What do you think?
Rate this book
Johannes Cabal #1
Johannes Cabal the Necromancer
In this uproarious and clever debut, it's time to give the Devil his due.
Johannes Cabal, a brilliant scientist and notorious snob, is single-mindedly obsessed in heart and soul with raising the dead. Well, perhaps not "soul" . . . He hastily sold his years ago in order to learn the laws of necromancy. But now, tormented by a dark secret, he travels to the fiery pits of Hell to retrieve it. Satan, who is incredibly bored these days, proposes a little wager: Johannes has one year to persuade one hundred people to sign over their souls or he will be damned forever.
To make the bet even more interesting, Satan throws in that diabolical engine of deceit, seduction, and corruption known as a "traveling circus" to aid in the evil bidding. What better place exists to rob poor sad saps of their souls than the traveling carnivals historically run by hucksters and legendary con men?
With little time to lose, Johannes raises a motley crew from the dead and enlists his brother, Horst, a charismatic vampire (an unfortunate side effect of Johannes's early experiments with necromancy), to be the carnival's barker. On the road through the pastoral English countryside, this team of reprobates wields their black magic with masterful ease, resulting in mayhem at every turn.
Johannes may have the moral conscience of anthrax, but are his tricks sinful enough to beat the Devil at his own game? You'll never guess, and that's a promise!
Brilliantly written and wickedly funny, "Johannes Cabal the Necromancer" combines the chills and thrills of old-fashioned gothic tales like "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow," the mischievous humor of "Wicked," and the sophisticated charms of" Jonathan Strange &Mr. Norrell "and spins the Faustian legend into a fresh, irreverent, and irresistible new adventure.
Johannes Cabal, a brilliant scientist and notorious snob, is single-mindedly obsessed in heart and soul with raising the dead. Well, perhaps not "soul" . . . He hastily sold his years ago in order to learn the laws of necromancy. But now, tormented by a dark secret, he travels to the fiery pits of Hell to retrieve it. Satan, who is incredibly bored these days, proposes a little wager: Johannes has one year to persuade one hundred people to sign over their souls or he will be damned forever.
To make the bet even more interesting, Satan throws in that diabolical engine of deceit, seduction, and corruption known as a "traveling circus" to aid in the evil bidding. What better place exists to rob poor sad saps of their souls than the traveling carnivals historically run by hucksters and legendary con men?
With little time to lose, Johannes raises a motley crew from the dead and enlists his brother, Horst, a charismatic vampire (an unfortunate side effect of Johannes's early experiments with necromancy), to be the carnival's barker. On the road through the pastoral English countryside, this team of reprobates wields their black magic with masterful ease, resulting in mayhem at every turn.
Johannes may have the moral conscience of anthrax, but are his tricks sinful enough to beat the Devil at his own game? You'll never guess, and that's a promise!
Brilliantly written and wickedly funny, "Johannes Cabal the Necromancer" combines the chills and thrills of old-fashioned gothic tales like "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow," the mischievous humor of "Wicked," and the sophisticated charms of" Jonathan Strange &Mr. Norrell "and spins the Faustian legend into a fresh, irreverent, and irresistible new adventure.
291 pages, Hardcover
First published July 7, 2009
About the author
Jonathan L. Howard
61 books2,016 followersJonathan L Howard is a game designer, scriptwriter, and a veteran of the computer games industry since the early 1990s, with titles such as the 'Broken Sword' series to his credit.
After publishing two short stories featuring Johannes Cabal (Johannes Cabal and the Blustery Day and Exeunt Demon King) in H. P. Lovecraft's Magazine of Horror, Johannes Cabal the Necromancer was published in 2009 as his first novel.
Since then there have been three sequels, with a fourth due in 2016. He has also written two novels in the YA SF "Russalka Chronicles" series, and the ongoing "Goon Squad" serial of superhero stories. October 2015 will see the publication of "Carter & Lovecraft," the first in a new series of novels.
He lives with his wife and daughter near Bristol.
http://www.jonathanlhoward.com/
https://twitter.com/#!/JonathanLHoward
http://jonathanlhoward.livejournal.com/
After publishing two short stories featuring Johannes Cabal (Johannes Cabal and the Blustery Day and Exeunt Demon King) in H. P. Lovecraft's Magazine of Horror, Johannes Cabal the Necromancer was published in 2009 as his first novel.
Since then there have been three sequels, with a fourth due in 2016. He has also written two novels in the YA SF "Russalka Chronicles" series, and the ongoing "Goon Squad" serial of superhero stories. October 2015 will see the publication of "Carter & Lovecraft," the first in a new series of novels.
He lives with his wife and daughter near Bristol.
http://www.jonathanlhoward.com/
https://twitter.com/#!/JonathanLHoward
http://jonathanlhoward.livejournal.com/
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,138 reviews
September 14, 2023
Alternate title: Something Wicked This Way Comes, the Carnie Version
Johannes Cabal is sorely vexed. Some time ago, he traded his soul to the Devil, as it was proving an impediment in his studies of necromancy. Alas, he acted too hastily–after much research, he’s realized that his soul is needed for his research to be have meaning. He might also have an ulterior motive. The epitome of the logistician, the obsessive scientist, Cabal is a hysterical straight man to the absurd humor of those around him. As his brother mocks him:
“‘For tonight only. Horst held his hands up to an imaginary sign. ‘Thrown out of the Best universities, excommunicated from all the most popular religions and many of the obscure ones, fresh from his recent engagement in Hell, we present Johannes Cabal, Necromancer!’ Toot toot toot! He mimed blowing trumpets.
‘You’re a constant font of hilarity, aren’t you?’ said Cabal, unsmiling. ‘And, I’ll have you know that I was never, ever thrown out of my universities. I always left of my own accord.’”
To regain his soul, Cabal makes a second deal with Satan: bring him exactly one hundred souls in a year’s time, and Cabal will get his own back. Hell, Satan’s feeling generous enough to lend him a Dark Carnival that never quite made it into circulation. Or is he? After all, Cabal just suggested Satan apologize to God for his pride. Despite that, Cabal is insightful enough to realize he needs someone who understands human nature. He seeks out his brother Horst, a being with a few unsavory habits but a surprisingly strong ethical code.
“We’re supposed to be doing the devil’s work and you’ve gone and contaminated it all with the whiff of virtue. I really don’t think you’ve quite got the hang of being an agent of evil.”
