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Content snapshot
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Violence
Very heavy
Extreme violence throughout — Barker's horror fantasy is graphic and intentional
Language
A lot
Significant profanity throughout
Sexual Content
A lot
Explicit sexual content throughout; sexual power and the Art are intertwined
Substance Use
Some
Significant substance use
Emotional Intensity
A lot
Strong psychological content: the corruption of power, the nature of creativity and destruction, and the horror of what people become when unconstrained
What this book is about
Randolph Henry Cassidy, a bitter mailroom worker, discovers the Nuncio — a substance that grants access to the Art, the fundamental creative force of the universe. Becoming the villain Randolph Jaffe, his battle with Richard Wesley Fletcher for control of the Art spans decades and reshapes the California town of Palomo Grove, including its inhabitants' lives, loves, and souls. Clive Barker's horror fantasy operates at full intensity: violent, sexually explicit, visionary in scale, and genuinely disturbing.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
Extreme violence throughout
Explicit sexual content throughout
Significant profanity
Dark horror fantasy at full adult intensity
Reader Verification
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