In many ways, coming across a book that doesn’t interest one even though it’s a good book makes writing a review far more difficult than coming across a bad book. But if one truly reads widely—and it’s something I take pride in doing—then it will happen. So what then? William Witt: He is a voyeur who spies on the four virgins while they are bathing in the cave. He holds this scene dear in his memory for the rest of his life. As an adult, he becomes a realtor who is secretly obsessed with pornography. He has an altercation with Jaffe and Tommy-Ray at Buddy Vance’s house where he encounters a terata. Since Quiddity has been somewhat revealed to him, his fantasies materialize, and he spends most of his time living them out, rarely leaving the house. His fate is to die at the bottom of Jaffe’s cave when he goes down there with Tesla, Grillo, and Jim. Buddy Vance: He is a 54-year-old comedian once named “the funniest man in the world.” He has lived a self-destructive, hedonistic lifestyle and goes out for a jog one morning in an attempt to be healthier. During his jog, he is lured into Jaffe’s and Fletcher’s cave with the ghost-image of the League of Virgins. Jaffe steals a terata from his soul; he uses it to escape into the Grove and continue with his work. Buddy dies before Fletcher can retrieve anything from his soul. Jaffe sets up shop in Buddy’s house, using it in his attempt to control the Art. After his death, his house, widow, and mistress all play significant roles in the book’s plot.

The story is near impossible to explain without making it sound like a cliche, boring horror novel. Palomo Grove is a small California town where two ancient powers awaken, Jaffe and Fletcher. The Jaffe is an evil entity while Fletcher seems to be good. Their presence seems to be having a mysterious effect on the town and its residents. There are times when Barker’s baddies are positively Lovecraftian. Behind the shadows, lying in wait, pulling the strings, exist the Iad Uroboros on another plane of existence. They are the stuff of nightmares’ nightmares and want only to slip into our dimension, drive us mad, and subjugate the empty shells of human beings who are left. If that doesn’t describe an Old One, I don’t know what does. Thankfully, there is a magical "ocean" called Quiddity lying between us and them. I would easily give everything I've previously read of his a 4 or 5 rating and consider most of his books classics in the genres of Horror and Dark Fantasy. Joseph Sale is a novelist, writing coach, editor, graphic designer, artist, critic and gamer. His first novel, The Darkest Touch, was published by Dark Hall Press in 2014. Since, he has authored Seven Dark Stars, Across the Bitter Sea, Orifice, The Meaning of the Dark, Nekyia and more. An event near the beginning in which I won't go into any detail on, for fear of it becoming a spoiler, was called The League of Virgins. The League of Virgins!? Really, Clive? That's the best you got?In 1969, while working in a dead letter office in Nebraska, disgruntled postal clerk Randolph Jaffe discovers hints to a mysterious society known as The Shoal, which ostensibly practises a form of magic only vaguely known as "The Art". Jaffe's search eventually brings him to a New Mexico town where he encounters Kissoon, who claims to be the last of the Shoal. Kissoon tells Jaffe of the mystical dream sea Quiddity and the islands within it known as the Ephemeris. Quiddity, as it turns out, is visible exactly three times to an ordinary human: The first time we ever sleep outside our mother's womb, the first time we sleep beside the one we truly love and the last time we ever sleep before we die. However, this simply is not enough for the megalomaniac Jaffe, who wishes to actually visit the dream sea in person and gain control of it. Jaffe flees when Kissoon tries to bargain for his body.

I got a craving to read something by him I hadn't read before. Because I don't own The Scarlet Gospels - the book by him I most wanted to read - I decided on The Great and Secret Show, the book I'd left off at, after reading Weaveworld many years ago. Having said that, Chet Williamson has a rather monotone and sonore voice and does not differentiate much betwwn characters. He did not succeed in drawing me in. Well I've news for you, I didn't particularly like this book; this is the kind of book that throws me into a slump. The number of taboo subjects he covers is astounding. I am not easily offended and generally welcome a taboo topic in a story here or there - if I care about the characters it can add a little excitement or drama, sure! In this book it is completely without purpose so it comes across as crude and seems he is trying to offend as many people as possible.The clues lead Jaffe to New Mexico where he encounters a shoal, a sort of oracle for this other world. He learns of the ”mystical dream sea Quiddity and the islands within it known as the Ephemeris. Quiddity, as it turns out, is visible exactly three times to an ordinary human: The first time we ever sleep outside our mother's womb, the first time we sleep beside the one we truly love and the last time we ever sleep before we die.”