Normally, when we report on a Kickstarter, it’s to help get it funded. Well, Clive Barker’s new campaign is certainly the exception to that. His recent crowdfunding effort for the Library of the Dead project was launched with a $25,000 fundraising goal. At the time of this writing, it sits at $426,543, over 17 times its target.
The Library of the Dead project is a year-long publishing event that is being made available exclusively through Kickstarter. “For decades, Clive Barker has redefined horror with stories that blend terror, beauty, mythology, and imagination like no other writer. Now, one of the genre’s most influential voices returns with Library of the Dead, an ambitious new three-book anthology that marks Barker’s long-awaited return to the short fiction that first established him as a master of modern horror,” the page reads.
“From Clive Barker Ink and Ensata Press, Library of the Dead is a year-long celebration of Clive Barker’s new work and extraordinary legacy. Across brand new stories and out-of-print gems curated for the first time, Barker revisits the themes that have captivated readers for generations: obsession, mythology, beauty, and unimaginable horror. Each volume is further enriched with haunting black-and-white illustrations and poetry created by Barker himself and wrapped in breathtaking new cover artwork that brings Barker’s newest nightmares vividly to life.”
Library of the Dead
The three books under this new banner are Fear Eternal, Pyres of Bedlam, and Dark Descents. These new works are edited by long-time collaborators Phil and Sarah Stokes. Part of the sucess of this Kickstarter isn’t just Barker’s new work. The campaign also offers some fantastic reprintings of his work, like six complete volumes of Books of Blood. This is the first hardcover offering of the collection in more than a decade. It includes classic Barker tales like Rawhead Rex, The Midnight Meat Train, and The Forbidden. There is also a limited-edition The Art of Clive Barker portfolio. Lucky for fans, that the campain smashed its $400,000 which expand it from 9 to 12 prints.
These new works from Clive Barker are expected to begin shipping in 2027. You can check out the Kickstarter here.
