The Hellbound Heart: A Novel

Name: The Hellbound Heart: A Novel
Rating: 4.66925048828125 (387 reviews)

Clive Barker

Mar 2009 · Sold by Harper Collins

387 reviews

Ebook

176

Pages

Eligible

About this ebook

“Barker’s the best thing to happen to horror fiction for many moons. . . [he] never fails to deliver the compelling prose and relentless horror his readers expect.” —Chicago Tribune

The classic tale of supernatural obsession from the critically acclaimed master of darkness—and the inspiration for the cult classic film Hellraiser

From his scores of short stories, bestselling novels, and major motion pictures, no one comes close to the vivid imagination and unique terrors of body horror provided by Clive Barker. The Hellbound Heart is one of Barker’s best—a nerve-shattering novella about the human heart and all the great terrors and ecstasies within its endless domain. It is about greed and love, desire and death, life and captivity, bells and blood. It is one of the most frightening stories you are likely to ever read.

Frank Cotton's insatiable appetite for the dark pleasures of pain led him to the puzzle of Lemarchand's box, a hellish artifact that summons the Cenobites, and from there, to a death only a sick-minded soul could invent. But his brother's love-crazed wife, Julia, has discovered a way to bring Frank back from this dark fantasy realm—though the price will be bloody and terrible . . . and there will certainly be hell to pay.

A great read for spooky-season nights
A perfect addition to any Halloween reading list

“Barker’s the best thing to happen to horror fiction for many moons. . . [he] never fails to deliver the compelling prose and relentless horror his readers expect.” —Chicago Tribune The classic tale of supernatural obsession from the critically acclaimed master of darkness—and the inspiration for...

Discover more

Ratings and reviews

387 reviews

Austin Hendry

April 2, 2019

After watching and enjoying Hellraiser I knew I'd have to read the novel that was it's inspiration. It did not disappoint, while it strays from certain aspects of the film it still holds up as a great read. My only wish was that it was a little longer, I managed to read it within four days, devoting an hour each day to reading. All in all a solid read that I'd recommend to fans of Hellraiser or horror fans in general.

1 person found this review helpful

Erik G.

September 9, 2015

This was my first experience of Barker's books. It seemed short enough to get a taste of his style. Which is gory. Which I like. Some descriptions just didn't seem necessary other than to be another instance of sexual desire though. But overall, pick either the book or the movie and you'll be just fine. Obviously there are a couple differences between the two, but nothing major. Overall, the book was alright. It left me wanting to know more about the Cenobites and wanting to read another Barker.

15 people found this review helpful

Misty Luther

April 26, 2015

Wonderful read as always. Love Barker's way with words. I wouldn't buy it through digital content though if I'd known it was going to be only this one short story. Way over priced. New condition trade in physical copy was cheaper at book store. Have gotten digital books five times this length for same price off sale.

13 people found this review helpful

About the author

Clive Barker is the bestselling author of twenty-two books, including the New York Times bestsellers Abarat; Abarat: Days of Magic, Nights of War; the Hellraiser and Candyman series, and The Thief of Always. He is also an acclaimed painter, film producer, and director. He lives in Southern California.

Rate this ebook

Tell us what you think.

Reading information

Smartphones and tablets

Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.

Laptops and computers

You can listen to audiobooks purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.

eReaders and other devices

To read on e-ink devices like Kobo eReaders, you'll need to download a file and transfer it to your device. Follow the detailed Help Center instructions to transfer the files to supported eReaders.

Flag as inappropriate