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The Scarlet Gospels
The Scarlet Gospels
The Scarlet Gospels
Audiobook11 hours

The Scarlet Gospels

Written by Clive Barker

Narrated by John Lee

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

4.5/5

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About this audiobook

The Scarlet Gospels takes listeners back many years to the early days of two of Barker's most iconic characters in a battle of good and evil as old as time: The long-beleaguered detective Harry D'Amour, investigator of all supernatural, magical, and malevolent crimes faces off against his formidable, and intensely evil rival, Pinhead, the priest of hell. Barker devotees have been waiting for The Scarlet Gospels with bated breath for years, and it's everything they've begged for and more. Bloody, terrifying, and brilliantly complex, fans and newcomers alike will not be disappointed by the epic, visionary tale that is The Scarlet Gospels. Barker's horror will make your worst nightmares seem like bedtime stories. The Gospels are coming. Are you ready?
LanguageEnglish
Release dateMay 19, 2015
ISBN9781427261588
The Scarlet Gospels

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Reviews for The Scarlet Gospels

Rating: 4.271186440677966 out of 5 stars
4.5/5

59 ratings15 reviews

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I have only read a couple of Clive Barker's previous books, but I have seen the movies based on his works. I really enjoyed Lord of Illusions (one of my all time favorites) and of course Hellraiser. Of his books that I have read, this is my favorite so far. There is a lot of great imagery in this book. It presents Hell in a very unique way. I liked how Hell was divided into neighborhoods, and everyone was just going about their lives amid all the misery and torture. Still, this book is not for the squeamish or easily offended. The opening scene was pretty intense, and the gore just kept coming throughout the book. The story moves toward an epic battle between Lucifer and PinHead. The scope of the story was amazing.

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    There's nothing like a jaunt through hell with an occasional Cenobite to remind you that your day is not so bad after all. I started reading Scarlet Gospels at the start of Annual Conf (Methodist) and it was the perfect setting especially as the Harrowers began their pilgrimage through hell. Unfortunately, conference ended before I finished and misplaced it. If you're a Barker fan don't miss it. If you aren't and like horror, I would recommend starting with the Books of Blood first.

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The Death of the Hell Priest. A bit sad, that, although it's perfectly understandable as to why Barker wanted to kill him so thoroughly. I'd be very annoyed if other people were intent on 'rebooting' a demon I created. The writing was classic Barker, and enjoyable as usual. The Scarlet Gospels goes back to The Hellbound Heart, and The Order of the Gash. There's a deep look at the Hell Priest, and his current defiance and plans for a rebellion of one. The scope of his plan is overwhelming, and you don't get the whole picture until you're near the end of the book. Harry is...Harry (for those familiar with the other D'Amour stories), and his journey is equally compelling. Norma is a wonderful character, and a key character on which the story turns. The final fight scene is one of magnificent despair, with stunning imagery. The end for most of the characters is quite happy, although not in expected ways.

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Firstly, I would advise any potential reader to familiarize themselves with the Hellraiser franchise if they aren't already. I believe it will help the reader be more interested in Pinhead's goals, (the name is also canonized in this book), and because it will give new readers an idea of what they might be in for. Barker is not a subtle writer in this series and the book is full of gore and torture in vivid description. Pinhead is on a mission but it would spoil it to say what.That said, while all the bloody ingredients of Hellraiser are present, it's the characters that caught my attention. Barker's interpretation of hell and it's residents was intriguing. His protagonists are an eclectic mix and though dealing with mystical and supernatural things, take a very contemporary approach to it. He creates a setting where the age of Heaven and Hell is showing and Satan is as much a mystery as God.

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Well written but you can tell that massive chunks of this book were left on the cutting room floor. AND that is a bleeding shame. Having read all of Mr. Barkers books I know there is more to this story floating out there unpublished. Maybe one day we will get the whole enchilada. Then again it could be that he cut it short because people consistently complain about his books being to long. But I doubt that was the case with this story. This story could fill volumes. The life and times of the Hell Priest. SOOOOOO many things could have been done with this. Thousands of years of pain, torture, personal memories. All from the perspective of the Priest. Could have been beyond epic.

