The Thief of Always

By: Clive Barker

Narrated by: Adam Verner

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

Good children's story

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.

I love this book!

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!

The thief of always review

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

Shocked

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.

One Of My All-Time Favorites

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.

Great book with a wonderful purpose

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.

The Thief of Always

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

I read this as a young child. It still holds up.

I read this as a young child. It still holds up 25 years later. Very little exists in the story to date itself. Wonderful story.

First time listen

I read this book as a teen and loved it. Now I re-listened to the audio version in my 40s. Still love this this story. The narration changed some of the “voices” I had for the characters, but it still was great!.

Absolutely Magical! Highly Recommend!

I received this book for free. I am voluntarily posting this review and all opinions expressed herein are my own.

What a wonderful, magical story! This book was first published in 1992 and I have only just found it. It's perfect for ages 10 through adult. This is certainly a story I will read again and highly recommend.

As a child there is nothing worse than being bored [remember the kids in Cat in the Hat?] and so it is perfectly understandable when Harvey is so willing to go on an adventure - after all he reasons, it will just be for a few hours before he will return home. And during his adventure, he gets his heart's desires, completely without any responsibilities or a care in the world. A magical time. But soon, Harvey learns there is a price to be paid for neverending children's fantasies.

For younger readers, I'm sure, will believe that this book is about Harvey avenging the passage of time lost with his family. But I think, as an adult, at the heart of this book is a very simple idea: Live in the moment and don't just wait for your next big adventure, as while you are waiting, your life [time] is slipping away. I think this is a very significant message, especially as you grow older and suddenly realize how little time each of us actually has on this earth.

The narrator, Adam Verner, was a great compliment to the written word. His warm, baritone voice perfectly captures the tone of this book and evokes the emotion of this story.