Subterranean Press is set to publish this novella in January 2018. A storyline which Clive has been mulling for some years has been realised by Mark Miller (who works closely with Clive at his production company, Seraphim) and includes line art by Clive. Pre-orders are open at Subterranean for a numbered edition (limited to 724 hardback copies), signed by Mark @ $40 and a lettered edition (limited to 26 leatherbound, traycased copies), originally to have been signed by Clive and Mark @ $250 but now being signed by Mark only (currently sold out).
Head to Subterranean Press for details and advance orders.
Mark Miller : "Hellraiser: The Toll is a novella that bridges the
events of The Hellbound Heart and The Scarlet Gospels. We thought it would be fun to see what
kinds of hell Pinhead had been raising before we saw him in The Gospels. In Clive's novel,
there's mention of a lot of mayhem Pinhead has been getting into in preparation for his hostile
takeover of Hell. So there was lots of room to dive into what exactly that mayhem might look
like. And in that conversation between Clive and me, it seemed to make sense that he'd visit
Kirsty and that he'd also want her to be a witness for him, since their fates are tied together.
"It's a short book, but Kirsty goes through a lot along the way. And we also get to see who she's
become since her time with the legendary hell priest. I'd written for the comic, which was an
incredible experience. And having worked so closely on Gospels, and also with Clive all these
years, when he gave me his blessing to take them into the world of prose, I hit the ground
running and never looked back. A lot like Kirsty in the story. But you'll have to read it to
find out exactly what that means."
E-mail to Revelations
By Mark Miller, 19 September 2017
Subterranean Press : "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 Kirsty Singer 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."
Press Material
By [ ], Subterranean Press, 15 September 2017
The Scarlet Gospels - bibliography