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A review by songwind
The Scarlet Gospels by Clive Barker
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.