Damnation Game, The

Inhoud

"I have seen the future of the horror genre, and his name is Clive Barker," Stephen King has written. Fortunately, this first novel (Barker has published short story collections) more than bears the weight of King's praise. Barker is a better writer than King, and his characters are just as interesting. Set in modern Britain, the story thrusts a flawed "innocent" parolee Marty Straussinto an epic conflict between wealthy Joseph Whitehead and Mamoulian the Cardplayer, a centuries-old creature with whom Whitehead had struck a bargain to obtain his wealth and power. Whitehead reneges, and the resulting struggle is played out primarily on his fortress-like estate. Barker's excellent writing makes the graphic, grotesque imagery endemic to current horror fiction very effective. Highly recommended anywhere horror fiction is popular.

Bespreking

Pure raw horror

Marty Strauss, a gambling addict, has just been released from prison when he gets hired as a personal bodyguard of Joseph Whitehead, one of the richest men on earth. What first seems as a common security assignment, quickly turns out to be much more dangerous. Joseph has some debt that he needs to repay and it is not to some earthly power. When the mansion gets invaded by a devilish man named Mamoulian, it becomes clear that a simple gun won't help against his powers.

The Damnation Game is the first novel by Clive Barker, directly written after he published his first trilogy of highly renowned Books of Blood. Although it is actually his debut, all the strong characteristics of his later works can be found in this Faustian story. Clive tackles subjects like incest, self-mutilation and cannibalism with a unseen rawness that makes the shivers run down your spine. Certainly the scene where Mamoulian first shows up at the mansion is horrendously detailed in its gruesomeness. If I only think about the description of the severed finger, I get the creeps. At first reading it might seem that the story is not very original, but that seems hardly an issue. The power of The Damnation Game lies mostly in its depiction of the deterioration of oneself due to the destructive power of an addiction.

To call this book a masterpiece might be going a bridge too far, but at least it great literature. But be warned: if you're looking for a feel-good story, go search somewhere else!