Reviews

Hellraiser: The Toll by Mark Alan Miller, Clive Barker

Only show reviews with written explanations

_johnson's review

Go to review page

dark fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

Garbage

reeminbooks's review

Go to review page

2.0

This was a bit confusing at first, because apparently it follows what happens after the first Hellraiser movie, instead of the original novella The Hellbound Heart, which are kinda different.
It wasn't the best, but it was still cool to see more of the Cenobite's Hell, even if you technically don't see any Cenobites except for Pinhead, but oh well...

ljvalentine's review

Go to review page

3.0

Bridges the gap between The Hellbound Heart and The Scarlet Gospels. It was nice to be back with Kirsty but all this does is tie up a small plot point from the sequel. Fun nonetheless.

geofroggatt's review

Go to review page

3.0

As a huge fan of the Hellraiser franchise, I was surprised to learn of this book. Hellraiser: The Toll tells the story of what happened between Clive Barker's iconic works The Hellbound Heart and its follow up, The Scarlet Gospels. Thirty years after Kristy Cotton escaped from the clutches of the Hell Priest, Pinhead, and lived to fight another day, her life has never been the same. Every few years she fashions a new name, a new identity, and a new home for herself; She is a woman who is running from her past at all costs, which is why it comes as such a surprise when she receives a mysterious letter in the mail, addressed to the woman she's been running from over half her life. Answering the letter's query, she begins a descent down a rabbit hole to the ultimate confrontation. Her actions stir something unnamable in the ether, and throw her into a game where nothing, not even what she sees in front of her very eyes, can be trusted. Unlike many Hellraiser and Clive Barker fans, I enjoyed The Scarlet Gospels very much, despite how outrageous it was. While I love novellas, I was apprehensive of reading this novella because I often find that novellas are very hard to get right. Most times, it is hard to capture a reader and make a good impression. I find that horror novellas are often too short to be effective, because they end before they can really begin. Despite all this, I chose to read this story because of my love for Hellraiser as a franchise, and I was excited to see The Hell Priest, Kirsty Cotton and Harry D’amour again, as I have much love for these characters. I loved the short and small interaction between The Hell Priest and Kirsty Cotton. These two characters have such a cosmic and otherworldly dynamic. I like that The Hell Priest even comments that their relationship is a kind of romance. I was disappointed that Harry D’amour was only mentioned and never appeared, but I understand that this novella is a direct prequel to The Scarlet Gospels. This book was a nice bite from the Hellraiser universe (from the book continuity/timeline), but it did leave me hungry for more. I understand why some reviewers felt displeased with this entry in the book series. While this was a nice bridge novel between The Hellbound Heart and The Scarlet Gospels, it left me with more questions than answers. This story is billed and marketed as a sequel to The Hellbound Heart and a prequel to The Scarlet Gospels, but there are some inconsistencies with that. Firstly, The Hell Priest (or lead Cenobite) from The Hellbound Heart is described here as the same as Pinhead from the movies, and not the (almost) female Cenobite from the first book. Secondly, Kirsty’s backstory here is described closer to the movie version than the character we met in The Hellbound Heart. Thirdly, The Scarlet Gospels features a Pinhead that closely resembles the movie version and characterization than the one from The Hellbound Heart, which makes me believe that The Hellbound Heart and The Scarlet Gospels most likely exists in different continuities. Despite all of this, I am left with many questions by the end of Hellraiser: The Toll no matter how I look at the timeline or continuity of the books. What happened to Kirsty Cotton during the events of The Scarlet Gospels? Are the Pinheads from The Hellbound Heart, Hellraiser and The Scarlet Gospels all somehow the same being? And the most interesting and compelling question of all: Who or what is Pinhead’s daughter, and what became of her? With seemingly no mention or cameo in The Scarlet Gospels, I can’t help but wonder and crave the story of Kirsty Cotton hunting down Pinhead’s daughter. I want to know how Pinhead’s progeny fits into this world and this mythology. Is she half-human, half-cenobite? Or is she a full cenobite or some sort of demon? She could be something entirely new, but I would love to read her story, especially if Kirsty is involved. While this was a fun novella, the choices that it made has left me questioning so much, and I find myself curious and hungry for more, despite not knowing if Clive Barker will ever return to this world, or continuity.

returnofsaturn's review

Go to review page

dark tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

itcamefromthepage's review

Go to review page

3.0

This is a very weird little novella that really brings into question if Miller had read the Hellbound Heart before penning this sequel? It is very much a prequel to The Scarlet Gospels (which I love) but all the information it provides about Kirsty's past are from the movie Hellraiser, not the short story. However this is distinctly called "Hellraiser" so are we to perchance that the Scarlet Gospels is also a sequel to Hellraiser and not Hellbound Heart?

Look...that bit of nerdy is in essence entirely superfluous to the plot, just muddied the water.

The Plot as it is was very short but had some very enjoyable and creepy sequences. I was not a huge fan of some of the attempts at humour but the horror was executed well.

Not essential reading. Hellraiser fans should enjoy it.