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    A book is what's delivered, what you buy and hold in your hands and consume. By that metric, The Scarlet Gospels is good book, a great book, full of the dark horror and baroque detail and bizarre inventiveness that Clive Barker is known for.The chief disappointment of the book is not what it is (which, in case it's not clear, I enjoyed very much), but in what the book might have been. In interviews and conversation the author let slip tantalising details -- a conversation with Jesus; a viking cemetery; the holy grail in a tin mine; a confrontation between a 12 year old Harry and the Hell Priest at school; a dog that accompanied the protagonists into Hell. These elements -- which are the ones that I looked forward to experiencing the most -- are missing. It seems Clive Barker has applied the sharpest razor of all to his own text, apparently reducing the wordcount by half.I would have liked to have read that book, and be disappointed by something that was audacious and rich and powerful and sprawling; rather than enjoy the book that I read.The Scarlet Gospels that is, is a brilliant book, but I long for the book that it might have been.

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    If you love the mythos of the Hellraiser franchise you'll love this book! I'll say that the narrator wasn't great with some of the accents, which at first feel like nails on a chalkboard, but eventually isn't so terrible once you get used to his characters, but that about the only thing that got me during this audiobook. Otherwise I highly recommend if you want a bit of action/horror fun.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I have seen several of the HellRaiser movies, however this is the first book that I have actually read about the famed Pinhead. I can remember watching some of the movies and being scared but fascinated at the same time. So I was looking forward to reading this book. Well it did have the horror and gore that I was expecting from this book. I was fascinated by everything happening in this story. I would be lost in the moment reading and have to tear myself away to attend to real life. I could read this book and sleep just fine with no nightmares. Don't know if this is a good thing or that I am a little sick and twisted like Mr. Barker and enjoy reading this stuff. Either way, I did enjoy reading this book. I just was a little disappointed that there was not a big battle between Pinhead and Detective D'Amour. They did interact but not on the level and high intensity that I was hoping and looking forward towards. Although the depths of Hell and the details that Mr. Barker wrote about this world did make up some for what was lacking. I know plan to go back and re-watch the movies and check out all of the prior novels.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Harry D'Amour is an ex-cop turned private investigator for people with problems with the paranormal. He's seen a lot of weird stuff in his day and has destroyed a lot of demons until he meets Pinhead, the Cenobite Hell priest. Pinhead sics a minion on him and promises a reward if it's defeated. Harry survives and then dismisses the encounter. Pinhead returns to him after amassing tons of powerful magic and killing all of the others in his order and demands that Harry witness and eventually record his attempt to find Lucifer and change Hell forever. Harry predictably refuses, so Pinhead takes Norma, a blind woman who talks to the dead, as assurance that Harry will follow. Harry and his group of friends descend into Hell to rescue their friend. Pinhead has such sights to show them. Hellraiser is one of my favorite horror films, so I was eager to read The Scarlet Gospels. Pinhead is such an weird, enigmatic character and it was awesome to read a book partly from his point of view. However, this Pinhead is much different than the film version. Film version Pinhead is distant and well spoken when he chooses to speak. He is violent, but he stands impassively as he causes the violence instead of inflicting it with his own hands. This Pinhead is a religious zealot who will beat, rape, and torture much more personally. I don't find this version to be as interesting and I found much of his actions to be out of character compared to his previous incarnations. I still liked the general story, but something was missing. The first scene of the book features Pinhead finding the last of a powerful circle of sorcerers while he steals the last of their power and graphically tortures them. The scene is lengthy and very descriptive, which I usually don't mind. However, this is really the only lovingly described disgusting scene in the whole novel and it doesn't even figure largely in the bigger story. It smacks of a Human Centipede type of mentality to gross out the viewer with no further goal. On the other hand, I had no idea who Harry D'Amour was going into the novel. He is kind of a hard boiled detective who transitioned from regular police work to fighting demons and solving supernatural problems. He's likeable, but