Mister B. Gone

By: Clive Barker

Narrated by: Doug Bradley

Length: 6 hrs and 28 mins

Publisher's Summary

The demon, known only as "Jakerbok", is a major force of evil then and now. He taunts the listener to "Burn this audiobook" throughout this satanically autobiographical monologue, for he has embedded his very self inside each word....as a long-dormant vehicle for the dark forces to finally conquer all things good and holy in this world.

A one-man (or, rather a one-demon) narrative, in which this medieval devil speaks directly to the listener, is sure to become an instant classic for all fans of major "good vs. evil" literary works. This is the first known time that the voice of a major demon has ever been realized in audiobook form, in which it speaks directly, as in a poker game, to the listener.

Featuring shockingly crafted dialogue and details of the epic hell that the "author" can - and promised to - unleash if this work is circulated, the storyline of this short fiction has Jakerbok explaining his "roots" in this world to the listener. He goes back centuries, to his childhood traumas at the hands of his own parents, who are themselves super demons.

The story then tells the saga of how Jakerbok rose from being a "minor" demon to a "major" demon. It culminates with his insidious plot to "invade" the minds and hearts of all humankind everywhere via this very book, which contains the ancient demon's actual power deep within every word.

©2007 Clive Barker (P)2007 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic Reviews

"[An] offbeat novel in the form of a minor demon's diary." ( Publishers Weekly)

Whimsical and oh so Barker

I'm lovin' this tale. It reminds me of "A History of the Devil". Well read - but what isn't when it's Mr. Bradley - and perversely witty, it's Barker at his best. This is my first review and my first Clive Audio Book, but it's not my last...

How can a demon, no matter how minor, possibly evoke praise and admiration? Somehow Jakabok Botch manages this, in abundance. Cleverly pointing out our petty human frailties, you can't help but marvel at the insight of a demon who could fall in love within minutes or who really isn't as bad as he should be, considering his source.

Though he may tell, order or beg you several times throughout the course of the story to "burn this book", don't dare listen to him. Otherwise you'll miss out on a robust and comedic tale of ... well, I'll just let you read and find out for yourself.

10 of 11 people found this review helpful

Barker is the Dark Prince of Dark Fantasy!

It's so good it is evil.
This book pulls you in with such brillance you are not aware how deep you are, till it turns and tells you.
Only a master of story telling can do this. Only a master of the imagination who has traveled to far far worlds can come back and tell you about them so well.
Clive Barker has always been the KING of creating strange new worlds and he does it again, and better than he has for a while I think.
Mister B (Barker) is always good, but this is beyond good. It's so wonderful it's evil!
Read it! Love it! Fear it! Burn it!
(Or delete is I suppose in this digital form?)

9 of 10 people found this review helpful

Great but a little nagging..

This was an interesting tale of a tortured demon that goes on to leave his home and venture into the human world, finding that the human world is also comprised of angels and demons. A lot of fun gorey details mixed with a few minor comedic moments, this was a very good story, but I couldn't help be VERY annoyed by the demon pleading with you every chapter to "burn this book" sometimes going on and on with all of the horrible things he is going to do to you if you don't burn the book. I'm a big fan of Clive Barker, but this wasn't my favorite book, based onthat alone. If you can choose to ignore those parts, the rest of the story was pretty good.

5 of 6 people found this review helpful

First Person Demon Narrative

Interesting tale with some brilliant insights to the barbarity of the dark ages and nature of people. while our main character was not necessarily a likable character certain events left an open-ended question over who or what is evil. Some obvious repetitive themes but a very interesting character study who I did feel sympathetic for in the end.
Doug Bradley had a fantastic performance and I never miss any of his collaborations with Clive Barker, I never skip Mr. Bradley's work at all.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

good book

The audio of this story is good quality the narrator Doug Bradley does a good job telling the story. The only problem with the story is that the “book” some times goes no rants that get a little to long. I didn’t care much for the portions of the book that ranted with graphic violence. This book is a nice adult book that I would recommend it to my friends.

3 of 4 people found this review helpful

First Person Tale from the Demon's POV

Only Barker can craft this unique a tale, told from the point of view of a demon trapped for all time in the pages of the book as it is read. Truly unusual and peculiar, well-developed and fun. It gets so lonely being evil.

2 of 3 people found this review helpful

Don't be fooled...

Mr. B. Gone and I didn't see eye to eye. The witty bits were obnoxious, the gore was superfluous and unimaginative, and the plot failed to entertain. The demon narrator's wheedling pleas between each chapter to "burn this book" were excessive; Jakerbok never convinced me to set my iPod aflame, though he did tempt me to hit the fast forward button.

Don't be fooled by the clever marketing: Mr. B. Gone offers nothing novel to horror enthusiasts.

7 of 12 people found this review helpful

Listen to him...burn this book!

I had read the Abarat books by Clive Barker, so I was eager to read this one. The plot synopsis sounded wonderful, so in I plunged. It was terribly gory in a needless sort of way. It was also not too witty or fun. I kept wondering if Clive was having a laugh, and maybe that "burn this book" was a hint to readers that nothing much was going to happen, so we might as well burn the damn thing.
On a more positive note, I liked the narrator, and would love to hear him sink his teeth into something substantial.

8 of 14 people found this review helpful

Excellent

Having been a Mr. Barker fan for years, I was worried about the size of this novel compared to his previous adult novels, pre-Abarat. I thoroughly enjoyed it! Mister B. Gone mixes the joy of adventure found in the Abarat series with the wonder of horror from his earlier adult novels. I found this book to be excellent for the long time reader and a perfect entrance for the new Clive Barker fan.

Mister B Gone, please don't go!

Brilliantly written, and perfectly narrated. Darkly funny and even a bit heartbreaking at times. Will keep you up listening late into the night. Clive Barker and Doug Bradley proving they are the perfect combination.