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Hellraiser #2
Hellraiser: The Toll
Thirty years after Kirsty Cotton escaped from the clutches of the Hell Priest, Pinhead, and lived to fight another day, her life has never been the same.
Every few years she fashions a new name, a new identity, and a new home for herself; She is a woman who is running from her past at all costs, which is why it comes as such a surprise when she receives a mysterious letter in the mail, addressed to the woman she's been running from over half her life. Answering the letter's query, she begins a descent down a rabbit hole to the ultimate confrontation.
Her actions stir something unnamable in the ether and throw her into a game where nothing, not even what she sees in front of her very eyes, can be trusted.
With equal parts economy and eloquence, author Mark Alan Miller brings to life the beginning of the end as "The Toll" expands the Hellraiser universe, and shows that before Harry D'Amour's adventures in "The Scarlet Gospels," there was a first witness to Pinhead's infernal plan.
This new illustrated edition included new artwork by Derik Hefner as well as three terrifying short stories.
Every few years she fashions a new name, a new identity, and a new home for herself; She is a woman who is running from her past at all costs, which is why it comes as such a surprise when she receives a mysterious letter in the mail, addressed to the woman she's been running from over half her life. Answering the letter's query, she begins a descent down a rabbit hole to the ultimate confrontation.
Her actions stir something unnamable in the ether and throw her into a game where nothing, not even what she sees in front of her very eyes, can be trusted.
With equal parts economy and eloquence, author Mark Alan Miller brings to life the beginning of the end as "The Toll" expands the Hellraiser universe, and shows that before Harry D'Amour's adventures in "The Scarlet Gospels," there was a first witness to Pinhead's infernal plan.
This new illustrated edition included new artwork by Derik Hefner as well as three terrifying short stories.
136 pages, Paperback
First published February 28, 2018
73 people are currently reading
1792 people want to read
About the author
Mark Alan Miller
38 books34 followersMark Alan Miller has carved a niche for himself working alongside some of the top horror icon makers of all time. He worked as editor to Clive Barker for over a decade, adapted stories by Joe R. Lansdale, and created original archival content with Tom Holland.
In 2009, Miller began shepherding the release of the director's cut of Barker's classic film Nightbreed. After 6 years of Miller's campaigning, tracking down the footage, and assembling the film, Barker's long-thought-lost vision was released on Blu-Ray by Scream Factory and the film won best vintage release at the 41st annual Saturn Awards. Miller was there to accept the award in person. The project has garnered worldwide interest, and been featured in publications such as Entertainment Weekly, Fangoria,and Empire magazine, and was named Total Film's 14th best extended cut of all time.
Mark's work is not limited to the printed word, however. He has produced a series of animated shorts with the comedy troupe Superego for Nerdist Channel, directed an animated original by the name of The Great Corben, for Hulu's Fun Size Horror Volume 2, and was a staff writer for Stan Lee's Lucky man the animated series. Most recently, his short film The Coming Dawn Ministry can be seen on the Twisted Twins' Blood Drive anthology.
His other works include, Clive Barker's Hellraiser, Hellraiser Bestiary, Next Testament, Next Testament the Novel, and Joe R. Lansdale's The Steam Man of the Prairie and the Dark Rider Get Down.
In 2009, Miller began shepherding the release of the director's cut of Barker's classic film Nightbreed. After 6 years of Miller's campaigning, tracking down the footage, and assembling the film, Barker's long-thought-lost vision was released on Blu-Ray by Scream Factory and the film won best vintage release at the 41st annual Saturn Awards. Miller was there to accept the award in person. The project has garnered worldwide interest, and been featured in publications such as Entertainment Weekly, Fangoria,and Empire magazine, and was named Total Film's 14th best extended cut of all time.
Mark's work is not limited to the printed word, however. He has produced a series of animated shorts with the comedy troupe Superego for Nerdist Channel, directed an animated original by the name of The Great Corben, for Hulu's Fun Size Horror Volume 2, and was a staff writer for Stan Lee's Lucky man the animated series. Most recently, his short film The Coming Dawn Ministry can be seen on the Twisted Twins' Blood Drive anthology.
His other works include, Clive Barker's Hellraiser, Hellraiser Bestiary, Next Testament, Next Testament the Novel, and Joe R. Lansdale's The Steam Man of the Prairie and the Dark Rider Get Down.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 149 reviews
February 8, 2018
I make no apologies for considering myself a hardcore fan of, in my opinion, one of the greatest fantasy/horror writers that has ever been. I have collected Barker’s work since I was 13, I’ve spent 32 years reading anything of his I can get my hands on. I’m not suggesting I’m more qualified than anyone else to form an opinion on Barker and his work, it’s a simple fact to set the scene, to give you an idea of where I’m coming from. Barker’s writing captivates me like no other author. No one writes like Barker, eloquence personified, his writing poetic, at times hypnotising, beautiful world building and often taking readers from the very depths of despair to the ultimate euphoric high.
A giant, a legend and my literary idol.
I’ve had a lot of discussions with Barker fans about the Scarlet Gospels, the book that dared to kill off Pinhead. This was Clive’s 2015 novel that was nigh on 20 years in the making. The story of Scarlet Gospels has been covered many times before, and is something I think I may return to at some point in the future. What I do want to say about the book now, is that it did not read as if Clive Barker wrote it! Some of the imagery and set pieces felt very ‘Clive’ but the writing style was anything but. I don’t care if you are reading Imajica, Books of Blood or Abarat, you knew it was Clive Barker writing irrespective of who the target audience was.
