The Thief of Always Audiobook By Clive Barker cover art

The Thief of Always

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The Thief of Always

By: Clive Barker
Narrated by: Adam Verner
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Mr. Hood's Holiday House has stood for 1,000 years, welcoming countless children into its embrace. It is a place of miracles and blissful rounds of treats and seasons, where every childhood 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 consider the consequences. It is only when the House shows it's darker face - when Harvey discovers the pitiful creatures that dwell in its shadows - 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 in a thousand years….

©1992 Clive Barker (P)2013 David N. Wilson Fantasy
Fantastical Atmosphere • Timeless Tale • Warm Baritone Voice • Diverse Character Voices • Magical Adventure
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Would you consider the audio edition of The Thief of Always to be better than the print version?

I read the book first, and heard this years later. The performances weren't the same as I heard in my head, but it's not really fair to assume everyone knows what's in my head. Half of the time I don't even know what's in my head.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Mr. Hood is awesome. You can hear the sharp teeth.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

...In a world...

Any additional comments?

Good, short, fun, story. The only thing I didn't like about it, was that I wanted it longer.

Good children's story

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I love the story, the narrator was not boring at all. I was able to finish the book in one day! I highly recommend this book for ages 10 years and up!

I love this book!

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This book is phenomenal and I would highly recommend it to anyone all ages

The thief of always review

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Listener received this title free

I didn’t know barker wrote anything I would consider children’s story. But I really liked it. Kinda reminds me of a mix between Pinocchio and nos4a2. I finished it in less than two days. I would definitely recommend to anyone young or old. There was nothing to bad or scary in it and no bad language just entertaining fun story. I was given this audio at my request in exchange for honest and voluntary review.

Shocked

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Prior to reading The Thief of Always, I had heard great things about this book. What I didn't expect was how much I'd wind up enjoying it. The Thief of Always is now not only one of my favorite Clive Barker books, it's one of my all-time favorite books in general, regardless of the author. Why? Because it is a tightly-woven fable with vivid imagery, whimsy, and grandeur. What impressed me most was the writing style. I'm used to Clive Barker's dark, macabre writing style. You won't get any of that here. It's so dramatically different that I thought I was reading another author's book. The Thief of Always has a charming and lovingly presented style that goes down as smoothly as an ice-cold orange cream soda on a sweltering summer day. The characters are splendid, and the story is epic and succinct all at once. While reading this book, I experienced the same joy that I did from watching The Neverending Story as a child. I was filled with awe and happiness because I was fully immersed in a world I didn't want to leave. Even better, the narrator for this Audible Original is perfect. His warm, emotive voice perfectly captures the mood and tone of the book and enhances it tenfold. Everyone should experience The Thief of Always—it's a timeless tale for young and old about the wonders of the world . . . and beyond.

One Of My All-Time Favorites

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My son had to read this book for a 5th grade project. I decided to read it with him. Enjoyed it very much. Loved the metaphors in the book and the ending was fun of purpose.

Great book with a wonderful purpose

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this was a "children's" story that destroyes any I heard as a child by leapsnbounds!

The Thief of Always

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I read this as a kid, and it’s been a favorite for years. As a teacher I’d use it as a read aloud for my middle school students, and as a parent I loved sharing it with my 13 and 8 year old. It’s got just the right amount of scare, suspense, and hope. It’s just such a gem of a book.

Passing on a childhood favorite

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I read this book when I was younger and it was fun to re-read this book. The story is decent and well written and the performance was also decent. I'm not sure if it was worth a credit, but it was nice to go back to my childhood through a book.

Fun to remember...

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Read this with students and the range in voices to imitate the emotions of the characters is perfect for listeners. Additionally, his tone was great for the type of book this was.

The Voice on this is Fantastic!

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