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The Thief of Always Paperback – Feb. 5 2002

by Clive Barker (Author)

4.6 2,328 ratings

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Mr. Hood's Holiday House has stood for a thousand years, welcoming countless children into its embrace. It is a place of miracles, a blissful rounds of treats and seasons, where every childhood whim may be satisfied...

There is a price to be paid, of course, but young Harvey Swick, bored with his life and beguiled by Mr. Hood's wonders, does not stop to consider the consequences. It is only when the House shows it's darker face -- when Harvey discovers the pitiful creatures that dwell in its shadows -- that he comes to doubt Mr. Hood's philanthropy.

The House and its mysterious architect are not about to release their captive without a battle, however. Mr. Hood has ambitious for his new guest, for Harvey's soul burns brighter than any soul he has encountered in a thousand years...

From Publishers Weekly

When a 10-year-old boy wishes to be delivered from a boring afternoon, a creature takes him to the Holiday House. "Barker masterfully embroiders this fantasy world with a mounting number of grim, even gruesome details," wrote PW, "in a tale that manages to be both cute and horrifying." Ages 10-up.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Clive Barker is the bestselling author of twenty-two books, including the New York Times bestsellers Abarat; Abarat: Days of Magic, Nights of War; and The Thief of Always. He is also an acclaimed painter, film producer, and director. For twelve years Mr. Barker has been working on a vast array of paintings to illuminate the text of The Books of Abarat, more than one hundred and twenty-five of which can be found within this volume.

Mr. Barker lives in California. He shares his house with seven dogs, three cockatiels, several undomesticated geckoes, an African gray parrot called Smokey, and a yellow-headed Amazon parrot called Malingo.

Reading age

10 years and up
Print length

224 pages
Language

English
Dimensions

13 x 1.14 x 19.35 cm
Publisher

HarperCollins
Publication date

Feb. 5 2002
ISBN-10

0064409945
ISBN-13

978-0064409940
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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ HarperCollins; Reprint edition (Feb. 5 2002)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 224 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0064409945
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0064409940
Item weight ‏ : ‎ 159 g
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 13 x 1.14 x 19.35 cm

Customer Reviews:
4.6 2,328 ratings

About the author

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Clive Barker

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Clive Barker was born in Liverpool in 1952. His earlier books include The Books of Blood, Cabal, and The Hellbound Heart. In addition to his work as a novelist and playwright, he also illustrates, writes, directs and produces for stage and screen. His films include Hellraiser, Hellbound, Nightbreed and Candyman. Clive lives in Beverly Hills, California

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Amazon Customer

Great book

Reviewed in Canada on December 18, 2023

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Just creepy enough to really freak out my 10 and 12 year old boys. They loved it!
Barker's style is very easy to read.

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Alex Yung

Five Stars

Reviewed in Canada on November 4, 2014

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Excellent Book

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Kelley F.

Fun for Young and Old!

Reviewed in Canada on October 21, 2003

Prior to this novel, I had only read Mr. Barker's short stories in the combined volume of his Books of Blood. Many of those stories were pure genius, with riveting plot twists and original premises, but I must admit that I wasn't sure how that would translate into a novel suitable for all ages...
It turns out that I had nothing to worry about. The Thief of Always is a classic fable with enough originality to make it fresh. I was hooked as soon as I read the first paragraph.
Mr. Barker shows an insight into the mind of a child that I don't think I expected from a man who made his mark with tales of gruesome horror. Then again, I probably should have known better given the amazing insight into the human psyche that was apparent in many of his short stories. (Take, for instance, his commentary on mob mentality in "In the Hills, the Cities.")
Like many children in such tales, Harvey's downfall is his boredom and his desire for something different, something fun. He finds himself drawn into a world of wonders that quickly becomes a world of horrors. Barker's supporting cast, the good and the evil, are flawlessly executed with just enough surreal charm to make you fear what might really be going on in Holiday House.
The evil in the story is horrifying (without going too far for a younger reader) and Barker's message is clear. Harvey learns that nothing comes without a price and that time is precious. He learns to appreciate each moment he has with his family and friends, no matter how dull those moments may sometimes seem. In the process of making these discoveries, he also proves himself to be a hero as he overcomes his own weakness to defeat Mr. Hood.
I highly recommend this book for young and old alike ... I've recommended it to my husband, since he's been looking for a light read and this one is well worth the time.

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G. Parks

Gripping, tightly written, but not without flaws.

