Mister B. Gone

By Clive Barker

The long-awaited return of the great master of horror. Mister B. Gone is Barker's shockingly bone-chilling discovery of a never-before-published demonic ‘memoir’ penned in the year 1438, when it was printed – one copy only – and then buried until now by an assistant who worked for the inventor of the printing press, Johannes Gutenberg.

This bone-chilling novel, in which a medieval devil speaks directly to his reader—his tone murderous one moment, seductive the next—is a never-before-published memoir allegedly penned in the year 1438.

The demon has embedded himself in the very words of this tale of terror, turning the book itself into a dangerous object, laced with menace only too ready to break free and exert its power.

A brilliant and truly unsettling tour de force of the supernatural, Mister B. Gone escorts the reader on an intimate and revelatory journey to uncover the shocking truth of the battle between Good and Evil.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins UK
• Release date: Jan 19, 2009
• ISBN: 9780007303304

Clive Barker

Clive Barker was born in Liverpool in 1952. His earlier books include ‘The Books of Blood’, ‘Cabal’, and ‘The Hellbound Heart’. In addition to his work as a novelist and playwright, he also iilustrates, writes, directs and produces for stage and screen. His films include ‘Hellraiser’, ‘Hellbound’, ‘Nightbreed’ and ‘Candyman’. Clive lives in Beverly Hills, California.

Reviews for Mister B. Gone

[bookwyrmm_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Very cool premise, but it lacked the thrill it seemed to think it had, plus it took a long while to get to the meat of the story.

[heather_brock-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I liked the idea behind this story better than the actual story itself. Definitely not Barker's best.

[rhyla_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I adore Clive Barker. He is by far my favorite author. This book was just another example why. It was witty and original, humorous and fun. The entire thing is set up as a demon speaking to you through the book. I thought it was clever even if the story itself wasn't amazing the way it was done was brilliant.

[jvalka_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I was very shaky at first with this book, put off by the demon's constant demands that the reader burn the book, and also the lack of narrative drive. Things become more focused once Quitoon enters the picture, though. This reminded me of "The Screwtape Letters," but also an old Sesame Street book I loved as a child, "The Monster at the End of this Book" narrated by Grover.

[cebellol · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It was good. Not great, not awful, just good. I enjoyed the different perspective. It was a little annoying how the story kept being broken up by the pleas to burn the book. Otherwise I enjoyed it. I wouldn't necessairliy say it's a "must read", but if it's around, I'd definitely suggest picking it up. If nothing else, it's a quick read once you get going.

[drneutron_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Barker's back. With a few flaws, but back. Mister B. Gone returns to his horror roots, except that the story wasn't all that horrific. I'd call it moderately creepy, but no more than that. The plot was fairly transparent once you got into the story a bit. On the other hand, the writing was great, as usual for Barker. I ripped right through it, so it was obviously entertaining. While it's probably not Barker's best work, it's worth keeping for the occasional re-reading.

[revslick_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Barker doing his best to channel Pratchett channelling Lewis ala Screwtape Letters. If this were any other author I would give it a three; however, I know his potential and this is not it so it gets a one.

[mimicman_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I have to admit, right now and up front, that I've always been a sneaking admirer of Mr Barker. He's a prodigiously talented artistic polymath with an imagination that is so electrifying that it is prone to run amok. If he's known to fail, then it's usually because his work is just a little too "out there", or because he is unable to reconcile creative differences with those who have to market his material. It makes me a little sad, then, to have to write a review of his work which laments a lack of imagination in his work. Mister B. Gone was, frankly, unimaginative.Conceptually this novel feels tired from the first page: a less than prepossessing first-person narrative from a book-bound demon - Mister Botch - who alternates between haranguing his reader and complaining about his dismal upbringing in the ninth circle of hell. I hope that I never have to witness the aforementioned setting, but I would probably assume that squalor, violence and child abuse were something along the lines of normal in that environment. Even if they weren't, I would take considerably more convincing than a passing sob story from a whingey demon.The narrative continues to record Botch's life story, interspersed with more threats to the reader, before fizzling out quite unceremoniously. Yes, there's gore and cruelty and fantasy - but it doesn't grip you. It's just too far removed, too fantastical. I wish I could say something more positive, but I'm really struggling. There was no terror, no great originality and, sadly, none of the flashes of imaginative brilliance or sustained character development that made novels like Weaveworld and Imajica such absolute delights. Just the revelation of a "secret" (that most people probably suspected anyway) and the stunted life story of a stunted demon that no one will love, hate or even pity.A shame.

