The Great and Secret Show

Clive Barker writes stories on a really grand scale when he's going for a novel. There is an enormous amount of world building that goes into it and it's fantasy at scale hard to conceive of. This isn't an exception, detailing the pursuit of mystical power by a lone man unsuited for it. The arc of his rise and fall is pretty great.

I don't like the coda setting it up for the ongoing saga of Trello battling evil, so I dock it a star.

Chet Williamson, the horror author, (and my friend—full disclosure) carries this story so beautifully, juggling the sounds of so many different voices with ease with his lovely deep voice. And he remembers the precise sound for each character, something I can't imagine how to do. He needs to narrate more books.

The story is a true epic, down in the dirt and up the heavens with creation and sex and the nature of the world(s), and I am so looking forward to reading its sequel, Everville, also narrated by Williamson.

I still can't decide if I actually liked the book. It is a very, VERY strange story, and I was intrigued and mystified by aspects of it. I recommend the book for those who want a strange journey into mystery and continuousness.

A great blend of dark fantasy and horror. Barker uses his warped imagination to tell an epic story.