Submitted by Doro Buettgen (Dec 23, 2000)A family story a la 'Dallas' or 'Dynasty' (or, for the younger ones among us 'Melrose Place'), mixed with supernatural elements, told in an unparalleled way. An incredible luck for any reader. It's not easy to determine the timespan of this story. The Barbarossas, a clan of (almost) immortal god-like creatures, are walking the earth since the beginning of time. The Gearys which can be compared to the Kennedy family arrive at the time of the First World War. The fate of both families is closely connected and it is incredibly suspenseful to find out how it's all clinging together and what it will lead to. The single events sometimes seem to come from a soap-opera, sometimes they sound like the good old gothic-horror stories of the 40s and 50s. An unusual combination which cannot be easily explained. The scope of the story may be best described by the remark of the narrator, one of the members of the Barbarossa clan: "What must I do, in the time remaining? Only everything." If that's all there is to it ...?! With this novel Clive Barker has become one of my favorite authors almost overnight.
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