No matter where you might fall along the spectrum of horror fandom, we are all familiar with the name Pinhead. Dark and profoundly evil, most fans first met Pinhead in the 1987 cult classic film Hellraiser. Ready for the 21st century, the famed Hell Priest returns in Clive Barker’s newest novel The Scarlet Gospels. The story follows the twisted path of supernatural detective Harry D’Amour and his Harrowers through otherworldly battles and scenes of unimaginable horror. To put it simply, this is absolutely the most graphically detailed work of fiction I have ever read. With praise from the likes of Stephen King and Wes Craven covering the back, I knew this was going to be a good one, and I was not disappointed.

I read most of this book on the beach, which was possibly the weirdest place I could have read something of this caliber. I’m sure everyone sitting around me was wondering what could have prompted some of the faces I was making, but I feel they were warranted. The amount of gruesome detail provided by Barker is shocking. It makes me curious as to what kind of research went into this book. What must his browser history look like to understand the ways in which torture can be efficiently carried out? It is through torture and plagues from Hell that we read in graphic detail the workings of the Hell Priest. The gore factor alone is enough to make me love this book, but it has so much going for it it’s hard to pick a favorite.

Along with horrifically described scenes of terror throughout, the characters in this book are amazingly diverse and believable. While reading, I kept a detailed character list which definitely came in handy. I especially loved the character of Lana: A sharp-witted, kick-ass, foul-mouthed superwoman in her own right. And while D’Amour is definitely the central character of the novel, readers can expect a lot from the side of Pinhead too; and he keeps busy. By the end of the book, I felt like I intimately knew these people and could call them friends, which is exactly the way I want to feel after dedicating hours of my life to reading something new.

I really enjoyed reading The Scarlet Gospels and would definitely now like to read more of Barker’s work. However, about a third of the way through I felt like the plot was starting to lull. It was just dragging on and I found myself wishing for the end of the page or a change of scene. Also, this might be a little spoiler-y, but I think it’s worth noting there are a few rape scenes throughout. However, they’re never as brutally detailed as the rest of the torture. All in all, it was a good read with fun characters and intense gross outs.

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Image courtesy of Corey Dukes