Reviews

The Hellbound Heart by Clive Barker

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crystalstarrlight's review

4.0

Bullet Review:

This was intense - very direct, dark, ominous, gruesome, but also with a deepening foreboding. It will take me a bit to come up with a full review - but I think this is a fantastic horror read, great for Halloween or general creepiness.

lhisalisa21's review against another edition

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dark fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

mbpartlow's review

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3.0

For me, I just didn't care enough about any of the characters to love this story.

The concept was completely creepy, and the writing is beautiful. But if I don't like the characters, I don't have a stake in whether they live or die.

I'm trying to work my way through Nightmare Magazine's Top 100 Horror Books. I couldn't get into Barker's The Damnation Game for the same reason I didn't like this story. The damn writing is so beautiful, but I don't care if the characters succeed or fail.

feywildfiction's review against another edition

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dark mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? N/A
Diverse cast of characters? No

3.5

I try not to compare book to their film adaptations but I did as I read this book. The movie is pretty true to the events in the book, excluding Kristy being Rory's daughter. In the book, she's a friend of his who has a crush on him. It isn't entirely clear how that relationship formed but either way, she and Julia do not get along.

I enjoyed reading this, as many of us know Hellraiser is considered part of queer literature & film.