AUTHOR SHOWDOWN: BARKER VS. KING
The last Author Showdown was a massacre as Harry Potter scribe J.K. Rowling was the unanimous choice over Twilight author Stephenie Meyer. I was actually starting to feel a bit sorry for Ms. Meyer. This edition of the Showdown features two giants of the horror genre in writers Clive Barker and Stephen King. Let’s check out the tale of the tape:
Clive Barker
Born October 5, 1952 in Liverpool, England, United Kingdom
Listed as an author, film director and visual artist on Wikipedia.
Notable Story Collections:
The Books of Blood Vols. 1-3
The Inhuman Condition (Books of Blood Vol. 4)
In the Flesh (Books of Blood Vol. 5)
Cabal (Books of Blood Vol. 6)
Notable Novels
Weaveworld
Everville
Sacrament
Coldheart Canyon
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STEPHEN KING
Stephen King
Born September 21, 1947 in Portland, Maine
Genres include Contemporary Horror, Mystery, Science Fiction and Suspense.
Notable Story Collections:
Night Shift
Nightmares and Dreamscapes
Everything’s Eventual
Notables Novels:
The Stand
Salem’s Lot
Under the Dome
The Shining
It
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Let’s get ready to rumble!!!
Related articles
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- Barker urges installers and communities to have faith in the green deal (evoenergy.co.uk)
- What I’m Reading: ‘The Library of Greek Mythology’ by Apollodorus (bisforbooksandrisforreading.wordpress.com)
- Clive Barker – Weaveworld (fumingreader.wordpress.com)
- Candyman (1992): Bee Afraid (mikesfilmtalk.com)
- The Abarat Quartet (review) (everything2.com)
- Clive Barker Offers Updates on Several Projects (dreadcentral.com)
- The Great and Secret Show by Clive Barker with a bonus story (excursionsintoimagination.wordpress.com)
- Introducing Author Barbara Watkins (lleandersreviewsandinterviews.wordpress.com)
- Author Showdown: Meyer Vs. Rowling (jmountswritteninblood.com)
Posted on 12/18/2012, in Author Showdown and tagged Book of Blood, Clive Barker, HarryPotter, Inhuman Condition, JK Rowling, Liverpool, Stephen King, Stephenie Meyer. Bookmark the permalink. 31 Comments.
While I absolutely love Barker’s work and ‘The Hellbound Heart’ is one of my fave stories of all time, I have to do with King.
Yes Barker is the better writer by a massive margin but on the other side of the coin King is by far the better story teller and I want a story that I can get lost in when I get a book.
So King it is although God damn that was a hard one.
Okay, King it is.
King is like the Norman Rockwell of horror – he can sum up the essence of a place, period, or a type of person we all know in real life like no other – even non-horror writers can’t get it as spot-on as King. He also has some hokey stuff but with all he writes there’s still enough grit to sometimes make me squirm. His latest collection, Full Dark, No Stars, had some of his most gruesome tales in a long time. Barker has a more fantastic imagination and is more cutting edge. Its a hard choice but I will have to go with Stephen King.
Okay, King it is.
King. Of course. But the Books of Blood were brilliant.
From what I recall, yes they were.
King has more work and sure isn’t a bad writer (the stand is a classic) but for me the winner is Barker due to he is a better writer in my view. Weaveworld is an amazing book…
Finally! A vote for Mr. Barker! Thanks, Rincewind!
Oh he deserves that vote. King is awesome but for all his work there is way too many badly written books churned out from him.
I’m glad someone voted for Barker. He’s one of the best and deserves better than the landslide we were burying him under!
I totally agree. I really need to re-read the Books of Blood.
Books of Blood are brilliant. If you’ve not read the Hellbound Heart though – it almost reads like a long poem. Absolutely took my breath away when I first read it.
I did, but so long ago; and I was a completely different person then.
King!
Okay!
Like having to choose which of your children gets on the train and which one goes with you. Barker is a better “writer”. King is a better story teller but in the end it’s the story that matters. With a heavy heart King goes with me.
King it shall be. Thanks, Clint!
Oh wow, this is a good one, but I do not have to think too long and hard on it. I am a born and bred Stephen King fan. The man is ab absolute master!!
He certainly is!
As much as I’d like to choose Barker for my boyfriend’s sake, I have to go with King. I enjoy both of their work, but I personally enjoy King’s style more.
That appears to be the general consensus, Kim. Thanks for voting!
ooh I find this a difficult choice, but fear the result may be a landslide nonetheless. I am honestly torn between the two. Some of the writing in Books of Blood borders on bewitching, it is so rhythmic.
Kind not only has the broader portfolio of work, but I think is more of a horror writer than Barker, who, despite bringing us Candyman, Hellraiser and all manner of ungodly creatures, still resides more in the fantasy.
I am going to have to go for King, on this one, but it was a knock out late in the twelfth round that won it for him.
You got the idea. This is a fight! My name is Inigo Montoya…and you killed my father. Prepare to die!
King gets a weird backlash for some reason. He’s excellent at what he does and I’ve been reading his stuff for so long that I find his writing style very comforting in a weird way.
You get no argument from me, Brian.
I blame King for my word obsession…my first “grownup” read was The Shining….and it was all downhill from there
Love him! Love him! Love him!
Hmm, so far it’s 3 to 0 in favor of Mr. King.
Mr. King for sure. I love Barker’s work but King has so much more to choose from.
Very true!
King all the way
Okay!