Reviewed in Canada on January 20, 2002

A REVIEW to "The Thief Of Always", by BARKER, Clive; (C) 1992,
Harper Prism, mass market paperback, 226pp, ISBN 0-06-105769-X.
Harvey Swick, age ten, is bored out of his skull and desparate for fun; he
is lured away by a Goblin who suddenly appears in his room one day, to a
place at the far end of town called "Holiday House", run by the mysterious
"Mr. Hood", where the days are supernaturally perfect, where the seasons
change over the course of only a few hours, and where there are no worries,
no cares -- nothing to do except to Have Fun. It is every kid's dream of
Paradise.
But all is NOT as it seems at Holiday House, and a ghastly danger lurks,
ready to consume the souls of Harvey and all the other children who find
their way there. Will Harvey, alone of all the luckless children who have
succumbed previously, be the one to penetrate Holiday House's dread secrets
and defeat the evil Mr. Hood?
-<*>-
It is hard to disagree or to find fault with a book so filled with immortal
themes, timeless desires, primordial fears, and archetypal situations. It's
a book that gathers, in one place, elements found scattered throughout a
great many other well-known classics of children's literature; the list is
a "who's who" of children's books. It contains echoes of such classics as
"Peter Pan", "Pinnochio", "The Pied Piper of Hamlin", "Rip Van Winkle", and
even "Hansel and Gretel" -- to name only a few. It also harkens to those
horror stories which feature malevolent sentient entities masquerading as
inanimate objects (sorry, I cannot be more specific than this without giving
away part of the story).
Perhaps the strongest parallel is to the ancient, traditional, generic
"Faerie-Land", in that the main location of this story shares with Faerie
its two most prominent (and most dangerous) characteristics. I can't be
more specific without giving away most of the story, but those who study
accounts of the land of Faerie ought immediately to suspect which two
characteristics I'm hinting at.
Yet as marvelous as this story is, it is NOT without its faults. These
faults are not debilitating, but they are important. I am informed that this
is Mr. Barker's first children's book: well, as a collector and avid reader
of children's books for many years, I am very sorry to say that it SHOWS.
May Mr. Barker heed the following points when he writes his NEXT children's
book -- and may that be VERY VERY SOON!
And now to the faults themselves: To begin with, this book borrows from
other works just a little TOO heavily at times -- its beginning is strongly
reminiscent of "The Phantom Tollbooth" (by Norton Juster), and the events of
page 156 are just a little too similar to a certain incident in "The Wizard
Of Oz" for comfort ("I'm melting! I'm melting!"). It is also just a tad too
pat: just WHY, when so many other children have succumbed, should it be
*Harvey* who defeats the evil Mr. Hood???
But the first REAL concern is Harvey's AGE. This is important because kids
yearn to GROW UP. They HATE being "little" (with all that that implies) and
therefore PREFER TO READ ABOUT MAIN CHARACTERS THEIR OWN AGE OR OLDER --
kids they can *identify* with WITHOUT feeling "littler" than they already
are.
Now, Harvey is TEN. So the main audience to this book -- whether Mr. Barker
intends it or not -- will be around that age, or perhaps a year or so
younger. They can't be much older, because how many thirteen-year-olds
enjoy reading the exploits of a ten-year-old?
Yet Barker's vocabulary is FAR too advanced for children this young; in
the first chapter ALONE, I find words like "smothering", "celebrated",
"trekking", "dwindled", "mythical", "spectacles", "lavish", "interloper",
"suede", "flatulent", "quizzically", "inquisitive", and "guaranteeing".
I doubt most nine- or ten-year-olds would know most of those words. Mr.
Barker has overestimated his reader's vocabulary.
The next problem is Harvey's PERSONALITY. His readiness to be bored, his
attendant whininess, and his willingness to be lured away while on his
way to school -- by someone he has met but once previously and of whom he
knows absolutely nothing -- befits a child of (at MOST) only seven or eight
years old; yet the intelligence and ingenuity shown in solving some of the
puzzles arising later in the book befit a child far older than his stated
age of ten years. I found this to be both inconsistent and disconcerting;
I advise Mr. Barker to construct the personalities of his future child
characters with greater care.
Lastly, (and this is just a nitpick) I'm bothered by Harvey's NAME; "Harvey
Swick" is hardly inspiring. "Swick" isn't so bad -- being a last name, it
doesn't arise often -- but "Harvey" is different. That's unusual enough for
me to think that kids may have trouble identifying with it. Remember the
episode of the old B&W sitcom, "The Honeymooners"? The "Harvey"'s of this
world get picked on in schoolyards. Were this a "kid vs. bully" story,
that'd be acceptable; but in a pure fantasy I'm not sure it is an asset.
Surely "Harry" would've been a better choice?
Overall, a gripping story, tightly written; not without its flaws, but a
remarkable first effort. Bravo!!! To quote another famous author, "Please
Sir -- may we have some More?"
---End---

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Montese C.

