Weekly Five: My Five Favorite Books of Blood Stories…

Clive Barker’s classic The Books of Blood short story collections are one of the reasons why I’m such a fan of his to this day. I remember staying up all night and finishing the first collection back when I was in high school and not being able to concentrate in class the following week because I had all these wonderfully gory and disturbing images in my head. I finished volumes one through three in two weeks and then went back re-read them again. I was hooked and craved for more. That Christmas I was lucky enough to get volumes four through six and like the first three I read through those even faster.

What I loved most about these stories was their ability to suck you in and let you forgot the normal world that we live in. It was like I was in a trance as I was reading them. I actually felt like I was in the stories and the horrible situations Clive Barker was putting these characters through. I think the one that really got to me was The Forbidden. Though it’s not my favorite story, for some reason I felt really paranoid while reading it. If I heard the smallest creak in my house I would get up and check and see what it was. That’s what a good horror tale should make you do and The Books of Blood are unique in that way.

Here’s my Top Five:

1. The Book of Blood – Funny enough the first story is also my favorite. It sets the tone perfectly for what to expect from the rest of these horrific tales. Don’t make fun of the dead.

2. The Midnight Meat Train – I’ve never liked subways and Clive Barker really tapped into my fears with this story about a killer who roams the New York City subways carving people up. It’s unsettling and creepy to the extreme.

3. The Last Illusion – Not only is it a great story but it also marks the debut of my favorite paranormal private detective Harry D’Amour. And the last ten pages are some of the most intense stuff I believe Barker has ever written.

4. Rawhead Rex – This story shocked me because it was the first time I’d ever read a story where a child gets killed. Rawhead Rex is one was scariest monsters that I’ve ever come across in any story to this day. Forget the movie and just read the story.

5. The Forbidden – As I stated above this story made me feel very paranoid. Like the main character Helen I kept thinking why are these people being so quiet and secretive? If you love myths and urban legends like I do then this is the story for you.

If you haven’t read The Books of Blood yet then you’re doing yourself a great disservice to some of the best written horror stories out there. This old school horror that is relentless and in your face and I highly recommend them. Also, if you’re already one of the lucky souls out there that has traveled the highways of the dead then let the Podcast know what your favorite Books of Blood stories are. We’d love to hear from all of you.