Clive Barker - The Damnation Game

Pros: Great story; scary; fluid writing; gory and tense

Cons: A tad slow in spots; the finale should have a bit more shock

The Bottom Line: A wonderful Clive Barker book? Yes! And to think, you doubted him.

Review: Clive Barker is an author that I hold in the highest of esteem. His work is primarily noted as being horror, but that is something of a misnomer, as each of his novels and short stories manages to incorporate horror, drama, thrills and chills, romance, ...

Pros: Great characterization, good plot, unusual premise, very imaginative.

Cons: Can be grotesque.

The Bottom Line: Superb story worth reading again and again.

Review: I first read The Damnation Game in 1988; it's one of the few hardcover books I ever paid full price for. That's because just browsing through the book in the bookstore made me want to read it so badly, I just had to have it. Thirty bucks!!...

Pros: Good horror. Terrific writing as always.

Cons: Characters are tough to relate to, making it a bit less scary.

Review: The Damnation Game is one of Clive Barker's earlier works, dating back to the late 80's I believe. Compared to some of his other stories I've read such as Imajica and The Great & Secret Show, The Damnation game is certainly more straight forward...

Pros: Truly scary stuff!

Cons: Starts off pretty slow, but stick with it, it's worth it.

Review: On a crowded street, you would have a hard time bumping into someone who hasn't owed a debt to someone else in his or her lifetime. Chances are, you could place yourself in that category as well. But, that's only money. The debt we're talking about goes...

Pros: Barkers was a great writer, even in the beginning.

Cons: Another old review that would have been more in-depth had I just read this book.

The Bottom Line: If you're reading all of Barker's work start to finish, you HAVE to read this one. Otherwise, pick up anything that came before or after, but not this.

Review: Clive barker’s first novel is nowhere near the league of his first short stories and novella “The Hell-Bound Heart”. I was over 100 pages into this book before anything happened. At the end of World War II, thief Joseph Whitehead hears of a mysterious ...

Pros: Some nasty zombie scenes, unusual characters

Cons: Somewhat boring

The Bottom Line: Weird zombie scenes and unusual characters make The Damnation Game an interesting enough read -- but nothing more than that.

Review: It is difficult for me to be objective (or, sometimes, even coherent) when writing about Barker’s work. I admit it: I just like the guy’s books too much. However, my judgement is not so clouded I wouldn’t be able to tell you that The...

Pros: Great back story, interesting locations

Cons: Blood, maggots, and entrails...oh my!

The Bottom Line: An interesting start, but a botched ending. This novel could have been much better.

Review: I have a love/hate relationship with the horror genre. At its best, it provides visceral thrills that more sedate novels cannot emulate. At its worst, it can be filled with cheap, tacky violence and contrived plots with little behind the blood and guts ...

Pros: Some brief moments of Barker's usual genius.

Cons: Very slow to get going. Feels drawn out.

The Bottom Line: An unusual misfire from the master, Clive Barker. The only Clive Barker story that I didn't thoroughly love.

Review: This is probably my least favorite Clive Barker story. This is the only Barker story that I couldn't bring myself to read at least a second time. His pacing is off, and I wonder if this would have made a much better short story if he had cut out the...

Pros: I got it at the library and didn't have to pay

Cons: It stunk

The Bottom Line: Ending is no surprise; it drags throughout the book as well.

Review: I love a good horror book, and I love being scared. That's what I want the book to do to me. This book, even though it's by a "master", did not scare me. The horror part was that I wasted precious hours of my limited life on this thing.

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