I enjoy Johannes Cabal’s voice. Howard hits the perfect note, satisfying the little scientist in me, as well as the artist in me annoyed by the scientific worldview, with both sides appreciating the humor from Cabal’s straight-edged approach. Frankly, I also empathize just the littlest bit with his misanthropy, the huddled masses who fail to appreciate the pursuit of science:
“An idea started to crystallize… It might not work, of course, and there was always the possibility that he might have to upset or hurt a few of these excuses for people. So it wasn’t all bad news.”
Plotting is relatively straightforward, much like Something Wicked, only becoming complicated at the end. Like all folktales, what the reader ultimately wants to know is if Cabal was able to escape the Devil’s Bargain, so the majority of the tale centers on collecting souls while the reader anticipates the outcome. In the meantime, the journey the carnival takes through the towns and the details of the carnival entertain. There’s also some interesting character development, or lack thereof, that elevates it beyond simple farce. Midway through, there are a couple sections that are done in epistolary form by various people. A police blotter proves surprisingly funny. The last letter is perhaps a little jarring to the narrative and takes it the most off track.
The ending is a perfect capstone. A bit of an emotional roller-coaster, it ends with a satisfactory and narrative consistent confrontation. I admire Howard for reaching for something a little more complex. I’d recommend this to fans of Something Wicked, perhaps to Pratchett fans, fans of A. Lee Martinez,and people who might like their humor a little dark but with solid ethics. I think you have to enjoy the word play, have a dark sense of humor, but not dark enough to want bloodshed and violence. Meanwhile, I’ll be looking forward to continuing the series.
Johannes Cabal is sorely vexed. Some time ago, he traded his soul to the Devil, as it was proving an impediment in his studies of necromancy. Alas, he acted too hastily–after much research, he’s realized that his soul is needed for his research to be have meaning. He might also have an ulterior motive. The epitome of the logistician, the obsessive scientist, Cabal is a hysterical straight man to the absurd humor of those around him. As his brother mocks him:
“‘For tonight only. Horst held his hands up to an imaginary sign. ‘Thrown out of the Best universities, excommunicated from all the most popular religions and many of the obscure ones, fresh from his recent engagement in Hell, we present Johannes Cabal, Necromancer!’ Toot toot toot! He mimed blowing trumpets.
‘You’re a constant font of hilarity, aren’t you?’ said Cabal, unsmiling. ‘And, I’ll have you know that I was never, ever thrown out of my universities. I always left of my own accord.’”
To regain his soul, Cabal makes a second deal with Satan: bring him exactly one hundred souls in a year’s time, and Cabal will get his own back. Hell, Satan’s feeling generous enough to lend him a Dark Carnival that never quite made it into circulation. Or is he? After all, Cabal just suggested Satan apologize to God for his pride. Despite that, Cabal is insightful enough to realize he needs someone who understands human nature. He seeks out his brother Horst, a being with a few unsavory habits but a surprisingly strong ethical code.
“We’re supposed to be doing the devil’s work and you’ve gone and contaminated it all with the whiff of virtue. I really don’t think you’ve quite got the hang of being an agent of evil.”
I enjoy Johannes Cabal’s voice. Howard hits the perfect note, satisfying the little scientist in me, as well as the artist in me annoyed by the scientific worldview, with both sides appreciating the humor from Cabal’s straight-edged approach. Frankly, I also empathize just the littlest bit with his misanthropy, the huddled masses who fail to appreciate the pursuit of science:
“An idea started to crystallize… It might not work, of course, and there was always the possibility that he might have to upset or hurt a few of these excuses for people. So it wasn’t all bad news.”
Plotting is relatively straightforward, much like Something Wicked, only becoming complicated at the end. Like all folktales, what the reader ultimately wants to know is if Cabal was able to escape the Devil’s Bargain, so the majority of the tale centers on collecting souls while the reader anticipates the outcome. In the meantime, the journey the carnival takes through the towns and the details of the carnival entertain. There’s also some interesting character development, or lack thereof, that elevates it beyond simple farce. Midway through, there are a couple sections that are done in epistolary form by various people. A police blotter proves surprisingly funny. The last letter is perhaps a little jarring to the narrative and takes it the most off track.
The ending is a perfect capstone. A bit of an emotional roller-coaster, it ends with a satisfactory and narrative consistent confrontation. I admire Howard for reaching for something a little more complex. I’d recommend this to fans of Something Wicked, perhaps to Pratchett fans, fans of A. Lee Martinez,and people who might like their humor a little dark but with solid ethics. I think you have to enjoy the word play, have a dark sense of humor, but not dark enough to want bloodshed and violence. Meanwhile, I’ll be looking forward to continuing the series.
November 15, 2020
💀 Let's Bring the Dead Back from the Dead Again Buddy Reread (LBtDBftDABR™) with the MacHalo Necromaniacs 💀
➽ And the moral of this reread is: I'm pretty sure that my girlfriend Kate Daniels (aka the world-famous, multiple-time winner of the Best Misfiring Smile of the Year Award) would absolutely 💕 lurve 💕 the myriad Lip Curving Gymnastics (LCG™)—and accompanying side effects—displayed in this book. We've got smiles that make spiders run for cover! Smiles with all the warmth of dollhouse ovens! Smiles as offensive weapons! Smiles that make churns of milk go sour! Smiles that fall from people's faces like greased pigs off church roofs! And last, but certainly not least, smiles that creep across one's face like melanomas in time-lapse! This book! It's ALL blissfullyhopeless happy, wonderfully evil benevolent, delightfully unscrupulous innocent, beautifully disturbing comforting smiles, ALL the time!
Just like that, yes.
➽ And the other moral of this reread is: "FABULOSO!!!" 4 EVER.
👋 To be continued and stuff.
[September 2018]
💀 Woohoo Time to Bring Back the Dead Buddy Read (WTtBBtDBR™) with the MacHalo Necromaniacs 💀
The thing you are about to read is as crappy as the book it hopelessly tries to non-review is fantastic. Consider your little selves warned and stuff.
There’s a slight chance this book might or might not be the mostest funniest one I have read in the entirety of this entire year. Maybe. Perhaps. Also, I’m fairly (almost) certain I haven’t come across such a joyously delightful mix of Fantasy, dark comedy, delicious British humor, and Weird & Wacky Stuff™ at any time in the last nine months, so there’s a good possibility this book might actually be one of my top ten favorite reads of1956 2018. Mayhap.
