| Title | : | The Thief of Always |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1933239174 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781933239170 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 144 |
| Publication | : | First published February 1, 2005 |
The Thief of Always Reviews
-
Really captures the magic of the novel. Adore this story
-
Es una muy discreta adaptación grafica de la gran novela A Thief of Always/ El ladrón De Días.
Refleja muy parcialmente lo que es la novela, dejando de lado varios detalles, frases y sutilezas y bajándole el tono lúgubre que tiene la original ,a pesar de ser considerada "infantil". La narrativa es flojita.
El arte no le hace justicia, la historia pedía otra cosa. Son infinitamente superiores las ilustraciones que hizo el propio Barker para varias ediciones de la novela. Hubiera sido genial expande ese arte y plasmarlo en una versión gráfica .
Pero bueno después de leer esa gran novela para el que se queda con ganas de mas se lee la novela grafica de complemento (no al revés)
*Detalle de color: Clive Barker vendió la novela por 1 dólar simbólicamente a Harper Collins, considerando que salia de sus parámetros habituales, siendo una novela :infantil" y era una apuesta rara para las editoriales, pero quería editarla por gusto propio y amor al arte. -
What a great adaptation of the book!
Gives a whole new perspective on it!
Wish we get to see a movie adaptation too one day!
5/5 -
Just a gorgeously illustrated YA, Horror, Graphic-Novel. I would recommend anything written by Clive Barker so dark and imaginative.
-
Clive Barker brings readers this delightful fairy tale, surrounding the main character of young Harvey, a bright adventurous young boy with a stubborn streak. I advise not being put off by its seemingly childlike innocence; this one features monstrous beings, cruel twists of fate, and genuinely frightening outcomes. All ages can enjoy Thief of Always, for it stirs up the imagination and brings back that child in all of us.
Starting off with the basics (Harvey is bored), we are quickly whirled into the colorful world that Barker masters so well. The whole novel is quick in pace and never dull for a moment. I got caught up in the first chapter and before I knew it, the end reared its head and this fun ride was already over. The setting is of a fascinating, mystical, storybook house. With some minor plot similarities to The Haunting where the house is concerned, we learn through Harvey's eyes what is what and a small mystery is solved. The atmosphere was perfect for an adult fairy tale -light tone but darker meanings.
Besides Harvey the other characters add their own style. Little Wendell is a bit more mischievous but enjoyable. The housekeeper Mrs. Griffin plays a big part and at times I wasn't sure what to make of her. All villains would frighten anyone no matter how old if they were encountered - they are obviously Barker's creations.
One minor complaint was that not many believed Harvey's story when he tried to tell it. When this happens it is a personal pet peeve of mine. I cannot stand everyone else not believing a character. But the end justified the means and I wasn't left a sulking fan. It wrapped up as well as any adult fairy tale should. Quick and filled with action but enough fluff to lengthen, the style is written in a simple and straight-forward manner.
Great stuff to have fun with, and a wonderful trip down memory lane - a reminder that things don't have to be complex and sophisticated in order to be disturbing and creepy. -
Creo que serían 3.5 estrellas, porque hay partes que me gustaron bastante, aunque esperaba un final un poco más oscuro por ser Clive Barker. Supongo que por tratarse de una historia para niños no podía hacerlo, pero me hubiera gustado mucho más.
-
THE funny thing about me reading this book is that when I bought it, I had no idea it was a graphic novel. I ordered it online and thought it was the original book so I was wicked disappointed when I received it and it was like a comic. I put it on my shelf sulkily and didn't look at it for a long time.
That being said, I really enjoyed (eventually) reading it. The pictures added to my enjoyment of the story a lot because I could see the eeriness of the holiday house. I was honestly quite spooked by it. I still really want to read the book version but I don't regret this purchase anymore hooray. This was also a very quick read, i finished it in an hour or so last night. It's enjoyable and full of whimsy but I really loved that it had such dark undertones to it. I'll be reading this again soon :) -
Story - Awesome
Artwork - Gorgeous
The only thing I didn't like was the font in those boxes... So small it's impossible to read.
⭐⭐⭐⭐½ -
After one month and 10 days of inactivity I'm finally back for reviews. So brace yourselves for a barrage of reviews.
This was a graphic novel adaptation of Clive Barker's The Thief of Always.
It was given to me by a very good friend since she doesn't read a lot of graphic novels herself;
just like me
Well, in order to avoid a burst of comments by fans of the graphic novel I have to say that I like graphic novels even if I don't read a lot of them
I like them especially if they're original works and not adapted from a novel,
because,
the images, the illustrations and the fast pace of the graphic novel diminishes my imagination I have as a reader of novels. It doesn't allow me to imagine how a hero looks, how that or this place is at night, how ugly is the villain, how long a corridor is, and so on.
but, it is certainly a different kind of art, an art of its own and there's nothing diminishing in reading graphic novels instead of standard novels. It's just me.
