My rating: 5 of 5 stars
In preparation for this book, I re-read The Hellbound Heart a few years ago, and last week, I did the same with The Last Illusion.
Pinhead is killing magicians because he's got plans for Hell. Meanwhile, Harry D'Amour accidentally opens a pathway to Hell while working a case for his associate, a blind medium called Norma Paine...
Wow. I REALLY enjoyed this!
In typical Barker fashion, the brutality leaps off the page from the very beginning. I mean, it starts with a little necromancy and a group of magicians trying to outrun Pinhead. The imagery is described so vividly that every gory detail worked its way into my brain until I could feel the pain, and smell the awful creatures Harry encounters. As well as the corrupt places he visits.
Harry is an awkward but interesting guy. A PI who kinda stumbles into the supernatural/occult by being in the wrong place at the wrong time. On one hand, he's freaking hopeless and should know better than to fuck around with the Lament Configuration. But on the other, his body is inscribed with protective tattoos and he works with a medium who understands things better than he does.
He's a bit of a conundrum and makes several silly mistakes along the way, but still manages to get back on his feet. He takes a lot of damage in this book, and goes through quite a few terrifying situations, but the deeper he spends in Hell the more worthy he gets.
A good chunk of this book is spent in Hell as Harry and several of his weird friends traverse the rough terrain in order to save Norma from Pinhead. Or is it Pinfuck? I got a kick out of the little insults. 😅
I didn't expect to meet Lucifer and relish in what happens to Pinhead. I also didn't think that I would travel through Clive Barker's vision of Hell with a group of humans I really grew to appreciate. Norma, Caz, Lana and Dale are great companions for Harry.
One final thought: I actually love the ending. Or should I say, endings? Either way, I found this book very satisfying.
I'm glad I finally read it.
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