The Necromancer is aheart-warming little tale that tells the story of one Johannes Cabal (this in case you are even more clueless than the average Clueless Barnacle—quite a feat, that—and sort of missed the name of this series), an absolutely charming, compassionate guy who happens to be a, um, you know, necromancer and stuff. At the beginning of the story, our chum Johannes finds himself in a bit of a predicament. He channeled his inner Faust and sold his soul to the Devil a while back, you see, and now he wants it back (he kinda sorta needs it for his research and stuff). So what does Johannes do? Why he decides to go and have a little chat with his good old mate Satan of course.
You are so hot, Your Mephistopheleciousness! I think I’m in 💕lurve💕
So Cabal goes on a little field trip tobureaucracy hell the nether world, talks to the Evil Prince of Evilness, gets ripped off makes a deal, and goes his merry way embarks upon a nefarious mission to bring Hell’s head honcho one hundred souls in a year. No biggie and stuff. I mean, how hard can it be to get one hundred puny humans to fill in and sign Voluntary Damnation Form #EAGH/1? Especially when you’ve been lent a Dark Carnival Type Thingie (DCTT™) to help you in your villainous endeavor (by His Satanic Luciferiness, no less!). And have the help of both your vampire brother and a most colorful crew of slightly demonic/undead/freaky types. Piece of cake, methinks.
“What happens next,” you ask? Well The Cabal Brothers Carnival of Wonders takes to the road and spoiler spoiler spoiler ensues. So does much hilarity. Well hilarity ensues for those equipped with Flawless Sense of the Absurdly Comical and Comically Absurd (FSotACaCA™), anyway. A quality our friend Johannes seems to have been born without, I’m afraid. He totally fails to appreciate how inanely ludicrous his current predicament is, and is as utterly unflappable as an anemic gastropod at a Barnacles & Chitons circus show. I mean, Cabal’s brother himself thinks the guy is “as much fun as a leper at an orgy,” which is saying something. But hey, it’s not all bad! He has tons of redeeming qualities and stuff: he can be magnificently obtuse, has a black, withered heart (just like me! Yay!), and is sarcastic as shrimp. Also, he has fished-up morals, a thing for shooting people in the back, and isn’t entirely loathe to smashing people’s brains out with a croquet mallet *swoons* Also also, his smile makes milk churn and doubles as an offensive weapon. Now that’s what I call High Security Harem Potential!
Now. I’d love to tell you more about the story, but spoiler spoiler spoiler (as I may or may not have mentioned before), so I won’t. You are quite welcome, de nada, my pleasure and stuff. Anyway, what I can indeed tell you is that (beware, for it’s quick maths time):
Howard’s witty, unique writing style + intriguing, original plot + yummy characterization + High Quality Snorting (HQS™) + offensive, recalcitrant fortune-telling machines + Ragtag Slyboots, Despoiler of Milk and Entangler of Shoelaces + surprisingly resilient babies + a chanting army of lunatics + Infernal Regions (Local Authority) Hades Provisional Admission Application (form #AAAA/342) + very perlite stuff + criminally insane fairies + GOST TRANES and TUNELS OF FEER and Rabits of TEROR, oh my! + Sartre’s old buddy Arthur Trubshaw + ancient expletives involving sexual congress between extinct tribes and extinct species (don’t ask) + prison escapees + mesmerised (if a little unhygienic) women littering up the carnival grounds + most hilariously amazing kid POV ever + friendly vicars and law-abiding postmen *shudders* + super extra cool footnotes + pathetic schemes that do as much damage as a convent full of possessed nuns + priceless police bulletins + ‘Rock, scissors, paper, dynamite, punch Dennis in the face’ + being belaboured with fourteenth-century battle axes + ‘I Lie Diplomatically About Your Weight’ machines = let’s dance and stuff, fellow necromaniacs!
➽ And the moral of this Johannes Cabal You Are One Slightly Heartless and Somewhat Cold Son of a Shrimp But I Still Lurves You and Stuff Crappy Non Review (JCYAOSHaSCSoaSBISLYaSCNR ™) is: FABULOSO!!! *waves at Elena and Timothy*
· Book 0.5: Johannes Cabal and the Blustery Day ★★★★★
· Book 0.75: Exeunt Demon King ★★★★
· Book 2: The Detective ★★★★★
· Book 2.5: The Ereshkigal Working ★★★★★
· Book 3: The Fear Institute ★★★★★
· Book 3.1: The House of Gears ★★★★
· Book 3.2: The Death of Me ★★★
· Book 3.3: Ouroboros Ouzo ★★★★
· Book 4: The Brothers Cabal ★★★★
· Book 4.5: A Long Spoon ★★★★★
· Book 5: The Fall of the House of Cabal ★★★★★
[Pre-review nonsense]
As Johannes Cabal's good old pal Satan would say: dark stuff + weird stuff + HAHAHAHA stuff =
➽ Full review to come.
➽ And the moral of this reread is: I'm pretty sure that my girlfriend Kate Daniels (aka the world-famous, multiple-time winner of the Best Misfiring Smile of the Year Award) would absolutely 💕 lurve 💕 the myriad Lip Curving Gymnastics (LCG™)—and accompanying side effects—displayed in this book. We've got smiles that make spiders run for cover! Smiles with all the warmth of dollhouse ovens! Smiles as offensive weapons! Smiles that make churns of milk go sour! Smiles that fall from people's faces like greased pigs off church roofs! And last, but certainly not least, smiles that creep across one's face like melanomas in time-lapse! This book! It's ALL blissfully
Just like that, yes.
➽ And the other moral of this reread is: "FABULOSO!!!" 4 EVER.
👋 To be continued and stuff.
[September 2018]
💀 Woohoo Time to Bring Back the Dead Buddy Read (WTtBBtDBR™) with the MacHalo Necromaniacs 💀
The thing you are about to read is as crappy as the book it hopelessly tries to non-review is fantastic. Consider your little selves warned and stuff.
