The Thief of Always

The Thief of Always
Clive Barker

The horror story your students have been asking you for! The only children’s story by the master of horror.Mr Hood’s Holiday House has stood for a thousand years, welcoming countless children into its embrace. It is a place of miracles, a blissful round of treats and seasons, where every childish whim may be satisfied.There is a price to be paid, of course, but young Harvey Swick, bored with his life and beguiled by Mr Hood’s wonders, does not stop to discover the consequences. It is only when the House shows its darker face – when Harvey discovers the pitiful creatures that dwell in its shadow – that he comes to doubt Mr Hood’s philanthropy.The house and its mysterious architect are not about to release their captive without a battle, however. Mr Hood has ambitions for his new guest, for Harvey’s soul burns brighter than any soul he has encountered for a thousand years…

Copyright (#ulink_d7ab929d-1c4e-56e9-a803-161e89dfc9d2)

HarperCollinsPublishers

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First published in Great Britain by HarperCollinsPublishers 1983

Copyright © Clive Barker 1992

All illustrations copyright © Clive Barker 1992

Clive Barker asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work

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Source ISBN: 9780006473114

Ebook Edition © December 2013 ISBN: 9780007397532

Version: 2018-11-05

PRAISE FOR (#ulink_d9489255-2fa0-5c70-966f-e9423d760f74)

The Thief of Always

‘A great fable’ INTERZONE

‘Disturbing … Intriguing … A compelling novel … refreshingly comic’

TIMES EDUCATIONAL SUPPLEMENT

‘Gorgeous prose brimming with invention, the wonderstuff we’ve come to expect from the maestro of dark fantasy … A dazzling treasure of the fabulous and the wicked from a master storyteller who seems intent upon single-handedly spinning the myths and fairytales, both dark and wondrous, of our time’

NORTHERN ECHO

‘Clever, concise and traditional … Barker has a powerful talent for arousing apprehensions’

THE TIMES

‘Something for everyone here and an impressive excursion into childhood fears and delights’

MIDWEEK

‘Swiftly and vigorously told, it should be much enjoyed’

SUNDAY EXPRESS

‘Delightful, but with enough of Barker’s demonic flair to beguile fans of his more paint-the-room-red ventures’

GLASGOW HERALD

‘Will obviously attract at least as many adult as younger readers, and shouldn’t disappoint many of any age’

CITY LIMITS

Locus Best of the Year recommended reads:

‘In terms of artistic bravery and accomplishment, I was delighted to see what Clive Barker and Stephen King accomplished. Barker’s The Thief of Always is a lean fable for readers of all ages dealing with the taking of magic and the giving it back. It’s pretty wonderful’

EDWARD BRYANT

Dedication (#ulink_72b8e039-a5c7-5422-a201-3d7462568719)

To M. S. S.

Contents

Cover (#u54dbef8f-1cf4-53c4-89f8-fd10dc529c6b)

Title Page (#u6948bef7-91c0-5a61-8a62-a1e5e9e02d2f)

Copyright (#ulink_585ae149-9753-59d0-bc64-f67ea5a709e1)

Praise (#ulink_11907a95-828b-518b-815c-1b5c2fbaa3a2)

Dedication (#ulink_41837c21-7acb-5655-9290-64e477f217e6)

The Thief of Always

I Harvey, Half-Devoured (#ulink_7982b7d1-e2fd-557d-bbbc-402c218110cc)

II The Hidden Way (#ulink_783c84bc-d0f9-5584-92d7-6e06831693af)

III Pleasure and the Worm (#ulink_e7850f3f-11e1-51e4-8ef7-be698a1092a5)

IV A Death Between Seasons (#ulink_a62ff2e2-1a6e-5130-a938-4baef3b8dd54)

V The Prisoners (#ulink_10c9f1a2-69eb-58c2-9f15-95ee963d2860)