Despite Barkers obvious protests against using the term mythos to describe the hell he created, that is what it's become. It has spread throughout the world inspiring authors and artists alike to add to it, much like the Cthulhu mythos of H.P. Lovecraft. From film sequels to comic books to short stories, Hellrasier fandom has grown in number, and continues to grow, leaving only one question to spark a smile amongst our faces, "What's your pleasure?" Not too shabby for a novella originally published in an anthology or the independent film that it was later adapted into.

So with that saying, when Hellbound Hearts was first released, I knew I must own it. But I had to play it cool, I didn't want to get my hopes up only to be delivered to pieces that resemble fanfic than anything worth while. With a foreword by the man himself, Clive Barker, and an afterward by the Cenobite himself, Doug Bradley, I finally click purchased on Amazon and waited for the book to be delivered. Surely, anything with Neil Gaiman in it, couldn't be that bad, right?

While not all the stories clicked for me - I could've done without "'Tis Pity He's Ashore" and "Only the Blind Survive" - the book is a great testament on how much Hellraiser has shaped our idea of hell. I was captivated by the tales of the birth of a Cenobite, the going ons in the dark and dreaded No. 55 Lodovico Street, the lustful desires of a nun, the dark world of "Wordsworth" and the hell on earth, end of the world aspect of "The Dark Materials Project."

Also featured in the collection are stories by Kelley Armstrong (Bitten, Dime Store Magic, No Humans Involved, Living with the Dead), Richard Christian Matheson (Scars and Other Distinguishing Marks, Dystopia, Created By), Christopher Golden (The Boys are Back in Town, Strangewood, The New Dead (editor)), Nicholas Vince, who played the Chattering Cenobite in the first two Hellraiser films, and Barbie Wilde, who played the Female Cenobite in Hellbound: Hellraiser II.

Stephen Jones, the publicist for the first three Hellraiser films, also lends his voice for the introduction of the anthology, reminiscing how one small independent horror film could morph our point of views - and how he helped make it an instant classic. It also includes the graphic short story script by Neil Gaiman's "Wordsworth."

This book is a must have if you're a hellraiser, or are only being introduce - which is a sad, yet hopeful idea for me - the pleasures of the flesh and agony that would be legendary in hell. ( )

I honestly don't know what the other reviewers were smoking, but most of the stories in this book were not good. I won't say trash - although many of them were - because some stories had redeeming qualities.

It's like they focused mostly on the pain and suffering the Cenobites bring, with the writers engaging in orgiastic detail on the types of tortures the Cenobites can dish out. Barker's Hellraiser story was compelling because it focused on human emotions and desires and how they play out in the real world. The Cenobites are mostly in the background in his story, taking on an almost symbolic nature in the context of the characters' sufferings.

The stories in this collection throw this out the window. Instead, they offer shallow, hollow people who are damaged beyond repair and somehow come across the Cenobites, thus accepting their fate. That's pretty much almost all the stories right there. However, some of them are quite interesting to read, but they are far too few to atone for this pitiful collection. ( )

Many times in a short story collection, there is some kind of theme to tie all the stories together: zombies, vampires, cats, what-have-you. In this case, all the stories focused on Clive Barker's Hellraiser movies. You know the ones with Pinhead, where solving a magic puzzle cube summons the Cenobites (denizens of Hell) and then they drag you off to Hell itself. By itself this is a great idea. I found the Hellraiser movies very entertaining. Putting together a bunch of stories with a different perspective on the Hell resulting from solving a puzzle box should result in a pretty good book. Unfortunately my biggest problem with this collection of stories was how predictable many of the stories were. The stories quickly became formulaic and boring. Rather than several new twists, it became one of those typical slasher movie sequels where the same cliches are used. The rare gems of good stories merely highlighted the tired ones in between. It is really too bad because so many of the authors in this book are really good authors. My favorites are below

"The Confessor's Tale" by Sarah Pinborough - A boy with no tongue hears the sins of the town.
"The Collector" by Kelley Armstrong - A woman obsessed with puzzles focuses her attention on the puzzle box.
"The Promise" by Nancy Kilpatrick - A reunion of sorts is held at a cemetery.
"However..." by Gary A. Braunbeck and Lucy A. Snyder - A nice spin on the idea of maxing out on gore. ( )

Hellbound Hearts is an anthology celebrating Hellraiser creator Clive Barker and the world he created with his novella The Hellbound Heart. This is a collection of tales inspired by Barker with some well-known and some not-known authors such as Neil Gaiman, Steve Niles, Mike Mignola, Christopher Golden, Mick Garris, Richard Christian Matheson, Sarah Langan, Mark Morris, Nancy Kilpatrick, Peter Atkins, Tim Lebbon, Nancy Holder, Yvonne Navarro, Kelley Armstrong and Nicholas Vince - edited by Paul Kane and Marie O’Regan. The collection also features a foreword by Barker himself, who also painted the spooky, original cover.

This book is a treat for any horror fan. These are all twisted, gory and scary stories - that I will admit to having to watch some happy tv before hitting the sack because I was that spooked. Although not all the authors were known to me - I found it a good introduction to their work. I enjoyed all the stories - some more than others. This is the type of book where you can pick and choose the story you want or just read the whole thing through - but it’ll definitely have your heart racing, glancing over your shoulder every couple of minutes and terrified of things that go bump in the night. I loved every second of it. ( )

Clive Barker is a master of horror. Were you aware that it was his novella THE HELLBOUND HEART that was the genius behind the HELLRAISER movies? This book is made up of 21 tales by different authors and their own story of a hellraiser.

Some Of The Authors:
Neil Gaiman
Dave McKean
Kelley Armstrong
Steve Niles
Tim Lebbon
Christopher Golden
Mike Mignola
and more...

This is a horror-filled, gory mess of a book and I loved every minute of it!

HINT: You may need to sleep with the lights on. ( )