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First published in Great Britain by HarperCollinsPublishers 1983
Copyright © Clive Barker 1992
All illustrations copyright © Clive Barker 1992
Clive Barker asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work
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Source ISBN: 9780006473114
Ebook Edition © December 2013 ISBN: 9780007397532
Version: 2018-11-05
The Thief of Always
‘A great fable’ INTERZONE
‘Disturbing … Intriguing … A compelling novel … refreshingly comic’
TIMES EDUCATIONAL SUPPLEMENT
‘Gorgeous prose brimming with invention, the wonderstuff we’ve come to expect from the maestro of dark fantasy … A dazzling treasure of the fabulous and the wicked from a master storyteller who seems intent upon single-handedly spinning the myths and fairytales, both dark and wondrous, of our time’
NORTHERN ECHO
‘Clever, concise and traditional … Barker has a powerful talent for arousing apprehensions’
THE TIMES
‘Something for everyone here and an impressive excursion into childhood fears and delights’
MIDWEEK
‘Swiftly and vigorously told, it should be much enjoyed’
SUNDAY EXPRESS
‘Delightful, but with enough of Barker’s demonic flair to beguile fans of his more paint-the-room-red ventures’
GLASGOW HERALD
‘Will obviously attract at least as many adult as younger readers, and shouldn’t disappoint many of any age’
CITY LIMITS
Locus Best of the Year recommended reads:
‘In terms of artistic bravery and accomplishment, I was delighted to see what Clive Barker and Stephen King accomplished. Barker’s The Thief of Always is a lean fable for readers of all ages dealing with the taking of magic and the giving it back. It’s pretty wonderful’
EDWARD BRYANT
To M. S. S.
Contents
XII What the Flood Gave Up; (And What It Took)
XIII The Fourth Part of Darkness