But anyway, this was my first introduction to Clive Barker and I intend to read more by him soon like Weaveworld, The Books of Blood (Hellraiser), Cabal and of course a reread of the Thief of Always as a novel this time.
I don't have anything else to say about this book apart from that it was a wonderful dark story about what you wish and what you get, a story about appreciating what you have and avoiding things you don't need.
Read it! either as a standard novel or as a graphic novel
8/10 -
πανέμορφο σχέδιο
τέλεια μεταφορά
αγαπημένη ιστορια -
Review -
https://youtu.be/g7tFxpQ3Z50 -
Read right after the novel. I won't repeat any thoughts on the story itself. Other than a couple of omissions, this is extremely faithful. The artwork is gorgeous and haunting- perfect for the tone of the story.
-
El gran maestro del horror nos sorprende aquí con una historia muy bien estructurada que viaja desde la ingenuidad infantil y el escenario fantástico hasta la irrealidad sangrienta del cuento de terror. El tiempo y nuestra noción la realidad también juegan un papel protagónico en esta historia donde un niño de diez años vence la codicia, el egoísmo y la maldad de un mundo quimérico, donde todo es espejismos, y termina siendo pavoroso. Las ilustraciones están tan bien logradas que resultan aterradoras y todo el libro en general sorprende porque, salvando algunas escenas, al cerrar la tapa, no logras procesar que es una historia para niños cruelmente maquinada.
Link de Descarga:
https://losmenosprecie.blogspot.com.c... -
I suggest this book to teens/ young adults who wonder why they have to listen to others their whole life... The life you want, may not be what you want...
-
63/365
Cuando Clive Barker escribió La Casa de las Vacaciones, su agente recibió el relato sin mucho entusiasmo, pero el escritor continuó escribiéndolo hasta convertirlo en una novela que tituló como El ladrón de días que llevó él mismo a la editorial Harper Collins. Barker, sabiendo de la dificultad de vender su obra, le puso precio: un dólar. La editorial aceptó. Era un riesgo: Barker era un escritor conocido por “la nueva carne”, con cuadros, relatos, novelas y películas perturbadoras donde aparecen el sadomasoquismo, la violencia y un horror opresivo, que concibieron a seres como los cenobitas de Hellraiser o los habitantes de Midian de Nightbreed. ¿Cómo se vendería una novela de corte juvenil, aunque también muy oscura, como El ladrón de días? Pues, irónicamente, de un modo magnífico, recibiendo varias ediciones y el reconocimiento de crítica y público, aunque, lamentablemente, con los años parece haberse quedado en el olvidoe incluso llegando a quedar descatalogada tanto la novela como el tebeo, pese a su adaptación al cómic con el extraordinario arte de Gabriel Hernández Walta (Los Visión). Pero ¿de qué va El ladrón de días? De la juventud, el paso del tiempo, la niñez, los deseos y los monstruos.
Más críticas de monstruos y críos en:
https://carlosjeguren.com/critica-de-... -
Il primo esperimento di Clive Barker con la letteratura per ragazzi risale al 1992, 10 anni prima del lancio della saga di Abarat. La casa delle vacanze è un ottimo romanzo dove il fantastico è incupito da pulsioni mortifere tipicamente barkeriane, private però delle concessioni gore che affollano la produzione "adult only" dello scrittore inglese. Si ha quindi una favola sinistra in cui rieccheggiano Hansel e Gretel e il paese dei balocchi, condita da qualche brevissimo momento di puro terrore (il volo del vampiro) e da dettagli e atmosfere da incubo (il lago coi suoi pesci). Diverte assistere alla lotta di Barker contro se stesso per non oltrepassare i limiti dell’accettabile. Consigliato a bambini e ragazzi con pelo sullo stomaco, da evitare per tutti gli altri.
-
primera historia que leo de Clive barker y me gusto mucho, al grado que me imaginaba las voces de cada personaje y la situación un tanto escabrosa
-
"Evil, however powerful it seemed, could be undone by its own appetite." -Harvey
-
I realize it is a children's book and therefore much of the horror and terror is toned down considerably compared to Barker's other work, but I still expected much tighter, neater writing from the man. There were grammatical errors (and at least one typo although I can't fault him for that) galore and numerous plot points that are not only unresolved, completely unexplained, unexplored and left to founder in the dark recesses of the attic. I won't lose much sleep over this one (alas) but I won't suggest it to anyone either.
-
4.5 estrellas en realidad.
