Books of Blood Volume One vs Poe's Children: Which Should You Read?

Both live on shelves: English Horror tales, Horror

Books of Blood Volume One Clive Barker · 1985 ★★★★☆ 4.0 240 pages · ≈ 4 h 27 m · Moderate

With the publication of Books of Blood, Clive Barker became an overnight literary sensation. His tour de force collection of brilliantly disturbing tales demonstrated a genius for dark invention that rivaled Poe and…

Literary collections Short Stories Fiction

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Poe's Children Peter Straub · 2008 ★★★★☆ 3.7 534 pages · ≈ 9 h 53 m · Moderate

The #1 New York Times bestselling author of Ghost Story—and 8-time Bram Stoker Award winner—gathers 24 bone-chilling, nail-biting, frightfully imaginative stories that represent the best of contemporary horror…

American Horror tales

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Side by side

The verdict

Readers rate Books of Blood Volume One highest: Books of Blood Volume One 4.0 · Poe's Children 3.7.
Books of Blood Volume One is the quickest read — about 4 hours vs 9 for Poe's Children.
Books of Blood Volume One has the widest readership — 28643 ratings behind its score.
Books of Blood Volume One runs the darker storyline; Poe's Children stays the lighter read.

How to choose

Want a one-evening read? Books of Blood Volume One ≈ 4h vs 9h for Poe's Children In the mood for something dark? Books of Blood Volume One a darker storyline than Poe's Children Want something lighter? Poe's Children an easier tone than Books of Blood Volume One

Scores by source

	Books of Blood Volume One	Poe's Children
Goodreads	4.0 (28643)	—
Hardcover	—	3.0 (7)
Apple Books	—	4.0 (7)

Reception

	Books of Blood Volume One	Poe's Children
Ratings	28643	7
Editions	16	2
Want to read	29984	—
Reading it now	1621	—
Written reviews	1527	—
Pages	240	534

Questions readers ask

Which is rated higher: Books of Blood Volume One or Poe's Children?

Books of Blood Volume One has the higher combined reader rating across sources (Books of Blood Volume One 4.0/5, Poe's Children 3.7/5).

Which is shorter to read: Books of Blood Volume One or Poe's Children?

Books of Blood Volume One is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: Books of Blood Volume One (240 pages, ≈ 4 h 27 m); Poe's Children (534 pages, ≈ 9 h 53 m).

Which is harder to read: Books of Blood Volume One or Poe's Children?

Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — Books of Blood Volume One: Moderate; Poe's Children: Moderate.