[thefallingalice · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Jakabok Botch ist gefangen zwischen den Deckeln dieses Buches. Er ist ein unbedeutender Dämon, der den Leser gleich zu Beginn auffordert, das Buch zu verbrennen und ihn so von seinen Qualen zu erlösen.Nachdem man seiner Aufforderung (natürlich) nicht folgt, beginnt Botch nun widerwillig, seine Geschichte zu erzählen.Als Dämon des neunten Kreises, geboren in eine Familie voller Hass und Missgunst, hat Botch es nicht leicht. Eines Tages zieht er den Zorn seines Vaters so sehr auf sich, dass dieser eine Hetzjagd beginnt. Beide geraten so in eine Falle und werden an die Oberfläche entführt. Dort will man den Dämon töten, um seine Einzelteile zu verkaufen. Doch Mister B. gelingt die Flucht und es beginnt sein großes Abenteuer…Clive Barker ist berühmt für seine Bücher des Blutes. Schon dort sagten mir persönlich die Dämonengeschichten weniger zu. Und das trifft auch auf dieses Buch zu.Mister B. will ein furchteinflößender Dämon sein, doch aus Gründen, die sich dem Leser einfach nicht erschließen wollen, wird er unter seinesgleichen verachtet und selbst die Menschheit bringt ihm angesichts seines scheußlichen Aussehens nur Verachtung und Hohn entgegen. Barker versucht hier seinen Dämon zu sehr zu vermenschlichen, so dass alles weniger glaubwürdig erscheint.Durch die ständige Aufforderung des Dämons, dieses Buch endlich zu verbrennen, kommt die ganze Geschichte nicht wirklich in Fahrt. Ab der zweiten Hälfte des Buches allerdings verbessert sich der Fluss und somit das Lesegefühl.Nach der Lektüre bleiben einige Fragen und Logiklücken. Der Schreibstil jedoch ist flüssig und die Übersetzung durch Joachim Körber wieder einmal gelungen. Nichtsdestotrotz will das Buch nicht so richtig fesseln und einnehmen. Mister B. bleibt so ziemlich unsympathisch und nervig.Einige gelungene Passagen, insbesondere die Schilderungen der Erlebnisse des Dämons, halten den Leser dennoch an der Leine.

[ocgreg34 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In Clive Barker's most recent novel, a demon by the name of Jakabok Botch retells the tale of his homelife in the Demonation and his being lured like a fish on a hook through the many levels of Hell and into the modern world -- 13th century Europe -- by a party of demon hunters. He manages to escape, thanks to the help of another demon Quitoon Pathea, disguised to move around more easily among the humans. Together, the two demons roam about Europe, leaving havoc in their wake and generally enjoying each others' company. Until one argument goes too far, with Jakabok fleeing for his life while on a journey to Mainz. Not sure what Quitoon's fascination is with Mainz, Jakabok decides to try his luck there, see what all the fuss is about. Upon arriving, he's surprised to discover Angels and Demons in battle both in the air and on the ground, all because of a new invention from Johannes Gutenberg.From the opening sentence, "BURN THIS BOOK.", "Mister B. Gone" takes a unique approach to the story by forcing the reader into becoming a character. The narrator, Jakobok Botch -- or Mister B. Gone as he's also known -- speaks directly to the reader, trying to convince him/her by means of flattery, taunting, tales of horror, and perhaps even pity, to coax the reader into burning the book and releasing him from the prison of pages. But as Jakobok mentions many times during his tale, curiosity draws the reader further and further in, delaying his possible freedom by wanting to know how he became trapped in the book. What also helps the tale is that Barker infuses Jakobok with humor and humanity. Jakobok may be a demon, but he also feels love and pain, and I found myself almost liking him, wanting to burn the book and to release him even after reading all the horrific deeds he'd done."Mister B. Gone" is a fun read that fans of Barker's and of horror tales will enjoy

[magooles · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book never really took off for me. The idea and basis for the tale sound great, but Barker never really follows through with what his readers have come to expect from him, and the story just ends up moving very slowly. It was worth reading just for the idea and there were some good parts, but all in all I wouldn’t recommend it.