Maybe I’d been looking forward to Scarlet Gospels too much, my expectations were too high, but I felt empty once I’d snapped the book shut. The book that killed off Pinhead, the High Priest, the Cold Man was a bit of a damp squib, it lacked Barker!
Since Barker’s illness, sadly his output has dropped to near zero. The odd reissue of a short story, several impressive comic/graphic novel series and some unreleased early material saw the light of day, but the biggest surprise of all was a new story from the Hellraiser canon. And this is where in a convoluted way I finally get to reviewing Hellraiser: The Toll.
This story originally started life as ‘Heaven’s Reply’ an unfinished short by Barker, which morphed into the script for the unmade Hellraiser movie reboot. Seraphim’s Mark Miller then took the work in progress and tried to tie it into The Scarlet Gospels. (The same Mark Miller that was involved in the editing process of The Scarlet Gospels.)
I don’t normally use spoilers, but in this case I apologise as I can’t really write this review without using them. So if you don’t want your enjoyment of Hellraiser: The Toll spoiled, please look away now
Yes, Hellraiser: The Toll is a sequel to The Hellbound Heart and The Scarlet Gospels prequel.
And this is where the problems begin…
The Toll is a mash-up of Hellraiser lore, it acknowledges both the original novella and the movie. In fact it references the movie more than The Hellbound Heart. So are we now expected to erase the facts a 32-year-old novella gave us? Barker obviously agreed to these changes for the movie, but the book should always be considered canon shouldn’t it?
The Toll features Kirsty, 30 years after the events of Hellbound Heart/Hellraiser, she lives her life switching identities and moving from safe house to safe house, country to country every few years for reasons that are not fully explained. Amusingly this story starts when Kirsty receives a letter at her current property which is bizarrely 2 miles away from 55 Ludovico Street. After reading this letter, from an unknown stranger, Kirsty visits her old home and realises that the world is full of illusions (yeah right), you need to look and in doing so the illusion shatters. Now she can ‘see’ Kirsty tracks down the unknown stranger, chats to him and decides to up sticks and go to Devil’s Island in French Guiana, where she knows The Cold Man (Pinhead) will be waiting.
Please excuse the somewhat blasé style in which I wrote those last few sentences, but that is pretty much how the reader’s treated in The Toll. Don’t even get me started on the crap Jackanory style recap of the events from Hellbound Heart that took up nearly half the bloody book. The Toll reads like it can’t decide if it’s for the loyal Barker/Hellraiser fan base or for someone who has no idea what a Cenobite is. Which is utterly infuriating as there are seeds of something quite excellent hidden among the banal text. We get to read a little on Philip Lemarchand and the puzzle box, this got my hopes up but sadly only covered a page or two, the Devil’s Island setting was intriguing but never developed. The book is sadly, a mess. There are horrific attempts at humour and a passage that references the infamous ‘Jesus Wept’ line from Hellraiser that made me roll my eyes so hard I nearly passed out. After all that Kirsty has been through with The Cold Man she refers to him merely as a ‘bully’, He summoned Kirsty to Devil’s Island to be the First Witness (which starts the tie-in/overlap with events in The Scarlet Gospels) but beyond that sod all happens bar a bit of wrestling after which they dust themselves down and both go their separate ways. As I’m typing this, I can feel myself getting too angry and annoyed again at this novella to continue…something I wish Mark Miller had done as well. Hellraiser: The Toll reads like fan fiction and it kills me that Clive Barker’s name is on the cover in an official capacity.
I’ll leave you with a quote from the great man himself, Clive Barker in 2009
“One of the reasons I wanted to take such time and care with The Scarlet Gospels is because I want to do right by it and by the mythology. I am killing off Pinhead in this book in such a way that it will be impossible for me – and I emphasise me – to ever resurrect him. What people do after I am gone is up to them. I don’t have the movie rights over the material so I have no control. That is what it is. I will just get on, write my novel, and I think people will find it to be a satisfactory farewell.”
Still Raising Hell
By Calum Waddell, Judge Dredd Megazine, No 286, 21 July 2009
Star Rating (out of 5): 1*
To paraphrase the mighty Pinhead ‘Don’t read this novella, it’s a waste of good suffering’
A giant, a legend and my literary idol.
I’ve had a lot of discussions with Barker fans about the Scarlet Gospels, the book that dared to kill off Pinhead. This was Clive’s 2015 novel that was nigh on 20 years in the making. The story of Scarlet Gospels has been covered many times before, and is something I think I may return to at some point in the future. What I do want to say about the book now, is that it did not read as if Clive Barker wrote it! Some of the imagery and set pieces felt very ‘Clive’ but the writing style was anything but. I don’t care if you are reading Imajica, Books of Blood or Abarat, you knew it was Clive Barker writing irrespective of who the target audience was.
Maybe I’d been looking forward to Scarlet Gospels too much, my expectations were too high, but I felt empty once I’d snapped the book shut. The book that killed off Pinhead, the High Priest, the Cold Man was a bit of a damp squib, it lacked Barker!
Since Barker’s illness, sadly his output has dropped to near zero. The odd reissue of a short story, several impressive comic/graphic novel series and some unreleased early material saw the light of day, but the biggest surprise of all was a new story from the Hellraiser canon. And this is where in a convoluted way I finally get to reviewing Hellraiser: The Toll.
This story originally started life as ‘Heaven’s Reply’ an unfinished short by Barker, which morphed into the script for the unmade Hellraiser movie reboot. Seraphim’s Mark Miller then took the work in progress and tried to tie it into The Scarlet Gospels. (The same Mark Miller that was involved in the editing process of The Scarlet Gospels.)