There’s a slight chance this book might or might not be the mostest funniest one I have read in the entirety of this entire year. Maybe. Perhaps. Also, I’m fairly (almost) certain I haven’t come across such a joyously delightful mix of Fantasy, dark comedy, delicious British humor, and Weird & Wacky Stuff™ at any time in the last nine months, so there’s a good possibility this book might actually be one of my top ten favorite reads of
The Necromancer is a
You are so hot, Your Mephistopheleciousness! I think I’m in 💕lurve💕
So Cabal goes on a little field trip to
“What happens next,” you ask? Well The Cabal Brothers Carnival of Wonders takes to the road and spoiler spoiler spoiler ensues. So does much hilarity. Well hilarity ensues for those equipped with Flawless Sense of the Absurdly Comical and Comically Absurd (FSotACaCA™), anyway. A quality our friend Johannes seems to have been born without, I’m afraid. He totally fails to appreciate how inanely ludicrous his current predicament is, and is as utterly unflappable as an anemic gastropod at a Barnacles & Chitons circus show. I mean, Cabal’s brother himself thinks the guy is “as much fun as a leper at an orgy,” which is saying something. But hey, it’s not all bad! He has tons of redeeming qualities and stuff: he can be magnificently obtuse, has a black, withered heart (just like me! Yay!), and is sarcastic as shrimp. Also, he has fished-up morals, a thing for shooting people in the back, and isn’t entirely loathe to smashing people’s brains out with a croquet mallet *swoons* Also also, his smile makes milk churn and doubles as an offensive weapon. Now that’s what I call High Security Harem Potential!
Now. I’d love to tell you more about the story, but spoiler spoiler spoiler (as I may or may not have mentioned before), so I won’t. You are quite welcome, de nada, my pleasure and stuff. Anyway, what I can indeed tell you is that (beware, for it’s quick maths time):
Howard’s witty, unique writing style + intriguing, original plot + yummy characterization + High Quality Snorting (HQS™) + offensive, recalcitrant fortune-telling machines + Ragtag Slyboots, Despoiler of Milk and Entangler of Shoelaces + surprisingly resilient babies + a chanting army of lunatics + Infernal Regions (Local Authority) Hades Provisional Admission Application (form #AAAA/342) + very perlite stuff + criminally insane fairies + GOST TRANES and TUNELS OF FEER and Rabits of TEROR, oh my! + Sartre’s old buddy Arthur Trubshaw + ancient expletives involving sexual congress between extinct tribes and extinct species (don’t ask) + prison escapees + mesmerised (if a little unhygienic) women littering up the carnival grounds + most hilariously amazing kid POV ever + friendly vicars and law-abiding postmen *shudders* + super extra cool footnotes + pathetic schemes that do as much damage as a convent full of possessed nuns + priceless police bulletins + ‘Rock, scissors, paper, dynamite, punch Dennis in the face’ + being belaboured with fourteenth-century battle axes + ‘I Lie Diplomatically About Your Weight’ machines = let’s dance and stuff, fellow necromaniacs!
➽ And the moral of this Johannes Cabal You Are One Slightly Heartless and Somewhat Cold Son of a Shrimp But I Still Lurves You and Stuff Crappy Non Review (JCYAOSHaSCSoaSBISLYaSCNR ™) is: FABULOSO!!! *waves at Elena and Timothy*
· Book 0.5: Johannes Cabal and the Blustery Day ★★★★★
· Book 0.75: Exeunt Demon King ★★★★
· Book 2: The Detective ★★★★★
· Book 2.5: The Ereshkigal Working ★★★★★
· Book 3: The Fear Institute ★★★★★
· Book 3.1: The House of Gears ★★★★
· Book 3.2: The Death of Me ★★★
· Book 3.3: Ouroboros Ouzo ★★★★
· Book 4: The Brothers Cabal ★★★★
· Book 4.5: A Long Spoon ★★★★★
· Book 5: The Fall of the House of Cabal ★★★★★
[Pre-review nonsense]
As Johannes Cabal's good old pal Satan would say: dark stuff + weird stuff + HAHAHAHA stuff =
➽ Full review to come.
October 10, 2022
“We’re supposed to be doing the devil’s work and you’ve gone and contaminated it all with the whiff of virtue. I really don’t think you’ve quite got the hang of being an agent of evil.”
The humor in Jonathan Howard's Johannes Cabal the Necromancer was especially evident in a chapter that featured songs from "The Necronomicon: The Musical." The middle seemed a bit longish, but I enjoyed my second reading of the book and decided to read more of the series. 3.75 stars
November 2018 Review:
There weren't very many laugh out loud moments for me in Jonathan Howard's Johannes Cabal the Necromancer, but this dark comedy put a smile on my face during big parts of the book. Characters, such as Johannes Cabal and his vampiric brother Horst are presented with a light touch (even though Cabal's goal is to gather 100 souls for Satan so he can get his own soul back). There is no real new ground broken here, unless you count demons running a carnival as a twist, but it was an amusing and well-written read with lots of really good dialogue. 3.5 stars.
The humor in Jonathan Howard's Johannes Cabal the Necromancer was especially evident in a chapter that featured songs from "The Necronomicon: The Musical." The middle seemed a bit longish, but I enjoyed my second reading of the book and decided to read more of the series. 3.75 stars
November 2018 Review:
There weren't very many laugh out loud moments for me in Jonathan Howard's Johannes Cabal the Necromancer, but this dark comedy put a smile on my face during big parts of the book. Characters, such as Johannes Cabal and his vampiric brother Horst are presented with a light touch (even though Cabal's goal is to gather 100 souls for Satan so he can get his own soul back). There is no real new ground broken here, unless you count demons running a carnival as a twist, but it was an amusing and well-written read with lots of really good dialogue. 3.5 stars.
February 4, 2021
4.5 Stars ⭐️
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
I’ll have to add it to my thing if GR ever fixes the latest shit that’s glitching!! 🤬
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
I’ll have to add it to my thing if GR ever fixes the latest shit that’s glitching!! 🤬
February 14, 2017
I loved this book.
I loved its weird characters.
I loved Johannes Cabal even at his worst. I should be worried, I know.
I loved the beginning, the plot, the ending.
I would admit that Johannes Cabal is an acquired taste. There are things here that might make some people squirm (not in a good way, but there are those too) and make them feel uncomfortable at best, horrified at worst. The first half of the book is a bit lighter than the second.
If you thought Something Wicked This Way Comes was too tame, The Necromancer and its protagonist will not disappoint you. If Terry Pratchett wrote more morbid and horrifying stories, you would probably get this book. Also, there are so many moments that reminded me of Monty Python's Flying Circus. And we all know how morbid they could get ('I'm being belaboured with a fourteenth-century battleaxe. What are the odds, eh?'). I loved it.
Johannes Cabal wants his soul back because he thinks his soulless state is messing up his research. You know he is trying to cure death, but you only get a vague idea of the reason. The Necromancer is about his bet with Satan. He would get a carnival train and whatever help he can conjure up to use for one year to get a hundred souls in exchange for his own. The rest is the carnival journey, collecting the souls and a couple of stories within a story for good measure.
