Customer Reviews

Weaveworld

5 star:		(105)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

...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.

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!

It had taken me a month to read this book and I happen to be a very fast reader. There was so much detail and description that I had to try and take it all in. Reading this is very similar to observing the weave that Barker describes so eloquently in the pages of this book. On my cover, it says "An Epic of the Imagination." And that, indeed, is.

The plot was intricate, matching the idea of a weave. It incorporated so many things that I love, mythology, religion and a complex plot. The language is evocative and poetic but also very stripped and common-place at the same time. The characters were very intriguing and realistic and each one was symbolic.

My favorite character out of the bunch was not a hero but rather a villain. I happened to adore the character of Immacolata. She was so cold and so vicious. She was a complete original and I happen to love it.

So overall, a rather engaging read and a masterpiece. It may even be one of my favorite novels but most definately, the best read I had all year.

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.

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The first of Barker's books I've ever read, and it impressed me:

For one, I was 100 pages into the book before I thought to check what page I was on. That never happens. But Weaveworld is *extremely* easy to start into...

For two, Barker's writing style is so immersing that at times I found myself believing the magics described in Weaveworld to be real.

And, lastly, whether it be good or bad, I found myself overcome with longing throughout much of the book--for the Fugue, the magics, the fairy tale happiness (and fairy tale horror)... these are things I thought I was through wishing for when I grew into adulthood (I'm 20 now).

Weaveworld has unearthed many of my childhood memories--something Barker intended, no doubt--and I find myself pleased that it did so. If you suspect you're like me, that you might be pleased, that you're prone to believing in magic...

get ahold of Weaveworld. And if you're a molded literary machine (if your heart was lost long ago) perhaps you shouldn't read this book.

After reading Barker's other fantasy epic, Imajica; I couldn't wait to get my hands on Weaveworld, and now that I'm done reading it I am convinced that Barker is one of the most talented authors alive.

Calhoun Mooney, a 20 something freespirit, accidentally falls into a magic carpet which serves as a refuge for the Seerkind, who have been hunted by mankind (Cuckoos) throughout history for their special abilities. Cal's fall into the carpet sets into motion an epic controntation for the carpet and the wonders it contains. With the aid of the beautiful Suzanna, whose connection to the carpet is deeper than she can possibly realize, Cal must protect the carpet from Immacolata, an "Inncantrix" who once ruled the carpet; Shadwell, a salesman by nature who considers the carpet the ultimate prize; and the Scourge, an ultimate evil whose very existence is tied to the extinction of the Seerkind.

If all that doesn't make too much sense, don't worry...its not supposed to at first glance, and that's the wonderful part reading Barker...he has such a wonderful imagination and is able to convey his imagination so well, that the only real way to understand what his books are about is to read them. Barker also has a gift for making wonderfully complex "villans" that never fail to dazzle. By the end of the story, even the Scourge, which was the ultimate evil to the Seerkind was able to provoke profound empathy from me over the emptiness and sadness that it felt.

Anyone who enjoys fantasy, horror, or simply a good yarn will love this book. Admittedly it does start out somewhat slow, but the pace soon picks up and you will not be able to put it down.

I bought this book years ago just based on the premise, but I just recently got around to reading it. Now I think of the time wasted by not reading it as a loss of time I could have spent being enlightened by the knowledge this book has to offer.

This is, on a primitive level, a fantasy book. However, don't judge it by that genre. In fact, it's more of a magical realism work, in which most of the novel takes place in present day Liverpool. The book uses that as its anchor, in order for the reader to better accept the fantasy element that is the Fugue (aka the Weaveworld). The main character, Cal, is an Everyman: flawed, but universally likeable.

The best part of the characters is that their motives are never completely clear cut; you have to keep reading to understand them. They each seem to represent the best--and worst--of all of us.

In short, this book is a work of art. Its message (to give homage to your dreams in the chance they may come true) is something even kids will get. Buy this book!

When I first picked up a book by Clive Barker, it was one of the first books that I thought i would treasure forever. It was "The Theif of Always," given to me by my father. I have read it more times than i can count. Then one day, i picked up "Weaveworld," and I could not let it go, I could not put it down. It had to be the best book i have ever read in my short life of sixteen years. When i read it, it made my heart ache. I wanted to be there, in the Fugue. I wanted so much to see the splendors of Shadwell's coat, and the wonders of Immacolota's magic. I wanted to be Calhoon, to see the wonderous and strange land stretched out before me. But it is, of course, all fantasy. I will never see the Weaveworld, will never step where Calhoon, Suzanna, Immacolota, or Shadwell once stood. It is, after all, a fantasy, and epic adventure written by the master of fiction, Clive Barker himself. And it makes my heart ache to think of it. But who knows, maybe Mr. Barker has seen into a world that onl

After reading some of the negative reviews on here, I've found that most of the people posting them missed the point entirely. Barker says in the introduction that it is a book about memory and how it fades away. The "lulls" in the book that some people describe are necessary to the point. We all know the feeling of having a wonderful experience or vacation that takes us away from the mundane. But eventually we must return to the real world and our everyday lives. It's the memories that keep us going and the knowledge that one day we will return to those moments again. Anyway, this is an excellent book! It made me feel the wonder of being a kid again. Don't let the nay sayers discourage you. Once you finish, it's like waking from a fantastic dream, and you're kind of sad to have to leave it behind and get on with your usual day.

I started reading that book with the thought that it couldn't be better than the "Damnation Game". I was so wrong!! It was the first time that i woke up only to read a book! The story is something beyond reality but it has so strong meanings for the real life. I wish and dream to be in a world like this anchient wise tribe had. How can Clive Barker could think those things without living inside of them?? I sometimes, two months after i read it keep thinking of it...The best book i've ever read and the standard of comparison for any other book i will read in the future!!