Visions of Heaven and Hell is a deluxe hardcover art book showcasing the artist efforts of Clive Barker. Though Barker is primarily known as an author of imaginative horror fiction, his talents are myriad: not only are his contributions to dark fantasy, playwriting, and children’s fiction generally overlooked in favor of his gory material, he’s proved to be just as versatile in other mediums such as film directing and painting as well. This book serves to fill in the gaps of Barker’s artistic resume, presenting illustrative work that many have not yet had the chance to view. Much of the work contained within this book comes in the form of paintings. While casual admirers of Barker’s fiction may expect canvases drenched in blood and gore, they’re going to be in for a pleasing shock. Barker’s work tends more toward the colorfully imaginative and organically fantastique than the guignol. Though there are images of violence present, they are more the exception than the rule. Many of the works here are unabashedly erotic, yet taken as a whole they create an entire world of possibility that is hard to deny in its grandeur. Barker also has taken the opportunity to write brief introductions to the various groupings of his art. His words are insightful, offering an intriguing perspective into the mind of a man who is filled with the shamanistic urge to reach outside of himself. Taken together with the phantasmagoria of the paintings, this book becomes a Bible of art-as-invention. There is a problem with this book, sad to say. Though it is a visually impressive tome that looks like it would do well on any aficionado’s coffee table, the gilding the lines the pages has the troublesome tendency to stick to itself, resulting in slightly marred edges when you pry the offending pages apart. While this effect does not decrease the beauty of the book’s art, it will spoil this book for ardent collectors. If you are the sort who “collects” rather than “enjoys”, perhaps this is not the book for you. My advice to anyone who purchases the book is to carefully separate the pages using a very sharp letter-opener. While the tops and bottoms of some pages will still be a bit mucked, at least you’ll keep the damage to a minimum.

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