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A famous Hollywood actor loses his looks – and is drawn into the dark and twisted world of Coldheart Canyon...Following extensive cosmetic surgery, Hollywood superstar Todd Pickett needs somewhere to hide away while his scars heal. His manager finds the ideal location, Coldheart Canyon – a dream-palace hidden away in a corner of the city so secret it doesn’t even appear on a map.In the 20s, ‘A’ list stars came to the Canyon to have the kind of parties nobody was supposed to know about. It wasn’t just the wild sex and the drugs that made Katya’s parties so memorable. There was a door in the bowels of the dream-palace, which reputedly opened onto another world – the Devils’ Country – where nothing was forbidden. Nothing.With his refuge now a prison, Todd needs to get out of Coldheart Canyon. But to do that he must not only solve its mysteries but also face the powers that have protected it for seven decades, and that means stepping through the door...As a Hollywood insider with a keen eye for its idiocies and horrors Clive Barker is uniquely positioned to write this vitriolic Tinseltown ghost story. Coldheart Canyon is an irresistible and unmerciful picture of Hollywood and its demons, told with all the style and raw narrative power that have made Barker's books and films a worldwide phenomenon.
After undergoing extensive facial reconstruction, a fading Hollywood star retreats to a secluded, mapless estate only to discover that his sanctuary is a gateway to a realm of ancient, forbidden appetites. Todd Pickett seeks anonymity to recover from his surgery, but he finds himself trapped within the walls of Coldheart Canyon, a location steeped in the debauched history of 1920s cinema elites. As he navigates the physical decay of his own body and the encroaching supernatural threats of the estate, he must confront the entities that have guarded the canyon for decades. The narrative utilizes a third-person perspective to explore the intersection of celebrity vanity and occult horror, building tension through the protagonist's desperate attempts to escape his gilded cage.
This novel is widely recognized as a quintessential example of the author's ability to blend the glitz of the film industry with visceral, dark fantasy elements. Critics often highlight the book's sharp, cynical portrayal of fame, noting how it functions as both a ghost story and a critique of the entertainment machine. Readers frequently point to the vivid, often disturbing imagery that defines the canyon's history and the supernatural entities residing within. The work is generally viewed as a significant entry in the author's bibliography, appealing to those who appreciate horror that is as much about psychological decay as it is about external monsters.
Page Count:
672
Publication Date:
2008-09-04
Publisher:
HarperCollins Publishers
ISBN-10:
0007301960
ISBN-13:
9780007301966
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