The Hellbound Heart: A Novel

Another masterpiece written by The master of the Macabre himself. I'll never get sick of Clive Barker's material.

It was an ok, quick read. Some weird stuff but still kind of anti-climactic and lacked depth

For fans of Hellraiser this is the beginning.

The characters are completely single-minded and one-dimensional, and devoid of depth. Their actions, save for what begins of the novel, have little to no consequence on the events that follow them-- things happen because they need to further the events of the story, and nothing plays against expectation or what the characters want. A novel can't be suspenseful if the...more

The characters are completely single-minded and one-dimensional, and devoid of depth. Their actions, save for what begins of the novel, have little to no consequence on the events that follow them-- things happen because they need to further the events of the story, and nothing plays against expectation or what the characters want. A novel can't be suspenseful if the characters are meaningless- we spend more time with the "bad guys" than the "good guys" in this novel and so it's not too surprising that when the conflict comes to a head at the end it's impossible to care who actually wins/loses/lives/dies. I barely know the good guys and the bad guys are hedonistic murderers. The cenobites are the most interesting part of the story, but because their role is so minimal and unexplored they become more of an excuse to describe horrific things and further work toward the (vastly unexplored) pleasure/pain relationship. They could be replaced by any supernatural force to similar effect. The only real strengths this book has is that it is short, and somehow still readable.   hide

It was below expectation

I thoroughly enjoyed this macabre and disturbing novella from Clive Barker! It was a quick read -- too quick for me! -- but it kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time I was reading it. I read this in bits during my lunch break, and it kept me looking forward to my break everyday. I almost wish I could forget it all, then read it again for the first time. Excellent! A new favorite!

complex mythology crowning a tale of deep humanity; equal parts base and exploitative and high-minded, sparkling with startling originality and eloquence. I could and would not ask for anything more from contemporary horror, from a true paragon of imagination. Indelibly inspired a generation.

This is the first book of Clive Barker's that I've read. I've watched the show "Supernatural" since the pilot episode (it's in it's fourth season now)and have known for quite a while what Barker had said about the show. Finally I said that, "If he thinks the show's that good I should probably check out his books." I'm glad that I did. The...more

This is the first book of Clive Barker's that I've read. I've watched the show "Supernatural" since the pilot episode (it's in it's fourth season now)and have known for quite a while what Barker had said about the show. Finally I said that, "If he thinks the show's that good I should probably check out his books." I'm glad that I did. The descriptions and imagery are very good and gruesome at times. I liked the book a lot.   hide

Fast, engaging and a chilling read. This is the book that the "Hellraiser" films are based on.