Why So Blu?

According to Clive Barker on his FB page - he has turned in the book:


I thought you might like to know that THE SCARLET GOSPELS,a large novel which sets Harry D'Amour against the Hell Priest Pinhead,is finished,and has been delivered to my agent. I don't yet have a publication date for it,but as soon as I do you'll be the first to know. I won't say anything about the narrative except this: it's a HORROR NOVEL with the graphic violence and perverse eroticism of the most intense tales from the Books Of Blood.Please feel free to share this news with any friends who might have been wondering about the book :THE SCARLET GOSPELS ARE FINISHED.

Jason Bovberg

Hey, that's cool news, thanks for sharing that. I thought he might be staying in the YA genre for the long term now, so it's good to see him dipping back into the viscera.

Why So Blu?

I think that was the hold-up. He was working on the final Abarat book.


He's also about to work on this:

I have a huge metaphysical book in my head... It will make Weaveworld look like Nancy Drew. A huge, huge, huge metaphysical book. I want to investigate the erotic at its most profound, in forms that I think we possibly begin to see in Burroughs, but which haven't been pursued as a consistent thesis. We're talking my Bible. I want to write the Bible.

Someone then asked him if it was a sequel to Great and Secret Show/Everville and he replied with: The Third book of the Art.

brainee

This is welcome news. For a stretch from the mid 80s to early 90s, Barker was my favorite author. But he hasn't been writing the kind of material that I like since "Coldheart Canyon" (back in 2001). Since then he's been off my radar. Maybe Abarat is good, but the erratic publishing history (7 years between the 2nd and 3rd books) means I won't touch it until it's finished. Does that sort of practice even work in the YA business (where typically books in a series come out annually)? The target audience would've moved on in between books. As of now, Abarat is going on 11 years and there's still 2 books to finish.

The only horror since 2001 was "Mister B. Gone", which was minor (to be generous). I hope his writing skills are still up to matching the ambition he had for "Scarlet Gospels" (and the finishing of the Art trilogy).

Why So Blu?

I guess Clive has been getting bombarded by folks asking when SG will be out. Here's a response:

I want to follow up on my SCARLET GOSPELS announcement to just point out that I was quite truthful in telling you I unfortunately can't even speculate as to the publication date of the book.It's out of my hands, depending on the scheduling of other books on the publishers' list.In my experience it never takes less than a year from delivery to street date, but it could be longer. The point is,it's fruitless for me to try a guessing game because there are so many variables in play. I would ask you only to know that the book is on it's way to the stores but beyond that I can tell you nothing. As soon as I DO know something concrete it will be here on this page. But please don't get pissed with Alex or myself because we can't answer the WHEN? WHEN?WHEN? messages.I would love to be able to supply the information,but I probably won't know for several months.Yes,it's frustrating,for all of us. But the book is finished. Now others must get to work designing it,setting it,planning a release strategy and so on.Again,when I know something, you'll know, I promise.

My love to you,

Clive

Supermallet

I can't wait. I know he wrote this book as his final word on Pinhead, owing to his frustration on being locked out of the Hellraiser films.

Josh-da-man

Yeah, I'm also really interested in this even though I'm not really a fan of the Harry D'Amour character.

And bring on that third and final Book of the Art!

Why So Blu?

And we have a release date!!!!

This is from Clive's Facebook page:

kakistos

Awfully long wait for a mere 352 page book.

Why So Blu?

Clive's website is now taking orders for limited edition U.S. & UK editions:

http://www.realclivebarker.com/produ...ons-hardcover/

Pinhead. Harry D’Amour. The final Hellraiser story.

Clive’s health prevents him from doing a signing tour for this book, so for a limited time we are offering the option of having your copy signed by Clive for a $35 surcharge. (Please note that unfortunately we cannot offer an option for personalization.)

As a special consideration, we have also made arrangements with UK edition cover artist David Mack to sign and do a sketch of Pinhead for an additional $45.

All copies of The Scarlet Gospels purchased from RealCliveBarker.com come with:

An exclusive double-sided glossy postcard featuring the artworks of Clive Barker: his portrait of the Hell Priest known as Pinhead, and a canvas depicting a field of corpses, used as the back cover art for the US edition.
An exclusive satin Catechismal bookmark featuring a profile of Pinhead drawn by UK edition cover artist David Mack, with a descriptive verse from the novel.
Please note that the book release is schedule for May 19th, 2015, and signed books will ship from Los Angeles no earlier than June 2015.

Josh-da-man

David Mack, the comic book artist? Might have to get the UK edition.

RicP

I just finished this. Thought it was quite good. Not as "epic" as I was expecting or hoping, but it was a tight story and I could see it being a movie very easily, unlike some of Clive's other epics like "Great and Secret Show" or "Weaveworld".

I'm pleased with it, even if it is lighter than I was anticipating. If you're a long time Barker reader, you'll find a lot to like here, for sure.

spoiler for size:

Why So Blu?

I'm about 50 pages in and it's holding my interest really well. Granted, all of Clive's material holds my interest. Pinhead already made his grand entrance and it was a doozy. The Harry D'Amour stuff is actually quite dreary, because he is not as slick as Scott Bakula was in LOI. The written version of Harry is a bit more jaded and miserable.


We'll see how it goes with the rest of the book!

Dr. DVD

Did Pinhead appear in any other Clive Barker stories other than Hellbound Heart? I seem to remember in the original not only was he never really named, but he was also a female.

Pointyskull

I liked it - glad to gory Clive back.

My review, if you're bored:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/blog/s...arlet-gospels/

Why So Blu?

No, he was never female in Hellbound Heart unless you were confusing him with the female cenobite that was with him.

Dr. DVD

Okay, that's cool. Is this his first appearance in print since Hellbound Heart?

Why So Blu?

Yes, in print, but he's been in many comic books.

Dr. DVD

I've read the original Lord of Illusions with D'Amour. What are other stories with the character?

Josh-da-man

The novel Everville is the only other appearance of the character in a book I can recall. D'Amour also appeared in some of the recent Hellraiser comic books, though I don't know if they are in canon with Scarlet Gospels despite having Barker's involvement.

John Pannozzi

Don't forget the Hellbound Hearts short story anthology.

And here's a list of Harry D'Mour's appearances:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_D%27Amour#Fiction

Supermallet

The release of this completely slipped past my radar. I'm trying to check out the ebook from my library, but their system is awful and is telling me my account is invalid. I'd rather not pay $13 or the Kindle version, especially after reading the reviews saying that this book has essentially been eviscerated from a much more rich 1,000+ page manuscript.