The Scarlet Gospels

By: Clive Barker

Narrated by: John Lee

Length: 11 hrs and 3 mins

Publisher's summary

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 baited 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?

©2015 Clive Barker (P)2015 Macmillan Audio

Just not the Clive Barker I remember.

I had looked forward to this book but I'm kind of disappointed in it. The story just doesn't invoke the existential dread and horror a previous Clive Barker books I've enjoyed. Oddly the locale of Hell, in which part of the book takes place, seemed rather flat and unimpressive. The first few chapters had showed a great deal of promise but the book rapidly became rather bland after that.
The narrator has a pleasant voice to listen to during his narrations but when he reads as dramatis personae he tends to follow a little flat. D'Amour and the Harrower's, bar none, all tend to sound like 76 year old Jewish men regardless of age or gender.
it seems I will have no trouble going to sleep tonight after listening to this. A shame really, I had been hoping to relive the feelings reading Cabal or Weave World or The Books of Blood again.

Love the story, dislike the narrator

I looked forward to both hearing and reading this book since last year. Sadly the narrator ruined it for me. A flamboyant coenobite? Lana as an 80 year old Jewish man? Harry as a cartoon character of himself? Please tell me it's over now!

Terrible Narration

I had to take a break from this book. The story itself isn't bad, but the narrator is terrible. He makes it very difficult to continue listening. Sometimes I found myself laughing out loud at how absolutely horrible his characters were.

Not that impressive.

From all of the reviews I read I was prepared to be scared. This book was not scary in the slightest. There were a couple of gross parts (not many) but this book lacks real scare.

classic Barker

The only thing that caught me off guard was that half way in it becomes more of a fantasy novel as a group of adventurers form up and head into a crazy land full of creatures and social encounters. it's good but it reads like dungeons and dragons. very different from The Hellbound Heart.

Just Magnificent

This novel is a dream come true. Clive Barker (the actual mind behind Hellraiser, NOT the studios and writers who produced other works in the universe), the Hellraiser universe, and Harry D'Amour. All in the one story. What more could you ask for?

Well the answer for me is simple. Absolutely nothing. For so many other people, so called fans who have built an idea in their mind on what they expect a "good Hellraiser" to be. Namely a reiteration of the plot of Clive Barker's original NOVELLA, The Hellbound Heart. Eg, someone solves the box, cenobites come, someone gets torm apart and dragged to hell. A short story Clive Barker made into a movie. And that is all the so called "fans" want, the same thing again and again and again.

Ok now taking Hellraiser out of the picture, we have Harry D'Amour. Clive Barker's most repeated character, in so many short stories and novels, and the star of Barker's Lord of Illusions. I love Harry D'Amour.

So now we have The Scarlet Gospels. It joins both Hellraiser and D'Amour. It took me about 5 minutes to be hooked. We start the book being given the utter GIFT of the D'Amour origin with his awakening to the supernatural. And when the demon commanded Harry to SPIT, I was sold. We immediately had Clive Barker at his beautiful deviant best. A fiery, dry demon in need of moisture for personal desires...

Then it doesn't stop. So much cenobite mythology is fleshed out BY THE CREATOR, and we have "Pinhead" as a real character, in conflict with his kind and an ongoing battle, and a wild and utterly satisfying tale.

Ignore the negative reviews. If they are "Hellraiser" fans, ignore them. If they are Barker fans, take note.

one of Barker's best

hands down,va fantastic dark tale. supernatural fiction in a wicked way. Barker is a master craftsman.

Incredible. I am mad I just now listened to this.

Such a superb book. Clive Barker is a truly great author. He gives such a vivid and visceral ride in this compelling and incredibly well written story. I am mad I didn't know about this sooner.
The narrator also does an excellent job. Well worth a listen.

Was fine

Not as good as the first one but much better than the toll. It hits that middle ground. Some of the things they introduced at the start leading to nothing was annoying and the narrator made everyone sound like a 60 year old man from the south. But I heard worse and I managed.

Great book, terrible east coast accents..

Good book, enjoyed the story and expansion on clive barkers characters, but the narrator was not meant for this book. I don't regret purchasing it or listening to it. I just believe if they did it over again they should have chosen someone else to read it.