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4.0étoiles sur 5
poetic and sly, Aoû 29 2006
Once again, Barker gives me a good reason to call him the Master of the Macabre.
Martin Strauss, ex-boxer, petty thief and gambler, gets offered the chance at early parole. The catch is that he would have to become the personal bodyguard of one of Europe's wealthiest businessmen: Joseph Whitehead. What could be wrong with that? A lot, as Marty will soon learn. Beneath the image of a calm and cool man in complete control of his life, Joseph is a man with a horrible and deadly secret.
In the closing days of WW2, Joseph had made a living in the demolished ruins of Warsaw as a thief and a cheat; he carried the persona of a man in control of his own destiny, who could outsmart any opponent. So when Joseph hears tell of a man, a mysterious card-sharp, living in Warsaw who cannot be beaten, Joseph jumps at the chance to test his skills. Joseph manages to walk away from the game with the man who calls himself The Last European with more then he could have ever dreamed. He is gifted with power, wealth, and fame; the price-tag for all of these gifts was a steep one: Joseph's soul.
Now, some 40 years later, The Last European is back to claim what he is owed; only Joseph doesn't want to pay up. Now Martin has a choice, he can return to prison and finish his sentence, or he can risk his soul in the protection of Whitehead. Martin may be in good physical condition, but the Last European has more than muscle on his side. He is the master of illusions, he can make you see and feel your worst nightmares in the flesh; his power is so terrible that he is able to raise the dead to aid him in his quest to get to Joseph. One such undead associate of The Last European's is Anthony: an overweight middle-age man with a habit of eating the little girls he so lovingly massacres.
This book was utterly guttural and vicious in it's imagery, while at the same time as clever and sensitive.
Pick it up if you want a good scare.
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5.0étoiles sur 5
Barker's Best, Juil 15 2004
I used to be a huge Clive Barker fan, but as time goes on, I find him less accessible. "The Great and Secret Show" was an overdrawn and dull "epic" and didn't quite go anywhere but down. His latest book, the incredibly inept "Coldheart Canyon," was nothing but a perverted romp into self-indulgence. But the "Damnation Game" is gripping, tight, and much shorter than the aforementioned door-stoppers, which makes it much more accessible.First and foremost, "Damnation" is disgusting. The Razor-Eater is truly stomach turning, and the various rotten corpses that are ressurected by Mamoulian, the almighty wizard thing, are also barf-worthy. The writing, however, is not. Barker had a knack for putting intellectualism and cultural criticism into his works of horror. Perhaps "Damnation" is about the downfall of corporate society, the domination of greed, and the all-engulfing human desires which rule our lives. Yes, this book is worthy of all different sorts of interpretations, unlike other, more popular horror writers (ahem-StephenKing-ahem!), who just splash blood and profanity on the page without regard to the higher-thinking audience. Barker is an intelligent gore-fiend's author. He's smart but remembers what genre he's working in, thus, how to please his audience. "The Damnation Game" is Barker's best book. His others do not achieve this level of accessibility, intrigue, plot structure, and intelligence, perhaps because they reach too far and end up tripping over the gore-soaked zombie dog.
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4.0étoiles sur 5
The beginning of this book is Barker at his best..., Jui 30 2004
Par Un client
This is the best full length novel of horror Ive ever read by Clive Barker. The beginning is delightfully NC17, and the end is great. Its the whole middle of the story that seemed to slow down in pace. His best horror writing was in the short story collections of the Books of Blood. This takes a close 2nd place however. Definately should be read if your a fan of Barkers horror. I am looking foward to the movie.
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