I don’t normally use spoilers, but in this case I apologise as I can’t really write this review without using them. So if you don’t want your enjoyment of Hellraiser: The Toll spoiled, please look away now
Yes, Hellraiser: The Toll is a sequel to The Hellbound Heart and The Scarlet Gospels prequel.
And this is where the problems begin…
The Toll is a mash-up of Hellraiser lore, it acknowledges both the original novella and the movie. In fact it references the movie more than The Hellbound Heart. So are we now expected to erase the facts a 32-year-old novella gave us? Barker obviously agreed to these changes for the movie, but the book should always be considered canon shouldn’t it?
The Toll features Kirsty, 30 years after the events of Hellbound Heart/Hellraiser, she lives her life switching identities and moving from safe house to safe house, country to country every few years for reasons that are not fully explained. Amusingly this story starts when Kirsty receives a letter at her current property which is bizarrely 2 miles away from 55 Ludovico Street. After reading this letter, from an unknown stranger, Kirsty visits her old home and realises that the world is full of illusions (yeah right), you need to look and in doing so the illusion shatters. Now she can ‘see’ Kirsty tracks down the unknown stranger, chats to him and decides to up sticks and go to Devil’s Island in French Guiana, where she knows The Cold Man (Pinhead) will be waiting.
Please excuse the somewhat blasé style in which I wrote those last few sentences, but that is pretty much how the reader’s treated in The Toll. Don’t even get me started on the crap Jackanory style recap of the events from Hellbound Heart that took up nearly half the bloody book. The Toll reads like it can’t decide if it’s for the loyal Barker/Hellraiser fan base or for someone who has no idea what a Cenobite is. Which is utterly infuriating as there are seeds of something quite excellent hidden among the banal text. We get to read a little on Philip Lemarchand and the puzzle box, this got my hopes up but sadly only covered a page or two, the Devil’s Island setting was intriguing but never developed. The book is sadly, a mess. There are horrific attempts at humour and a passage that references the infamous ‘Jesus Wept’ line from Hellraiser that made me roll my eyes so hard I nearly passed out. After all that Kirsty has been through with The Cold Man she refers to him merely as a ‘bully’, He summoned Kirsty to Devil’s Island to be the First Witness (which starts the tie-in/overlap with events in The Scarlet Gospels) but beyond that sod all happens bar a bit of wrestling after which they dust themselves down and both go their separate ways. As I’m typing this, I can feel myself getting too angry and annoyed again at this novella to continue…something I wish Mark Miller had done as well. Hellraiser: The Toll reads like fan fiction and it kills me that Clive Barker’s name is on the cover in an official capacity.
I’ll leave you with a quote from the great man himself, Clive Barker in 2009
“One of the reasons I wanted to take such time and care with The Scarlet Gospels is because I want to do right by it and by the mythology. I am killing off Pinhead in this book in such a way that it will be impossible for me – and I emphasise me – to ever resurrect him. What people do after I am gone is up to them. I don’t have the movie rights over the material so I have no control. That is what it is. I will just get on, write my novel, and I think people will find it to be a satisfactory farewell.”
Still Raising Hell
By Calum Waddell, Judge Dredd Megazine, No 286, 21 July 2009
Star Rating (out of 5): 1*
To paraphrase the mighty Pinhead ‘Don’t read this novella, it’s a waste of good suffering’
October 10, 2019
L'accenno iniziale a Lemarchand prometteva grandi cose, ma questo prequel di Vangeli di Sangue si è rivelato essere un fin troppo breve sequel del film Hellraiser (1987) e non di Schiavi dell'inferno, il racconto breve che ha dato vita alla sanguinolenta saga letteraria-cinematografica-fumettistica dei Cenobiti di Clive Barker: la Kirsty di Hellraiser: il tributo è la Kirsty Cotton dei film, figlia di Larry (e nipote del diabolico Frank), mentre nel racconto originale si tratta solo di una vecchia amica.
E Mark Alan Miller, pur essendo editore e collaboratore di Barker da oltre un decennio, non ha lo stesso talento dello scrittore di Liverpool.
Nonostante tutto, questo raccontino si è fatto leggere con piacere in un paio d'ore, i disegni di Barker all'interno sono stupendi, e mi è venuta voglia di leggere subito Vangeli di Sangue.
May 18, 2020
Primeiramente: acho que é a primeira vez que tomei um susto ouvindo um audiolivro (infartei, mas passo bem). Dito isto, a Kirsty é uma personagem tão mal aproveitada nessa série que fiquei feliz em rever ela depois de tanto tempo. A atmosfera da novela é sombria, mas não acrescenta muito em termos de história, aliás, não sei bem o que essa novela acrescenta em lugar nenhum. Isso porque ela continua a história do primeiro filme (ignorando o primeiro livro), mas aparentemente é uma prequel do segundo livro ("Evangelho de Sangue"), que é continuação do primeiro. Ou seja, uma verdadeira zona de continuidade, mas por ser uma fã desesperada por algo dessa série... eu curti (me julguem).
May 12, 2023
Read this because I've been thinking of reading The Scarlet Gospels, but hoo boy, this ain't it.
The plot and themes are all over the place.
The plot and themes are all over the place.
June 1, 2019
Very atmospheric and artsy, but too short to drive the ambition to culmination. So it's like pretty intense burn that threatens with satisfying explosion, but that never happens. I have no doubt this author could shine in all his glory in full format novel, given the skill he demonstrated. I guess this is the risk with short books, it's like trying to park a car in space so confined that it can fit with a lots of skill, but you need a lot of luck as well.
January 29, 2022
The sad thing is that while this story is by no means well written it was still better than the actual sequel written by Clive Barker.
