LOGAN VS. THE HELLBOUND HEART

With the release of a new video game in the Hellraiser franchise, Logan decided to revisit Uncle Frank’s legacy, in Clive Barker’s THE HELLBOUND HEART.

TITLE: The Hellbound Heart

AUTHOR: Clive Barker

GENRE: Horror/Dark Fantasy

PAGES: 164

FORMAT: E-book/Paperback/Audiobook

PRICE: $11.21 paperback, $13.99 e-book, $6.29 audiobook.

Once again, I find myself in a weird place. Clive Barker is one of the greatest writers of our century, and I had somehow only read The Damnation Game up until this point. I know a lot about his work, most importantly Hellraiser. The character Pin Head has always interested me, and I vaguely remember films from when I was younger, but I had never read the book.

So, there was only one thing to do, especially with the video game rocking the world currently, I opened the book and read. The Hellbound Heart first of all is a heck of a read. It is also very different from the movie. I could easily go into that, but this being a book review I want to focus on the text.

My first impression was simply wow. Barker has a way with not just words but the world he creates is so vivid. I also love that we are introduced to Frank and the Lament Configuration right away. Frank is a man who just wants pleasure at the highest level and will do anything to reach it. Hence, when he solves the puzzle and meets the cenobites, he is ecstatic. However, things change quickly for him, and he is forced to become an entity unlike any you have seen before.

This all happens in the first chapter, and the narrative simply builds from there with the introduction of his brother, Rory, and Julia. There is also a secondary character, Kirsty, that becomes very important in the second half of the tale. Each of them feels rich, and very much their own. Barker does what every great writer should, creates characters that feel real. I never questioned their motivations, because it is very clear what they will choose to do.

The writing itself pulls you in as well. Barker is a word smith beyond anything any of us could hope to replicate. A lot of the time when writers do what he does it could become purple prose. This is never the case with Barker. Each word is deliberate and tells you exactly what you need to know to keep the story moving forward.

His rich descriptions pull you into the house, and the realm of the cenobites when it opens. Barker does not simply tell you about the places, he lets you live within them. You wait for the horror to return, and to see Frank in all his glory. I will not spoil anything, but this story comes to an action-packed ending that leaves you wondering what is next, and where the cenobites might return or if they are just waiting beyond the veil.

Logan Patrick has earned an MFA in Creative Writing from Southern New Hampshire University. He is a member of the Horror Writers Association, and author of The Disappearing of Three Forks, and has been included in the Horrorzine. As well as a collection, Marked: Tales of S.T.A.N.G.E., Logan has a background in theater, from acting to directing. As well as a play that is still in development.

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