I never got into horror until I was in high school. I was a science nerd all the way, so I never dared delve outside my  science fiction comfort zone. It wasn't until a friend of mine gave me a copy of Clive Barker's Weaveworld that I was introduced to horror.

Barker's unique vision of horror is much darker than those of Stephen King and Dean Koontz. It's filled with sex, violence and darkness that a lot of authors shy away from. They are afraid of alienating, or even offending, their readers with images and events that are too disturbing. Barker never did that, and it's what made me love his work.

I consider the 80's and 90's to be Barker's best horror years, which produced novels like Imajica, The Great and Secret Show and Everville. When he came out with his book, Sacrament, in 1996, it seemed like a watered down version of his earlier work. It lacked the shock and awe that make you cringe. The novels that followed weren't anything like his other work. They lacked the intensity and, quite frankly, the heart of everything that came before it.

It wasn't until 2007 that Barker really got back to his horror roots, at least in novel form, with Mister B. Gone, but it's still not up to snuff. That isn't to say that Barker hasn't been doing his part in other areas, such as film, comics and even video games. I just hope that one day I will see a glimpse of the old Barker again.