Me ha encantado este libro, esperaba menos de él y me sorprendió. Da mucho miedo, las ilustraciones de esta edición son también bien aterradoras. Trata de Harvey un niño que es seducido por un espíritu maligno que lo lleva a una casa de ensueño, donde cada cosa que se desea se tiene, pero, que cada día que pasa, en realidad te ha quitado un año de vida real. Emocionante y escalofriante, si no le he puesto 5 estrellas fue por el final, que si bien era lo que me esperaba, habría deseado que Lulú hubiese tenido más protagonismo. -
This is possibly the best childrens book period. Its a shame he didnt write more childrens books, but i suppose it would too easy to make it not suitable for children. Its well written, quite spooky, and i think i probably would of been scared if i read this when i was a child. This is also one of the few books that i would actually love to see as a film, but only if Barker was writing the screenplay and directing it.
-
Mr. Barker can definitely do fairy tales. Taking them back to it's roots no doubt. One of his toned down books but still a epic piece from an epic author. Definitely recommend this.
PS: The picture inserts are amazingly rocking. Prepare to be horrified folks. -
no me gusto la adaptacion, se pierde todo.
-
Excellent adaptation of Barker's book. I enjoyed the interview at the end. Beautiful artwork, but not a five star read because the print was too tiny for me.
-
sorry i did not know how to get rid of it
-
The Thief of Always is a plot that largely reflects a very old western sort of myth warning of the dangers of hedonism and apathy. The myth (specifically, a sort of fable [It even says so on the cover! Yay Clive Barker!]) is meant to impress upon people that their time on earth is short and every day should be valued just as the last (Seriously, he even maxims that shit up at the end). It's a principle that's been expressed in a number of ways throughout time, none of which are proving easy to google and right now I'm not really capable of coming up with one in my head. Suffice to say: It's a mytheme, or a trope, or a meme, depending on whose term you like best.
Of course re-telling a story is far from a sin, and far from uncommon. It's almost always a contest of who can tell the story best, not of who can tell the story first. Arguments abound, claiming that invention is inherently the same as mastery, but this is a very western idea, expressed in the patent office and the prevailing concept that the book is always better than the movie or the stage plays were better than the movies or generally whatever came first was better. It's as though chickens all hatched not only from an egg, but a golden egg. That played fantastic music as it hatched. and that first chicken was the prime of chicken-hood, sublime and heavenly. Heck, the idea that we as people are mere images or copies of the All-Mighty is contributory/resultant of this ideal.
This (Thief of Always) as a work is fairly nakedly aimed at children (I just wanted to say that) with simple sentences, little dull character exposition, and a lot of straightforward action, this happens and this happens and so forth. It's a fair step down from Barker's other works which tend to be both dense and flowery, a good style for the illusory horror/fantasy descriptions he employs. This book features that in a stylistic sense, but remains pretty approachable for someone around 8 or 9 (I have no idea what age this ought to be for. I would have read it maybe around 7. if we go by the "protagonist is the same as the reader" rule, then this is aimed at ten year olds.) That said, the sketches featured inside are vivid, and while none particularly terrifying (probably just me) many are pretty unsettling. It's great, actually, Barker is a talented artist and having a bit of a picture-book touch in the novel helps express it as a cohesive vision, a sort of multi-media work that is usually frowned upon in literature aimed at audiences over ten.
Which lends itself to an interesting line of thought, as books with pictures aren't inherently childish or particularly that lacking in philological value. Particularly, illuminated texts are an ancient tradition of using art along with words as a method of valuing literature rather than making it younger. The reasons for the modern perception are numerous, the most obvious being the method and process of printing around the turn of the century, and the social backlash against perceived brainwashing of children in the mid 20th century. The process of mass printing did not allow for pictures of much quality to appear in (or on) books. The best you could hope for was a Lithograph of a daguerreotype or something similar. And flowery book bindings, as those are made separately from the books themselves. Illuminated texts had long since been out of style. So picture books (rather, books with pictures) were financially unfeasible. It didn't much matter, because no one made books for kids back than anyway. Kids were too busy working.
The later effect had a lot more to do with the tides of the comic industry. Early comics were little more than glorified editorial cartoons, or simply cartoons that didn't cover current events. Hogan's Alley and Dream of a Rarebit Fiend and Little Nemo and even Katzenjammer Kids were all aimed at a general audience, purposed for selling papers (and having papers one-up each other with regards to their printing press' ability [no, really]) rather than amusing children. This continues to this day, actually, with a number of features (Doonesbury and Dilbert spring specifically to mind) that are clearly not aimed at the young. The practice of creating comic books themselves didn't really pick up until the 30's and forties, and existed as titillating titles meant to sell to and arouse anyone who could buy them. Tijuana bibles are from this era, a most decidedly non-children form of comic book. Look up the comic "male call" or "Jane" or any other racy/highbrow (barnaby) comic that appeared in the forties. It wasn't until the cultural backlash of the post-war era (comics code, McCarthy and so on) that comics even really tamed down. And only a generation after that, comics underwent a cultural shift in the opposite direction, leading to the dark and gritty and relentlessly "mature" comics of the eighties. Still, picture books as we know them were created en masse in the fifties, and they largely stuck to the tradition for their entire existence. Picture books aimed at adults are now differentiated with the term "graphic novels," which is exactly the same thing as "picture book," just more complex. That Barker uses his skills as an artist to illustrate this and his other works ultimately becomes a mark of individual style, rather than any sort of reflection on popular fiction or fantasy.