June 20, 2022
I’m not sure how involved Barker was in the creation of this book. It feels a bit like someone else playing in his sandox (similar to what King did with Chizmar in his Gwendy’s Button Box series). While this wasn’t a bad book, it definitely didn’t feel all that necessary either. It promised to act as a bridge between The Hellbound Heart and The Scarlet Gospels. It SORT OF delivers on that promise, but in the vaguest of ways.
The main reason to read this book, in all honesty, is to see what Kirstie Cotton has been up to since her utterly terrifying experience with The Cenobites. I have always loved that character, and it was fascinating to hear about what she has been up to for the past three decades. I would have loved for this to have been a greatly-expanded, self-contained Kirstie story without any ties to The Scarlet Gospels, especially since those ties come together so abruptly. The setting and atmosphere of this novella are quite effective, but the mounting sense of dread leads up to a very quick conclusion that I wish had more of a payoff. In the end, the seeds of what could have been an excellent novel are firmly planted here. I just wish they were given more time to blossom. After all, he “had such sights to show you!”.
The main reason to read this book, in all honesty, is to see what Kirstie Cotton has been up to since her utterly terrifying experience with The Cenobites. I have always loved that character, and it was fascinating to hear about what she has been up to for the past three decades. I would have loved for this to have been a greatly-expanded, self-contained Kirstie story without any ties to The Scarlet Gospels, especially since those ties come together so abruptly. The setting and atmosphere of this novella are quite effective, but the mounting sense of dread leads up to a very quick conclusion that I wish had more of a payoff. In the end, the seeds of what could have been an excellent novel are firmly planted here. I just wish they were given more time to blossom. After all, he “had such sights to show you!”.
March 7, 2022
As a huge fan of the Hellraiser franchise, I was surprised to learn of this book. Hellraiser: The Toll tells the story of what happened between Clive Barker's iconic works The Hellbound Heart and its follow up, The Scarlet Gospels. Thirty years after Kristy Cotton escaped from the clutches of the Hell Priest, Pinhead, and lived to fight another day, her life has never been the same. Every few years she fashions a new name, a new identity, and a new home for herself; She is a woman who is running from her past at all costs, which is why it comes as such a surprise when she receives a mysterious letter in the mail, addressed to the woman she's been running from over half her life. Answering the letter's query, she begins a descent down a rabbit hole to the ultimate confrontation. Her actions stir something unnamable in the ether, and throw her into a game where nothing, not even what she sees in front of her very eyes, can be trusted. Unlike many Hellraiser and Clive Barker fans, I enjoyed The Scarlet Gospels very much, despite how outrageous it was. While I love novellas, I was apprehensive of reading this novella because I often find that novellas are very hard to get right. Most times, it is hard to capture a reader and make a good impression. I find that horror novellas are often too short to be effective, because they end before they can really begin. Despite all this, I chose to read this story because of my love for Hellraiser as a franchise, and I was excited to see The Hell Priest, Kirsty Cotton and Harry D’amour again, as I have much love for these characters. I loved the short and small interaction between The Hell Priest and Kirsty Cotton. These two characters have such a cosmic and otherworldly dynamic. I like that The Hell Priest even comments that their relationship is a kind of romance. I was disappointed that Harry D’amour was only mentioned and never appeared, but I understand that this novella is a direct prequel to The Scarlet Gospels. This book was a nice bite from the Hellraiser universe (from the book continuity/timeline), but it did leave me hungry for more. I understand why some reviewers felt displeased with this entry in the book series. While this was a nice bridge novel between The Hellbound Heart and The Scarlet Gospels, it left me with more questions than answers. This story is billed and marketed as a sequel to The Hellbound Heart and a prequel to The Scarlet Gospels, but there are some inconsistencies with that. Firstly, The Hell Priest (or lead Cenobite) from The Hellbound Heart is described here as the same as Pinhead from the movies, and not the (almost) female Cenobite from the first book. Secondly, Kirsty’s backstory here is described closer to the movie version than the character we met in The Hellbound Heart. Thirdly, The Scarlet Gospels features a Pinhead that closely resembles the movie version and characterization than the one from The Hellbound Heart, which makes me believe that The Hellbound Heart and The Scarlet Gospels most likely exists in different continuities. Despite all of this, I am left with many questions by the end of Hellraiser: The Toll no matter how I look at the timeline or continuity of the books. What happened to Kirsty Cotton during the events of The Scarlet Gospels? Are the Pinheads from The Hellbound Heart, Hellraiser and The Scarlet Gospels all somehow the same being? And the most interesting and compelling question of all: Who or what is Pinhead’s daughter, and what became of her? With seemingly no mention or cameo in The Scarlet Gospels, I can’t help but wonder and crave the story of Kirsty Cotton hunting down Pinhead’s daughter. I want to know how Pinhead’s progeny fits into this world and this mythology. Is she half-human, half-cenobite? Or is she a full cenobite or some sort of demon? She could be something entirely new, but I would love to read her story, especially if Kirsty is involved. While this was a fun novella, the choices that it made has left me questioning so much, and I find myself curious and hungry for more, despite not knowing if Clive Barker will ever return to this world, or continuity.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 21, 2018
A little late to the party on this one, but thanks to Netgalley for the copy.
3.5 stars. As an avowed Hellraiser fan, and having loved The Scarlet Gospels, I went into this with high expectations.
Perhaps too high, as I was sadly underwhelmed by this title. While the prise and plot are passable, this (to me) just didn't quite capture the visceral reality of the HellRaiser universe.
