Mister B. Gone

Embark on an odyssey of wickedness with the demon Jakabok Botch. Bound within a book by powerful magics, the Botch pleads for his own destruction as he recounts his tale.

Wretched even by the standards of his infernal kin, the grotesque creature barely escapes the wrath of his merciless father and the hostile environs of his hellish home. Rescued by the demon Quitoon from a slow and agonizing death, the infernal pair makes their way in the mortal world, spreading strife wherever they go.

A strange twist of fate brings Botch to the obscure town of Mainz. Caught in a war between angels and demons, Botch finds himself on his own. Botch's propensity for getting himself into tight situations will astonish the reader. His inner struggles with himself, depraved at times, strangely endearing in others, is a fascinating dichotomy.

Although a fascinating read, this narration is a let-down due to its dearth of atrocities. The momentous event that nearly brought Armageddon is mundane and hardly worth the fuss. For all the potential of its theme, the story tapers off towards the end. It is a poor man’s Faust, and even then, not quite.

Despite its shortcomings, Mister B. Gone is a valiant effort by Barker to portray the human side even irredeemable evil has. Readers who have grown sick of heroic fantasy and tales of derring-do will find Mister B. Gone a villainously refreshing book.

Rating: 3/5