The Hellbound Heart by Clive Barker Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Hellbound Heart
Book Review: Brilliant! Mastermind!and Welcome To Hell.
Summary: 4 Stars
This is the second book, I have read from this author. When I read it, it's pleased me. Stephen King was right. He is a future of horror! I also saw this movie "Hellraiser".The Cenobites were cool. But, prayed it doesn't happened to you. If you touch the Lemanchand box and puzzled it. You'll be sorry. Ha! Ha! ha!ha!Book Review: CLIVE BARKER IS A LITERARY GENIOUS!!!!!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
This novel is definetily Mr. Barker's most brilliant excursuion into terror. The plot was well constructed, the narrative was beutifully written, and the characters were interesting and very real. However I think the Cenobites were the most facinating aspect of this novel. Clive Barker has created a set of very intriguing demons whose mannerisms are very consistent with standard Christian theology. Not only does the nature of these creatures have a very apealing familiarty but Clive Barker has also interjected his own nightmarish visions into the appearence and behavior of these hellspawn thus creatring demons that are very traditoinal yet unique and original as well. Overall this novel is profoundly disturbing and overwhelmingly macabre It is also very poetic and morbidly entertaing.I particuraly enjoyed the idea of foolish humans like the character of uncle Frank who seek a release from the daily mediocrity of their lives by searching for the ultimate experience. but upon opening the forbidden box and unleashing the Cenobites into their earthly realm they do not encounter boundless pleasures and untold fortunes as they had expected, but are instead greeted by 5 hideous monstosities that have crawled forth from the blackest infernoes of hell. It is then that these creatures grant the mortal's wish by allowing them to experience a sensation that is not in any way pleasurable as they had anticipated but is so overwhelming that it is excruciatengly painful and maddeningly terrifying. Then this person must pay for the unholy experience with their very soul. It is then that they come to the horrible realizattion of hell's forgotten promises and the unbridled pain and suffering of the abyss. Not only is this novel absolutely mindblowing in the ferocity of it's horror but throughout the course of it's intricate plot the author explores some of the darker aspects of humanity such as lust, betrayl, temptation, and, suffering. I strongly reccomend this novel and the films that it inspired to anyone who t! houghroly enjoys exellence in horror fiction . This next section is adressed to the author himself. Dear Mr. Barker as an aspiring novelist and filmmaker as well as a devoted fan I certainly hope that you are able to take time from your grueling schedule so that you may look at these reviews periodically to see what your fans think. It would also bring me great pleasure to know that you have seen my appreciation for your work. - Steven Peluso age 14Book Review: CLIVE BARKER IS THE MASTER OF THE MACABRE
Summary: 5 Stars
Clive Barker is truely the master of writing. The Hellbound Heart is truely a very compelling read. For the Barker fans this is a definite must have in your horror book collection. And if you are a fan and love the film 'Hellraiser', then you'll definitely adore this extrodinary read. So if your contemplating buying this book, go for it, you won't regret it. And if Tear Your Soul Apart.........By Justine Ryan
Book Review: Excellent Book on Man's Depravity and the Human Heart
Summary: 5 Stars
I first came across this book hesitant and unsure of what to expect. I had already seen the Hellraiser movie and I thought I might have been disappointed because I already knew the storyline. However, after reading this book I realized that Clive Barker tells things better on ink and paper than on a movie screen. Even with all the guts and gore in the book the reason why the book captures me so much is the fact that Barker tries to show us what is inside the hearts of people. The actual theme of the book is what makes this book fascinating not the blood and suspense. This is a true horror story if there ever was one. The Cenobites also add to the intrigue and horror to the book. The Cenobites are demons who offer limitless pleasure to all the senses only to realize afterwards that they are only interested in pain and suffering. The introduction of the book gets the mood going and afterwards it will want to make you want to read more. The interaction between Frank and Julia also adds to the fascination of the story. Frank's character you could say depicts the restless and ceaseless anguish of mankind looking for something "beyond" what this world offers. Frank shows us that human beings are beings that are driven for the need for lust, pleasure, and sensory satisfaction. That people will even go beyond moral imperatives to satisfy their carnal passions and live life as if it was one sensory experience. Though this view of man presented by Barker seems dismal and discouraging, he does teach us the unfortunate condition of man on earth. Barker does a good job showing us the horrors contained within man's heart and where it can lead us if our desires are not contained.Book Review: Explore the depravity of the human heart
Summary: 5 Stars
This fast-paced, action-packed novella served as the basis for Clive Barker's extreme horror movie masterpiece Hellraiser, but it is well worth reading on its own merits. The human heart and its vulnerability to perverse pleasures of a sensuous nature is a compelling theme at the heart of Barker's writing. Those familiar with the movie will find that this original story matches up fairly closely with what they have seen, but there are some important differences. For one, a little more information about the infamous puzzle box is revealed. The characters are fleshed out a little better, yet Julia remains a cold person whose motives are not completely understandable. The Cenobites are actually featured much less here than in the movie, and the physical descriptions of them are far less developed--Pinhead himself reportedly speaks with a girlish voice in the novella. The blood and gore are certainly here, but their full magnitude is determined by the imagination of the reader. Interestingly, Kirsty's relationship with Rory (who was called Larry in the movie) is ambiguous at best. While one assumes Rory is her father, Kirsty always refers to him by name, and her relationship with him, if he is her father, is not a normal one for she seems to relate to him as some sort of potential lover. The depth of Barker's vision is much better developed in print than on the movie screen, and that is what makes this novella a must-read for fans of extreme horror. The dark side of the human soul is a source tapped deeply by Barker's imagination, and he is unafraid of revealing the depravity of any given individual. As such, his writing betrays a complexity and ingenious subtlety which critics of horror will never identify or understand. Surprisingly, there is really not a great deal of perverse sexuality in this particular work, so readers who tend to shy away from his Books of Blood may actually find The Hellhound Heart to be the optimal doorway by which to enter the haunted, terrifyingly alive world of this modern master of horror.