Home Feed
Home
Search
Search
Add Review, Blurb, Quote
Add
Activity
Activity
Profile
Profile
The Thief of Always
The Thief of Always: A Fable | Clive Barker
43 posts | 67 read | 32 to read
Book description to come.
Amazon Indiebound Barnes and Noble WorldCat Goodreads LibraryThing
Pick icon
100%
review
Zoe-h
post image
Pickpick

This book wasn‘t so much scary as it was shivers down your spine. The illustrations were haunting and added to the feel of the book. I liked the story and the characters and felt that every was explained well. But, I feel like it was missing that little bit that would make it five-stars. 4⭐️

blurb
TheSpineView
post image

#Movie2BookRecs @Klou
Prompt: Children of the Corn

NataliePatalie I read The Thief of Always when I was a kid and don't remember the cover looking so terrifying 😂 3y
TheSpineView @NataliePatalie It might be an alternative cover. 3y
Klou Great job!! 3y
50 likes1 stack add4 comments
review
Bookishgal71
Pickpick

I read this to my fifth graders as an intro to fantasy, but not typical fantasy. This is more on the horror side is fantasy. It‘s not scary, but slightly creepy and I was surprised to see how many 10 and 11 year olds are clearly future Stephen King fans.

review
BekahB
post image
Pickpick

This was such a fantastic book! It gave me strong Ray Bradbury vibes. I definitely need to read more Clive Barker. I‘ve only ever read a few short stories and The Hellbound Heart. After reading this book, I‘m very interested in picking up Weaveworld.

TrishB Weaveworld is brilliant 😁 3y
BekahB @TrishB I‘m definitely intimidated by the size of Weaveworld, but just from the little I‘ve read of Barker‘s work, I know it will be fantastic. 3y
39 likes2 stack adds2 comments
review
TheNeverendingTBR
post image
Pickpick

This was an easy read with short chapters, cool illustrations drawn by the author himself which added to the overall feel of it and it just all flowed so well.

I didnt really like how it ended, it ended on a sad note and I'd have preferred something different, but I guess that's just the way some stories go; it don't mean I never liked it because I did. 🤟

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3146357195

Full Review⤴️

readordierachel That's a wild cover. I like it. 3y
Reggie I‘m sorry it‘s been so long since I read it. Doesn‘t the kid just go back to his real life? 3y
TheNeverendingTBR @Reggie Pretty much but he's split up by time and distance with his love Lulu 😕 3y
TheNeverendingTBR @readordierachel It's a really nice book with cool illustrations, it was just a So-So and read-oncer 😌 3y
97 likes4 comments
review
Bubblebelle
Pickpick

This is a book my dad read to us as children that left a lasting impression on me. I think it‘s probably the foundation of my love for horror as an adult. Every few years I go back and re-read it, and I‘m not sure if it‘s just the nostalgia but I‘ve always felt it holds up. It‘s just the right mix of weird, scary, and fantastical. If you like Coraline, this strikes a very similar chord in my opinion.

review
CaitlinSiem
post image
Pickpick

Man, I am definitely bummed this book wasn‘t one I read as a kid. Because I would‘ve loved it.

The balance of creepy, dark fantasy and well written literature is incredible in this book. And the illustrations that the author drew himself for the book seriously just added so much depth to an already interesting and fantastic story. Why don‘t more books have illustrations? I feel cheated.

I have nothing bad to say about this book. I‘m a fan.

23 likes1 stack add
review
BookKenz
post image
Pickpick

I've officially completed by #bookspin book for Feburary. This was recommended to me by my professor for a young adult literature class. It is a middle grade book with some dark themes. I don't think it'll join the classroom library, primarily due to the drawings inside (No need to get calls from parents). However, I enjoyed it and I think some of my students would too.

@TheAromaofBooks

BookKenz This would be a fun read for #middlegrademarch for those participating. 🙂 4y
TheAromaofBooks Great review!! 4y
62 likes2 comments
blurb
BookKenz
post image

The artwork in this is amazing (and at times, creepy) . I love how all the illustrations in this book come from the author. ❤

63 likes1 stack add
review
Chrys
post image
Pickpick

This has been on my tbr shelf for awhile and I don‘t know why it took so long to get to. I figured out most of it pretty quickly, but enjoyed it anyway. I would have loved it when I was a kid.
#TeamStoker theme read @TheReadingMermaid

BeansPage 🧟‍♀️ 5y
14 likes1 comment
blurb
madamereadsalot1
post image

#chillingphotochallenge #scaratlon day 20 #jackolantern my first ever Barker book, last read over 20 years ago. I loved it. I need to reread it.

blurb
effani

I've decided my goal for the rest of the year is to clear some things off my to-read list. The tagged book had been on the list since 2014, so I requested it from the library. As soon as I had it in my hands I felt a deep sense of ennui at the prospect of reading a 30-year-old horror novel by a white man, so I turned around and checked it straight back in. One book down with minimal effort!

