The Scarlet Gospels: Rob’s Take

Before I start this review I’d like to say thanks to Ryan Danhauser and Jose Leitao for helping me shape this review into what it is now. Without them I would constantly stumble and fall. Thank you.

Wow what a rush! No, let me rephrase that again: FUCK, WHAT A RUSH! After waiting two decades for The Scarlet Gospels to be released, the end result more than satisfied my inner geekdom. Just like the recent film Mad Max: Fury Road, The Scarlet Gospels is a pumped up action/horror novel that stays in your face until the very last page. I’ve read some readers have found this to be a flaw, personally I thought by slowing the story down it would’ve made it a great disservice. It’s an acid trip so I just went with the flow.

!SPOILERS!

I’m not going too much into the major plot points of the story but I will touch on some details that I really enjoyed. The setup for the story is simple enough and Barker brings both D’Amour and Pinhead together in classic fashion with Harry finding the box as he investigates the house of a recently deceased man. I promise you though, the story is a pure adrenaline rush of gore and madness that’s beautifully written by Barker in his style of horror writing harking back to The Books of Blood days. Think The Midnight Meat Train times a thousand. The story uses strong visuals and Barker has once again captured a world that is both foreboding and surreal. It’s totally different from anything he’s ever written before.

Barker has crafted the perfect ending for Pinhead with this story. It’s all about him and his attempt to gain control of Hell, his quick fall from grace, and finally his end. And as much as I love Harry D‘Amour, this is Pinhead’s show. He wants to know every spell and own every magic artifact he can gather to become stronger, to take over Hell itself, and having Harry be his witness to the new gospels he’s going to create.

Barker’s take on the character after twenty-eight years, is a cross between the movie version of the character (I thought of Bloodline) and something totally new and fresh. Some have voiced their displeasure with the way Barker has changed him and the way he acts toward people (cussing, touching people) which I’ll admit is a little strange at first, but remember that this is a straight sequel to The Hellbound Heart and in that story he was only referred to as the ‘lead cenobite’. So it makes perfect sense to let Barker have some creative freedom with the character. Some of his choices are bizarre but they make sense to the character and the story he’s put him in.

The first part of the book closely resembles the Pinhead we all know and love; in the second part Barker unleashes a totally new beast altogether. We’re a given a new and amped up version of the character that yearns for more than the simple desires of exploring flesh. He’s still the cold and ruthless demon we know and like, that hasn’t changed at all. One particular moment took me by surprise at how cruel this new being can truly be. It really got under my skin and thankfully Barker doesn’t show it on the page.

The character also has some wonderful moments throughout the story as well. The opening prologue where he slaughters the magicians is an eye opener and sets the tone for the rest of the book. I also enjoyed when he puts on the armor of Lucifer and when he finally reveals himself to the army sent to destroy him by ‘The Unconsumed’. Barker also has time at the end to give the character some moments of introspection which I found appealing. One of the last chapters with him before he dies was very moving, and reminded me that I have to remember that villains aren’t as hallow as they look.

Speaking of Pinhead’s death, Barker wisely kept it very intimate and subtle. I was afraid it was going to be something over the top, but thankfully he chose to send the Hell Priest on a more somber note that I really enjoyed. Some readers won’t like it, but keeping things simple is sometimes the best way to go.

Another thing Barker hasn’t lost his ability to do is grossing out his readers! Barker leaves nothing to the imagination here. This could be the bloodiest book he’s written to date. There were parts that truly made me grimace (when Pinhead was cutting himself up…oh dear). The descriptions are so vivid that the blood feels like it’s flying off the page.

Getting away from Pinhead for a moment, I’d like to talk about Harry D’Amour and how his “Harrowers” are important to the story, which has caused some controversy among some of the fans. While I do agree that the characters of Caz, Dale, and Lana needed some more fleshing out, I still found them fun and engaging. And most importantly, they also help each other out when the shit hits the fan. For example, Caz and Harry have a very close relationship and without Caz I think Harry would’ve lost his mind in some situations. A protective tattoo can only get you so far and doesn’t come close to a true friend that will do anything for you. I also didn’t mind the group saying the occasional wonky one-liner. Yes, some of them fall flat on their face but you’ve got to remember these characters have lived in the supernatural world for their entire lives, and being in Hell is part of the job. So I wasn’t bothered that they felt right at home in hell. A person on the internet boards described them as a sort of Avengers, but with a supernatural twist. I like that description for the group.

As for D’Amour himself he’s as brooding and confused as ever. When we first meet him he’s celebrating his birthday in New Orleans by getting drunk and remembering a past event about the death of a fellow partner that was killed by a demon. So the dark side of the supernatural world is constantly haunting him during the day and in his dreams. We come to find out that he and Pinhead have more in common than either one would like to admit. Pinhead, by the end of story has no more need for the darkness and wishes solitude, whereas D’Amour must face his new destiny and let the darkness in for eternity.

But he goes through his own journey to see the “light” in The Scarlet Gospels. The scenes with him and Norma are always fun and I’ve always enjoyed their banter. She reminds me of my Granny on my father’s side of the family. Norma won’t let Harry feel sorry for himself and is a true friend who cares about him. I’m glad Barker revealed more of their backstory about when and how they first met. That was a fun passage. I don’t think we’ve seen the last of Harry D’Amour though, and hopefully there will be more stories with him in the future.

Another thing that was really fun about The Scarlet Gospels was all the little Easter eggs that Clive threw in for the fans. I don’t know if I caught them all but my favorite one is at the end. I hope all the fans pick up on that one the most. I wish I could tell you but I want people to figure it out for themselves.

So Pinhead is finally gone, at least in the literary world and for Clive Barker. Thankfully the years of waiting were well worth it. While it’s doesn’t compare to Barker’s other masterpieces, it’s still some damn fun reading and a fine send-off to an iconic character. Highly recommended.