The Hellbound Heart Paperback – 1 Oct. 2007

Clive Barker is my favourite contemporary horror writer and it was the Hellraiser film (one of my favourite horror films) that introduced me to his work. This is my third time reading the novella that inspired the movies and I enjoyed it as much this time as I did the first time.There's so many aspects that elevate this into a classic read. First is the eloquence of the author's word craft. Just reading the language is a joy in itself. As a writer myself I can only marvel at the talent displayed and hope that I will one day match such skill. But I was a reader long before I became a writer and this remains a fantastic read.The film based on this novella is excellent, mostly because of the cenobite characters, demons wrought from the flesh of those foolish enough to attract the attention of the order of the gash. The variety of the suffering visible in their forms works well on screen and the written word. The key difference here is that the book treats them as a collective rather than the simple imposing character of Pinhead as a leader.The film does a decent job in visualising the horror in this tale, but the book does a far better job in describing the sensual nature of the cenobites. And that for me, beyond the quality of the writing, is what makes the story stand out. Normally the duality in horror is expressed as simple good versus evil, or the bestial against human, but here it's not so simple. The pain and pleasure is entwined, indivisable to coin a phrase.It's a short read, but no less potent for that. The language is finely wrought and full of experssive dark imagination. A superb read and one that if you are a horror fan should be on your TBR list if you haven't already read it.

This is a must read for any Clive Barker and hellraiser fan, it goes into more details about the graffic story of the hellraiser filmIs a very easy read I read the book in a day and a halfThe only reason for 4 stars was because I purchased for £4.40 plus having to pay postage and when the book arrived it had a £1. Sticker on it so that's a little disappointing

As always Clive Barker delivers horror and gore with elegance. I watched the movie first and after reading this, I have a deeper understanding of the story. I love the concept of the cenobites and a puzzle box which opens a doorway. I also enjoyed getting into the minds of despicable pair Frank and Julia.

Another reviewer said, "If you have morals, this book will leave you disgusted.". Well what did you think you were going to get in a Clive Barker story? Thing is, it's not that horrible. It's just meh. It left me neither overwhelmed nor underwhelmed. I guess I was just whelmed. So Frank is trapped in hell and needs to eat human flesh to escape (why?). He's trapped in the house where he opened the portal. He does start to escape, although he's still in the house. Anyway, yada, yada, yada and a woman called Kirsty finds herself having to replace Frank in hell if she can't help his captors find him. Well he's still in the house where they trapped him. They didn't look very hard. So Kirsty leads them to the house where the demons stand back and watch while Frank, still missing half his skin, chases her around with a knife. She realises they will only intervene if Frank identifies himself. How many other half-flayed flesh-eating psychopaths are there in this house? These cenobites, as they're called, just seem a bit dim. Anyhow, of all the books I have ever read I can honestly say this was one of them.

Very addictive

Frank cotton is looking to satisfy his darkest pleasures, hearing of a mysterious puzzle box that could do this he tracks it down, taking it to his family home he solves the box unleashing the rulers of the realm the cenobites, instead of granting him his deepest pleasures he is tortured and trapped within the box.sometime later frank's brother rory moves into the family home with his wife julia, she had an affair with frank before they married and has wanted him more since.after accidentally cutting his hand, rory bleeds in the room where frank was taken, frank returns from the realm and when julia finds him she promises to help restore him so they can be together.Rory sensing something is wrong with julia, asks his friend kirsty to speak with her neither not knowing the hell that lingers around them.

I've been wanting to read this book for years and years and finally caught up with it on kindle. It is every bit as brutally beautiful and brilliant as I'd hoped it would be. The way Barker writes is the best of the best, beautifully evocative and descriptive, yet not too much that get you bogged down with huge chunks of text with no dialogue. Just perfect.The book is different from the movie. The characters have different relationships to each other and the plot is slightly altered. But the vibe and atmosphere of the book and the movie are identical. If you like hellraiser, you'll love this. The book has added depth (obviously) which works really well when we're inside Frank's head and what it feels like to be skinned, with no muscles around his vertebrae and all his nerve endings exposed.... Just horrible and I loved it. And the history of the box, and 'other charts' and means to reaching the cenobites is gone into, that a map to hell used to belong to the marquis de sade, and another chart is in the vatican... It adds a depth and richness to the story that is missing in the film medium.In short, it's amazing. Read it. You won't be disappointed. A masterpiece.

I FINALLY got around to reading this book. I love the characterisation by Barker, the way he showcases the despicable nature of Frank and Julia, the language is beautiful, even when it gets gory. I wasn't a fan of the way the POV switched mid-passage between characters, especially Julia and Kirsty. But that's a minor negative for a whole lot of positives. I'd love to read more of Barker's short fiction, and novellas.

This novel is simply awesome. The universe of the cenobites hides mysterious pleasures. No tears, please. It’s a waste of good suffering.

My rating for the book itself is a solid 5/5. Every Hellraiser fan should read it, as the book is even better than the movie (which honestly is the case with all movie-adapted books). It’s such an original piece, I love how Barker is not judgemental of his female characters, and I love the way desire is treated.But I couldn’t rate this Harper Perennial edition with the skull-with-pins cover 5/5, because the printing feels like a joke. Huge (and I mean HUGE) blocky letters, reminiscent of a children’s book, make it impossible to read and get into the mood of the story. It’s such a shame, because the font and size used for the author page are perfect! I’d say this is more a collectible edition, as the cover is gorgeous, than a good reading copy.

If you’re into the horror romance type novels, this is a must have, one of the most powerfull books in terms of lyric resources in my opinion, the way clive barker uses the simple words to make such a strong enviroment is fundamental.

One of Clive Barker's masterpieces.

Me gusto mucho el material de la portada.