WEAVEWORLD. [Hardcover]

CLIVE. BARKER (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: GUILD; Reprint edition (1988)
• ASIN: B000VOLED2
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.8 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (141 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,352,537 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

29 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "That which can be imagined need never be lost...", January 15, 2000

By 

[e-mail] (Birmingham, England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Weaveworld (Mass Market Paperback)

...and your imagination will never want to lose the excellence of this book. I have just finished reading Weaveworld for the third time and still find myself at a loss for words to capture its brilliance. Really, it defies explanation. Barker has created what I consider to be one of his greatest novels, heck! it's almost THE greatest novel. Its immensity allows its creator to use every aspect of great story telling to leave you feeling like you've just experienced something divine. It is an epic adventure of monumental proportions into a great secret world called 'The Fugue', that has been hidden away in order to elude its notorious enemies. Following the exploits of the two main characters, Cal and Suzanna, it tells us how they unravel (literally) the secrets behind the Weaveworld. This brings them into contact with some of Barkers most timeless and unforgettable characters, more notably so Immacolata and her side-kick the shifty salesman Shadwell. Mysterious, magical, loveable and terrifying - this book has it all. I particulaly love this book because of 'The Orchard of Lemuel Lo', with its entertaining magic and Jude Pears. A part of the book Clive Barker based on a early personal experience. It's just such a great chapter, magical in its peculiarities and believable by its veracity.

There are moments of exquisite tenderness and poetry in this book and moments that will have you practically tearing the page to turn it and find the answers to the many questions Barker poses throughout. The story will take you beyond reality, beyond fiction, beyond poetry and beyond fantasy to deliver you to an ambience that will intice, elate and overwhealm you. You will truly wish the story to never end, which in a way it never does - you have to experience it to understand. Suffice it to say Weaveworld is Heaven of a different form, only read it if you have plenty of breath to catch, tears to cry and imagination to be inspired, stretched and truly amazed.

20 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Powerful But Tainted Vision, February 9, 2000

By 

Cartimand (Hampshire, UK.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Weaveworld (Mass Market Paperback)

Weaveworld is a bludgeoning fusion of occult schlock-horror and heroic fantasy and is populated by a motley of vividly depicted characters. Cal and Suzanna's mundane entry on the scene contrasts effectively with the other-worldly horrors than ensue. The intriguing child/man Nimrod provides some humerous tableaux. Immacolata provides us with a deliciously evil villainess, her character made all the more complex by elements of poignancy and reconciliation surrounding her demise, and the chief miscreant - Shadwell is an effective personification of the "all power corrupts..." maxim.

The sheer vileness though of some of the apparitions that Barker conjures forth demands the reader possess a strong stomach and reminds us that, first and foremost, this is a horror novel. What else should we expect from the author who gave us the visceral terrors of Hellraiser? The tale is also frequently punctuated by explicit (and some may say unnecessarily gratuitous) sexual imagery, which some may find tasteless.

One major problem I had with Weaveworld is that I felt it reached its peak about two thirds of the way through. The most satisfying chapters are undoubtedly Cal and Suzanna's adventures in the Fugue and their heart-stopping flight to keep out of Shadwell and Hobart's clutches. Once the Fugue is unwoven though and the Seerkind scattered, the tale seems to lose direction somewhat. In particular the appearance of the entity calling itself Uriel really doesn't seem to fit comfortably with what has gone before and reads more like a novella in its own right. I'm afraid for me, the conclusion of the Uriel episode reminded me of some of Star Trek's more hackneyed finales, and I must confess to feeling slightly cheated by the rather tame conclusion.

Overall though, Weaveworld is undoubtedly a pretty compelling read and reminds one of some of the more macabre paintings of Bosch or Breughal brought to life. Be warned though; it often plumbs the depths of depravity and the aftertaste it leaves may be something less wholesome than the sweet nectar of Jude pears!

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Barker fans should love this, others may find it falls short, May 11, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Weaveworld (Paperback)

There is no denying that Clive Barker is a creative man. "Weaveworld" is a testament to that. He creates a mythology peopled with an array of strange and bizarre creatures, a land built of every fantasy cliché but never itself feeling clichéd, and a tale full of inventive twists and turns.

Yet for all that, for all the book's burning creativity, "Weaveworld" too often fails to captivate, too often uses what feel like cheap plot twists to keep the reader moving along, and too often drags down to a near halt to make it a must read.

The plot hinges around a carpet in which is hidden a mystical land. The carpet, and the land, are hunted by many, including the Seerkind, Barker's twisted take on the folk of fairy tales. A pair of seemingly innocent bystanders fend off close call after close call in an effort to keep the carpet out of the wrong hands - and even venture into the wondrous world itself. The idea is fabulous and the characters unique and interesting.

Unfortunately, "Weaveworld" feels more like a series of interconnected novellas than an epic novel. The plot surges forward with a gripping buildup and a series of several thrilling climaxes, only to slow to a grinding halt. Then the process starts all over again. This takes place several times in just the few hundred pages. It's maddening.

It's also unfortunate. Barker is a good writer, better than one would expect if all they know of him is "Hellraiser." His prose isn't bad at all, his ability to let a scene unfold very good, and he can send shivers down a reader's spine at will. He mixes horror and fantasy well. But no matter how much the readers wants them to, in "Weaveworld," the pieces fail to come together.

There is enough here to like that some readers will find great enjoyment in the book - it's by no means bad, and has plenty of fresh ideas - but my own inability to really get captured by "Weaveworld" makes it impossible to recommend. If you're already a Barker fan, however, you'll probably want to read this. It's another example of his twisted and unique imagination.