blurb
Chrys
post image

#7days7covers #covercrush I fit as much of this cover in as I could because the whole image is just so creepy. I got it at the library sale based on cover alone as it had no description on it. Thanks to @NatalieR for the tag!
@Liberty have you played yet?

night_shift I have this exact one! ❤ 5y
madamereadsalot1 I love this book! I became a Barker fan 24 years ago because of this book! 5y
NatalieR 👏👏👏 5y
20 likes3 comments
blurb
madamereadsalot1
post image

1. The tagged was one of my favorites! My intro to Clive Barker & I've loved him since!
2. I had SO many favorites, picking a top was hard. But you could definitely count on hearing NOFX w/ me.
3. If my head wasn't shaved in the Chelsea style, like in my pic, it was a pixie.
4. Plaid polyester golf pants & band shirts were what I most often wore.
5. I always had notes from friends & chewed up pencils in my backpack.

#yourstory @nu-bibliophile

Nu-Bibliophile 5 Me too !! 😁 5y
Megabooks Notes! We definitely didn‘t have texting back then! 5y
madamereadsalot1 @nu-bibliophile @Megabooks trying to fold them in fun shapes was so enjoyable. Now I'd be hard pressed to remember how to do the most simple ones! 😆 5y
25 likes3 comments
blurb
thegirlwiththelibrarybag
post image

Monsters and Beasties... the illustrations in this book add so much to the general sense of unease in this book...

review
EyesOnly34
Pickpick

One of the best contemporary YA fantasy/horror novels written to date. Barker‘s writing style is elegant and imaginative as it always is, and the story is relatable to any young adult and adult alike who ever was a kid (that means most us anyway) 😁

blurb
TheNeverendingTBR
post image

I've never read a Barker book I didn't enjoy, see Coldheart Canyon, The Damnation Game, Imajica, Sacrament and last and foremost The Books of Blood Volumes 1-6! 🖤

I'm sure this here one will be impressive too? Anyone?

#clivebarker
#horror
#britishkingofhorror

Gissy But I like cover!😍 5y
76 likes1 comment
blurb
JoScho
post image

Clive Barker creates an enchanting tale for both children and adults to cherish and retell. The Thief of Always tells the haunting story of Harvey, a bright 10-year-old who is suffering from the winter doldrums, and of a creature who takes him to a place where every day is filled with fun, and Christmas comes every night.

Lol not sure the cover matches the description but sounds interesting!

#always #newhogwartsadventure

robinb That cover...😳😳😳😱 6y
vkois88 Definitely doesn't match, going by what you said... but did almost give me a heart attack!! Lol 6y
99 likes4 stack adds3 comments
blurb
Scott_BookInvasion
post image

This is one of the first books I remember checking out from the library many many years ago and I‘ve never found it since. These illustrations I just never got out of my head. Flash forward 20yrs later and I found a digest edition hardcover at the thrift store (no dust jacket 🙁). Can‘t wait to re-read it!

11 likes1 stack add
review
JacintaMCarter
post image
Pickpick

#2018Book74
This was my first Clive Barker, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I knew his writing tends toward the dark side, but that was the extent of what I knew going in. I ended up thoroughly enjoying this dark tale of a young boy being tricked into wasting his days in a house that promises him anything his heart desires. Though the plots are different, I got the same vibe from this book that I felt while reading Gaiman's The Graveyard Book.

58 likes2 stack adds
blurb
JacintaMCarter
post image
blurb
madamereadsalot1
post image

@ErinSueG & @WhiskeyMistress I'm late! It's been busy today!

My #requiredreadingredo of the day is Clive Barker. This was my first book of his & I fell immediately in love. It was my freshman year and I checked it out from the library. I don't remember what book I skipped in order to read this one, but I do remember I kept getting in trouble because I pulled it out in every class all day because I didn't want to stop reading it!

Erinsuereads That‘s fantastic. I used to get in trouble in grade school because I would bring a whole backpack of books with me that weren‘t homework. I was notorious for reading four and five books at a time. 6y
madamereadsalot1 @ErinSueG my freshman year was definitely a year of reading for me. I loved my English teacher & read all kinds of books she suggested to me. And my math teacher actually wanted to be an English teacher instead. So because I always blew off his work & pulled books out in his class, he gave up on me & algebra ever getting along, & we just talked about books instead of me doing math work. Probably a sign of a not good teacher, but I loved him! 😂 6y
9 likes1 stack add2 comments
blurb
JacintaMCarter
post image
blurb
JacintaMCarter
post image

Ready to start my first Clive Barker.

