Mister B. Gone

Better known as Pinhead from the HELLRAISER films, Doug Bradley shines as the narrator of Clive Barker's new novel. Jakabok, a medieval demon plucked from Hell by a team of church-sanctioned bounty hunters, witnesses the atrocities done by men to men in the name of God, partakes in some of those atrocities himself, and ends up in 1438 Germany, on Johannes Gutenberg's doorstep. Pleading with the listener from the first line to "burn this book," Bradley takes to the narrative with alarming ease, embodying the wit, sarcasm, and utter loneliness of the demon's first-person account. With his acerbic tone, British accent, and excellent comedic timing, Bradley captures both the creepy charm with which this long silent demon tells his story and the deep resentment that runs in his sulfur-filled veins. Not for the faint of heart. A.A. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine

September 24, 2007
This offbeat novel in the form of a minor demon's diary may satisfy devoted Barker fans eager for his return to adult fiction after several years writing the Abarat series, but others, especially first-time readers, are likely to find this fable about good and evil less than rewarding. Jakabok Botch, the child of two demons who has inherited his father's two tails, is rendered even more grotesque after he tumbles into a fire and most of his face is badly burned. A violent dispute with his abusive father, Pappy Gatmuss, leads to the pair being trapped by a net from our world. Jakabok manages to elude capture and eventually finds his way to the home of Johannes Gutenberg, whose wife turns out to be an angel in disguise. The book's format—simultaneously Botch's first-person narrative and his break-the-fourth-wall address to the reader pleading for him or her to burn the book—may puzzle readers unused to Barker's quirks.

Starred review from January 28, 2008
With a bone-chilling opening consisting of a gloomy score and a very angry Doug Bradley (Hellraiser
's Pinhead himself), Barker's latest horror effort is brilliantly realized in this masterful reading. Bradley is inherently creepy as the narrator, one Jakabok Botch, or Mister B., detailing his demonic life in this journal, which he implores you not to read right from the start. His rich Liverpool accent adds to the insidiousness of Jakabok, who implores the reader to release him from the confines of the diary as it seems he is actually stuck in the very ink that fills the pages. Bradley's performance is so powerful and compelling, it's nearly impossible not to listen all the way through the first time around. Bradley speaks directly to the listener, creating a very uncomfortable atmosphere ripe for plenty of good scares. Bradley's tone and demeanor creates constant tension throughout, with random bursts of anger and rage sure to make hearts skip a beat in a thrillingly fun experience. Simultaneous release with the Harper hardcover (Reviews, Sept. 24).

March 1, 2008
Adult/High School-Inside this beautifully designed book lies the incredibly gruesome memoir of a 14th-century demon. As the story begins, Jakoboks father has an abusive temper and his mother doesnt listen. But thats the least of his problems as he is soon fished from Hell by some demon-hunting priests from the above world. Despite their best efforts, he manages to escape again and again, hooking up with a partner in crime and leaving death, blood, and limbs in his wake. As the book nears its end, Johannes Gutenberg makes an appearance and the story goes off the rails a bit. Barkers demon narrator addresses readers frequently, and though it would be tough to call him sympathetic, teens will relate to him. There are grand pronouncements about the nature of evil, and the evil of even the supposed moral arbiters, as well as the use of the printing press to disseminate both good and evil. Teens who devour the Saw movies will probably appreciate this well-written, if slightly messy, horror novel."Jamie Watson, Harford County Public Library, MD"

Copyright 2008 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2007
Jakabok Botch, aka Mister B., constantly interrupts the telling of his life story to suggest, advise, cajole, plead, beg, bargain with, threaten, and otherwise convince youpresumablythe readerto burn the book, now! Jakabok is a demon, born, bred, and disfiguringly burned in the Ninth Circle of Hell; skilled in inflicting all manner of pain, hes as persuasive as any Hell-spawn could be. And yet you keep turning pages, at the end finding out some things about the power of the printed word, the struggle between good and evil, and humanitys importance in the cosmic scheme that, even if you had known about them before, you perhaps hadnt considered. Before that payoff, you keep turning pages because Jakaboks interruptions are annoying, and you just want him to get on with it.Although his misadventures in medieval-becoming-Renaissance Europe after being run out of Hell by his father (and getting back at the old devil: bet you didnt know demons could die) become routine, and his self-revelations become icky, fate seems bound and determined to have Jakabok cross paths with Johannes Gutenberg. And so a rather humdrum horror comedy turns into an intellectual freedom parable, tinctured with metaphysics.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2007, American Library Association.)