Horror: A study on Clive Barker part 26, Babel's Children.

Welcome to part 26 of my study on Clive Barker. Today we will be looking at his short story 'Babel's Children.'

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The story tells the tale of Vanessa and how her curious nature leads to finding a compound in the middle of no-where. There, she is taken a prisoner and tries to figure out what this place really is. Vanessa learns from an old man that is also a prisoner there a terrible secret about the world. All of the world's governments are all for show, and the political decisions are left to a select few who live in the compound. To make matters worse, the select few resort to games, like racing frogs, when deciding major events (like going to war or not.)

Vanessa and the select few eventually break out and make a run for it. During the chase they drive off a cliff, killing all but Vanessa and one of the elders. The story ends with Vanessa, having been returned to the compound, and an old man playing poker in order to decide if a war will be started or not.

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While a humorous and lighthearted story, there was one thing I made note of.

The opening sentence is just excellent.

'Why could Vanessa never resist the road that had no signpost marking it; the track that led to God alone knew where?' (Clive Barker's Babel's Children, page 76)

The reason this sentence is great is that 1. It introduces to the MC right off the bat. 2. It has a great hook as we can already tell that Vanessa is going to get herself into trouble.

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This concludes my look at Babel's Children. If you have a thought or a question, please leave a like or comment!

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