Cabal by Clive Barker
When I was 12 I was sent on some horrific French Exchange. I was given some money to spend on books for the trip, so being 12, I went straight for the horror section. More or less at random, I picked up Cabal by Clive Barker (later made into the film Nightbreed). Not only was it enormously violent, but there was sex in it. The first sex I'd ever read. Admittedly, it was with the undead, and there's a charming bit in it where Boon's stone cold undead semen drips down the heroine's leg after they've done it in a prison.

Every kid on that bus read that book. It was passed around like some sort of unexploded bomb out of sight of the teachers, (who would not have approved I think). It fell apart and had to be taped back together.

I spoiled a bus-full of young minds.

However, what I realised was that there were huge untapped mines of filth, offensiveness, controversy and general genius out there in book form rather than on the telly. I doubt I would have gone on to be such an avid reader if I hadn't read Cabal. No Nabokov, no Murukami... I think I could have turned out to be quite thick, to be honest. Now I'm thick and well-read.
( expf, Fri 16 May 2008, 9:53, 1 reply)

Barker
Good call man, Barker is the shiznit. If you haven't read it yet, find Imajica by him and go through that. Read it 8 times, it's wicked. Loads of sex, violence, monsters and blowing peoples faces off by spitting in your hand. Class.
(noswalrm, Fri 16 May 2008, 10:33, closed)