The Thief of Always

By: Clive Barker

Narrated by: Adam Verner

Length: 4 hrs and 20 mins

Publisher's Summary

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

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!

Great story

Loved it! My 4 year old daughter also enjoys me reading this to her at bedtime. Great for Adults and kids

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.

Passing on a childhood favorite

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.

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.

every time!

I have read this book probably 10 times, and I love it more and more every time!

A great fantasy book!

I loved this book since high school! A little dark fantasy with a nice ending, like the Wizard of Oz meets the Twiight Zone.

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.

bloody Wonderful to be lost with Clive!

To begin; U r truly missed by your fans & beloved by multiple generations!
Now we have to get U 2 do a new novel or 4? Truly a master of imagination as a whole. this is NOT MR. BARKER as u know Him. 100% polar opposite in fact. its not to very long so I say that is a great reason to read this! if U ever wondered if Clive is a madman... this may give you a better glimpse into the world hes created.
thank you for reading.

Great book for preteens and up

This is one of the few books I’ve read and listened to many times over. At the heart of the book is the theme of true love and friendship and it delivers on that subject perfectly. It’s prefect like one other listener said for anyone ten years old and older. Clive Barker never writes and Adam Verner never performs down to whatever the age of the listener might be. The only drawback to the unabridged audiobook version is that you don’t get to view and appreciate Clive Barker’s wonderful illustrations; Still, the Kindle version has all of their breathtaking wonder included for only what cost me only an extra four dollars. So, I’d recommend buying both the Audible and Kindle versions of the book in order to truly enjoy this wonderful book. “The Thief of Always” is one of the crowning gems in Clive Barker’s crowning body of work.

Wonderful Clive Barker Story Suitable for All Ages

The Thief of Always is one of Clive Barker's rare journeys into children's fiction - with the excellent Abarat series being his only other notable work in that category.
It's a wonderful, timeless tale about a young boy who visits a magical house. As with all of Barker's work, it is beautifully written and contains many odd characters.
This was my first time listening to an audiobook narrated by Adam Verner, and I have to say his work was absolutely perfect for this material. It was a pleasure to listen to.
Another winner from Crossroad Press.
Highly recommended.

always

I enjoyed the narration of Adam Verner

I can understand how this book can be enjoyed by children and adults.

It's good

I enjoyed this. You soon forget that the central character is a ten year-old boy and there's an "oh yeah" moment when his parents come back into the story. Time gets twisted, there is an appropriate amount of magic, there's bad guys a-plenty and it's nicely balanced.

At less than five hours it's not a long listen. Who's the intended audience? Difficult to tell, but I could probably play it to my grandchildren without it freaking them out.

The narrator does a tidy job. Recommended overall.

Loved it.

My husband is a big Clive Barker fan and always expresses his love of this story. Loved it. Not sure if they have done a full cast version but if they did I’d love it.

Brings back memories!

Would you consider the audio edition of The Thief of Always to be better than the print version?

No. One of my primary school teachers read this to our class years ago, I must have been 7 years old. The content was just as good, but the voices of the characters, (especally Wendell), were very annoying! I prefer the way my teacher read it!

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Thief of Always?

It was all about reminiscing. I loved the Halloween parts, they remind me of Halloween as a child.

What didn’t you like about Adam Verner’s performance?

Annoying voices, Wendell reminded me of Patrick Star from Spongebob

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Not really.