Speaking of things that might make you squirm (in a good way this time), there is Horst. I'll just leave it at that.
If I tried really hard, I could find a couple of things to nit-pick but the fact that I didn't want to finish this book (I made myself read the last couple of pages really, really slow) speaks for itself.
If you enjoy dark comedy and biting humour, then this book is for you.
February 9, 2017
This book turned out to be a delightfully evil tome that retells the Faustian adventure in a clever, dry and imminently British way.
Add a bit of Bradbury and the evil carnies, a dash of the detective mystery, and a very liberal dose of the classic "beating the devil at his own game"... and we've got this tale. I am pretty much delighted through and through, to tell the truth. :)
It reads like the lightest of Urban Fantasies, it has the darkness of the most evil of tales, it has the glimmer of hope and the joys of brotherhood (until they turn sour), and it has the most delightfully sinful romp of paperwork in hell that I've ever see. If only all such travels to hell could be so organized and planned. :P
Definitely a fun read. :)
Add a bit of Bradbury and the evil carnies, a dash of the detective mystery, and a very liberal dose of the classic "beating the devil at his own game"... and we've got this tale. I am pretty much delighted through and through, to tell the truth. :)
It reads like the lightest of Urban Fantasies, it has the darkness of the most evil of tales, it has the glimmer of hope and the joys of brotherhood (until they turn sour), and it has the most delightfully sinful romp of paperwork in hell that I've ever see. If only all such travels to hell could be so organized and planned. :P
Definitely a fun read. :)
July 15, 2016
In a bid to win back his soul, necromancer and scientist Johannes Cabal runs a demonic carnival in order to win the souls of a hundred people to exchange for his own. With the help of his vampire brother, can he find one hundred people willing to sell their souls?
This is one of those books that I'm having a hard time verbalizing my opinion on. I'll give it a shot, though.
The Necromancer is a funny tale about a man trying to win back his soul. I found the dark British humor right up my alley. Johannes Cabal is a delightful asshole and his relationship with his brother Horst was one of my favorite parts of the book. I like the idea of a demonic carnival. Who knows where carnies go after they leave your town? I'm surprised Stephen King hasn't written something about that with his recent carnie obsession.
The dialogue is great and, as I said before, I loved the humor and the brothers Cabal. The story itself was a little too linear for me. The carnival travels for a year and Johannes collects souls. That's pretty much it. There weren't really any twists until the last 20% of the book and those were a little telegraphed in my opinion.
So I guess this book is firmly in 3 territory. I liked the characters quite a bit but I was never compelled to take a day off work to read the book in one sitting and I'm not sure I'll read the rest of the series.
This is one of those books that I'm having a hard time verbalizing my opinion on. I'll give it a shot, though.
The Necromancer is a funny tale about a man trying to win back his soul. I found the dark British humor right up my alley. Johannes Cabal is a delightful asshole and his relationship with his brother Horst was one of my favorite parts of the book. I like the idea of a demonic carnival. Who knows where carnies go after they leave your town? I'm surprised Stephen King hasn't written something about that with his recent carnie obsession.
The dialogue is great and, as I said before, I loved the humor and the brothers Cabal. The story itself was a little too linear for me. The carnival travels for a year and Johannes collects souls. That's pretty much it. There weren't really any twists until the last 20% of the book and those were a little telegraphed in my opinion.
So I guess this book is firmly in 3 territory. I liked the characters quite a bit but I was never compelled to take a day off work to read the book in one sitting and I'm not sure I'll read the rest of the series.
Read
October 2, 2023
Celebrate!
Oh, reader, if you are unacquainted with Johannes Cabal you are in for a distinctively scrumptious literary treat. Johannes Cabal the Necromancer is not only a consummate work of literature that will bring to mind such luminaries as Wilkie Collins, Hugh Walpole, Arthur Machen and M.R. James, but Jonathan L. Howard has created an unforgettable novel (and series) that's actually loads of fun. Be prepared to smile, chuckle or laugh-out-loud as you read each outrageous scene.
How does our Brit author do it? As a way of answering this question along with picking up (I hope) on the novel's elan, I'll employ the format of the novel's chapter titles, such as IN WHICH CABAL PRACTICES HIS MAP-READING AND MEETS AN OLD ACQUAINTANCE and IN WHICH CABAL APPLIES HIMSELF WITH MIXED RESULTS. Here goes:
IN WHICH THE AUTHOR CREATES AN UNFORGETTABLE MAIN CHARACTER
On the very first pages readers are introduced to Johannes Cabal by way of the necromancer performing a ritual to summon a demon. “He drew a deep breath and sighed, bored with the ritual.” The ritual works; Lucifuge Rofocale appears and the narrator describes the demon ending with “He had a fat anteater's tail, and a silly little Hercule Poirot moustache. As is often the case with demons, Lucifuge looked like an anatomical game of Consequences.”
With this short snip we're given an example of narrative voice: acerbic, condescending and laced with black humor, a voice sharing and reinforcing the world according to Johannes Cabal. Indeed, it is this double dose of Cabal that sets the tone and makes the novels and short-stories featuring the dashing necromancer so incredibly distinctive.
IN WHICH THE AUTHOR (WITH THE HELP OF SATAN) PLACES CABAL IN A QUIZZICAL QUAGMIRE
To gain the needed power as necromancer in order to overcome the phenomenon of death, Cabal sold his soul to Satan. However, there's a problem: not having a soul is preventing Cabal from conducting effective research. Thus the necromancer must go to hell to retrieve what he so desperately needs. Turns out, Satan is willing to strike a deal: he'll return Cabal's soul if within one year Cabal persuades a hundred men and women to sign over their souls to eternal damnation (forms provided; and the signatures don't even have to be in blood).
Ridiculous! And how exactly will Cabal go about securing those one hundred signatures? With a twist of sadistic gallows humor (after all, he is Satan), Cabal will be obliged to revive and operate a traveling carnival that he, Satan, provides - 'Brown's Carnival. Doctor Brown of World Renown.'
IN WHICH THE AUTHOR CREATES A UNIQUE SETTING AND OUTLANDISH CHARACTERS
Cabal inspects what he's been given: “It was the most astounding piece of engineering he thought he'd ever seen, and he'd seen a few. A massive locomotive that even here, dead and neglected, its firebox long cold, demanded and received unthinking respect.”
