Sacrament - Softcover

Barker, Clive

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0061091995 ISBN 13: 9780061091995

Publisher: HarperCollins, 1997

Synopsis

Living and dying, we feed the fire.

Will Rabjohns, perhaps the most famous wildlife photographer in the world, has made his reputation chronicling the fates of endangered species. But after a terrible accident, Will is left in a coma. And in its depths, he revisits the wildernesses of his youth and relives his life with a mysterious couple who have influenced his life as an artist and a man.

When Will awakens, he sets out on a journey of self-discovery--one where he will penetrate the ultimate mystery and finally unlock the secret of his destiny.

Soaring, provocative and passionate, Sacrament is a masterwork from the pen of one of today's moist acclaimed authors.

About this title

Review

A boy has an encounter with a man who causes extinctions of other species, and as a result grows up to be a man who documents (and thus appeals for a halt to) those extinctions. This dark fantasy tale is unlike most of Clive Barker's work, being more tightly plotted, and more of this world. In a sequence of well-executed stories within stories (comparable to Russian dolls), Barker unfolds a compelling examination of what it means to be human, to be a man and, more specifically, to be a gay man on a planet where ageing, disease and death bring "the passing of things, of days and beasts and men he'd loved." A satisfying long novel packed with vivid images, memorable characters and a melancholy mood that reaches for hope.

Review

‘A gripping book that weaves a compulsive spell... vintage Barker’
The Times

‘Barker’s unique brand of eco-mysticism weaves as potent a spell as ever’
Maxim

‘The premier metaphysicist of contemporary fiction. Breathtaking.’
Locus

Edition details

• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Publication date: 1997
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0061091995
• ISBN 13: 9780061091995
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback