The Damnation Game [Paperback]

Clive Barker (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 5, 2002

A reclusive millionaire makes a deal with the devil. Just another horror tale? Don't bet on it.

It's from Clive Barker.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

"I have seen the future of the horror genre, and his name is Clive Barker," Stephen King has written. Fortunately, this first novel (Barker has published short story collections) more than bears the weight of King's praise. Barker is a better writer than King, and his characters are just as interesting. Set in modern Britain, the story thrusts a flawed "innocent"parolee Marty Straussinto an epic conflict between wealthy Joseph Whitehead and Mamoulian the Cardplayer, a centuries-old creature with whom Whitehead had struck a bargain to obtain his wealth and power. Whitehead reneges, and the resulting struggle is played out primarily on his fortress-like estate. Barker's excellent writing makes the graphic, grotesque imagery endemic to current horror fiction very effective. Highly recommended anywhere horror fiction is popular. A.J. Wright, Anesthesiology Dept., Univ. of Alabama at Birmingham
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

From its brilliant opening to its shocking conclusion, [this] is a compelling work. (Philadelphia Daily News)

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Product Details

• Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Berkley (November 5, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425188930
• ISBN-13: 978-0425188934
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (91 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #488,090 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

42 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Slaps the reader with an unclean hand, March 24, 2003

By 

Plaque "Plaque" - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Damnation Game (Paperback)

One thing is always true about Clive Barker's novels: He will disturb you.

"The Damnation Game" was my first experience with Barker, and is the first I've decided to read again. The surreal horrors conjured within these pages leaves me breathless. This novel delivers all the terror and stomach-turning prose that made Clive famous. The usual glurge from Stephen King about Barker being "the future of horror" adorns the cover, and King is right on the mark. However, be warned that Barker is NOT the future Stephen King; Barker is too unique to be sold as a contemporary author.

This novel features four key characters, and a wide assortment of supporting cast members. We have Mamoulian, also known as the Last European, the central antagonist of this tale. Also enter Joseph Whitehead, the thief, whom we come to know as the wealthy gambler / businessman who acquired his fortune through his MISfortune of dealing with a devil, aka Mamoulian. Martin Strauss, a convict who is living out his parole status on the Whitehead estate, is the newly acquired bodyguard of Whitehead. He is the lead in this tale, and the most likeable character out of a cast of unlikables. Carys, Whitehead's daughter, also lives on the estate, supplied with a never ending stock of heroin to keep her "happy" in Whitehead's home.

Mamoulian and Whitehead are old friends... or at least there is honor among these two thieves. Mamoulian is an ages-old gambler, and with a deal of the cards has ensnared Whitehead's soul. Whitehead has been enormously successful over the years since his deal with Mamoulian, but now it is time to settle old debts. Strauss is there for Whitehead's protection, but Strauss is revealed to be a gambler in his own right...

Barker makes readers squirm. There is a point in horror where most authors would stop, letting the reader's imagination decide how graphic the terror might be. Barker does not stop. His descriptions of grotesqueries and revolting behavior are unmatched, even among the "new school" of gross-out horror writers. Clive is poetic in his dismembering of mind and body. Clive is capable of making the most innocent aside comment seem like it moves mountains of flesh. The hideous deeds of Mamoulian and his unnatural employee Breer leap off the page and slap the reader with an unclean hand. Barker knows fear and loathing better than most.

"The Damnation Game" is very creepy to say the least. Many scenes are calculated for maximum emotional impact upon the reader, even those scenes which don't evoke any horror per se. Most people are brought up to refrain from speaking about certain things (taboos), yet Barker kicks that door aside so brutally and consistently that I can't help but be amazed.

This novel is a bit flawed, but the "flaws" play a significant part in the enjoyable experience of this book. Barker, I am convinced, does not share the same realities as the rest of humanity. Barker seems to effortlessly rip away the fabric of reality (most notably in "The Great and Secret Show"), and can throw the reader into a spiral of the bizarre. In "The Damnation Game", Barker uses his slithering imagination to explain the origins of Mamoulian and his supernatural skill for human suffering, but his explanations miss the mark; we do not get a clear picture of what the ancient Mamoulian really is. Terror of the unknown is a long-accepted practice among horror novelists, but since Barker attempted an explanation, the "terror of the unknown" factor gets thrown out the window. What we are left with is an unsatisfactory origin of Mamoulian, forcing me to reduce my overall rating of this book. Barker's anti-reality tendencies come home to roost; since he seems unable to perceive reality as most do, internal cohesion within his stories sometimes suffers. That is the case here.

Even without the origins of Mamoulian, I am left awestruck at the manner in which Barker verbally terrorized me. Some people have called Clive poetic in his debauchery; I am inclined to agree with them. This book is not for the faint of heart, but rewards your vigilance should you choose to continue your journey into darkness

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of Clive's best...., September 30, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Damnation Game (Paperback)

To say that this book is good would be a terrible understatement to not only Clive Barker,but also to the Horror genre in the world today. The Damnation Game combines all the elements of a great story: Horror (Vile, Stomach-turning details), Passion, Disturbing visions, Fantasy, and most important, Imagination. I've been a Clive Barker fan for a little over a year, reading The Books of Blood, Sacrament, Galilee, The Great and Secret Show, and The Inhuman Condition, and with the exception of The Books of Blood, I think that this is one of his greatest books to date. Barker's imagery and details were so concrete..so real that I would shiver and sometimes have to stop reading for a minute or two so I could try to banish that certain vision or image from my thoughts. But, all along, the story was interesting, and very compelling to read. This book will have you at the edge of your seat, wondering what will happen next, and who these people really are...and you won't be disappointed.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The master of life's darkest and most deadly game awaits. ., March 24, 2000

By 

Walt Haywood - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Damnation Game (Paperback)

The Damnation game is a roller coaster of terror. It contains some of Barker's most disturbing visions. Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be a millionare tycoon with the world at your feet? Who hasn't, but Barker puts a new spin on this old fantasy. Here the promise of power and riches comes with a terrible price and at a tremendous risk, yet the promise is real for those who dare to play the damnation game. After the close of WW2, in the fog shrouded rubble, Europe is a nightmare. In this blasted place there are no rules and no rulers. In this horrible setting one man, a thief has come to test his considerable skills against the master of life's darkest game. Years later another thief is released from prison and has been enlisted to serve an old dying man. This is no ordinary elderly man for he is one of the richest men on earth and the price of his wealth is about to come calling. Containing one of the vilest villians in literary history, the Damnation Game is a ghoulish feast for the senses.