If you take to Steampunk, you're in luck - Jonathan L. Howard provides just enough 19th century retrosteam and just enough rustic England to ground his tale but, and here's the beauty, as readers we're provided space to engage our imagination to fill in the gaps. Same thing goes for Johannes' one year timeline/deadline.
When it comes to those beings charged to help run Cabal's carnival - what characters! To take one example: "The circling rag swept in and flew a complex weaving pattern over the surface of the body, and where it flew, clothing appeared. Like ghastly toast, the skull popped up from the neck and grinned maniacally in the way skulls do. Even when the skin wrapped over it, it continued to grin at Cabal with immodest glee."
So Bones came into the world and Bones confronts Cabal, "I could have been a fine-lookin' man, guy. Instead of which, I'm nothin' but a bag of bones." He fails to elicit Cabal's sympathy but quickly comprehends, as does everyone else, Johannes Cabal is a necromancer with brass balls wrapped in silk (my description - as a avid new fan, I simply can't help myself).
Lastly, there's one additional character who joins Johannes, a special someone who adds so, so much but I hesitate to be more specific - not for me to insert a spoiler into the author's comic yarn.
IN WHICH THE AUTHOR PUTS CABAL TO THE TEST
Having been on the receiving end of a diabolical spell, Cabal must deal with a garden world where time has stopped. How exactly Cabal solves the riddle to extract himself from this noxious predicament requires the necromancer to draw on all his faculties as acutely perceptive scientist. Most impressive, Cabal!
IN WHICH THE AUTHOR SHIFTS FROM THIRD TO FIRST
One chapter features Cabal's carnival from the point of view of Timothy Chambers, a schoolboy who writes a short essay about his weekend experience for his teacher, Miss Raine. You see, young Tim always wanted to be a space pilot and what happened to him at the carnival beginning with his encounter with a Mr. Bones brings a measure of alarm to Miss Raine; in point of fact, she judges the lad a potential serial killer, arsonist and cannibal. Really, Miss Raine? At a fun carnival? How can this be?
IN WHICH THE AUTHOR ADDS A HELPING OF MELODRAMA
Will Cabal actually hand over to Satan a pair of pure souls belonging to, in turn, a desperate young mother and a beautiful devoted daughter? Is Cabal capable of taking on the role of villain, becoming another Snidely Whiplash or Simon Legree? Or, will Johannes Cabal outwit even the king of the dark realm and have readers give him the ultimate high five?
I urge you to read this outstanding novel to find out. If you're like me, you'll become a fan of the author and look forward to joining necromancer Cabal on his future adventures.
"Yes, I'm a necromancer, technically a necromancer. But I'm not one of those foolish people who take up residence in cemeteries so that they can raise an army of the dead. Have you ever seen an army of the dead? They're more expensive than a living one, and far less use. A shambles; they march ten miles and their legs fall off."
British author Jonathan L. Howard
June 30, 2017
3ish stars.
This is a good, clever, quick genre-bender. It even has a few laugh-out-loud moments. It's very enjoyable, intelligent and endlessly quotable but a little too light-weight for my tastes (despite its dark nature) with a protagonist who is hard to care about. The audiobook performance by Christopher Cazenove really elevates the story and is highly recommended!
Johannes Cabal is a necromancer. He's sold his soul to the devil. Now he'd like it back. There's humor in many varieties, as well as fantasy, (lite) horror, mystery, some great characters and a wonderful carnie-style setting. There's no denying it's a good book. Why 3 stars and not 4? The pace is a little inconsistent. It's a little twee- which is funny considering the juxtaposition with the dark subject matter, but not deep enough to become invested in the story itself. The protagonist is unlikeable, which is fine, as he's the straight man to a large cast of ridiculous characters: carnies, gentlemen, and a smorgasbord of the devil's own creations, as well as a vampire who happens to be Johannes's own noble-ish brother, Horst. As Johannes says to his brother:
But Johannes is also unsympathetic. Is he going to fulfill his deal with the devil? Eh, I don't care. Hopefully not, to be honest. So overall, worth a read, but unlikely to end up on any of my favorites lists. While this works perfectly well as a standalone, I might eventually read the next book, but I'm not in too big of a hurry.
Just because, here are some of my favorite quotes:
Upon introducing the House of Medical Monstrosity within the carnival, Johannes addresses the crowd's insecurities by assuring them they pale in comparison to the grotesque creatures in the house. So say the carnival-goers:
And these police notices about escaped convicts:
This is a good, clever, quick genre-bender. It even has a few laugh-out-loud moments. It's very enjoyable, intelligent and endlessly quotable but a little too light-weight for my tastes (despite its dark nature) with a protagonist who is hard to care about. The audiobook performance by Christopher Cazenove really elevates the story and is highly recommended!
Johannes Cabal is a necromancer. He's sold his soul to the devil. Now he'd like it back. There's humor in many varieties, as well as fantasy, (lite) horror, mystery, some great characters and a wonderful carnie-style setting. There's no denying it's a good book. Why 3 stars and not 4? The pace is a little inconsistent. It's a little twee- which is funny considering the juxtaposition with the dark subject matter, but not deep enough to become invested in the story itself. The protagonist is unlikeable, which is fine, as he's the straight man to a large cast of ridiculous characters: carnies, gentlemen, and a smorgasbord of the devil's own creations, as well as a vampire who happens to be Johannes's own noble-ish brother, Horst. As Johannes says to his brother:
“We’re supposed to be doing the devil’s work and you’ve gone and contaminated it all with the whiff of virtue. I really don’t think you’ve quite got the hang of being an agent of evil.”
But Johannes is also unsympathetic. Is he going to fulfill his deal with the devil? Eh, I don't care. Hopefully not, to be honest. So overall, worth a read, but unlikely to end up on any of my favorites lists. While this works perfectly well as a standalone, I might eventually read the next book, but I'm not in too big of a hurry.
Just because, here are some of my favorite quotes:
Upon introducing the House of Medical Monstrosity within the carnival, Johannes addresses the crowd's insecurities by assuring them they pale in comparison to the grotesque creatures in the house. So say the carnival-goers:
A crowd was growing. A young woman nervously held up her hand. "I...I...I have freckles."
Cabal gestured fiercely over his shoulder with his thumb. "We have the Dalmatian Boy. Next?"
A man called. "I have a bit of an overbite."
"Then gaze in delighted wonder upon the Human Shark. Next!"
