Clive Barker biography

Clive Barker portrait image

Clive Barker was born in Liverpool in 1952. He studied English Literature and Philosophy at Liverpool before moving to London at the age of twenty-one.

By his late-twenties Barker had published Book of Blood, Volumes 1–3 which achieved modest success. Three more volumes followed (Book of Blood, Volumes 4-6).

By 1987 two of Barker’s stories (Rawhead Rex and Transmutations) were modified into films. He was not impressed with the adaptations and turned his hand to directing himself. The result was Hellraiser, based on the novella The Hellbound Heart. The film became a large cult success and he subsequently adapted his short story Cabal into the major motion film Nightbreed.

Clive Barker went on to write the epic fantasy Imajica, the illustrated children’s fable The Thief of Always and Sacrament, a dark fantasy for all ages.

He currently lives in Los Angeles.

Literary inspirations:

  • Edgar Allan Poe
  • Ray Bradbury
  • Herman Meville
  • William Blake
  • William Borroughs
  • Arthur Machen

Clive Barker books

  • The Damnation Game (1985)
  • The Hellbound Heart (1986)
  • Weaveworld (1987)
  • Cabal (1988)
  • The Great and Secret Show (1989)
  • Imajica (1991)
  • The Thief of Always (1992)
  • Everville (1994)
  • Sacrament (1996)
  • Galilee (1998)
  • Coldheart Canyon: A Hollywood Ghost Story (2001)
  • Tortured Souls (2001)
  • Abarat (2002)
  • Abarat: Days of Magic, Nights of War (2004)
  • Mister B. Gone (2007)
  • Absolute Midnight (2009)
  • Mr. Maximillian Bacchus And His Travelling Circus (2009)
  • The Candle in the Cloud
  • The Scarlet Gospels

Latest news: Clive Barker

Fantasy Book Review: The Hellbound Heart by Clive Barker
Review by Bindi Lavelle A simple, yet eloquent novella, which spawned one of Barker's best known creations: Pinhead and the world of Hellraiser. The story follows Frank, who longs for pleasure. Tired of the thrills that women and drugs have to offer, Frank turns to Lemmarchand's box; a simple [...]

James Johnson interview (October 2008)
Richard ‘James Johnson’ was born in Derby, England in 1976. Having studied Graphic Design at Bedfordshire University he went on to win a prestigious D&AD first award. Developing a taste for writing early on in life, his passion for storytelling culminated in two books (he’d rather forget) at th [...]

Image: Dust of Dreams book cover

Book of the Month

Dust of Dreams by Steven Erikson
On the Letherii continent the exiled Malazan army commanded by Adjunct Tavore begins its march into the eastern Wastelands, to fight for an unknown cause against an enemy it has never seen. The fate awaiting the Bonehunters is one no soldier can prepare for, and one no mortal soul can withstand - the foe is uncertainty and the only weapon worth wielding is stubborn courage.

Previous winners of Book of the Month

An image of author Alex Bell

Latest interviews

Interviews plus question and answer sessions with authors, narrators and publishers.

Image: A Game of Thrones book cover

Must-reads

The following reviews are of books that begin the very best fantasy series available.

Special Feature: Fantasy Book Review talks to the Book View Cafe

Book View Cafe is a cooperative site created by a group of writers - including internationally renowned authors Katharine Kerr, Ursula Le Guin and Vonda N. McIntyre - who want to take advantage of the internet's possibilities for reaching a wider audience and to distribute their work directly to their readers. The Book View Cafe is a place where you can find free, original fiction plus the authors' best and out-of-print work for a fee. Fantasy Book Review spoke to Book View Cafe member, science fiction author and memoirist Chris Dolley in February 2010.

Special Feature: Understanding the author of Alice in Wonderland

Image: The Mystery of Lewis Carroll book cover

Lewis Carroll, the elusive author of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, has been the subject of enduring fascination for the past hundred years. The destruction of many major documents about his personal life by his descendants has only magnified the mystery. Jenny Woolf's biography, published to coincide with the release of the new Tim Burton Alice in Wonderland film, lays waste to the myths and suspicions that have obscured Carroll's reputation by placing him firmly in the context of his own time.

Top 100 fantasy books Young adult fantasy books Children's fantasy books Image: Fallen by Lauren Kate book cover image The Wonderful Wizard of Oz eBook

News

Penny Arcade’s Love Affair with Patrick Rothfus

One of the better webcomics on the internet is Penny Arcade, written and drawn by Tycho (Jerry Holkins) and Gabe (Mike Krahulik). They’re the masterminds behind not just a great comic but also PAX, th [...]

Limited Edition Neverwhere Edition

For Neil Gaiman fans this will be some good news. Subterranean Press have just notified us that copies of the “Signed Limited Edition of Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere” are “enroute to our warehouse.” The [...]

The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: The Man from Hell by Barrie Roberts

The world’s greatest detective returns in a story that forms part of a new series entitled The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. In The Man from Hell Barrie Roberts creates a perfect emulation [...]

Harriet Wilson joins HarperCollins Children's Books

Harriet Wilson is to join HarperCollins Children's Books as Editorial Director. She will commission and develop authors and series across the fiction list with a particular focus at the younger end. [...]

First edition of The Wind in the Willows a star lot at Bonhams

A first edition of the much loved children’s classic, The Wind in the Willows, inscribed by Kenneth Grahame to the daughter of the man who inspired the character of Ratty, is among the star lots offe [...]

Templar Publishing to publish 10 fiction titles in 2010

Templar Publishing has launched into fiction with a commitment to hardback publishing and distinctive formats. The company plans to publish 10 fiction titles this year, ranging from early readers to y [...]

Julia Donaldson to visit Burnley this Friday

Children’s author Julia Donaldson will be giving a talk at Burnley Youth Theatre on Friday 19 March at 2pm. The event, which is being run by Mid Pennine Arts, provides a rare opportunity for people l [...]

Lee & Low Books acquire Tu Publishing

Lee & Low Books, the independent children's book publisher, has acquired Tu Publishing, an independent press focusing on multicultural fantasy and science fiction for middle grade and young adult [...]

Damnation Books: new releases for March 2010

Damnation Books, a start up e-publishing company specializing in paranormal and dark fiction released the following new titles on March 1, 2010.  Each title will be available in Kindle and print [...]

Time is not what it seems…

When a drug overdose causes Leoni, a troubled teen from twenty-first-century Los Angeles, to have a near-death experience, her soul is lifted from the modern world and flung into a parallel time 24,00 [...]