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The Great and Secret Show
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The Great and Secret Show, by Clive Barker (May 2013)
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May 18, 2013 05:27AM
That was the part that always stayed with me. My favorite beginning of any book I've read. And I liked and understood Jaffe more this time.
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Sad to say we can't catch up and join you reading this real-time, but didn't want to lurk without saying 'hello'. This is probably our favourite of Clive's titles and we're always fascinated to hear what other people think too. Is the plan to read Everville straight afterwards? Or is that too much of a Barker overload? ;)
Phil & Sarah (@ Revelations)
There are no plans to continue the buddy read into Everville (for now anyway), but I'm going to read it on my own and if anyone would be interested in another buddy read I would be happy to join in.
I will probably forgoe doing a buddy read on Everville. Usually I like to let togs marinate for several months before reading a sequel or even the same author back to back. I might read Everville later hits summer.Right now on about pg 500 btw. Slow reading week for me with school.
I'm at 89%. This book has been full of highs and lows for me. The highs are when Barker limits the narration to description of what's actually happening in the present. The lows, on the other hand, usually consisted of page after page of gobbledygook trying to flesh out the mythos of the Cosm, Quiddity, and Metacosm, which just felt so separate from the action.Case in point was (view spoiler). This was beautifully done because it brought the philosophy and the action together.
I agree. I (mostly) love the book. But I was disappointed in the Quiddity sections. It is a beautiful idea. And I love the spirituality of it. But when we actually get to see it in play something was missing.
I'm gonna read the comic book version when I finish. I think the fantastic parts of the story will translate well.
Amazing final 100 pages! I am as wrung out and exhausted as the protagonists by the end of the book, like I just completed a journey of my own.What great hooks in the final chapters. I'll definitely be reading Everville later this summer if anyone is down for another brain pounding.
Sure. I could go with reading Everville in late summer.
Glad you liked it. :)
Glad you liked it. :)
I am lagging here - this feels like a book I'm going to have to read again, there is just SO MUCH, and so much that's entirely original about the narrative and its mythos. Between its dealing with celebrity, evolution, sexuality, incest, sociopathy, science and magic, dead standup comics, psychedelic drugs, teenage parenthood, and that-whole-thing-where-Tommy-watches-a-bestiality-show-and-then-starts-leading-an-angry-host-of-the-dead--between all that and much else I haven't really begun to put any of it together yet. Still have about 200 pages left.
. . . for me, though, Barker is still at his best in Books of Blood.
For what it's worth, I also felt like there was some lag maybe between pages 400-500 or so when the story left the grove and returned to the mission, the loop, and Quiddity. Once the focus returns to the grove, things pick up quite a bit.
That's good to know - I didn't mean the book had lagged for me, just that I had lagged behind you guys in reading it. Though now that you mention it, it had indeed slowed down for me and for the same reasons you mention--the loop stuff is just not as integrated (though that old naked dude is really creepy).
The book slowed down for me too near the end of the middle act. But I agree it picks up again before the end. I think of this book as more of a dark fantasy than Barker's other works. I haven't read much of his true horror novels. Though I have seen the movies and I read The Hellbound Heart years ago. I know - I need to read them.
Books of Blood, Traci! Read some of those short stories. So good. I agree that this is more of a dark fantasy novel than a horror novel. It is really pretty mind-blowing, the scope, the weirdness, the originality. I wouldn't be surprised if he wrote it while hallucinating in a sweat lodge.
I am definitely going to read it again - I might be up for Everville later this summer, too, so keep me in the loop (though not that loop).
Traci L. wrote: "The book slowed down for me too near the end of the middle act. But I agree it picks up again before the end. I think of this book as more of a dark fantasy than Barker's other works. I haven't rea..."
Anton wrote: "And apropos of not much, I loved the fact [spoilers removed]"Have you finished, Anton? I'm really intrigued to see what happens with the Tesla gang in Everville.
Bought the first Book of Blood this morning and will be starting it next. :)
Haven't quite finished yet, but already anticipating Everville (still at around page 450).
I may read through the first book of blood again too . . .
WHAAAAAT!? This book was totally nuts! Loved it - just finished. Will try to write more later.
Happy to see you enjoyed it. :)
I mentioned earlier that I thought Barker might have gotten the Dead Letter Office idea from Melville's Bartleby. Turns out he might have - he cites Melville as one of his major influences:http://www.clivebarker.info/influence...
He also mentions William Blake, whose aesthetic appears to be a major presence in TGASS's mythos. The enigmatic symbolism and numerology that emerges most clearly at the end of the novel (lots of strange groupings of 3s and 4s), but surfaces throughout, reminded me a lot of Blake's more visionary poetry.
Did anybody have any thoughts on what he was doing with the numbers, namely with groupings of characters? (view spoiler) But all that said, I'm tempted to start reading Everville soon if not immediately.
Never picked up on numbers at the end. I was and still am too shocked at how Lix are made. I think about this book a lot. I also knew someone with the last name of Jaffe. My wife's burning breakfast...bye.
I never really pick up on things like that to be honest. I'm more of an emotional reader I guess. Symbolism for the most part goes over my head. I do find your theories interesting though. And I have a feeling you're probably right.
Just give a shout out when you're ready for Everville. I have it ready for whenever you want to read it.
Just give a shout out when you're ready for Everville. I have it ready for whenever you want to read it.
Traci L. wrote: "It's kind of funny. The last time I read this was years ago but two images that I strongly remembered were, Jaffe and his dead letter office - I work in an office and part of my job is sorting and ..."quiddity, of course.
A. Michael wrote: "Never picked up on numbers at the end. I was and still am too shocked at how Lix are made. I think about this book a lot. I also knew someone with the last name of Jaffe. My wife's burning breakfas..."Seriously. And given how they're made, 'Lix' is about as disgusting a name as I can imagine.
Traci L. wrote: "I never really pick up on things like that to be honest. I'm more of an emotional reader I guess. Symbolism for the most part goes over my head. I do find your theories interesting though. And I ha..."Cool - I'm reading the Hautala book for the monthly group read now, but should be done soon and then ready for Everville. Andrew, are you still geared up for it?
Anton wrote: "A. Michael wrote: "Never picked up on numbers at the end. I was and still am too shocked at how Lix are made. I think about this book a lot. I also knew someone with the last name of Jaffe. My wif..."It was the one thing in all of that book that tapped my gag reflex. Clive has no shame sometimes.
Anybody up for starting Everville later this week? I'm ready for it (had to take a breather with a few other books first).
I may regret this, but count me in. I'm still finishing Inheritance and was hoping to also fit in The Rats and The Wildman while I was at it. Ahhh, what the hell...I've just gotta make sure I can get a copy from the biblioteca.
Sarah wrote: "Sad to say we can't catch up and join you reading this real-time, but didn't want to lurk without saying 'hello'. This is probably our favourite of Clive's titles and we're always fascinated to he..."
I missed the group read, but I've read and re-read it multiple times. It's my favorite of Clive's works as well, when I first read it, I did pick up Everville the very next day, and I did not put it down until the book was done. And as you know, it's not a small book.
And keep up the great work on Revelations. It's always been one of my favorite places on the web, definitive source of info on my favorite author.
Okay - Andrew, Traci L, and anyone else interested - I started a thread for Everville under the Buddy Reads folder. Let's do this!
