Title: Imajica
Author: Clive Barker
First published October 1, 1991
823 pages, Paperback
ISBN: 9780061053719 (ISBN10: 0061053716)
Rating: 4.17
Overview
Prepare to be transported to a world beyond imagination in Clive Barker’s Imajica. Meet Gentle, a master art forger whose life changes when he meets Judith Odell, a woman with incredible power over the destinies of men, and Pie ‘oh’ pah, an assassin from a hidden dimension.
Together, the three of them embark on a journey through the five worlds of Imajica, each one vastly different from our own. As they uncover a web of secrets, betrayals, and crimes, they stumble upon a revelation that will forever alter reality itself.
Imajica is a gripping epic, meticulously crafted and apocalyptic in its resolution.
About the Author
Clive Barker hails from Liverpool, England, and was born to Joan Rubie (née Revill), a painter and school welfare officer, and Leonard Barker, a personnel director for an industrial relations firm. He attended Dovedale Primary School and Quarry Bank High School before studying English and Philosophy at Liverpool University.
Barker’s picture currently hangs in the entrance hallway to the Philosophy Department. In 1975, he met his first partner, John Gregson, in Liverpool, and they lived together until 1986.
Barker’s second long-term relationship was with photographer David Armstrong, which ended in 2009.
Clive Barker received The Davidson/Valentini Award at the 15th GLAAD Media Awards in 2003. This award recognizes openly lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender individuals who have made significant contributions towards promoting equal rights.
Though Barker criticizes organized religion, he believes in God and the afterlife, and the Bible influences his work.
Fans have noticed that Barker’s voice has become gravelly, which he attributes to polyps in his throat. He has had two surgeries to remove them and believes that his voice has improved since.
Barker had another surgery to remove new polyp growths from his throat in 2010. In February 2012, Barker fell into a coma after a dentist visit led to blood poisoning.
He remained in a coma for eleven days but eventually recovered. Fans were notified of his ordeal and his recovery on his Twitter page.
Barker is a renowned author of contemporary horror/fantasy, initially writing short stories in the horror genre collected in Books of Blood 1-6 and the Faustian novel The Damnation Game (1985). He later shifted towards modern-day fantasy and urban fantasy with horror elements in Weaveworld (1987), The Great and Secret Show (1989), the world-spanning Imajica (1991), and Sacrament (1996).
His work explores deeper concepts of reality, the nature of the mind and dreams, and the power of words and memories.
Barker has a keen interest in movie production, although his films have received mixed receptions. He wrote the screenplays for Underworld (aka Transmutations – 1985) and Rawhead Rex (1986), both directed by George Pavlou.
He moved to directing after being displeased with how his material was handled, and his debut film Hellraiser (1987) was based on his novella The Hellbound Heart. His early movies, The Forbidden and Salome, are experimental art films with surrealist elements, which have been re-released together to moderate critical acclaim.
Barker was an executive producer of the critically acclaimed film Gods and Monsters.
Barker is also a prolific visual artist who often illustrates his own books. His paintings have been seen on the covers of his official fan club magazine, Dread, as well as on the covers of the collections of his plays, Incarnations (1995) and Forms of Heaven (1996), and the second printing of the original UK publications of his Books of Blood series.
Barker is a longtime comics fan and achieved his dream of publishing his own superhero books when Marvel Comics launched the Razorline imprint in 1993. The four interrelated titles, set outside the Marvel universe, were Ectokid,
Editoral Review
Clive Barker’s Imajica is a masterpiece of modern fantasy literature. Published in October of 1991, this novel is an epic that spans multiple dimensions and explores the depths of human nature.
Barker is a master of his craft, with a unique voice that instantly draws in readers and envelops them in a world of vivid detail and sensory experience. At its core, Imajica is a story of love, betrayal, and redemption.
The main character, Gentle, is a former assassin who embarks on a mission to reunite with the love of his life, a woman named Judith. Along the way, he discovers a vast network of portals that lead to other dimensions, each with its own distinct characters, cultures, and conflicts.
The world-building in this novel is truly awe-inspiring, with each new setting feeling fully-realized and alive. One of the strengths of Imajica is its character development.
Barker has created a wide cast of characters, each with their own unique motivations, flaws, and secrets. Despite their differences, each character is fleshed out in a way that makes them feel human and relatable.
Gentle, in particular, is a fascinating character, whose journey from ruthless killer to empathetic hero is well-realized and emotionally affecting. The pacing of Imajica is also worthy of praise, as Barker expertly balances moments of action and suspense with quieter, introspective scenes.
The novel clocks in at over 800 pages, but never feels bloated or overstuffed. Instead, each page is carefully crafted to add to the overall arc of the story.
Imajica also tackles some weighty themes, including the nature of reality, gender identity, and the dangers of unchecked power. Barker’s writing is insightful and thought-provoking, prompting readers to question their own assumptions about the world around them.
That said, Imajica is not without its flaws. The novel can be dense at times, with some readers finding the sheer amount of detail overwhelming.
Additionally, certain aspects of the novel feel dated in today’s cultural climate, particularly in regards to gender and sexuality. Despite these limitations, Imajica is a novel that deserves to be read and experienced by any fan of the fantasy genre.
It is a triumph of imagination and storytelling that will stick with readers long after they finish the final page. I give Imajica a rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars.
