Mister B. Gone

Jakabok Botch, a minor demon with a hide of burnt scales and twin horns, narrates his life story directly to the reader from the pages of a medieval memoir. He recounts his violent upbringing in the Ninth Circle of Hell, his escape to the surface world via a physical rift, and his subsequent travels through fourteenth-century Europe. Alongside a more sophisticated demon named Quiddity, Jakabok navigates the arrival of the printing press, viewing Johannes Gutenberg’s invention as a weapon that could democratize information or spread infernal influence. Throughout the text, the demon threatens and pleads with the reader to burn the book, claiming the physical object acts as a cage for his essence.

Fans of metafictional horror and historical fantasy read this for the interactive narrative voice. Those interested in the intersection of theology and technology see how the introduction of movable type serves as a pivot point for human consciousness. The reader walks away with a direct experience of an unreliable narrator who breaks the fourth wall to manipulate their emotions. It appeals to people who enjoy visceral descriptions of visceral demonic biology and the grim atmosphere of the Middle Ages, offering a cynical perspective on the origins of mass media and the permanence of the written word.