"My nose is a little too pert," said an almost stereotypical blond woman on the arm of a wealthy man.
"It can't be as pert as Simone Sans-Nez the Noseless Girl's. Next!"
"I'm ginger," called a teenage boy.
"So you are. Yes, my friends! The house of Medical Monstrosity!"
And these police notices about escaped convicts:
Leslie Coleridge, "The Part-time Children's Entertainer of Death." Approach with caution. If Coleridge offers to make a sausage dog out of balloons, call for immediate assistance.
Joseph Grant Osbourne, "The Unnecessarily Rude Poisoner." Of limited threat, but officers should take nothing he says personally.
Gideon Gabriel Lucas, "The Bible Basher." Only dangerous to individuals with the surname 'Bible.'
Frederick Gallagher, “The Brides in the Inflammable Electrified Acid Bath Murderer.” Limited threat. Kills only for insurance money. Is prone to overplanning.
Oliver Tiller, "The Rhyming Killer." Ex-army munitions officer with expertise in booby traps. While pursing Tiller, officers should beware rakes by lakes, toads in roads, and hares on stairs. Esplanades are to be avoided entirely.
Alvin Simpson, file missing. Assumed dangerous. Probably.
May 16, 2019
Edit after re-read: Wile I enjoyed this book immensely both first and second time around it doesn't showcase quality of the rest of the series. It's from second book that writting becomes more polished, everything "clicks" this becomes one of my all time favorite series.
Original review:
Somewhere between 4 and 5 stars but little closer to 4.
Writing style and humor reminds of Terry Pratchett but with lot darker tone. Humor here is dark and our protagonist isn't a hero or even anti-hero. Johannes Cabal is straight up villain and horrible person with flashes of redeemable qualities now and then which made him intriguing and interesting to me.
This book follows his funny misadventures in trying to sign 100 souls to devil in order to get his soul back. Like Discworld messes around with fantasy this book messes with late Gothic and early modern horror genre. I'm not expert in those genre but I recognized references and nods to Lovecraft, Blake, M.R. James, Marry Shelley and some others. One thing thing this book differs from Discworld are story and characters who are done in more serious manner and I know lot of people who will prefer it that way although this book lacked those moments of pure brilliance Discworld has.
In the end if you like your humor dark and don't mind or even prefer protagonist who is heartless bastard than this isn't a book you should miss.
Original review:
Somewhere between 4 and 5 stars but little closer to 4.
Writing style and humor reminds of Terry Pratchett but with lot darker tone. Humor here is dark and our protagonist isn't a hero or even anti-hero. Johannes Cabal is straight up villain and horrible person with flashes of redeemable qualities now and then which made him intriguing and interesting to me.
This book follows his funny misadventures in trying to sign 100 souls to devil in order to get his soul back. Like Discworld messes around with fantasy this book messes with late Gothic and early modern horror genre. I'm not expert in those genre but I recognized references and nods to Lovecraft, Blake, M.R. James, Marry Shelley and some others. One thing thing this book differs from Discworld are story and characters who are done in more serious manner and I know lot of people who will prefer it that way although this book lacked those moments of pure brilliance Discworld has.
In the end if you like your humor dark and don't mind or even prefer protagonist who is heartless bastard than this isn't a book you should miss.
July 8, 2016
"The darkest souls are not those which choose to exist within the hell of the abyss, but those which choose to break free from the abyss and move silently among us."
Although the above quote is from the movie Halloween, it sums up this book almost perfectly. Because even though The Necromancer may at first dazzle readers with its sharp wit and cleverness, it has a dark heart, mostly due to its eponymous leading man, Johannes Cabal.
Cabal has a problem, you see. A while ago, he sold his soul to Satan and now... Well, he's having second thoughts. The only thing to do is take a brief journey to hell and strike up a bargain with none other than Lucifer himself: in return for his soul, Cabal must convince 100 other people to sign their souls to eternal damnation. If he fails, though, Satan gets the souls he's collected, as well as Cabal's soul- and his life. And so, with the aid of a dark carnival, his brother (a delightfully charismatic vampire with strong morals), a small faculty of the undead, some freaks, and his own calculating intellect, Cabal sets off to triumph or fail- but whatever happens, he will have given it his damnedest.
Alright, now that the synopsis is over with, I can finally dish about all of the things I loved in this book!
Firstly, Johannes Cabal himself. Where do I even begin? This book is very much a character study of Cabal- his darkness, his soullessness, his arrogance, his desperation, and the tiny flickers of compassion and humanity that he tries his very best to hide from the world. Much of his background is murky- we know practically nothing of his past, or what he did on a daily basis before selling his soul. And that's the least of the enigma that is Johannes. As the carnival travels across England, stealing souls and leaving mayhem in its wake, we spend a lot of time inside his mind- we watch him struggle and rage, scheme and trick, steal and swindle. We watch him kill, and spare lives. We root for him and curse him in the same breath. And that, I think, is what a great character is supposed to be: complex, neither wholly good nor wholly bad, with motivations that are difficult to piece together and never clean-cut. Great characters are ones that you can relate to and empathise with despite their outlandish circumstances. They remind us of ourselves and our own struggles, and they make us doubt both their own actions and ours.
Cabal actually reminded me quite a bit of myself, which was slightly scary. No, I don't coldly murder people, and I would know better than to sell my soul to the devil, and I don't believe I'm quite as narcissistic or bitter as Cabal. But some of his traits- the discomfort around people, the way he (sometimes unknowingly) hurts people by stating facts, his biting snark, the way most people thinks he feels nothing at all, the ruthless, stop-at-nothing-until-you-understand-how-it-works sort of curiosity- that's incredibly similar to myself. And that's precisely why Johannes Cabal is such a masterpiece of a character: he's a snarky little bastard, neither hero nor villain, and even when you hate him viciously for being so obtuse or cold or just plain mean, you see enough of yourself in his darkness that you can never write him off completely.
Also, HORST! Horst is Johannes' estranged brother who also happens to be a vampire, and a rather charming one at that. Cabal recruits his help in running the carnival (which is entrusted to him by Satan for the purpose of stealing souls) because he realises that for all his knowledge, Cabal is pretty useless in the actual person-to-person advertising and entertainment aspects of running a travelling carnival. Horst is what's known as a foil in the literary world; that is, a character that contrasts another character, highlighting certain aspects of them that wouldn't be seen otherwise. In this case, Horst's morality and easy charm are a sharp contrast to Cabal's amorality and general misanthropy. The relationship between the two brothers was really touching at times, and most of the time I was shouting, "Just stop being assholes and say you love each other, dammit!" Needless to say, Very thought-provoking stuff.