[paghababian_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This is probably Clive Barker's worst book. Told from the point of view of demon Jakobak Botch (aka Mr. B), the book IS Botch himself. He tells the story of his travels on earth and how he managed to get trapped in the pages of this particular book. I enjoyed the back and forth between myself (as the reader) and Botch. However, I think the book was hurt by Botch's voice - it's not as strong as Barker's usual writing style. I love how fluid Barker can be with description (in Imajica and Weaveworld particularly), but that was lacking in this book.

[marysneedle · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was a quick and entertaining read and a unique way to write a story.

[stacers1973 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

One of the worst books I have ever had the "pleasure" to lay out twenty dollars for. I was so excited, expecting great things from the master of horror's return to adult books. Sorely disappointing. Jakabok did nothing for me. He was not interesting, he was not scary, he was however dismal and annoying. I really dislike when books shout at me to burn them.

[joe73-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A quirky little story. Quite entertaining. A relief and breath of fresh air from some of his other work. One gets tired of reading about male anatomy after homosexual encounters. This is Mr. Barker's one flaw in many of his books. It is possible to tell a story without describing these things. If I want to read that.....I will read 120 days of Sodom.

[sbloom42 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I'm a huge Clive Barker fan, so I was excited to find a Clive Barker book at my local library which I hadn't ready yet. Unfortunately, Mister B. Gone is a huge disappointment. This reads more like his children's stories than his adult books, even though it was shelved with the adult books. The premise is very simple -- that the book contains a demon which is speaking directly to the reader -- and it grows tiresome very quickly. It didn't work as horror because, even though the book is trying to talk directly to the reader, it obviously isn't, so it just comes off as a silly fantasy. The only upsides of this book are the descriptions of Hell and its escape, though even those at times feel like reading about a child in an abusive home in the suburbs. My advice is to skip this and read The Hellbound Heart for a glimpse of the terror that Clive Barker can deliver.

[thereadingmermaid · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Not one of his best for sure. The narrator of the book is also the main character and he continuously breaks the reality of the book and tries to make it seem like the book is real to the reader. It comes off as rather annoying in the manner in which he does this. Plus it breaks from the story and in my opinion takes away from the story itself. Would have been more entertaining to read if not for that.

[coralsiren · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book wasn't quite what I expected, but for some reason I really liked it. I liked how the narrator speaks directly to the reader and I thought the idea of the story was pretty unique. Plus, it was quick to read (not even 250 pages long).

[stefferjo · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

First off, I want to say that I listened to this book on audio and that was a mistake. If you want to feel the connection between the demon narrator and yourself as you read the story, then you have to have the actual book in your hands. However, even if I had read the book itself, I probably still would not have enjoyed it much. There was some hype about this book being Barker's return to horror, but it was not scary. I felt no remorse or fear for Jakabok the demon. I cared little for his troubled relationships and never laughed, cried, or cringed at his tales. Read it only if you have an affinity for Barker or demonology and have nothing else to read at the time.

[altheaann · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

OK, at times it got a little gimmicky and repetitive. (There's only so many times you want to hear a narrator imploring the reader to "burn this book... now!") However, as it went on, it grew on me.
The narrator, a very minor demon from a horribly abusive family, keeps sucking you in to sympathise with him - and them reminding you that no, he really is kind of evil, when you get right down to it... but no, he's just a poor little put-upon demon!
It starts as a bildungsroman, as the young demon, Jakabok Botch, goes out into the world, has an obsessive affair with an older demon... this part of the book is good enough. But the end, with Johannes Gutenberg as an essential character, and, of course, the Great Secret of the conflict between Heaven and Hell, is excellent.
Clive Barker is always an entertaining and clever writer, and in the end, this book does not disappoint.

