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stepriot's review against another edition
3.0
Its more like a gross fantasy quest than a horror story. I suppose that's what happens when you explain the monster.
mjreutman's review against another edition
I love this novel, but I just wasn’t in the mood to re-read it like I thought I was.
badseedgirl's review against another edition
4.0
Clive Barker is not for everyone. That needs to be stated from the start. A reader needs a strong stomach to enjoy his stories. They are horrific and violent. There is violent sex and profanity. If the only previous experience a reader has is his YA series Abarat, some of his adult work may come as a shock. Or maybe not, I mean almost everyone knows that the Hellraiser movie franchise is based on Mr. Barkers Novella “The Hellbound Heart.” If you’ve seen that movie there must be some inkling of his writing.
I bring this up because The Scarlet Gospels is the sequel to “The Hellbound Heart.” To be honest, reading the first novel would not necessarily be required to understand what was going on, but it might help.
Mr. Barker is not only an author, but is also an artist and that is why his novels are so amazing. He is able to paint very, very, disturbing images with his words. While reading The Scarlet Gospels, I was able to visualize the hell created by his words. The fact that he brings together “Pinhead” and Harry D’Amour, two of his most famous characters in this novel in a grand (and final) showdown only added to the excitement. There really was ambiguity as to who would be victorious in the end. Once I started this novel, I could not put it down!
Let us talk a bit about the book itself. Mr. Barker paints an unexpected but non-the-less horrific vision of Hell. And to me, at least, when Harry and “The Harrowers” get to Hell, which is when the novel shines. I felt like I was with the characters as they travel around the underworld.
That said, there were some minor points I would be remiss not to point out. Although the cover pits this as a Harry vs. Pinhead novel, this is really not the case. This is the story of Pinhead, referred to in most of the novel as the Hell Priest. Much of what Mr. Barker promised would be in the novel was not. It is my understanding that his original manuscript was over 200,000 words and this “final” form came in at a paltry 100,000 words. Might there be more works in the future? I for one can only hope.
4 of 5 stars
I bring this up because The Scarlet Gospels is the sequel to “The Hellbound Heart.” To be honest, reading the first novel would not necessarily be required to understand what was going on, but it might help.
Mr. Barker is not only an author, but is also an artist and that is why his novels are so amazing. He is able to paint very, very, disturbing images with his words. While reading The Scarlet Gospels, I was able to visualize the hell created by his words. The fact that he brings together “Pinhead” and Harry D’Amour, two of his most famous characters in this novel in a grand (and final) showdown only added to the excitement. There really was ambiguity as to who would be victorious in the end. Once I started this novel, I could not put it down!
Let us talk a bit about the book itself. Mr. Barker paints an unexpected but non-the-less horrific vision of Hell. And to me, at least, when Harry and “The Harrowers” get to Hell, which is when the novel shines. I felt like I was with the characters as they travel around the underworld.
That said, there were some minor points I would be remiss not to point out. Although the cover pits this as a Harry vs. Pinhead novel, this is really not the case. This is the story of Pinhead, referred to in most of the novel as the Hell Priest. Much of what Mr. Barker promised would be in the novel was not. It is my understanding that his original manuscript was over 200,000 words and this “final” form came in at a paltry 100,000 words. Might there be more works in the future? I for one can only hope.
4 of 5 stars
songwind's review against another edition
4.0
I went back and forth on this rating a few times. In some ways this book deserves a 5. In others, a 3.
The Scarlet Gospels tells the story of the Hell Priest, not-so-affectionately nicknamed Pinhead, and the final goal of all his ambitions.
Magically sensitive private detective Harry d'Amour and some of his friends get caught up in Pinhead's machinations, and their worlds will never be the same.
Let's start with the good.
The text is Barker in his purest form. Lyrical, visceral and unflinching. Body horror, existential horror, lust and madness are displayed to great effect.
Barker's vision of Hell is complex. It remains familiar to people who know about the Abrahamic religions, but departs from the "party line" in significant and thoughtful ways.
Despite using the Hell Priest as a POV character, we are not quite led to sympathize with him. Barker walks the fine line of letting us understand him, while still reminding us how horrible and awesome he truly is.
The cast of characters is diverse and interesting. Women, people of color and people with disabilities all play important roles.
The story was entertaining and well paced. I never felt that it was dragging, and it was never a chore to read it.
So what was the bad?
