On Amen's Shore

'There is no beast,' Ruty said, 'it's as the beacon-keeper told us. The waters take human flesh and fantasticate it...' He tore at the innards of the beast. 'This thing has no heart. No lungs. No entrails. It's a veil, built around dreaming tissue.' He looked at the dead woman. 'This is her subtle body. The real thing is dead on a bed somewhere, far, far from here.' On On Amen's Shore... "The short tale which follows is not - let me be plain - that promised sequel [to Great and Secret Show]. But it does mark my first tentative investigation of the other territories that look on to Quiddity. One of those continents is occupied by the Iad Ouroboros, who are briefly glimpsed in the closing chapters of Show, and seem to pose a considerable threat to our species. But theirs is just one of many civilisations that, like ours, stand on the shores of Quiddity. The fragment that follows is set in another of those realms, and concerns itself with two wanderers who encounter the powers of the dream-sea." Foreword to On Amen's Shore By Clive Barker, October, 1992 "I am incredibly excited about [Everville]. I went back and re-read The Great And Secret Show, which is not something I often do. I found so much stuff to be done with in the book, there are so many themes that have to be developed and so many ideas that have to be examined and explained. So we are back to Quiddity. It is a real pleasure. This is the first time I've ever done this kind of thing. I've written about Harry d'Amour every once in a while, but this is the first time that I've ever gone back to a 'big' mythology and sort of picked it up four years afterwards. I've also written, for Michael Brown in Dread, a five thousand word story called On Amen's Shore. It also makes reference to the Quiddity; it's a little footnote, if you like, to The Art. I'm just having the best time!" Clive Barker By J.B.Macabre, World of Fandom, Spring 1993, Vol 2 No.18 ...other comments Michael Brown ? : "Barker told Dread that after he penned On Amen's Shore for Demons and Deviants, he had forgotten how much fun exploring Quiddity was. In fact, Barker says that the main characters in the short story will make appearances in the new novel [Second Book of The Art - then untitled]." The Dreaded News By Michael Brown?, Dread, No.9 January, 1993 On Amen's Shore bibliography | Books Index | Home page This page has been created for information and entertainment purposes only. All quotes remain the copyright of the original owners.