JoScho That cover 😍 6y
BeansPage Good read! You'll enjoy it! ❤️💕 6y
Reggie This one was a little crazy. I loved his Weaveworld. 6y
GatheringBooks i have a collection of his novels. and just like @Reggie I enjoyed Weaveworld too - and this one 6y
62 likes4 comments
blurb
TrishB
post image

#thejokerandthethief #getmovin
Another brilliant offering from Clive 😁👍🏻

Cinfhen Great cover art 6y
Cathythoughts Your namesake 👍🏻 6y
TrishB @Cathythoughts I did try and see if we were related as he is from Liverpool. But my dad‘s from Yorkshire so that sort of scuppered that!! 6y
TricksyTails 😍🖤😍🖤😍🖤 6y
BookaholicNatty Good one!!!! ❤️ 6y
124 likes1 stack add5 comments
blurb
TrishB
post image

#mask #quotsynov17
@TK-421
A great book - my daughter says it's one of her favourites.

Cathythoughts It sounds great 👍 6y
90 likes2 stack adds1 comment
review
moriah9678
Pickpick

A children's book but I wouldn't read it to my kids.

review
Reita325
Mehso-so

I‘ve read other Barker that I liked more. This was okay but I was expecting more due to all the hype.

blurb
LynnMPK
post image
blurb
night_shift
post image

I love these old covers! Not sure if they're the originals, but still. :)

#retrocoverfun #riotgrams #bookriot

Jamesmelvinmitchell Have you read any of his other books? My favorite book of his is Imajica. 7y
night_shift @Jamesmelvinmitchell no I haven't! I'll have to check it out! :) 7y
36 likes1 stack add2 comments
review
BennettBookworm
Mehso-so

I read this book with my fifth grade class because the whole grade team was doing it; while I think it is well-written, I would have preferred something with a more nuanced villain and a message that they needed to dig deeper to find. The vocabulary is also WAY too hard for average fifth graders. Still, a strong young protagonist, no doubt!

blurb
bitterbear
post image

#day4 #riotgrams #bookishtattoos One of my favorites. Sorry for blowing up everyone's feed...

JoeStalksBeck ❤❤❤ 7y
Moray_Reads These are amazing! Do you have plans (or space!) for any more? 7y
bitterbear @Moray_Reads lol YES!!!! I want to get the master and the margarita cat tattooed on my wrist. 7y
See All 6 Comments
Moray_Reads @bitterbear Excellent. I'd love a Master and Margarita one, I just need to decide on what! 7y
bitterbear @Moray_Reads I also want the cover of the anniversary edition on my thigh.. So beautiful. 7y
18 likes6 comments
blurb
JTRobertson
post image

I'm getting the itch to read this again and that's perfect with #Halloween creeping this way. One of my absolute favorite books. If you read and loved #Coraline, I definitely suggest you check this one out.

4 likes1 stack add
blurb
Driftglass
post image

"The great gray beast February had eaten Harvey Swick alive."

Another weird Clive Barker novel for an #AllHallowsRead pick. This time he'd set out to put his brand of creepiness into kids' books and it's quite good! It's also full of his illustrations.
#ScaryReads @litsy

review
aizekj
post image
Pickpick

My favorite scary book from my childhood. It was probably the first time I was scared by a book but too invested in the story to put it down. #allhallowsread

blurb
LynnMPK
post image

My pick for favorite scary YA or children's book. #allhallowsread

Kirstin So good! 👍 7y
6 likes1 comment
quote
Kirstin
post image

"The great gray beast February had eaten Harvey Swick alive." #greatopeninglines #booktober

Soubhiville ❤️ old Clive Barker! 8y
Kirstin @Soubhiville Same! This book especially. 😊 8y
37 likes2 stack adds2 comments
review
Kirstin
post image
Pickpick

Clive Barker wrote you a bedtime story and it's all kinds of amazing.

3 likes2 stack adds
blurb
thegirlwiththelibrarybag
post image

Church book sales are fun 😂 I've read Thief of Always before but it's a FIRST edition - so obviously I had to buy it 😇😈

Bookrarian That's the cover my school library had when I first read it! Ah, brings back the book memories. 8y
Mairi I have that copy of The Prisoner of Zenda, in a set with 5 other children's classics. I've never seen one anywhere else, what a lovely surprise 🙂 8y
thegirlwiththelibrarybag @Mairi, awesome! My reading log says I've read it before but my memories are hazy... 8y
thegirlwiththelibrarybag @Bookrarian, it's so cool! I love the illustrations throughout 8y
12 likes2 stack adds4 comments
blurb
thegirlwiththelibrarybag
post image

*sound of money being spent* 😇

Stephanie-Anne That sign would hook me too! 😸 My house is already like a book explosion... 8y
thegirlwiththelibrarybag @Stephanie-Anne, lets just say, I recently had to buy a new bookshelf 😂 8y
13 likes2 comments
quote
Pequenogringo
post image

Evil, however powerful it seemed, could be undone by its own appetite.

SeanEasley I've got to read this now. 8y
13 likes2 stack adds1 comment
blurb
bpsalinas
post image

Clive Barker signed this book before I had a chance to read it. I had no idea at the time this would turn out to be my favorite of his works.

ReadingOver50 How cool that you got a signed copy. 8y
4 likes1 stack add1 comment
blurb
Noctowl1216
post image

Enjoying reading an old favorite aloud to my partner before bed. This spooky children's tale will stay with me always.