I realize that is an ephemeral thing to try and capture, but Hellraiser (movies, books and comics) has always previously been able to get its hooks into my psyche, and this title failed to do so. (THough, to be fair, this may be more of a reflection of me, rather than the author.)
3.5 stars. As an avowed Hellraiser fan, and having loved The Scarlet Gospels, I went into this with high expectations.
Perhaps too high, as I was sadly underwhelmed by this title. While the prise and plot are passable, this (to me) just didn't quite capture the visceral reality of the HellRaiser universe.
I realize that is an ephemeral thing to try and capture, but Hellraiser (movies, books and comics) has always previously been able to get its hooks into my psyche, and this title failed to do so. (THough, to be fair, this may be more of a reflection of me, rather than the author.)
February 17, 2018
First of all, the cover design is gorgeous and I'm happy we got a few illustrations by Barker himself.
Mild spoilers ahead!
I love Clive Barker, so it pains me to rate something he's been part of this low. This book is simply too much Miller and not enough Barker. As for the writing, Miller doesn't have Barker's way with words (who does?). And he tries to pull off a few scares a la Barker along the way, but they come off rather weak in comparison.
Further, the book is only 96 pages but still spends time rehashing things from The Hellbound Heart/Hellraiser. Why?
There wasn't really much of a story here. They teased us with mentioning Philip Lemarchand and his life, but that only lasted a page or two. Sadly it was the most interesting part of the book. I don't know what to say about the rest. Pinhead made an appearance, but it was rather lame in my opinion. Kirsty managed to annoy me even more than usual.
Perhaps most annoying of all, it's supposed to be a sequel to The Hellbound Heart (and of course a prequel to The Scarlet Gospels), but some things that are brought up aren't from The Hellbound Heart, but from Hellraiser. In The Hellbound Heart we have Rory -Julia's husband, Frank's brother and Kirsty's friend. But in this book he's instead Larry -again Julia's husband and Frank's brother, but Kirsty's father (which also makes Frank her uncle), which is how it was done in Hellraiser. It's also stated that Frank's last words to Kirsty were "Jesus wept", which again is from Hellraiser. If it's supposed to be a sequel to The Hellbound Heart, then why do this?
I'm happy we got some more, but I'm annoyed at how it was done.
Mild spoilers ahead!
I love Clive Barker, so it pains me to rate something he's been part of this low. This book is simply too much Miller and not enough Barker. As for the writing, Miller doesn't have Barker's way with words (who does?). And he tries to pull off a few scares a la Barker along the way, but they come off rather weak in comparison.
Further, the book is only 96 pages but still spends time rehashing things from The Hellbound Heart/Hellraiser. Why?
There wasn't really much of a story here. They teased us with mentioning Philip Lemarchand and his life, but that only lasted a page or two. Sadly it was the most interesting part of the book. I don't know what to say about the rest. Pinhead made an appearance, but it was rather lame in my opinion. Kirsty managed to annoy me even more than usual.
Perhaps most annoying of all, it's supposed to be a sequel to The Hellbound Heart (and of course a prequel to The Scarlet Gospels), but some things that are brought up aren't from The Hellbound Heart, but from Hellraiser. In The Hellbound Heart we have Rory -Julia's husband, Frank's brother and Kirsty's friend. But in this book he's instead Larry -again Julia's husband and Frank's brother, but Kirsty's father (which also makes Frank her uncle), which is how it was done in Hellraiser. It's also stated that Frank's last words to Kirsty were "Jesus wept", which again is from Hellraiser. If it's supposed to be a sequel to The Hellbound Heart, then why do this?
I'm happy we got some more, but I'm annoyed at how it was done.
April 7, 2020
I'm a bit torn on this one. It's certainly well written and has a few moments of greatness (the jogging phantom, especially). The Toll, at less than 100 pages, simply takes too long to go anywhere, and once it gets there, it's over. On the whole it also feels inconsequential as a book chronologically sandwiched between The Hellbound Heart and The Scarlet Gospels. Worst of all, the continuity seems to have more to do with the movie, which is a confusing move considering this is a sequel Barker's original novella, not the more famous screen adaptation. Hell is often referred to as The Gulfs by Barker, but here it's called The Wastes (and yet in Gospels it's The Pits).
Still, it was not the monumental letdown that The Scarlet Gospels was. And though trifling, it was entertaining in fits and starts. I listened to the audio book which was a decent quality (with a pretty close imitation of Doug Bradley voicing Pinhead himself). Not great. Not terrible Hence, 3 stars.
Still, it was not the monumental letdown that The Scarlet Gospels was. And though trifling, it was entertaining in fits and starts. I listened to the audio book which was a decent quality (with a pretty close imitation of Doug Bradley voicing Pinhead himself). Not great. Not terrible Hence, 3 stars.
February 12, 2024
I actually really liked this one and I don't understand what all the fuss is about. I love Barker and I'm well aware that only the concept for this story was his and the rest was all Miller. It was a good story. Wth did u expect from a canon? It's a "filler" story for crying out loud! Did u expect some earth shattering experience? I get that some people are invested in the Hellraiser lore body and soul, but I really don't understand all the hate here. I genuinely think that The Toll was rly good. It even had a nostalgic quality for me. There. Two cents given.
September 20, 2021
Una "secuela" escrita por un fan o colaborador de Barker, supuestamente partiendo de un argumento del propio Barker, donde se nos cuenta, casi 30 años después, qué fue de Kirsty Cotton, la protagonista de "El corazón condenado". El relato deja con sabor a muy poco y le doy una estrella más sólo por algunas descripciones del infierno que me gustaron. La secuela directa es "Los evangelios escarlata", recién editado en español, pero no es necesario leer antes "The toll".
