This is a very pro-biased look at Clive Barker and his work, but that's okay with me. While not a fan of everything Barker has put out, I absolutely recognize him as one of the singular talents of the writing profession.

The book goes above and beyond most biographies and their "he was born, then this happened, then this, then this, then this..." style and Winter delves into the deeper meanings and connections along the way.

I think the only thing I could have done without were the multi-page summaries of every single story Clive wrote from his plays, through the Books of Blood, and right up to Galilee. For anyone who's actually read the stories (and really, are you going to dig into a thick bio of the author without having read any of his stuff?) it was a touch frustrating, but the analysis that followed each was always interesting.

I had the distinct pleasure of meeting Barker many years ago at a convention, and got to both chat with him while he was painting, as well as a couple of days later when he autographed a few of his books for me. In both cases, I was struck by a man who could have easily walled himself away from his fans, but instead was incredibly gracious, welcoming, patient, and, even more shocking, actually interested in what each fan had to say. Virtually every other author I've dealt with for autographs asks my name, then puts their head down and throws a comment in and hands it back with a thanks. Clive, when I handed him the books, considered the covers, then asked, "which one do you like the best?" and when I answered, smiled and asked, "why?" which then sparked a five minute conversation on the novel.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, it's often disappointing to meet those you have a picture of in your head, because they often can't measure up in person. Clive, on the other hand, exceeded every expectation I had of him—exactly as he does in his best fiction—and this biography does a good job of showing that aspect of the man.

Highly recommended. ( )