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A review by johnbreeden
The Scarlet Gospels by Clive Barker
4.0
In this novel, the Cenobite, Pinhead, is amassing power to achieve a grand, if impossible, goal. In his progress to overtake the powers of Hell, he chooses a chronicler, a witness, to write the gospels of his triumph. The task is forced on Harry D'Amour, a detective who has been touched by the otherworldly most of his life. What follows are Harry & his friends' struggles to save a friend taken by the Cenobite. Pinhead's goal is a lofty one, however, and may not be within his reach.
I am generally not a fan of gory horror. This novel, while having some references to the body horror so closely tied to Hellraiser, spends more time on developing the psychological horror for the characters. I appreciate the way that Barker has toyed with some of the elements that have come up in the movies, ones which he personally dislikes. At the same time, I was surprised by two things with the resolution.
Lucifer's escape: I feel that this was a call for some future book to come. What path will the fallen angel take? Can he escape from punishment? I am surprised that after 5 years, no rumor of a follow-up has surfaced. I think one could do well.
Pinhead's death: As much as Lucifer's escape sets up a call for a sequel, Pinhead's death seems to firmly slam the door on any future use of the Cenobites. I am surprised that Barker would so readily close that avenue for future exploration.
I can only say that I enjoyed this even more than I expected to.
Spoiler
I am generally not a fan of gory horror. This novel, while having some references to the body horror so closely tied to Hellraiser, spends more time on developing the psychological horror for the characters. I appreciate the way that Barker has toyed with some of the elements that have come up in the movies, ones which he personally dislikes. At the same time, I was surprised by two things with the resolution.
Lucifer's escape: I feel that this was a call for some future book to come. What path will the fallen angel take? Can he escape from punishment? I am surprised that after 5 years, no rumor of a follow-up has surfaced. I think one could do well.
Pinhead's death: As much as Lucifer's escape sets up a call for a sequel, Pinhead's death seems to firmly slam the door on any future use of the Cenobites. I am surprised that Barker would so readily close that avenue for future exploration.
I can only say that I enjoyed this even more than I expected to.