the story really would have happened if he weren't even there. The description touts the story as Pinhead vs. Harry, but in actuality, it's Pinhead wants Harry to record his conquests and strings him along. Harry is of no threat to Pinhead at all. The only reason he survived any of their encounters was because Pinhead simply wasn't interested in killing him. He could have been anyone or no one with his effectiveness on the story.The action and settings of the story are what made me read it in only a couple of days. The story is very plot driven and doesn't do much character development at all. I enjoyed Harry's past adventures and his descent into Hell as he follows Pinhead around. Hell itself is the most interesting part of the story. The demons, the hellscape, the hierarchy, and the history all kept my interest. Then Pinhead came in and changed everything. I'm on his side for most of the book. Being immortal and constantly torturing hapless mortals gets boring, so why not shake things up? He succeeds in pissing off everyone in hell and the ensuing battles are quite exciting. I love where the story went and it's definitely left open for a sequel. I would read the next book, but would probably wait to check it out from the library.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Worth the journey for closure's sake, but if I'm being honest, I was a little disappointed. I felt this novel was rushed and at times a little too silly-if I may be so bold. Please, do not misunderstand me. As a writer, I struggle with the rest and by no means am to compare myself with his caliber. Mr. Barker is a legendary, brilliant writer that has forged his path from the gates of hell, no doubt. So don't let my words soil your experience. Knowing the outcome as I do now, I would still read The Scarlet Gospels. There is one thing I can say, is that Pinhead's voice is as clear as those bells he tolls. And that, dear readers, is what has drawn us from the beginning.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I liked it. I thought it was a solid send-off. The narrator and the audio quality were fantastic. There's just something about a brutal murder scene being described in a refined English accent that makes you anxious to hear the next gruesome event.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Bitterly disappointing.
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    This is the first book review I have ever left and I’m writing one only because I think this is worth saying:
    I find this book to be very stereotypically “masculine”, with an unnecessary level of highly detailed gore, swearing and sex. Sex both in terms of female characters being little more than mere objects and, interestingly enough, a not-so hidden level of homo-erotica throughout. I have to be honest though, I only made it four chapters in, which was only because I tried really hard to like it, so my review is therefore based only on the beginning of this book.
    Don’t get me wrong, I usually don’t have issues with either sex, swearing or violence, but it all has its time and place.
    Frankly, this book was a snore fest while simultaneously made me disappointed, grossed out and had my eyes roll back so far in my head at times I thought I was beginning to look like one of the creatures mentioned in the story.
    If you’re not into any of the aforementioned; you have now been warned.
    Oh, and PS. I see a bunch of other reviewers mention the Hellraiser movie franchise. In all honesty I haven’t seen those movies in many years and definitely need to rewatch them at some point, but I do remember how much I loved them and specifically Pinhead as a character. I do not find any resemblance to the character or storyline of this book however, except the name and physical description which seems merely as a coincidence at this point, due to how different the rest feels. DS.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    If the book had kept the vibe and awesomeness of the prologue this book would have kicked ass from beginning to end. If there was ever to be a Hellraiser movie that had that opening scene it would have been epic. The book quickly shifted to setting in Hell which had some good imagery concepts but ultimately come off a bit weak. After reading Edward Lee’s Infernal series it is hard for any other author to do hell justice. I guess the movies skewered my view of Pinhead, I kept second guessing some of his actions in the book, and I was like would he really do that? Yes I read the Hellbound Heart… Overall a great beginning, pretty good ending, kind of so-so middle.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    If you ask me if it was a book book, my answer is yes. If you ask me if it was a necessary sequel, I’m not so sure. Of course it’s good to see Harry and Pinhead again, as now the stake is the survival of the whole world, well the Hell at least. A maybe, partially that is the problem. As you read and know more and more about Pinhead and the Hell, its becoming less and less mysterious and turning into a usual monster horror story.