Clive Barker Visions of Heaven and Hell [Hardcover]

Clive Barker (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 27, 2005

What would you see if you could peek inside the mind of Clive Barker, creator of such classics as Weaveworld, Hellraiser, and Candyman? Would you dare look? Crack open Visions of Heaven and Hell, and you have unlocked a Pandora's box of images that are certain to stay inside your head. For more than twenty-five years, Barker has awed fans and critics alike with his groundbreaking works of fiction, but what few know is that the heart of his fantastic worlds lies in pictures. Now, for the first time, this book brings out from the dark depths more than 300 of Barker's most stunning drawings and oil paintings. Illuminated with new writings by Barker, this artwork renders with expressionist fervor some of our most primal passions-good, evil, and all that's between. From the graphically terrifying to the ecstatically sensual, Visions of Heaven and Hell takes the reader on a journey through unexplored and forbidden realms. Designed in a luxurious package that recalls a devotional medieval manuscript or the works of Blake and Cocteau, this volume itself has the feel of a talisman from one of Barker's stories. Providing the true key to the mysteries of his imagination, it is a must-have collectible for the legion of Barker's fiction fans. But it also reaches out to an even greater audience of those who follow his films. "Barker has an unparalleled talent for envisioning other worlds." -Washington Post Book World

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Clive Barker is a modern myth-maker. Among his most acclaimed works of fiction are The Books of Blood, Cabal, The Hellbound Heart, Imajica, Galilee, and Abarat. He regularly shows his art in New York and Los Angeles, and produces and directs for both the large screen and small.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Rizzoli (September 27, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0847827372
• ISBN-13: 978-0847827374
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 1 x 12.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #601,370 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Clive Barker was born in Liverpool in 1952. He is the worldwide bestselling author of the Books of Blood, and numerous novels including Imajica, The Great and Secret Show, Sacrament and Galilee. In addition to his work as a novelist and short story writer he also illustrates, writes, directs and produces for the stage and screen. His films include Hellraiser, Hellbound, Nightbreed and Candyman. Clive lives in Beverly Hills, California.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stunning, November 8, 2005

By 

Felixpath (Vermont, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Clive Barker Visions of Heaven and Hell (Hardcover)

Clive Barker amazes me. How can one man unleash such a massive imagination on the world? First came his formidable books of horror and dark fantasy, then the movies, and now this collection of his oil paintings.

Barker doesn't make the mistake of drawing from life. His work combines surrealism, impressionism, dream logic, and psychosis. His enigmatic characters gaze out at the viewer, suggesting secrets kept and answers offered. His colors are bold and bright, dazzling the eye. Much of his work is horrifying (though rarely gory), much is erotic, much is wonderous, much is mysterious. All is excellent.

I'm a huge fan of Barker's "Abarat" books, and many of the images he created for them reappear in "Visions of Heaven and Hell." I'm incredibly pleased that this book came into being, and even happier that Clive Barker continues to share his boundless imagination with us.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rare to find - a popular writer who's also a fine artist, February 5, 2006

By 

Len (Connecticut USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Clive Barker Visions of Heaven and Hell (Hardcover)

The images in this book - largely supernatural characters and places from Clive Barker's imagination - show he's a bona fide double-threat - the rare artist equally comfortable in literature and visual arts. The fantastic beings and places in this book are unrestrained, frequently libidinous, and as finely crafted as the beings and worlds in his books. They resonate with emotion, vibrate with color, and push the boundaries of imagination. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Clive Barker's fiction, and also enjoys visual art. One word of caution - there's a good deal of phantasmagorical sexual imagery in this book, so it's probably not suitable for a conservative home's coffee table.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars New Favorite Book, April 23, 2006

By 

Wesley McCraw (Eugene, OR United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Clive Barker Visions of Heaven and Hell (Hardcover)

It's breathtakingly gorgeous. $50 at full price, you can get it for about $20 online. If you have no idea what it is, it's paintings. After about the first fifty paintings I was astonished with the endless vivid creativity. I kept flipping page after page, past another fifty and then another, not taking the time to absorb everything, just flipping through the book for the first time... It's just painting after vivid painting, some folding out of the book for more space but still feeling limited by the edges of the page. After yet another fifty paintings go by, I realize this is something special, something amazing, something unbelievable, and I still have fifty more paints to flip through, and I still have to go back and take the time to really look at the 250 paints I only skimmed. If these were still-lifes, or portraits, or anything from real life, it would be like any other art book, but all of it's from Clive Barker's head. It really feels like discovering a modern day Van Gogh/Dali before the rest of the world. I've read almost all of Clive's work, novels that have their flaws but always demonstrate a singular imagination. Visions of Heaven and Hell proves that his imagination can not be over estimated.