An endearing fable that is timeless

Reviewed in Canada on July 8, 2004

I first read Clive Barker's enchanting story, "The Thief of Always," in sixth grade. I loved it so much that it never left my mind, and I found myself often thinking about it in highschool, though I unfortunately couldn't remember the title. I was recently lucky to come across the exact same paperback edition at a bookstore brand new, and bought it with joyous whoops of exultation. The story has got it all: fantasy, horror, memorable characters, and deeper meanings.
The novel is about a young boy named Harvey Swick, bored and entrapped in the torpor of a dreary February. He gets a visit from an unlikely character named Rictus who proposes he take a much needed vacation at The Holiday House, a place where children can have all the fun they want. Harvey agrees and leaves behind his world into the magical fantasy world of The Holiday House, which seemingly appears to have all that a child could ask for: presents, delicious foods, ever-changing seasons--Halloween and Christmas every night! But behind this pretty facade lurks a sinister plot that tests the fortitude of Harvey and his friends, challenging him to fight back for his very soul.
I highly recommend this story. Albeit it could be classified as a children's story, it is apt for all ages. Another treat about this book (at least the first edition, anyway) are the wonderful illustrations drawn by Clive Barker himself, which really evince the remarkable genius that he possesses. I urge parents to go buy this book and read it with their children, or read it for themselves! It is truly a great story.

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Mrs. B.

Different - in a good way

Reviewed in the United States on November 4, 2023

Verified Purchase

I really liked this book. However, I wish the print was better. But I cannot fault the writer for that. It is still a good book. I wish I could read this with my middle schoolers, they would really enjoy it.

Am

Amazing book, product as described by seller.

Reviewed in India on September 11, 2022

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Amazing hardcover. Recieved in good condition.

Amilcar Gianaccinni

The thief of always.

Reviewed in Brazil on March 25, 2021

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Uma das melhores histórias que já li.

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Mano

Livre reçu avec pages volantes à l'envers

Reviewed in France on December 28, 2021

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J'ai bien reçu le livre mais une partie du livre était détachée et à l'envers... j'ai dû remettre les pages en ordre et le recoller pour pouvoir l'offrir.
Sinon envoi long mais c'est normal car il vient de loin. Merci quand même

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G davies

All the stars ( review contains spiloilers)

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 14, 2019

Verified Purchase

Where do I start with 'The Thief of Always' this was my first CliveBarker read & I totally enjoyed it I read it in a day & a half, the story just flowed & kept me interested from the first page
.
Harvey Swick was a 10 year old boy who was board all the time & wanted some fun in his life, that's when Rictus appears at the window & offers his just that, the promise of fun at Mr.hoods holiday house, Harvey jumped at the opportunity
.
At first everything seems perfect, Harvey meets 2 new friends Wendell & lulu, Every season happened every day & Harvey is enjoying the magic but after a few days he soon realises that something strange is going on when he plays a prank on Wendell, Wendell is so scared from the prank he tries to go home but everytime he enters the fog he looses direction and ends up back at the holiday house everytime,
.
Harvey comes up with a plan for them to escape, the manage to escape but nothing is as they remember it on the outside, Harvey was only at the holiday house for 31 days but in the real world 31 years had passed, he needs to go back to try & steal back the years he has lost, he is faced with many battles but hes so angry he has no fear he defeats 1 obstacle at a time & discovers that Mr.hood is in fact the house itself, Harvey discovers that the only way to defeat Mr.hood is to make his use up all his magic which makes him weaker & more venerable,
.
My favourite part is when marr turns Harvey into a vampire to get his revenge on Wendell for all the pranks he has played on Harvey, I love the mystery behind the book, how the house was hidden in the fog & the end where Lulus husband came over to speak to Harvey, he was a hero to all the souls he saved if he had never been board who knows how many more souls Mr.Hood would trap in his lake,
.
A great short read, the illustrations through out the book are fantastic, I plan on reading more from Baker in the near future

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The Thief of Always Paperback – Feb. 5 2002

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