Also - the book itself, as a physical object, is lovely. I love it when publishers bother to put money into making a book look nice. The faux-aged pages and old-fashioned font really work.

[sandyg210 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This was an interesting premise. A demon visits Johannes Gutenberg and winds up in the pages of the book that tells his story. Unfortunately, the book just didn't work for me. I felt the characterizations were shallow, almost cartoon like. And the demon constantly asking the reader to burn the book got annoying after a while.

[chellebearss · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is the story of Mister B, a demon who is trapped in a book and begging the reader to burn the book and basically put him out of his misery. He tries to bribe the reader with promises of tales of his scary memories if the reader promises to burn the book when the tale is complete. When that doesn't work he starts to threaten the reader with death if they don't burn the book."I can't decide whether you're suicidal, mentally deficient, or both? I've warned you how close I am. You don't want my knife at your neck, do you? You want to live. Surely."I was actually a little disappointed in this book and I think that was partially due to my own expectations. I've read a couple by Barker before and remember them to be quite freaky and rather scary. This book was entertaining and certainly had some foul descriptions, but I didn't find it overly scary. A good read but nothing I would recommend.

[aiuliano_5 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Meet Mister B., a demon trapped in book-form. Barker's writing approach is clearly unique and the idea is deliciously appealing. Much in the spirit of Anne Rice's Memnoch the Devil, Barker's novel is a tale that beckons the reader ever on towards the end.

[mtnbiker1_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

One thing I've always liked about Clive Barker is his ability to blur the lines as to where his material should go. On the face of it this book is a horror novel, but it really is more of a fantasy novel to me. It was good, but not great, I wanted to keep reading it but when thinking back on it, it really was not that compelling of a story.

[lookingforpenguins · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Arghhhhhh. I am the victim of those sly tricksters called the marketing department who ply their evil trade on unsuspecting bibliophiles such as myself. Why, oh why, do I not better guard against this?The Short SynopsisA nasty little demon by the name of Jakabok Botch is fished out of the ninth circle of hell and brought up to our world by those who would sell him for profit. He promptly escapes and spends the next few hundred years wreaking havoc on humankind in all sorts of grotesque ways. On the way, he makes friends with another hideous demon called Quitoon and together they seek out important human inventions throughout the Middle Ages. Eventually ending up at the home of Johannes Gutenberg (yes, of printing press fame), Jakabok is witness to the negotiations between Heaven and Hell's representatives as they hammer out an agreement as to who will profit most from Gutenberg's historical invention. Ultimately, he ends up within the pages of this novel, telling you his own story.The Literary CriticismThis had the makings of a terrific tale. A demon caught in the pages of a book and revealing the secrets of Heaven and Hell? By any estimation, this is an inventive premise.But somewhere between the premise and the telling of the story, opportunity was lost. Instead of following the trail of mankind's role in good and evil, Barker reverts to graphic descriptions of torture machines and the myriad of ways there are to disembowel a person. In some cases, less is more.Every so often, I detected the rumblings of what could have been a much better novel. A phrase here, a philosophical underlining there, but nothing ever came of it. Instead, the author would revert back to pages upon pages (upon pages) of entreaties to burn the book and the terrible things that would happen to me if I did not heed the warnings. Perhaps I ought to have listened?As to Jakabok himself, I never quite felt his anger or his pain (though perhaps this is a good thing). Barker tells us that Jakabok developed quite a close friendship with Quitoon, but the relationship was never fully convincing nor explored. Instead of examining the human-like qualities of the two demons, Barker chose to focus on describing what I am assuming were meant to be unspeakable horrors. Sadly, in this day and age of desensitization, the graphic descriptions only caused me to involuntarily roll my eyes.There were quite a few grammatical errors, such as switching tenses in mid-sentence, but I can't blame the author for that business. Rather, that would be the purveyance of the editor, who dropped the ball here.Are there any good points? Well the marketing team clearly did their job well. The clippings, the aging of the pages to resemble an old manuscript ... all exceptional work. If I wrote a book, I would want this team working for me. After all, they managed to trick a skeptical reader like myself here.The RecommendationI cannot, in good conscious, encourage you to spend your hard-earned money on this novel. Don't take my word for it: ask Brian Baker who aptly titled his review Mister B. Gone, and he took my money with him. Mr. Barker has written many fine novels in the past and if you're interested in his work, you'd do better to try The Hellhound Heart: A Novel or even Abarat. Creepy stuff right there. Perhaps this book is best reserved for die-hard Barker fans if for no other reason than to complete a collection. (I feel your OCD...really, I do.)

