From amusing to bizarre to uncomfortably grotesque, this is a great sampling of what Clive Barker can do with his writing. The Book of Blood had elements of Hell House and The Hellbound Heart; it was a nice intro. The Midnight Meat Train was every bit as violent and dark as its name; I loved it. The Yattering and Jack wasn’t fleshed out as much as I’d have liked, but I was chuckling as I finished it. Pig Blood Blues made me lose my appetite-never a bad thing in horror-it was unique, thought-provoking, and gross. Sex, Death and Starshine shows more of Barker’s range even as it couldn’t seem to decide which high genre it wanted to be; not a favorite but where I see the most potential. In the Hills, the Cities was out there. Another story where Barker’s literary skill shines. While the plot was too out there without enough support for it to be great, it wasn’t bad and certainly had entertaining elements.