No way can I rate this book.Yesterday I noticed that one of my friends here had added this book to her to-read stack. The author’s name hit me like a brick, the title less so. I looked Barker up on Wiki, scanned the list of novels, and decided that yes Weaveworld must be the Barker that I read.Pretty sure I Liked the post, (ironic really) and left the comment below, that resulted in the rest of the exchange.= = = = = = = = = =Me: I think I read this many years ago. It horrified and frightened me so much that I resolved to never read another book by Barker. (Don't really remember how or why it made such a strong impression.) I no longer have the book, so I can't pick it up again and browse.But maybe I should give him another try. An author from Liverpool is not to be scorned, and I see that he has become a very famous artist in different media.Ch: Ted, I am a stranger to Clive Barker, but your comment which I respect, caused me to read some reviews of this book on GR. They may still appear on my home page. You may not be surprised to see that the opinions are extremely varied...from extraordinary 5 stars to 1 star, abandoned. I'm not sure what to think! I read the author's page and a list of his books which is prolific. I'll be looking for other opinions, as you have gratefully caused me to pause before reading (buying). Thanks, Ted.Me: Well, I wasn't really trying to warn you away, but as long as you look at several reviews and make a decision ... I don't think I stopped reading the book until I got to the end, but it was harrowing. Now that I think about it, I believe there are still some vague images and "narrative-like" things that occasionally wander through my head, not nightmares really just discomforting feelings, that originated in this story. I seem to recall some things that happen in a dimly lit street. This is not, by the way, fiction about evil or horrible human beings, the frightening things are completely dark-fantasy creatures (iirc), which for most readers would be protection against getting too involved with the story on a personal level.Now you've really got me reminiscing about this, I'm curious. And you know what? I'm beginning to feel a little bit uneasy.Good grief. 8/I'll tell you what, this would be quite a recommendation of the book for a lot of readers, wouldn't it? Ch: That's just what I was thinking while reading your comment, Ted. There are so many readers who thrive on fantasy and an equal number who read horror thrillers. Good thinking, I'd say. So glad you felt uncomfortable and wanting to tell me! = = = = = = = = = =Well that’s not the end of it.First, why do I no longer have the book? I never get rid of books.But I got rid of this one. At some point I saw it sitting on a book shelf and realized that I never wanted to open it again, that I was afraid I would somehow be sucked into Barker’s dual-world masterpiece? … maybe, a fantastic world of evil incarnate, woven with a horrifying skein of darkness and sheer fright into our own world. Am I imagining that this is the structure of the novel? Perhaps, you’d have to check other reviews. This is what it is for me, and I’ll probably not read it again to find out.One other thing. I didn’t go to bed until about 5 am this morning. Once I did I couldn’t sleep for at least an hour. The vague memories of the book referred to above were slowly washing over me, in slowly emerging detail - as a rising tide slowly submerges a man buried in the sand with only his head sticking out. I finally had to resort to “drastic” measures.Now the sun is shining, I’m okay, and hoping for a better night tonight.If you’re a fan of horror fantasy, give it a try. Hope you won’t be disappointed. ;?
I feel this is one of the finest pieces of Clive Barker's work. Admittedly I had trouble getting through the first chapter and started/stopped four or five times before I got past it. But when I did, it takes you on an amazing ride.Plot ***Spoilers***The novel revolves around the world of the Fugue, a magical world which lies woven within a rug.Many decades ago the Seerkind (creatures of magical abilities) decided to hide themselves through a spell or "Rapture" in a safe haven after being hunted down and eradicated by humans for centuries (with humans most commonly depicting them as demons and fairies in their mythological tales) as well as being decimated by a destructive being known as The Scourge - The Scourge's form is entirely unknown to the Seerkind, given that none of those assaulted by the Scourge survived to describe it. The Seerkind collect a number of beautiful/enchanted places, hills, meadows and mountains, alongside their belongings and themselves and undergo a spell which encloses all of them in the rug. They also leave the wife of one of their kind, a non-seerkind woman named Mimi Laschenski, outside in the human world with the purpose of keeping and guarding the rug and also unleashing the world of the Fugue someday when the world had become a safe place for them. Eight decades later, a sudden interest emerges for the rug at the time an elderly Mimi (having recently gone through a stroke in her old age) expires. Calhoun Mooney, an ordinary young man, accidentally comes into contact with the rug and realises its magical nature; Suzanna Parish, Mimi's granddaughter is given clues to the rug's existence from her grandmother (who can no longer speak since the stroke) and moves to uncover its secrets; Immacolata, exiled by the Seerkind into the human world, wants to find the rug and destroy her race. Cal and Suzanna join forces against Immacolata, her dead sisters and a greedy human known as Shadwell. The second part of the book develops within the world of Fugue, unleashed from within the rug, and deals with the struggle of characters for the control of this world. The third part sees the Fugue destroyed, with the surviving Seerkind, Cal and Suzanna hiding in the forests of Scotland and facing the ultimate battle against the resurrected Scourge.