October 2, 2022
Big thing to note before reading - this is a sequel to the Hellraiser MOVIE, not The Hellbound Heart. There are a few continuity errors between books, such as character names, the nature of relationships, and the weapons used in key murders.
December 8, 2021
This was a mess: Set between the events of The Hellbound Heart & The Scarlet Gospels, it seems to be a mashup between both the movie & the original novella. It’s not the worst book I’ve read but it might have come close. Fairly weak plot that doesn’t really add anything new and it mostly felt like a failed attempt at tying together the movie & novella.
June 26, 2022
Se trata de una novela corta que se considera una continuación del libro original de Clive Barker: "The Hellbound Hart", mejor conocido como "Hellraiser" y una precuela a la novela "Los evangelios escarlata" también de Barker.
Bueno, de hecho, realmente seria una segunda parte directa de la película, porque el pinhead que aparece en el libro, no es masculino, sino femenino.
Sin embargo, la novelita no es algo que podamos considerar en realidad una secuela en sí, porque aunque se centra en dos de los personajes emblemáticos —Kirsty y Pinhead — su trama no deviene del la historia principal en sí, sino que es un bifurcación de la trama que se explicará a profundidad en "Los evangelios..." .
"The Toll" creo, sirve más como la presentación de una nueva serie que tendrá como personaje principal a Kirsty y su búsqueda de algo que no puedo revelar aquí, pero que quedará bien claro leyendo la novela, que por su extensión, se lee de un tirón.
Vaya, es como ver una película.
Han pasado treinta años y Kirsty Cotton se ha convertido en un fugitivo del mundo de los cenobitas que amenazan en cada momento con regresar a su vida. Ahora Kirsty ha recibido una carta de un extraño que le revela el lugar donde ella puede encontrar a su viejo amigo, Pinhead: en una isla de la Guyana francesa que en el pasado fue una prisión y tal vez el lugar donde el juguetero Lemarchand pasó los últimos días de su vida.
¿Para que encontrarse de nuevo con ese monstruo?
Bueno, tal vez haya una forma de acabar con él para siempre...
La novelita no es mala, pero tampoco es una historia que se pueda considerar muy necesaria en la mitología de la configuración de las lamentaciones y puedes leer "Los evangelios escarlata" sin necesidad de haber pasado por esta "precuela".
Bueno, de hecho, realmente seria una segunda parte directa de la película, porque el pinhead que aparece en el libro, no es masculino, sino femenino.
Sin embargo, la novelita no es algo que podamos considerar en realidad una secuela en sí, porque aunque se centra en dos de los personajes emblemáticos —Kirsty y Pinhead — su trama no deviene del la historia principal en sí, sino que es un bifurcación de la trama que se explicará a profundidad en "Los evangelios..." .
"The Toll" creo, sirve más como la presentación de una nueva serie que tendrá como personaje principal a Kirsty y su búsqueda de algo que no puedo revelar aquí, pero que quedará bien claro leyendo la novela, que por su extensión, se lee de un tirón.
Vaya, es como ver una película.
Han pasado treinta años y Kirsty Cotton se ha convertido en un fugitivo del mundo de los cenobitas que amenazan en cada momento con regresar a su vida. Ahora Kirsty ha recibido una carta de un extraño que le revela el lugar donde ella puede encontrar a su viejo amigo, Pinhead: en una isla de la Guyana francesa que en el pasado fue una prisión y tal vez el lugar donde el juguetero Lemarchand pasó los últimos días de su vida.
¿Para que encontrarse de nuevo con ese monstruo?
Bueno, tal vez haya una forma de acabar con él para siempre...
La novelita no es mala, pero tampoco es una historia que se pueda considerar muy necesaria en la mitología de la configuración de las lamentaciones y puedes leer "Los evangelios escarlata" sin necesidad de haber pasado por esta "precuela".
October 26, 2023
When I bought this book, I assumed it was written by Clive Barker and that it was all about the Cenobites. It wasn’t and it wasn’t. I know I shouldn't assume, but I did. The first half of the book was about Kirsty Cotton, and I liked it. The next stories were ones that I just wish I hadn’t read. I didn’t like them at all, so I really can’t recommend this book. Nesting was about a woman who was in an accident and later believed she was pregnant, which for her, was impossible. The Dive was just strange. A man found a bar in his town which he’d never seen before and when he entered the bar it was like the Starwars bar scene. He goes cruising with a couple of the customers, a robot and a satyr. What the Body Does totally grossed me out and not in any kind of a good way. I don’t even want to describe it. I disliked it so much that I won’t be reading any more of Mr. Miller’s stories, but now I can continue with (Barker’s) The Scarlet Gospels and see what trouble those damn Cenobites are causing. Of course, there are probably many people out there who loved these stories. I’m just not one of them.
June 24, 2025
Devils Island a french penal colony used as a prison and exile by the French. The absolute horrors in this place become known and the last prisoner left in 1952. The French government seeing profit started a tourist attraction albeit a macabre one. Kirsty from the OG had dozens of passports, stayed in many different safe houses around the world after her torment with the cenobites. She had survived 30 years (don't really know how) and was still haunted by Pinhead. Phillipe Lemarchard the creator of the Lament Configuration, the puzzle box that opens doors to a part of Hell where the cenobites stand. The first time Kirsty held the Lament Configuration in her palm in felt heavy and has always haunted her since. She thought of Pinhead as the Cold Man. The Cold Man is at Devils Island. Kirsty embarks there. Kirsty has one foot on earth and one foot in Hell. Kirsty now finally face to face with Pinhead with the iconic nails driven in his face and skull, the ever evil, the epitome of sick death. Kirsty smashes a claw hammer in Pinhead's cheek. The metallic sound ripping nails. Pinhead screams and blue light bursts from his wound. Kirsty leaves. Anticlimactic duel.
