Oh thank goodness that is over and done with. While I can see shades of Hellraiser and style it was generally disappointing, not scary, a bit gross, and far far too many dogs died. Cemetery Dance came out with a slipcased oversized signed limited edition, I have 361/598. *audible note - Simon Vance did an amazing job as narrator! Any enjoyment I had was from his spooky melodious voice.

I've started this review several times now, and can't quite decide on it.I have a long standing love hate relationship with Mr Barker, I have learned, through long experience that he is either astounding or awful, and there doesn't appear to be a middle ground, but even when his stories are awful his prose is beautiful, it's worth it just for the language.So, the damnation game, his first novel, published just after the Books of Blood but before the hellbound heart.Chronologically that puts it i...

No matter how much graphic violence on dead dogs or how much rotting meat crawling with maggots and oozing with puss is shown, a horror story demands a little more.

I was very disappointed by this book. Barker's "The Great and Secret Show" is one of my favorite books of all time, so admittedly, I have a rather high bar that I expect from him. Despite my expectations, this piece of shit book simply will not do. First of all, the pacing was god awful, which is evidenced by my tendency to scream "DO SOMETHING!" by the end of every chapter. When something finally does happen, it's not interesting enough to pay off for the boring lead up. You know when a book sp...

Absolutely excellent book. The Damnation Game was my introduction into the mind of Clive Barker and I now realize why he has received such unwavering praise and adoration from readers. I am also inclined to agree with those aforementioned readers. This novel was terrific. It hooked me in from the first few pages and I found myself eagerly anticipating the rest of the story. It contained many twisted images of the macabre that Barker has come to be associated with. But it was somehow more than th...

I have my mother to thank for this read. After annoying her to the point where she went on a book hunting rampage she suddenly decided to lumber me with many of her old books. All I’d asked for was a couple of her old Stephen King books but the next thing I knew she had given me King, Koontz, Herbert, Barker, and all her other suspense masters. Needless to say, the books will be devoured.For a while there have been a couple of Barker books on my to-read list but this was never one of them. Still...

This is, hands down, the scariest book I have ever read. Ever. I read it for the adrenaline genres week in my Reader's Advisory class. Since I only had a couple of days to read this and another book (716 pages in 2 days!), I stayed up till about 2 am reading this. BAD IDEA!! I started out reading it in the lounge, but moved into my room at some point. And that was when the trouble started. At some point I needed a bathroom break. But I was too scared to open my door and run the 3 feet to the bat...

This was a hard one to get through, I wanted something to scare me and instead got something completely different.The very beginning was actually interesting, though quickly turns into a seemingly disjointed multitude of points of view, which only make sense much later in the novel. This came across as completely unnecessary and only makes it harder to get any traction. It takes a very long time for anything significant to start happening, and then you almost wish it just went back to what it wa...

Jeeeeeez, did this book need a better editor. I was completely and totally bored for the first 130 pages; I would rather watch dust collect than read that waste again. Almost half of this novel is a total chore to get through, and that's why I'm giving this thing three stars. What kept me reading was Clive Barker's lovely prose (The Damnation Game is, from a technical standpoint, very well written) and the knowledge that this story's pay off would probably be worth my trudging onward. And I was

The Damnation Game bleeds the dark, sensual eroticism and morbid imagination that has become the Barker signature. The novel offers out a feast of emotion to submerge yourself in, from bizarre and horrific scenes of brutal violence to moments of heart-wrenching literally romance. It was Barker's first full-length novel, published for the first time in 1985, after the release and cult success of the first three 'Books of Blood'. This first novel presents a theme which has reappeared in many of hi...

There are several reasons I choose to re-read this novel. This debut novel by Clive Barker appeared on the horror scene after he established himself as the next “big thing” After Stephen King. Due in part to an introduction by Ramsey Campbell ,and more importantly the prediction by Stephen King that the future of horror itself was Clive Barker. What a burden this praise put on Barker who is less of a horror writer than an author of Dark Fantasy.Funny, after that King never really had much nice t...

Clive Barker is a talented storyteller who writes with some of the darkest creativity. This is a good story of a game where some characters get into people's minds and see their thoughts and can control them. There is a man set on revenge and the power of resurrecting the dead. Barker has created characters that perpetrate the most henious acts. He brings to the table a unique writing style where he immerses us into to other dimensions of fear.

4.5 stars.Let me first say that Clive Barker’s writing and use of language is impeccable. By far one of the best writers I have ever had the pleasure of reading. I loved this story quite a lot, and I grew connected to the main character in this book more than I have in any book in quite a while. My main problems with this book lay with the antagonist: while Mammoulian is an intriguing character I still don’t entirely understand his motivations. This bargain or agreement between him and Whitehead...

Barker, in general, is a heck of a lot better writer than fellow horror icon Stephen King (except in King's short stories). He keeps his narrative together with a smooth action curve (even when there's little action) and restrains himself from having his characters add juvenile comments and sophomoric humor. His "hero" here, Marty, a semi-parolee, is a nuanced character who learns as he goes, expanding his internal horizons even as the horror slowly mounts. Indeed, all the characters are full, c...

a beautifully written - blood filled/terror ride - this book gave nightmares - Clive Barker is at once restrained and deadly with words - he is excellent at simply writing clean - beautiful language with the talent Hemingway lacked for creating images that are not easily erased.

I have to say, I am not a fan of the 1990 mass market cover. I thought it would make more sense as the book progressed, of what it is. Sadly, no such luck. As for the story, learning after the fact that this is Clive Barker's first novel, I must say I am impressed. I would not have guessed that. I'd read his Books of Blood before this, as well as Cabal (love BTW), and bits of other books I intend to finish soon. His way with prose and imagination are flawless here. I was disappointed in Marty's

The premise of the story is interesting enough and of course inspired by the infamous German tale of Faust; an unsatisfied scholar makes a deal with the devil for unlimited knowledge and worldly pleasure, all he has to give up is his soul. Who knows of course what happens to our soul but if the devil in the story wants it so bad then I'm pretty sure it has some importance, whether here or there. The Damnation game has it's merits, the mystery and buildup are engrossing and dangerously tantalizin...

Depressing and gross and long, oh so long. Rambling on for ages with seemingly no point, as if the author wanted to prove he could write but got too wrapped up in his own illusion. As much as I loved the 'Hellbound Heart', this novel of Clive Barker was frankly, a mess.

Clive Barker's first novel; which now that I check some publication dates, it looks like it came out much closer to the start of his career than I'd realized (he basically exploded onto the scene in 1984/1985 with Books of Blood: Volumes 1-6; Damnation Game came out in the UK in 1985, so right at the same time, but didn't get a US release until a few years later). And arguably it was his most ... for lack of a better word, normal horror novel, at least for a good, long time -- after this he star...

This was an interesting audio book, I don't know who the narrators were but they were excellent, they performed each character and I loved it as well as the background music. Maybe I would have perceived the book differently had I read it, I don't really know, but it was a very entertaining read. This was my first Clive Barker book and I'm already listening the next one: Cabal and I find this one begins even better! I think I have found a new favorite author to explore in my future reads.