
As an Amazon Associate and affiliate partner, Menrva Books earns from qualifying purchases. Learn more
The Great and Secret Show is a dark fantasy novel by Clive Barker, the first book in his Book of the Art trilogy. It follows the lives of two rival occultists, Fletcher and Jaffe, as they compete to unlock the secrets of the Quiddity, a dream-sea that separates the waking world from the realm of the dead. Their struggle spills over into the town of Palomo Grove, where ordinary people are drawn into a conflict that threatens to reshape reality itself.
Two rival occultists, Fletcher and Jaffe, trigger a cataclysmic struggle for control over the Quiddity, a dream-sea that separates the waking world from the realm of the dead. As they manipulate the lives of ordinary people in the town of Palomo Grove, their obsession with unlocking the secrets of the universe threatens to dissolve the boundaries of reality itself. The narrative shifts between multiple perspectives, weaving together the lives of those caught in the crossfire of this metaphysical war. The story operates within a framework of dark, surrealist fantasy where the physical laws of the world are constantly challenged by the intrusion of supernatural forces.
This work is often characterized by its ambitious scope and the dense, imaginative world-building that defines the author's style. The narrative leans heavily into the grotesque and the sublime, creating a reading experience that prioritizes surreal atmosphere over traditional linear progression. Readers often note the intricate mythology surrounding the Quiddity and the way the story expands from a personal rivalry into a cosmic struggle. The prose is marked by a high degree of descriptive intensity, which serves to ground the more abstract elements of the plot in a tangible, albeit unsettling, reality.
Page Count:
0
Publication Date:
1989-10-01
Publisher:
HARPER & ROW.
ISBN-10:
0002236443
ISBN-13:
9780002236447
No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!