Mostly editorial. Shortly after halfway through the eBook, it seemed like the copy editors just went home. Perhaps it was a razor-sharp hook too far? But after that point, bizarre word order, a few typos and misused words began cropping up. Not often enough to ruin the experience, but enough to be noticeable.
I felt that parts of the falling action were totally superfluous and took away a bit from the impact. They weren't bad, just not the best choice IMO.
My last quibble is that despite living in the US and writing a group of American characters from New York, Barker left a few glaring Britishisms in place.
All in all, an excellent book, and a worth successor to the _Hellbound Heart_. Speaking of which - _Hellraiser_ movie fans should be aware that none of the movies happened in Barker's canonical universe besides the first one, based on _Hellbound Heart_.
I don't remember Harry d'Amour from _The Great and Secret Show_, and have not yet read _Everville._ This book has definitely inspired me to go back and reread the Books of Art.
The Scarlet Gospels tells the story of the Hell Priest, not-so-affectionately nicknamed Pinhead, and the final goal of all his ambitions.
Magically sensitive private detective Harry d'Amour and some of his friends get caught up in Pinhead's machinations, and their worlds will never be the same.
Let's start with the good.
The text is Barker in his purest form. Lyrical, visceral and unflinching. Body horror, existential horror, lust and madness are displayed to great effect.
Barker's vision of Hell is complex. It remains familiar to people who know about the Abrahamic religions, but departs from the "party line" in significant and thoughtful ways.
Despite using the Hell Priest as a POV character, we are not quite led to sympathize with him. Barker walks the fine line of letting us understand him, while still reminding us how horrible and awesome he truly is.
The cast of characters is diverse and interesting. Women, people of color and people with disabilities all play important roles.
The story was entertaining and well paced. I never felt that it was dragging, and it was never a chore to read it.
So what was the bad?
Mostly editorial. Shortly after halfway through the eBook, it seemed like the copy editors just went home. Perhaps it was a razor-sharp hook too far? But after that point, bizarre word order, a few typos and misused words began cropping up. Not often enough to ruin the experience, but enough to be noticeable.
I felt that parts of the falling action were totally superfluous and took away a bit from the impact. They weren't bad, just not the best choice IMO.
My last quibble is that despite living in the US and writing a group of American characters from New York, Barker left a few glaring Britishisms in place.
All in all, an excellent book, and a worth successor to the _Hellbound Heart_. Speaking of which - _Hellraiser_ movie fans should be aware that none of the movies happened in Barker's canonical universe besides the first one, based on _Hellbound Heart_.
I don't remember Harry d'Amour from _The Great and Secret Show_, and have not yet read _Everville._ This book has definitely inspired me to go back and reread the Books of Art.
wobblin's review against another edition
1.0
I settled down with this to enjoy a Clive Barker book that I've somehow missed all these years and I now wish I could carry on missing.
Whilst we still have the usual sexual deviancy/sadomasochism/obsession with male genitalia which is an apparently necessary staple of Barker's work and would make for a decent, if dangerous, drinking game, we also have a 'story' scattered between all this which I can only imagine was written by one of his fans and edited by someone who was busy doing something else far more interesting at the same time. Parts of the narrative were missing which left me backtracking to make sure my memory wasn't failing. It wasn't.
My patience with this book ended when our strangely merry band of heroes eventually end up in Hell. HELL, and they still flirt and blush and lay on the innuendo like they're on a night on the town. Bizarre, and not in a good, Clive Barker way. I gave up at this point, I simply couldn't finish this book. I very much doubt Barker did either.
Whilst we still have the usual sexual deviancy/sadomasochism/obsession with male genitalia which is an apparently necessary staple of Barker's work and would make for a decent, if dangerous, drinking game, we also have a 'story' scattered between all this which I can only imagine was written by one of his fans and edited by someone who was busy doing something else far more interesting at the same time. Parts of the narrative were missing which left me backtracking to make sure my memory wasn't failing. It wasn't.
My patience with this book ended when our strangely merry band of heroes eventually end up in Hell. HELL, and they still flirt and blush and lay on the innuendo like they're on a night on the town. Bizarre, and not in a good, Clive Barker way. I gave up at this point, I simply couldn't finish this book. I very much doubt Barker did either.
sine_qua_non's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
tomby's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
sandygx260's review against another edition
This is truly a dreadful book. I'm not easily disgusted, but this book is gross, plus the dialogue sounds like someone transcribed a murder at a drunken frat party.
lay_kone's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Confinement, Torture, Death, Gore, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Rape and Homophobia
emcsorley's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5