[thecriticaltimes · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Once a great promise is handed to the reader in the first utterances of a text it must be fulfilled, even if it does turn out to be a threat. If the author promises suspense then we must find ourselves suspended. If a mystery is insinuated then a reveal is in order. Failing to do so can render an otherwise brilliant book disappointing. In Mister B. Gone by Clive Barker we have such a problem. From the very first page, and from then on every other page, we are informed we are going to regret reading the story and that we must burn the book immediately. We will not even reach the end of the text because we will find out how the demon addressing us has come to be captured in our particular copy and how that might have consequences for us. A bold statement you think. Everyone knows the text can't harm us but we might at least expect a remarkable tale that explains how this all came to be. The point the first person author tries to make is completely wasted since It would be equally silly to claim King Kong will snatch us from our theater seats because he can see us trembling from beyond the white screen. Yet every page of this novel plays upon this very concept, the repetition of which becomes annoying. Then again all this is told by a demon and perhaps that's what they do down there.It must be said that Barker is a good storyteller with a rich and rather disturbing imagination. Especially the first chapters where our protagonist demon is dragged from the ninth level of damnation up to our own not so innocent plateau is rendered quite believably. But do we feel sorry for the young abused demon? Or should we not care since this innocent victimized character behaves just as abominable as you might expect? Barker creates constant confusion as to how we should regard about the characters and their fates. The result is that by the time we arrive at the much anticipated ending we don't care either way and we find we've focused mainly on narrative. As in: the interesting events and tidbits from a brief alternative history. Clive Barker is rather good at this weaving of facts and fictions and it is the immersive properties of the story that makes the book worth the read.There is one aspect of the book that is rather excruciating and unnecessary, besides the broken promise that is. If you happen to buy the book new, then at first you might think the pages are made from recycled paper and that the publisher had made the wonderful decision to cast the book in the same disheveled fabric as the story. There are some subtle markings on the paper that suggest a slight burning or careless disuse. To my utter astonishment I realized that these blemishes and paper discolorations were the effect of the printing process and effectively every page contains a background image roughly repeated every 4 pages.

[eroslane · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What a delightful read this was! Bibliophiles especially will enjoy the playfulness of the demon bound in the pages, taunting you to disregard his story and fates as he begs you to burn the book.While not a true horror story by my definition, it certainly was a tale of the fantastic by a fantastic author. If you have a love of the works by Italo Calvino, you will treasure this as well. Yes, it's a tad gruesome in parts, but necessary to the story.The ending is spot-on perfect. Loved it!

[fainting_project · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Innovative and at times quite arresting, Clive Barker assumes the voice of a minor demon who relates its biography to the reader interspersed with pleas to burn the book, under the conceit that the demon itself is contained within its pages. Unfortunately, this conceit requires a significant suspension of disbelief when the book in question is a mass-market paperback. Still, the narrative is lively and reaches a delightfully absurdist climax centered around emissaries from heaven and hell, creative rights management, rapidly expanding craniums, and Gutenberg's printing press.

[danajean_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

He's right. Burn the book. It isn't really worth your time or effort to even pick it out of the ashes. There were parts of the story that I did enjoy, but overall, I was very disappointed.

[shob7dw · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

After such a long wait, I was so excited to get my hands on a new Barker book, i sprung for the nice hard cover edition, with the "old" pages and "burnt" cover edges. Unfortunately, that remains the best part of the book - how it looks. The "plot" of the story is wafer thin, the narration is tedious and repetitive, and the horrors few and far between. Halfway thru, i just wanted to be done with it and literally - as the main character keeps begging - to put it aflame. But alas, the book still looked good sitting on the shelf. Now i need to dig up the "Books of Blood" series and remind myself that, once upon a time, Clive Barker was an avant garde horror writer.