I still digress. The book itself has its flaws, though many of these can be argued are results of the book being aimed at children. The main character, Harvey, has really nothing in the way of a personality, beyond being very willful. This makes him a good contrast to the other personalities in the book (much better examined/created) but a little dull and hard to particularly care about. The vague semblance of quasi-romance (just wanted to say that) between Harvey and Lulu was confusing and a felt a bit unnecessary or maybe just underdeveloped. It seemed like an angle that Barker changed his mind about exploring somewhere midway through writing the book, but felt was important enough to keep through to the end. Maybe he thought a ten year old (again, keeping with the protagonist) boy would be bored by a bit of romance. Or at least mystified and unable to relate. Who knows. The writing itself is quite good, however, especially compared to the first two chapters of Coraline that I google booksed to write this review with. Barker knows how to put together flow and express and idea in metaphor and unconventionality. Never does this book come across as insulting the reader's intelligence, something that I value in a book aimed at ten year old boys. Gaiman writes Coraline like a stilted pre-teen forced to write a short story, which is odd because he's usually a pretty decent writer. My best bet is that he fell apart when trying to write for a younger audience, unlike Barker here.
Specifically, I keep bringing up Coraline because the narrative structure of The Thief of Always is very similar. Coraline too discovers a world of enchantment and illusion that seems infinitely better than her own, then discovers it's terrible, then escapes, then returns to defeat the creator of that world. Actually, that kind of thing is a Neil Gaiman trope nowadays. I really enjoyed the movie, which I feel did a fantastic job of creating likeable characters that were legitimately mysterious and interesting, much the same reason I enjoyed The Thief of Always.
Anyway, The Thief of Always is a fairly clever book, with well-put-together characters and a scope that is just wide enough to imagine that there's probably more to it than what you've just read. It's also compact and breezy enough to read in the span of an afternoon, so no great shakes in the time-investment department. Overall, I'd say this book largely makes me want to go back and read Abarat again, or maybe try Imajica and see how that goes.
Hum, this review kinda got out of hand. Oh well. Gotta sharpen the whole reviewing skill if I ever want to do this semi-professionally. -
La historia sigue a Harvey que aburrido de su vida cotidiana, se adentra en la misteriosa casa por Rictus, la casa es un lugar donde el tiempo y la realidad se doblan de formas sorprendentes.
Lo que más me gustó de esta obra es el ritmo de la historia. Clive Barker tiene un talento especial para mantener ese ritmo atrayente, con una narrativa que fluye con naturalidad entre la magia y el misterio. Desde el momento en que Harvey cruza el umbral, la historia avanza con una energía imparable, llena de sorpresas y revelaciones que mantienen el interés hasta el final.
El crecimiento de Harvey es otro de los puntos fuertes de la novela. Comienza como un niño ingenuo y un tanto insatisfecho, pero a lo largo de su aventura en la casa, se enfrenta a desafíos que lo obligan a madurar y a descubrir su verdadero valor. La evolución de Harvey es conmovedora y está muy bien lograda.
Además, las ilustraciones incluidas en el libro, creadas por el propio Barker, son un complemento perfecto para la historia. Estas imágenes no solo embellecen la edición, sino que también ayudan a visualizar la atmósfera única del mundo que Barker ha creado.
Es un libro que, sin duda, recomiendo a cualquiera que disfrute de una buena historia llena de magia y misterio. -
I don’t think I’ve ever read anything by Clive Barker so I went into this with no expectations. This is a book geared toward tweens - especially for those who are bored with school and parents and life in general. A man appears and offers to take children to a place - Holiday House - where their every whim is indulged. And they can go back home whenever they want (wink wink.) Some kids do leave, but they aren’t going home. A boy named Harvey is about to change it all. Sure, having and doing anything he wants is great for a while, but he can see something is off. He does make it home, but things are off there, too. He knows he has to go back to Holiday House to confront the demons (literally) and save the children still trapped there.
Not too scary, it has a “Home Alone” type of message - be careful what you wish for. -
I'm one of many Clive Barker fans who is anxiously awaiting the next Abarat installment. I thought reading this book would be fun while waiting, and it did not disappoint. This is a YA horror novel so it's not *too* scary, but still creepy enough if you're into horror.
The ending was a tiny bit unbelievable, but it didn't bother me because it's YA and I realize YA fiction isn't as complex, and you just have to go with it. Overall, it was a quick fun read.
