Nerds That Geek Book Review: ‘Mister B. Gone’

Written by Scott Edwards 

When growing up, you get to learn more about who you are and who you are going to be. With the help of your parents, you are groomed to become the next great person in your family and most of the time you take the lessons they give to you and put them to work. But not all of these lessons are good as there are families out there that don’t care about their kids’ wellbeing and just want them out of the house as soon as possible. I know several people that have been put into bad situations at home and they have dedicated themselves to becoming someone new, someone that their namesake would never know. Which makes these people rock stars, since they never got the helping hand that their parents were supposed to give them when they needed it most.

In ‘The World Below’, Jakabok Botch is just trying to get along in his home. With an abusive father, Jakabok depends on his words and imagination to get him through the day. Writing in his journals about how he will be able to inflict pain and torture those who are mean to him, Jakabok finds out that he has plenty of rage on his hands, but when his mother finds his works hidden in the floor boards of the house, she is less than happy. Forcing her son to burn all of these masterful works, Jakabok’s father comes home and demands an explanation. When Jakabok falls into the fire however, he finds out what the true feeling of hell is, as he has become disfigured by the flames. With that not being enough, his father finds some of the unburned writings and wants to teach his son a lesson.

Chasing Jakabok with his gun and machete, Pappy Gatmuss has no remorse in his eyes as his son needs to understand who is in charge. Running into the hills, Jakabok finds a resting place with meat and beers and takes a breather, but his father is right behind him. Stepping back and making sure that his son understands that tactic is not going to work, Pappy sits and feasts as well, but what he does not know is that the two have fallen into a trap. When the snare releases, Jakabok and his father are pulled up quickly into the sky with no way of escaping. As each level passes beneath them, they are worried about what is awaiting them up above. While his father starts to cry about being taken to ‘The World Above’, Jakabok has a plan to release him of his worries. Pulling a kitchen knife from his pocket, Jakabok cuts the rope hauling his father up and curses his old man as he falls to his doom.

Jakabok is far from safe as he finds out where he is and what the ‘fishers’ are planning to do with him. Being an agent of Hell, the ‘fishers’ take note of Jakabok’s two tails and try to formulate a plan of how to make a lot of money off of the deformed demon. Being able to escape his new captors, he is able to run free in the woods and meets his first and only love, Caroline. As the demon tries to save the young girl, he accidently pushes her into the boiling water that is being used to debone those of his kind. Killing his only love is not the only thing the demon has to face, for people are not willing to have his kind roaming their world. Coming upon a small town, Jakabok is met by a couple of the Archbishop’s guards who are going to await word from their high commander on what his fate will be, but little does he know, there is another in a position of power that can make his life in ‘The World Above’ that much more tolerable.

Hooking up with the former guard, Quitoon, Jakabok is given the name Mr. B and the two head off on their adventures together. Quitoon is a powerful demon that has been living here for many years and is infatuated by humanity and how they are able to create new things that will change their lives forever. Although Mr. B does not feel the same way, he tags along on these trips and finds out more in the thirty some years the two are together. Finding great places to hold up, out of the cities and off the beaten paths, Mr. B is able to go along with his old ways, which involves killing infants and using their blood to bathe in, but nothing lasts forever as he always seems to make mistakes in the short term. Needing to leave their current place of residence, Quitoon hears of a new invention and wants to check it out before the villagers come to smoke them out. The story that follows will leave you breathless as Angels and Demons face off to try and keep The End from coming.

From the mind of Clive Barker comes Mister B. Gone, the life story of Jakabok Botch as he is captured and brought to ‘The World Above’. As he escapes one problem, he seems to find himself in another one just as quickly. All the while, he is speaking to you as you continue to read his story and he takes the time to beg you to burn the book. Without having any luck on his side whatsoever, Mr. B is able to survive with his longtime friend Quitoon at his side, but when the two decide that they will no longer travel together, Mr. B’s life changes drastically. With the human race chasing him, other demons chasing him and Angels chasing him, Mr. B has to find out what the newest invention is that will change the world forever and if it should exist. Not having the same abilities as his counterparts, Mr. B has to make it through his days using his smarts and words to keep himself alive, but that can only work for so long as those that are more powerful than him are looking to end him.

This could be considered a disturbing look at how the forces from below can still control what is happening in the world today, but I think it is just fun. Having the main character talk to you throughout the entire book, begging for you to release him is just epic and I rather enjoyed it, although I did have to look behind myself a couple times to make sure he was not there. I don’t know what else to say about the story without giving it all away, you will just have to read it and decide who is right and wrong in their fight to destroy the world over the next great invention. Even though Mr. B is a demon, it is easy to fall under his spell, even with him doing heinous acts on humans, it is just his way and he will not change in the words that he is putting in front of you. Stay Scared.

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