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I am a Clive Barker fan. I read the books, saw the movies, even bought the puzzle box. So when I found he had returned to horror after a long hiatus writing children’s books and the like (which were, to be fair, excellent children’s books) I was thrilled. I mean buy it in first edition hardcover thrilled. I present to you:

“Burn this book.”

With these opening words we are introduced to Jakabok Botch, demon of the ninth circle of hell. The book in question is of course the novel in the reader’s hands, presented as a “never-before published memoir allegedly penned in the year 1438″. I seem to recall reading an interview with Mr. Barker in which he mentioned playing with letters to make new words and happening upon the name Jakabok, and then built the story around the name. I could easily believe this as the character we come to know fit’s the name so well it’s hard to imagine him being anything else. This novel is beautifully crafted. As we read the story of Mister B. we begin to feel a kinship of sorts with him. We revel in his victories and share the sorrow of his defeats. This is as fine an example of character development as I can think of.

So why am I a little disappointed?

For one thing, the story flow is so linear and the foreshadowing somewhat heavy handed so relatively early on the inevitable conclusion is realized, and we have to hope for some gems along the way to keep us interested. By and large these gems are delivered in the way of some interesting twists, a few truly thought provoking moments, and the general quality of the storytelling. To me, though, the most disappointing aspect of this novel is that it didn’t scare me. I mean barely a cringe. Barker seems to have lost the stomach for the sheer brutality present in his earlier work, and that puts this book in an awkward place. Like the kid you knew in high school that wasn’t particularly good at sports, wasn’t good looking, and still got bad grades Mister B. Gone has a hard time finding it’s place in the world. I don’t think it will appeal to the hardcore horror fans in the same way earlier work like the Books of Blood or The Hellbound Heart, nor will parents be likely to deem it appropriate for their youngsters as they would with The Thief of Always (which is fantastic by the way).

Recommended for Barker completionists or as a way to ease a new reader into Barker’s horror back catalogue.