The Damnation Game

By: Clive Barker

Narrated by: Simon Vance

Marty Strauss, a gambling addict recently released from prison, is hired to be the personal bodyguard of Joseph Whitehead, one of the wealthiest men in the world. The job proves more complicated and dangerous than he thought, however, as Marty soon gets caught up in a series of supernatural events involving Whitehead, his daughter (who is a heroin addict), and a devilish man named Mamoulian, with whom Whitehead made a Faustian bargain many years earlier, during World War II.

As time passes, Mamoulian haunts Whitehead using his supernatural powers (such as the ability to raise the dead), urging him to complete his pact with him. Eventually Whitehead decides to escape his fate after a few encounters with Mamoulian and having his wife, former bodyguard, and now his daughter Carys taken away from him. With hope still left to save Carys, Marty Strauss, although reluctant to get involved in the old man Whiteheads deserved punishment, decides to get involved and attempt to save the innocent gifted addict from being another victim to the damnation game.

New cover art by: Christian Francis/Awesome Monkey UK

©1985 Clive Barker, Ink (P)2014 David N. Wilson

I was pulled into the story without escape!!

The characters were very real and believable. One of the greatest debut horror novels of all time!

a great novel

clive barker is a very descriptive writer. This story is a slow burn & I highly recommend reading/hearing how it all plays out

Awesome release, I am a happy man!

Where does The Damnation Game rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Hard to say, I began my love of reading as a young teen with Stephen King and Piers Anthony, some Dean Koontz, etc. But when I first read Barker, I thought to myself, "You can do that?!?!" I can't express in words alone how please I am that Crossroads Press is releasing new audio versions of Mr. Barker's works, first the Books of Blood (excellent and highly recommended) and now The Damnation Game. Thank you Crossroads Press and Audible!!!

Who was your favorite character and why?

Hard to say again, none of the characters are really that likable. Yet, each brings their own personality and flavor to the novel. The novel is very much a story of regret over life decisions. I think we all have some of those, so each character can be identified with to some extent. The only purely evil character in the book must be Anthony Breer, the last of the Razor Eaters, truly as disgusting and vile a character as I have ever read in a novel.

Which character – as performed by Simon Vance – was your favorite?

I actually liked his Whitehead as well as his Mamoulian. He expressed early Whitehead's cleverness well as well as his later cowardice and regret and yet he never took me over into complete sympathy (of which Whitehead really never is a truly sympathetic character), so I think Mr. Vance nailed him. I liked the odd, slow drawl he gave Mamoulian, it made him seem ancient and "Old European".

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No, but there are some parts that are just downright creepy. Going through the whole story knowing that Breer is "not what he seems" (don't want to spoil anything here) while Breer doesn't even realize what is happening was genius. And just when we think we know how messed up Breer is, BAM! we get to see Mamoulian's basement and what lurks there... Barker hit it out of the park there. The descriptions of the nihilistic emptiness of "the void" is actually pretty disturbing in some respects, it makes one wonder about death and emptiness. The book definitely has it's moments.

Any additional comments?

This was Mr. Barker's first foray into a full novel and it differs somewhat from his Books of Blood short stories. The I gave everything only four stars because to get a five stars from me must mean it was some of the best I have ever read. I think this novel really merits maybe four and a half stars but not quite five because of one simple reason, it is quite long and I don't know that it really needed to be that long. Again, I think this was because it was his first novel, really nothing else. As well, I enjoy Mr. Vance, but some of the voices I recognized to be very similar to his reading of Tigana y Guy Gavriel Kay. That was just slightly off-putting to me, but I do believe Mr. Vance was the right narrator for this novel. His English accent matches very well to Mr. Barker's works. Other than that, I highly recommend The Damnation Game for any connoisseurs of the horror genre. You really can't go wrong with Clive Barker. Now, I await Weaveworld!

A favorite

Clive Barker is one of my all-time favorite authors. He goes places no horror writer has ever gone and it's shocking, harrowing, and sometimes really beautiful. If you're a fan, you'll love it. If not, you're sure to become one.

It never really grabbed my attention

I am in the minority but I did not think this was a great story. I had a few start and stops with this one. I would listen for a while and get bored and would come back to it. I did not connect with the characters and I don't think they were very well developed. At times I thought I was reading a script for a movie more than a book.

Finally....thank you Audible!

What made the experience of listening to The Damnation Game the most enjoyable?

Hearing the unabridged version after reading the novel years ago.

What did you like best about this story?

The Faustian bargain of Whitehead, the rogues gallery of Barker's characters. they all play off each other well, and give you just enough background to flesh out the creepy cast.

Have you listened to any of Simon Vance’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes, on The Books Of Blood series, he gave a very good performance. Very well done narration and characterization of the various characters.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, and no. This is my favorite Baker story, so I always love this one, but this is the first time I have been able to hear the unabridged version, versus the fully dramatized abridged version from Warner Audio.

Any additional comments?

...hint hint...please Audible...can you get the Warner Audio/Sound Editions dramatized version for us Audible listeners...pretty please? That is one of the best dramatized stories I have ever heard, personally. As far as I know, a digital version of this does not exist...I had to make one for myself from my original cassette tapes. I would love to have the dramatized/abridged version on Audible...for me that is my Holy Grail of audio books...other listeners would love it I believe.
The combination of Colin Fox's excellent narration along with a wonderful voice cast, and full music soundtrack and effects is why I hope that can be available on Audible some day, to compliment the unabridged version.

Not Barkers Best work

It was fine for what it was but I wouldn’t recommend it unless you’ve read almost everything else he has written and this is one of his last remaining stories. It has a bit to be desired.

My Barker´s favourite.

For me this is the best written stuff by Barker by a longshot.
Still got the paperback from my adolescence (which I stole from the public library back then -had to pay a fine but got myself a first spanish edition so yea-), which has gone through several reads.

Its gross and beautiful and rough while it offers zero comfort zone when it comes to endings (or beginnings), just as a good horror story should be.
Mamoulian is among my favourite villains of all times, to the point that I really liked him more than the main cast.

However if you intend to acquire this recording without having read the book first I would recommend you to check several reader reviews around the internet to be sure of your purchase, or even better, read it first.
Otherwise if you just want to listen your favourite Barker novel, go ahead.

The performance by Vance is ok, but im giving it only four stars because I kinda dont like the sound quality when comparing it to other narrations by different readers (not Vance´s fault, but rather the quality of the recording).

Well-written horror.

Barker's prose is so beautiful and poetic, whether describing something beautiful and poetic, or something absolutely horrifying!

The ending was a little less epic than the story leading up to it, but overall did not disappoint.

The narration was sublime perfection!

This was a fun read/listen!

Barker's madness come to life

Simon Vance could make can opener instructions sound awesome, and given something as eerie, unsettling and dramatic as The Damnation Game his skill shines. The audiobook is every bit as skin-crawling as Barker's printed page and will not disappoint.