In the Flesh
by Clive Barker
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Book Summary Information
Author: Clive BarkerEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2001-01-30
ISBN: 074341733X
Number of pages: 192
Publisher: Pocket Books
Book Reviews of In the Flesh
Book Review: Made me a fan
Summary: 5 Stars
"[When I read Clive Barker,] I feel like Elvis Presley watching the Beatles." - Stephen King
To get any potential bias out in the open, I want to say two things. First off, if I were to pick my favorite horror writer, it would be a toss-up between H.P. Lovecraft and Clive Barker (although Shirley Jackson's brilliant "The Haunting of Hill House" puts her in the running, but I don't see her as a full-blown horror writer). It still shocks me that Barker is outsold by King and Rice. Secondly, this was the first book by Clive Barker that I had read, so that may have affected my opinion.
The thing that draws me to his writings is his writing style. The man simply has a way with words. I could never imagine being near as good of a writer as this man. Sure, Stephen King has a great imagination, but he doesn't match this man's eloquency. This man could write air bag instructions and it would be fascinating. Also, he does an excellent job of mixing sub-genres. Horror can be classified into two sub-genres: psychological horror and gore. The former, when done right, is truly frightening. The latter is not, but is still appealing in a way. To paraphrase Stephen King, it's like looking at a car accident. You don't know why you look, but you still always turn your head, and while your conscious tells you that you should hope that the victims are alright, deep down you want to see blood. Clive Barker's works contain both elements. His writings are frightening due to the psychological elements and a constant sense of dread, but at the same time he paints his work like a car accident. Thirdly, I enjoy the fact that he rarely writes a straight-forward story. His plots are replete with metaphors and character motivations are rarely simple or Freudian.
Now it's time for a story summary. This book contains four stories that are somewhere between short stories and novellas. The first two are pure horror and the last two are modern-day fantasies, although they both contain elements which, though not scary, can be a bit disturbing. I'll try to keep spoilers to a minimum, but minor spoilers do come up in any synopsis.
"In the Flesh" - The story starts by describing a prisoner who is obsessed with the idea of original sin. He doesn't fully accept the Bible and he investigates this topic in his free time which, like any prisoner, he has plenty of. All the while, he has dreams every night of a ghost town in the desert. Initially, he doesn't understand what the dreams are about. Soon enough, a cellmate is introduced. He is a skinny man who quickly becomes a typical prison victim due to his size and his meek nature. His father (or grandfather, I forget) was a murderer who was executed at the prison and buried near the cell. At night, he speaks to his (grand)-father as if he were alive. The other prisoner soon finds out that the man has inherited a terrible supernatural power from his (grand)-father. What follows is a series of disturbing events related to the new prisoner's powers and the old prisoner's dreams which slowly become more revealing. These things are eventually tied together and the first prisoner eventually learns where sin comes from.
"The Forbidden" - There's more spoilers here than in the other synopsises, but it's hard to avoid. Skip reading this part if you care. The movie "The Candyman" was based upon this story. The story revolves around a student doing research on the topic of urban legends. She visits a ghetto and learns about its urban legends through interviews and by photographing graffiti inside of abandoned buildings. The most common legend that arises from the interviews and the graffiti is that of the "Candyman". He is supposedly a serial killer with a hook on one hand who murders townsfolk in very brutal ways that would make Richard Ramirez look like a nice guy. However, having noticed parallels with other common urban legends, she naturally doubts the stories. She then checks newspapers and records and her beliefs are essentially confirmed. However, she finds out that the Candyman is in fact real. He is a supernatural being who was made and kept alive by the stories and continues killing to keep the stories and himself alive. Naturally, the student becomes more involved than she wishes.
WARNING: This story is unbelievably graphic. It's hard to believe that this made it past the editor.
"The Madonna" - This story is about two men who are visiting a large abandoned bathhouse. The electricity has not yet been turned on, so they explore the maze-like building with flashlights. On one trip, one of the men catches glimpse of what he thinks is a naked woman. He obsessively explores the bathhouse to find her. He eventually finds a very, very odd discovery within the bathhouse and he is affected in a very disturbing way.
"Babel's Children" - This is my favorite story from this collection. I won't give too much away. The story starts with a scene involving a woman who has car trouble and seeks out help. She notices a building in the distance and travels there for assistance. It turns out to be a nunnery, but she also notices that there are cameras everywhere. The nunnery is revealed to be a cover for a secret government organization and the woman is held captive for security reasons. She investigates further and finds out the organization's shocking purpose and then she seeks to set things right.
Note: This is the only story in this collection not grounded in fantasyland. Yet, I wouldn't classify it as an "it could actually happen" story since the plotline is a bit of a stretch.
I adore every story in this collection, but I'll rank them from favorite to least favorite anyway:
Babel's Children (many people's least favorite...hmmm)
In the Flesh
The Forbidden
The Madonna
Summary of In the Flesh
Terrifying and forbidding, subversive and insightful, Clive Barker's groundbreaking stories revolutionized the worlds of horrific and fantastical fiction and established Barker's dominance over the otherworldly and the all-too-real. Here, as two businessmen encounter beautiful and seductive women and an earnest young woman researches a city slum, Barker maps the boundless vistas of the unfettered imagination -- only to uncover a profound sense of terror and overwhelming dread.Horror Books
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