Where Weaveworld was the Garden of Eden, this is the life of Christ (Christian imagery has always played an important role in Barker’s fiction, yet seems rarely to have been commented on in studies of his work). Huge (so huge, in America it appears in two volumes) and hugely inventive. I love that it hints at, rather than shows, the wondrous terrors (or terrifying wonders) of Midian. Barker later filmed this as Nightbreed, and I have written about both works elsewhere. It’s very short, characters are sketchy to the point of being thumbnails, and you can rattle through it in a few hours. Yet as they’re pursued by the forces of law and order, who is truly monstrous? Only it turns out the monsters are actual, literal monsters. Another “hidden tribe” story, this time telling of Aaron Boone, a misfit who has been led to believe that he’s a killer, and so sets off in search of the legendary sanctuary of Midian, where monsters can take refuge from the world. Short and sharp, in stark contrast to Weaveworld, and published just a year later. No synopsis quite does it justice: hugely influential in opening up the genre of “dark fantasy” (Herbert’s Creed (1990) shows its influence in places and you think: “no, Jim, just stick to the gore”) and demonstrated that Barker was ambitious, and capable of fulfilling that ambition. Unravelled in contemporary Liverpool, it’s up to Cal Mooney and Suzanne Parrish to safeguard the world and its inhabitants – The Seerkind – from those who would destroy them: the “eternal virgin” Immacolata and her sisters, with their sidekick Shadwell, a salesman with an enchanted coat. Weaveworld is the story of a realm – The Fugue – concealed from its enemies by being woven into the fabric of a carpet. I’ve since bought a hardback copy to protect my signed paperback from further damage. A second reading made me realise my error. I liked the concept (and the cover, below), and something must have told me it was worth another go. I loved the horror of Books of Blood and wonder now if Weaveworld‘s dark fantasy put me off. First time I read it I didn’t like it, to the astonishment of friends who raved about it. Barker’s breakthrough second novel saw him do the rounds of TV chat shows (including a hilariously awkward Halloween Wogan alongside James Herbert). His children’s works ( The Thief of Always and the Abarat series) are not, therefore, in this list but are well worth seeking out. It is, however, his birthday on October 5th so to celebrate that, here’s my utterly subjective ranking of his adult novels. Barker these days is a far less prolific author than Mieville (or even his younger self), so there’s no new work appearing to prompt this. I compiled a China Mieville Top Ten a few months ago to mark the TV adaptation of The City and The City.
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