels like abandoned concepts or ideas. Or maybe I simply dozed off during some parts that weren't particularly interesting to me (I listened to the audiobook narrated by Ron Keith). For example, I never figured out the point of the character from the intro that Will goes to visit and mentioned Rosa and Jacob to him. How is that character related to them? I don't think it's ever explained or I simply missed it. Rosa and Jacob have "powers". She can use her rosaries as weapons and Jacob can apparently conjure fire. That's literally mentioned in one chapter near the beginning and never again. Why? Is it only there to symbolize something that went way over my head or is it just abandoned? Too much of this book has me going "is this symbolism/metaphor that I simply can't understand currently or is it just nothing at all?" and that hurt the enjoyment I could have had with this book. I think that I would enjoy this book much more if I pick it up in 15 to 20 years again. Because too much of it revolves around a character who is rapidly losing people in his life to death and he reached that point in life where nothing really matters to him anymore. He has lost passion for things that he used to enjoy and literally said at one point "this is as good as it gets". And I can not currently relate to that in my life. Again, it has certain aspects that I adored and will stay with me for a long time. But it's not Weaveworld that I loved from cover to cover. One thing I'd like to note is that this book had a Patrick and a (John) Galloway. And Patrick Galloway is the main character in Clive Barker's Undying. Not sure if that's just a coincidence but I found it cool.
I'm very glad I've found your channel this evening. Your words on Barker's works are incredibly inspiring for me in my own fiction writing pursuits.
I really appreciate your Clive Barker reviews! Barker is probably my favorite writer of all time. I discovered him when I was maybe 17 and his books completely changed my life. And it's really great to see someone like you who is so passionate about his work. You make me want to read him again and I think I will begin with sacrament!
I know right! I've never read a Clive Barker book but I'm seriously excited to read him now after watching all these reviews! This guy really gets into the depth in his work with such raw and honest enthusiasm...I've never seen anyone talk about books the way this guy talks about Clive Barker it's made me more excited about reading a book than I can remember. Amazing.
Just finished that today! Very, very good novel.
I love your commentary here. Im a life long lover of Clive Barker and his work and Sacrament is my favorite work of his-- it is so beautiful and, i feel, the closest to how actual magic works. I'm a straight, white, American female yet I relate so much to this novel as a lifelong loner and individualist; as one who relates to very few other humans. It is a very special book, indeed...
After meeting Clive Barker recently during Monster Mania, I immediately had to pick up one of his novels that I haven’t read yet. I’m about halfway through Sacrament and it is so far my favorite of his books that I’ve read. Everything about this book is just breathtaking and I’m connecting with the characters on such a deep level.
P.S. loving your videos!
Your commentaries are amazing! I am currently reading sacrament because of your insights. Admittedly when I was younger I dismissed this book because I'm not gay and I was almost hesitant to allow Clive Barker influence to me on this issue, being that he was after all my favorite writer. I finally read the book in my later 20s. I liked it but considered it inferior to some of his others such as imagica. Now is a 43 year old man, I have approached this novel with a more mature frame of mind. And as you pointed out I like it even better. In fact I think it's amazing and I am surprised that this novel did not resonate with me during my first read. Anyhow all this to say I appreciate your commentaries. Question. I don't see a video on Mister B. Gone. Curious to know your thoughts on that one.
rosa McGee, but i know you knew that. it really is a magical book. i am going in for a 3rd read. im still getting my head around it, i love the triggers, i love how it makes me think and how i feel after reading it.
I've always avoided Sacrament because I had heard that it wasn't quite the same material as Cabal, Weaveworld, Hellbound Heart, etc.; but your review has me very intrigued and I can't wait until it shows up in my mailbox now.
Yay, you're still here. :) I'm back after a two year hiatus. So glad you're still going.
Read this book when I had just started college, I enjoyed it and remember certain images but I didn't quite grasp everything going in it. Your review makes me want to read it again. Fantastic series you're doing, keep it up.
Hey man, another amazing and insightful review. I really honestly appreciate the depth and amount of thought you put into your reviews and also how you manage to convey so eloquently the very essence of each of Barker's works. The things you highlight upon really resonated with me, especially regarding the comparison of types of relationships and the problems with allowing society to judge what is best for us where intimate relationships are concerned. Being a gay man myself I completely see where you are coming from and completely agree. I honestly was a little skeptical at first in picking up Sacrament - having heard some very mixed things - but you have definitely now convinced me lol. I have finished Imajica (for the second time) and Weaveworld so far this year and am hoping to at least complete the majority of his bibliography by the end of the year. Do you have a Goodreads by chance?
Just finished this book for the first time in my life as a gay man who just turned 30. And honestly I am not sure if I enjoyed Sacrament.
There are definitely moments and quotes from this book that will remain with me for a very long time, but they are so few and far between.
The stuff in between was just too much symbolism and metaphors for my tastes.
I would argue that this book is more about religion, especially Christianity, than about being a gay man. And the fact that I am reading it for the first time in 2023 also doesn't help cause a fair amount of gay related things in this book are very outdated or no longer relevant now.
There are also many things in this book that just happened and I thought they'll be important later, but they never do. Feels like abandoned concepts or ideas. Or maybe I simply dozed off during some parts that weren't particularly interesting to me (I listened to the audiobook narrated by Ron Keith). For example, I never figured out the point of the character from the intro that Will goes to visit and mentioned Rosa and Jacob to him. How is that character related to them? I don't think it's ever explained or I simply missed it.
Rosa and Jacob have "powers". She can use her rosaries as weapons and Jacob can apparently conjure fire. That's literally mentioned in one chapter near the beginning and never again. Why? Is it only there to symbolize something that went way over my head or is it just abandoned?
Too much of this book has me going "is this symbolism/metaphor that I simply can't understand currently or is it just nothing at all?" and that hurt the enjoyment I could have had with this book.
I think that I would enjoy this book much more if I pick it up in 15 to 20 years again. Because too much of it revolves around a character who is rapidly losing people in his life to death and he reached that point in life where nothing really matters to him anymore. He has lost passion for things that he used to enjoy and literally said at one point "this is as good as it gets". And I can not currently relate to that in my life.
Again, it has certain aspects that I adored and will stay with me for a long time. But it's not Weaveworld that I loved from cover to cover.
One thing I'd like to note is that this book had a Patrick and a (John) Galloway. And Patrick Galloway is the main character in Clive Barker's Undying. Not sure if that's just a coincidence but I found it cool.
As a straight male who just turned 40.....and I lean conservative....but I think that gays are ok....it's your perogative....if you are gay....be gay