I will admit, I was rabid to get my hands on an ARC of I Believe in Mister Bones ever since Max Booth III shared a glimpse of the title a year or so ago. Something about it made me NEED to read it – on top of just general enjoyment of Booth’s work. So its a little embarrassing that it took me this long to finally get around to reading it – thanks burn out. Still, I’m so glad I did because it was excellent and not at all what I expected.
Content Warnings:
bones and false-bones, self-harm, suicide and suicidal ideation, cheating, assault, death of a loved one, depression, mental health discussion and crisis.
The email’s subject line reads: DO YOU BELIEVE IN MISTER BONES?
The recipient: Daniel Addams, one half of the Texas small press known as Fiendish Books, co-run with his wife Eileen.
Despite being closed for submissions, curiosity gets the best of him and he takes a look at the anonymous author’s bizarre manuscript—only to find himself obsessed with the titular Mister Bones, a mysterious entity rumored to steal your bones as you sleep, one by one, until he’s replaced your entire skeleton with an unknown substance.
But is Mister Bones real, and has Daniel unintentionally summoned him?
Or, as Eileen suspects, has he finally cracked from stress and lost his mind?
I will try my best to discuss I Believe in Mister Bones without being one of those annoying horror lit fans that wants to break down every little detail and chew on it until its lost all flavor. I will also try to review without spoiling…no promises. If you’re worried about that, go read the damned amazing book and come back after.
When I say authors like Max Booth III are doing really interesting things in horror, this book is a great example of it. They bend and wield tropes in interesting ways. Are they completely unique and has this never been done before -probably not, but it certainly isn’t done enough. When we’re inundated with movies and books in horror that are a regurgitation of the same monsters and same plot with very little wiggle, I believe its important to celebrate when we do come across something different.
Playing with Tropes
I Believe in Mister Bones is different. Sure its a creepypasta, cursed media trope evolved from a haunting/possession trope. However, it subverts those ideas in subtle ways. For example, the story’s protagonist, Daniel isn’t in a liminal state. Most hauntings and possessions, even creepypasta ones, require a state of transition whether its a teens going through puberty or a family moving, or the death of a loved one, or all of the above. Something in their lives is in transition but not Daniel. Daniel has been doing what he does for years – married to his wife, running a small publishing company, going to the same events, talking to the same people, day in and day out – its the whole first act of the book. Sure he’s stressed but its the stress of living, not of transition. Its the stress of “living the dream” owning his own small press, married to the love of his life who’s weird matches his own, and being in Texas/USA/online in the 21st century with all the systems, culture, and problems that entails.
Sure, it doesn’t sound like much but when it comes to horror beats and tropes, its certainly something worth note.
Nonbinary Rep!
Booth also includes nonbinary characters and gives a number of nods to the trans experience and how its often used as a metaphor in horror (intentionally or not). Again, this isn’t new, especially in horror, but is worth acknowledging and appreciating when we see it. A a nonbinary reader, I love finding books with characters like me especially from nonbinary authors like Booth.
On top of that, the character Xiomara is such a complicated and awesome character. Booth doesn’t try and make them perfect and a shining example of nonbinary personhood. They have major flaws and issues along with being a badass, super helpful, and at times heroic character on top of that. I was thrilled to see their part in the story play out and it was *chef’s kiss*.
Horror Community and Dark Humor
Then there is the tongue-in-cheek, dark AF, very pointed humor. Booth’s character Daniel is a fun self-insert that allows them to share thoughts about the horror writing and publishing world. Everything from how events can be exhausting for vendors (been there, done that, and laughed my ass off during some of the dialogue in the book around it) to how there are some in the horror book world that are sleazy to down right predatory (and yes, I had a good hard laugh at Eileen’s Stephen King impersonation and believe the book is worth the read if just for that). A lot of it is thoughts I’ve had about the community before – a community I love, don’t get me wrong, but, just like a family, there are a few handfuls of people that we could really do without along with a mindset that feeds off the drama surrounding them.
This knock at the industry culminates in a fantastic chapter showing how the community responds online to a character’s death. It was so realistic, so dark, and so fucking funny. I re-read it twice and then called my partner to read it to him. We shared a good laugh that was a mix of our own messed up humor and that vibe of we laugh so we don’t cry. Perfection.
New Fav Final Girl
Now I NEED to talk about Eileen.
Normally I HATE when horror media gives a final girl nothing to do or any character depth until Act 3. You see this in Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge (1985) when Lisa goes from preppy, rich, girl next door to bad ass saving her possessed boyfriend in the name of true love (which feels like it was slapped on to try and fail to make the movie less gay…I could go in depth on this but perhaps this review isn’t the time or place). Up until that third act, Lisa was a negligible side character that only really gave the main character, Jesse, a chance to have some dialogue and sweat a little.
I was a little worried this would be the case with Eileen but Booth went a lot deeper. Not only does it feel like a nod to the NoES film (something that happens a lot in the book in general) but it allows the story to broaden its scope, feel strangely more realistic even as the third act gets very bizarre, and gives the human characters teeth and claws that are missing in so much of the story’s other, depressed, nose gazing characters (yes, including Daniel who I liked for the most part).
On top of that, Eileen is shown throughout the book (albeit through a Daniel filter) to be a bad ass. She handles her very stressful life as best she can. Does she break down? Yes, of course, as would anyone who was dealing with the shit she’s trying to juggle. In the end, I think she’s awesome and I am thrilled to add her to my fav final girls list.
I could go on but it culminates to the same shit I’ve been saying. I Believe in Mister Bones by Max Booth III is a fantastic read. It won’t be for everyone. I can already hear the bad reviews complaining about everything from foul language to the abrupt shifts in plot now. To them I say, there are already hundreds of books out there for you and your very bland taste. Go forth and enjoy them and leave the weird, odd, wonderfully fucked up books to us.
Thanks Max for writing, publishing, and selling horror for us weirdos.
