Title: Sacrament
Author: Clive Barker
First published July 1, 1996
605 pages, Mass Market Paperback
ISBN: 9780061091995 (ISBN10: 0061091995)
Rating: 3.76
Overview
In “Sacrament”, Clive Barker takes us on a journey of self-discovery with Will Rabjohns, a renowned wildlife photographer who finds himself in a coma after a tragic accident. As he delves into the depths of his unconscious mind, Will revisits his past and encounters a mysterious couple who have had a profound impact on his life.
When he wakes up, Will embarks on a quest to uncover the secrets of his destiny and unlock the ultimate mystery of his existence. Barker’s writing is as soaring, provocative, and passionate as ever in this masterful exploration of the human psyche.
About the Author
Clive Barker, an English author, was born in Liverpool to Joan Rubie and Leonard Barker. Joan was a school welfare officer and painter, while Leonard was a personnel director for an industrial relations firm.
Clive attended Dovedale Primary School and Quarry Bank High School, then went on to study English and Philosophy at Liverpool University. His picture now hangs in the Philosophy Department’s entrance hallway.
In Liverpool, he met his first partner, John Gregson, in 1975, with whom he lived until 1986. His second long-term relationship with photographer David Armstrong ended in 2009.
In 2003, Clive Barker received The Davidson/Valentini Award at the 15th GLAAD Media Awards for making a significant difference in promoting equal rights for the LGBTQ+ community. Although Barker is critical of organized religion, he believes in both God and the afterlife, with the Bible influencing his work.
Fans have noticed that Barker’s voice has become gravelly and coarse lately. In a December 2008 online interview, he explained that this was due to polyps in his throat, which were so severe that a doctor told him he was receiving only ten percent of the air he was supposed to have been getting.
He has had two surgeries to remove them and believes that his resultant voice is an improvement over how it was prior to the surgeries. Barker said that he did not have cancer and has given up cigars.
On August 27, 2010, he underwent surgery yet again to remove new polyp growths from his throat. In early February 2012, Barker fell into a coma after a dentist visit led to blood poisoning.
Although he remained in a coma for eleven days, he eventually came out of it. Fans were notified on his Twitter page about some of the experience and that Barker was recovering after the ordeal, but left with many strange visions.
Barker is one of the leading contemporary horror/fantasy authors, who started writing in the horror genre early in his career, mostly in the form of short stories, collected in Books of Blood 1 – 6, and the Faustian novel The Damnation Game (1985). Later, he moved 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), bringing in the deeper, richer 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.
Displeased by how his material was handled, he moved to directing with Hellraiser (1987), based on his novella The Hellbound Heart. His early movies, the shorts The Forbidden and Salome, are experimental art movies with surrealist elements, which have been re-released together to moderate critical acclaim.
After his film Nightbreed (Cabal), which was widely considered to be a flop, Barker returned to write and direct Lord of Illusions. Barker was an executive producer of the film Gods and Monsters, which received major critical acclaim.
Barker is a prolific visual artist working in a variety of media, often illustrating his own books. His paintings have been seen first on the covers of his official fan club magazine, Dread, published by Fantaco in the early Nineties, as well on the covers of the collections of his plays, Incarnations (1995) and Forms of Heaven (1996), as well as on the second printing of the original UK publications of his Books of Blood series.
A longtime comics fan, Barker achieved his dream of publishing his own superhero books when Marvel Comics launched the Razorline imprint in 1993. Based on detailed premises, titles and lead characters he created specifically for this, the four interrelated titles — set outside the Marvel universe — were Ectokid.
Editoral Review
Clive Barker, best known for his horror-fantasy work, published Sacrament in July 1996. The novel follows children’s book author Will Rabjohns as he embarks on a journey to the Amazon rainforest to explore his fascination with endangered species.
Barker’s storytelling is layered with themes of spirituality, connectivity, and the human condition, which gives the book a deeper meaning beyond its surface layer. The novel delves into the complexity of relationships between humans and the environment, as Rabjohns finds himself immersed in the Amazon’s lush, dangerous terrain.
Barker’s writing is vivid, and the setting is evocatively and meticulously rendered. His use of flora and fauna helps paint a picture of the ecological beauty and complexity of the Amazon, while also providing insight into the characters’ inner nature.
Sacrament’s main characters are well-drawn, and the reader is quickly absorbed into their personal journeys. Alongside Rabjohns are two other contrasting characters, an ambitious film editor, and a botanist whose singular focus on her work hampers her relationships.
Barker performs a decent job with the female portrayal in this book. The female characters were multi-dimensional and complex which was a breath of fresh air.
Barker also adds mini-stories and myths about various cultures and tribes in the Amazon, adding to the novel’s theme of connectedness. These stories, combined with Rabjohns’ experiences with endangered species in the forest, prompt the reader to introspect and reevaluate their relationship with nature.
As insightful and philosophically stimulating as Sacrament is, however, it is not without flaws. The plot is somewhat predictable, and the resolution disappoints in certain aspects.
Barker attempts to wrap up the plot in a neat narrative, but in doing so, the ending feels contrived and underwhelming. With a premise that begs for creative exploration, Barker’s execution feels a bit lackluster in the final act.
Despite these limitations, Sacrament is a thought-provoking, meticulously-constructed read that delves into timely themes. The book is an excellent representation of Clive Barker’s talents, with his powerful sense of the mystery and the macabre.
Readers of horror, fantasy, or thriller books will find this work to be a memorable read.
To conclude, Sacrament is highly commendable from our perspective.
We would recommend this book to anyone seeking a thoughtful and finely crafted narrative that explores deep themes of connectivity, human virtues, and ecology. Overall, we would give this book an 8 out of 10.