February 14, 2020
'Hellraiser: The Toll' by Mark Alan Miller continues the stories of Clive Barker featuring Pinhead and Kristy Cotton.
This story takes place between The Hellbound Heart and The Scarlet Gospels. Kristy Cotton has seen things and survived things. She is on the run, moving around and assuming new names to stay ahead of the nameless fear. One day she gets an odd letter. She responds and ends up confronting the very thing she fears most.
It's been ages since I read the Hellbound Heart or saw the movies, but this story put me right back in that odd world. When Pinhead showed up, I felt all the chills.
I received a review copy of this ebook from Subterranean Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.
This story takes place between The Hellbound Heart and The Scarlet Gospels. Kristy Cotton has seen things and survived things. She is on the run, moving around and assuming new names to stay ahead of the nameless fear. One day she gets an odd letter. She responds and ends up confronting the very thing she fears most.
It's been ages since I read the Hellbound Heart or saw the movies, but this story put me right back in that odd world. When Pinhead showed up, I felt all the chills.
I received a review copy of this ebook from Subterranean Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.
September 25, 2021
Too Much of a Mashup to be Taken Seriously
Much of the book is spent summarizing previous events, which any true fan should already know. Follows the film more than the original novella, then forcibly tries to shoehorn itself into The Scarlet Gospels timeline—a book that was quite disappointing in its own right. The franchise reached a point of diminishing returns long ago. While hardcore fans of the series will probably enjoy the trip down memory lane, the time would be spent better reading something better.
Much of the book is spent summarizing previous events, which any true fan should already know. Follows the film more than the original novella, then forcibly tries to shoehorn itself into The Scarlet Gospels timeline—a book that was quite disappointing in its own right. The franchise reached a point of diminishing returns long ago. While hardcore fans of the series will probably enjoy the trip down memory lane, the time would be spent better reading something better.
December 2, 2021
This was a bit confusing at first, because apparently it follows what happens after the first Hellraiser movie, instead of the original novella The Hellbound Heart, which are kinda different.
It wasn't the best, but it was still cool to see more of the Cenobite's Hell, even if you technically don't see any Cenobites except for Pinhead, but oh well...
August 9, 2023
I didn’t hate this as much as others do, but this is definitely more genre than the original story and it definitely does not achieve its intentions as a prologue to the next novel so much as it feels like something that would be filed away as “tie-in” media. But I had a good time with it, especially since I had low expectations
December 27, 2021
You Cannot Escape Hell.
The Cold Man opens a portal in Devil's Island to reclaim the soul of Kirsty Cotton, who previously escaped the infamous Puzzle Box.
Miller brings the evil Cenobites back to life in this atmospheric horror story based on 'The Hellbound Heart'.
The Cold Man opens a portal in Devil's Island to reclaim the soul of Kirsty Cotton, who previously escaped the infamous Puzzle Box.
Miller brings the evil Cenobites back to life in this atmospheric horror story based on 'The Hellbound Heart'.
October 19, 2025
Not memorable.
August 29, 2025
La historia me ha gustado pero o es necesario leerla antes del segundo libro. La protagonista es Kirsty y por lo que sé no sale en los Evangelios ni se la menciona. En las últimas páginas se dicen algunas cosas que pasan al principio de los Evangelios, pero nada más. Es entretenido pero no indispensable. Para fans.
December 18, 2020
Don’t Waste Your Time or Money!
I was so excited to read this little novella taking place in between one of my favorite of Clive Barker’s works, The Hellbound Heart, and his novel I planned to read after Mark Alan Miller’s Hellraiser: The Toll. Barker’s follow up is The Scarlet Gospels which I was excited to read after The Toll. I will discuss my feelings on The Scarlet Gospels in my next review. So let me begin with Mark Alan Miller’s Hellraiser: The Toll.
Hellraiser: The Toll was a very disappointing read, a waste of time, and I was very upset by this. I absolutely love The Hellbound Heart by Clive Barker, and I was excited to see what a return to the world of the Cenobites would be like! Being a Barker fan in general, I was severely let down. The only Cenobite in the story was Pinhead! Yes, he is amazing, but I hated that the others were left out.
I thought at first, “How could Clive let someone taint his work like this?” However, as I moved onto The Scarlet Gospels I found out why, but more about that later. The Toll centers around Kirsti, and what happens in between the two Barker books I mentioned. It also focuses on Pinhead. It is very lackluster. Kirsti is running and hiding to basically keep off of the Cenobites radar, receives a mysterious letter, and then she is found. She goes through a passageway, and ends up in some form of Hell toe to toe with Pinhead. He is planning on attempting to do something different. Basically he wants to be set free from The Lament Configuration (the box).
I thought that possibly Hellraiser: The Toll was just poorly done, and that The Scarlet Gospels would make up for it. Sadly you will have to wait and see how the outcome of that literary journey turned out.
Overall, I must give Hellraiser: The Toll by Mark Alan Miller one and a half stars out of five stars. It barely merged into the story of The Scarlet Gospels, and barely picked up where The Hellbound Heart left off. It is a complete waste of time and money. If I were Clive Barker I wouldn’t have wanted the Hellraiser title and premise tied to this novella. I do not recommend this book to anyone, and not even to Barker or Hellraiser fans such as myself. It was so bad even the crumby sequels, that I still love as a fan, are glorious in comparison! That is saying a lot!