What do You think about Weaveworld (2001)?
I got to page 350, and then I skimmed to the end. What a waste of trees. I'm so sorry I started this. It's a fever dream journal written by a Christian. It's 700 pages too long.(view spoiler)[Everything in existence is an idea made manifest in the Gyre, which is guarded by Uriel, a masterless angel. Humans are compost meat who love magic and who have great difficulty seeing different planes of realities clearly. Magic must be saved because it's neat to see. Magical beings are too stupid to live. Heaven is a compost pile. Shadwell is the Devil, a salesman of desire, whose purpose is to scare and chase, in other words, a faithless hound dog. Uriel goes insane from loneliness, but when the lining of a coat creates Uriel's twin, he is sane again and leaves earth to go traveling in the universe. The purpose of people is 1., to be compost for new life creations, and 2., to provide life force power that enables coat linings to create Angels. Earth is saved from magic for magic. (hide spoiler)]
—aPriL does feral sometimes
First off, this wasn't what I was expecting, but in a very good way. After reading Barker's short story collections of horror (Books of Blood, Inhuman Condition, etc) and recently the excellent Mister B. Gone, I decided to delve into his fantasy catalog. From the introduction on, his gift for language shines, as it always does. What really struck me in this novel, however, was the tone of his writing. There's a sweetness to the story that really hasn't come through in any of the other works I've read by him. The book could almost be mistaken for a children's story if it weren't for the horror overtones and the eroticism that have become his trademark. While it's not nearly as visceral as some of his other works, there are scenes and characters, in particular Immacolata, the Magdelene and the Hag, that put this well beyond a children's book. However, if you're in the market for a more mature fantasy, you would be hard pressed to find a better take on the genre than Weaveworld. A definate must read. I'll be digging further into his fantasy catalog as soon as possible.
—Justin Borek
Once, there was magic. There were sacred places and secret spots, and beings that held magnificent raptures. They were the Seerkind, and they were the magical children of the world.Then the Scourge came. A being of magnificent power and mad obsession with a singular purpose - to utterly destroy the Seerkind. Its reasons, its motivations were completely unknown and brooked no argument or negotiation. And so, with their numbers being burned down, the Seerkind hid. They used their best magics and their most exquisite raptures to weave their most precious places and people into a haven that no one would ever find, a place that no one would ever look. A carpet.They hoped to wake up once the Scourge had passed, after a few short years.Eighty years later, the final custodian of the Weaveworld dies, leaving her estranged granddaughter, Suzanna to take over her duties. Whether she wanted to or not. Fortunately, she is not alone. Young Calhoun Mooney, the grandson of a poet, stumbled across the enchanted carpet and was ensnared by its intricate beauty. Together, they set off to save the Weaveworld from those who would rule it - or destroy it. Shadwell, an amoral salesman with an enraptured jacket that can produce any item his mark wants with all their heart, leads the hunt. With him, and supporting him is the Incantrantrix Immaculata, who hates the Seerkind with all her cold, dead heart.And somewhere, in a dry, empty place, the Scourge sleeps....I've read this book countless times, and it never gets old. I know Clive Barker is best known for his horror, but, much like Stephen King, he excels at writing fantasy. He has a gift for making his world both magical and believable, describing its magics and its dangers in wonderful detail. What I really enjoy, both in this and his other fantasy masterpiece Imagica, is his ability to name things. Like any true magician, he excels in the art of names, and they're truly exquisite. The Incantantrix Immaculata. Apolline Dubois. Balm DeBono. Lemuel Lo and his Orchard. The names themselves are magical, and it makes it so much more wonderful.I cannot recommend this book enough. Have fun.
—Chris