I was so excited to read this little novella taking place in between one of my favorite of Clive Barker’s works, The Hellbound Heart, and his novel I planned to read after Mark Alan Miller’s Hellraiser: The Toll. Barker’s follow up is The Scarlet Gospels which I was excited to read after The Toll. I will discuss my feelings on The Scarlet Gospels in my next review. So let me begin with Mark Alan Miller’s Hellraiser: The Toll.
Hellraiser: The Toll was a very disappointing read, a waste of time, and I was very upset by this. I absolutely love The Hellbound Heart by Clive Barker, and I was excited to see what a return to the world of the Cenobites would be like! Being a Barker fan in general, I was severely let down. The only Cenobite in the story was Pinhead! Yes, he is amazing, but I hated that the others were left out.
I thought at first, “How could Clive let someone taint his work like this?” However, as I moved onto The Scarlet Gospels I found out why, but more about that later. The Toll centers around Kirsti, and what happens in between the two Barker books I mentioned. It also focuses on Pinhead. It is very lackluster. Kirsti is running and hiding to basically keep off of the Cenobites radar, receives a mysterious letter, and then she is found. She goes through a passageway, and ends up in some form of Hell toe to toe with Pinhead. He is planning on attempting to do something different. Basically he wants to be set free from The Lament Configuration (the box).
I thought that possibly Hellraiser: The Toll was just poorly done, and that The Scarlet Gospels would make up for it. Sadly you will have to wait and see how the outcome of that literary journey turned out.
Overall, I must give Hellraiser: The Toll by Mark Alan Miller one and a half stars out of five stars. It barely merged into the story of The Scarlet Gospels, and barely picked up where The Hellbound Heart left off. It is a complete waste of time and money. If I were Clive Barker I wouldn’t have wanted the Hellraiser title and premise tied to this novella. I do not recommend this book to anyone, and not even to Barker or Hellraiser fans such as myself. It was so bad even the crumby sequels, that I still love as a fan, are glorious in comparison! That is saying a lot!
September 18, 2023
Absolute dog shit, the horror comes in how bad this book. Reading this book is a venture that feels like a toll we should have never paid. Save yourself the agony and steer clear of this soul-sucking disappointment.
June 6, 2021
Hellraiser: The Toll is a short story set 30 years after The Hellbound Heart and just before the beginning of The Scarlet Gospels in which we find Kirsty Cotton still running from the demons of her past.
To me, this was sort of a throw-away story in the universe and something that was made specifically for those of us asking what happened to Kirsty after the events of the original story but here is where it gets muddled: In the Hellbound Heart novella, Kirsty is Rory's friend and not his (Larry's) daughter. Here in "The Toll", she is Larry's daughter and running from the demons originally sent to recover Frank Cotton's soul from the Wastes of Hell. So why the mix of the canon? Who knows...
Even better: This is 30 years AFTER the Hellbound Heart, but by that point, Kirsty is no longer human as she took over the Hell Priest's Gash (as in the order of the) when he disappeared to start his work on "The Scarlet Gospels", so her being a part of this novel is quisquous at best.
2.75 stars for this tale if only for nostalgia.
To me, this was sort of a throw-away story in the universe and something that was made specifically for those of us asking what happened to Kirsty after the events of the original story but here is where it gets muddled: In the Hellbound Heart novella, Kirsty is Rory's friend and not his (Larry's) daughter. Here in "The Toll", she is Larry's daughter and running from the demons originally sent to recover Frank Cotton's soul from the Wastes of Hell. So why the mix of the canon? Who knows...
Even better: This is 30 years AFTER the Hellbound Heart, but by that point, Kirsty is no longer human as she took over the Hell Priest's Gash (as in the order of the) when he disappeared to start his work on "The Scarlet Gospels", so her being a part of this novel is quisquous at best.
2.75 stars for this tale if only for nostalgia.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 13, 2018
As a huge fan of Clive Barker's works and the Hellraiser mythology he created, I was extremely interested in what Miller could add to that world with THE TOLL. I attempted to read this work with an open mind, knowing that though he was writing about a world that Barker created, Miller would have his own style. With that in mind, I thought that the tale didn't quite capture the dark magic of Barker's world. A good portion of the beginning was spent recounting things devoted fans already know, which is understandable if this is to function also as a standalone work, but I skimmed ahead waiting for the story to start. When the action did finally kick in, it was almost as if I were reading a summary of a great story. We get glimpses of the other side, but Miller doesn't dwell there. The lines lacked poetry. That being said, this wasn't a horrible read, and I tried not to judge it too harshly, considering my fan bias. I wish it were longer and delved into more detail, but I do think this one is worth a read.
May 2, 2019
* This contains mild spoilers* I may have been a bit harsh on Mr Miller when I reviewed Next Testament, and for that I apologise. But the past is the past, and I believe that The Toll is far superior. Yes, it is short. It certainly left me wanting more. I loved that it was both a prologue and an epilogue to The Scarlet Gospels. There was even one scene that made me drastically scared for Kirsty, and I was certain we as readers were going to lose her. However, we didn't, and I am hoping very hard that she will team up with Harry D'Amour in The Art 3. Negatives: it was a little confusing that this book tried to incorporate events from Hellraiser and The Hellbound Heart. I find it difficult to believe that Barker A-OK'd that.
In short, this novella didn't bring a whole lot to the table, but upon embarking on Clive Barker reading marathons, I will certainly include this book forever as a worthy addendum to The Scarlet Gospels.
In short, this novella didn't bring a whole lot to the table, but upon embarking on Clive Barker reading marathons, I will certainly include this book forever as a worthy addendum to The Scarlet Gospels.
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