There's not much to say about the plot of The Necromancer, as I don't want to give much away. It's exceedingly, brilliantly weird, though, and involves prison escapees, noble ex-cops, swindling, precocious children, a brief foray into purgatory, and a good deal of demonic influence.
I found Howard's writing lovely- it was witty, smart, beautiful, imaginative, and (here comes that word again) dark. It definitely reminded me of The Monstrumologist, only less gory and horrific. Somehow the author manages to dance just along the line between exceedingly clever and trying too hard, but never goes into the trying too hard territory. He also does a really amazing job of showing, not telling, and making connections here requires a fair amount of effort and reading between the lines from the reader, and I love that. I was very surprised upon learning that Jonathan L. Howard actually wrote The Necromancer before he wrote Katya's World, which I inexplicably enjoyed but which I thought wasn't nearly as good as The Necromancer. (Side note: the sequel to Katya's World- Katya's War- was actually fantastic.) Howard's not afraid to deviate from the norm either- parts of the book are told in the form of memos, a child's school assignment, letters, and some scientific analyses from Cabal.
This book wasn't without its flaws, however, which is why I've been floundering between giving it four and five stars. My biggest gripe is the setting. It really isn't very well done. At first, I thought it took place in the late 1880s based on the technology and fashion- cravats and what not. Only halfway through the book did I realise that it actually took place in the 1910s, after 1918, due to passing references to Dadaism and the First World War. This may seem like a meaningless difference, but for me, it totally changes the background, especially the recent occurrence of the first global war. As for the "where" element, I only know it takes place in Britain because of the dialect (of other characters- the brothers Cabal are German) and the names of villages (not that I actually knew any of those villages- they could very well be totally made up for all I know- but because they all sounded rather British). I'm also still ambivalent towards the ending- I'm settling on five stars for now, because it was incredibly enjoyable and it pulled me out of a dreadful, Poe-induced reading slump. Besides, it's like I said in my review of The Shadow of the Wind: five-star books are not flawless, they are books that I loved despite- or perhaps even because of- their flaws.
Not to sound elitist, but I feel like this book will probably be enjoyed by a small group of readers- those who side with unlikeable characters, think the villains are almost always more interesting than the heroes, and have a dark sense of humour. If you don't fall into that category, you might still like it, but chances are you won't get the appeal. Luckily, the above characteristics describe my reading tastes perfectly, and so I found it a fun, darkly whimsical ride. If you're looking for some great gallows humour, complex characters, and an irresistibly original premise, chances are you'll like this one a good deal.
(Note: I apologise if this review pops up on your feed a few times. It's not because I crave popularity or I'm trying to garner likes, it's just because I don't have the book with me now and I like to add quotes to my review, so I'll be adding some quotes from the book when I get a chance. This actually goes for all of my reviews- as a rule, I never purposely bump them. Most likely, if you see some of my reviews continually popping up on your stream, it's because I found a grammar or spelling error, was too anal-retentive to let it be, and forgot to turn off the "update to stream" button when I edited it.)
Although the above quote is from the movie Halloween, it sums up this book almost perfectly. Because even though The Necromancer may at first dazzle readers with its sharp wit and cleverness, it has a dark heart, mostly due to its eponymous leading man, Johannes Cabal.
Cabal has a problem, you see. A while ago, he sold his soul to Satan and now... Well, he's having second thoughts. The only thing to do is take a brief journey to hell and strike up a bargain with none other than Lucifer himself: in return for his soul, Cabal must convince 100 other people to sign their souls to eternal damnation. If he fails, though, Satan gets the souls he's collected, as well as Cabal's soul- and his life. And so, with the aid of a dark carnival, his brother (a delightfully charismatic vampire with strong morals), a small faculty of the undead, some freaks, and his own calculating intellect, Cabal sets off to triumph or fail- but whatever happens, he will have given it his damnedest.
Alright, now that the synopsis is over with, I can finally dish about all of the things I loved in this book!
He spent an undignified few moments trying to get over the fact that he was no longer in Hell, wheeling on the spot like somebody who has walked into the wrong toilets. When he finally deduced that he had been unceremoniously translocated, he marked the revelation with a filthy curse in a language that had been dead eight thousand years, so managing to be amazingly erudite and amazingly uncouth in the selfsame instant.
Firstly, Johannes Cabal himself. Where do I even begin? This book is very much a character study of Cabal- his darkness, his soullessness, his arrogance, his desperation, and the tiny flickers of compassion and humanity that he tries his very best to hide from the world. Much of his background is murky- we know practically nothing of his past, or what he did on a daily basis before selling his soul. And that's the least of the enigma that is Johannes. As the carnival travels across England, stealing souls and leaving mayhem in its wake, we spend a lot of time inside his mind- we watch him struggle and rage, scheme and trick, steal and swindle. We watch him kill, and spare lives. We root for him and curse him in the same breath. And that, I think, is what a great character is supposed to be: complex, neither wholly good nor wholly bad, with motivations that are difficult to piece together and never clean-cut. Great characters are ones that you can relate to and empathise with despite their outlandish circumstances. They remind us of ourselves and our own struggles, and they make us doubt both their own actions and ours.
"Oh, Johannes," it moaned in exasperation. "You utter idiot. This is to get your soul back, isn't it? Don't you know anything? You can't beat him. He only bets on certainties."
"So people keep telling me," replied Cabal, growing exasperated himself. "Well, I say 'people,' but that's a fairly loose term. I need my soul back. That's not open to negotiation. I took the only deal he would offer. Take it or leave it. I took it. Perhaps he can't be beaten. I don't know, nor shall I until I give this the best I can. And if I fail, it won't be through lack of will or defeatism setting in. I'll be able to look Satan in the eye and say, 'I did my best, and it came pretty close. And while you just sat down here on your fat, sulphuric arse, I stretched for the impossible, so don't imagine for a moment that this is your victory, you smug, infernal bastard.'" He stopped, breathing heavily.
Cabal actually reminded me quite a bit of myself, which was slightly scary. No, I don't coldly murder people, and I would know better than to sell my soul to the devil, and I don't believe I'm quite as narcissistic or bitter as Cabal. But some of his traits- the discomfort around people, the way he (sometimes unknowingly) hurts people by stating facts, his biting snark, the way most people thinks he feels nothing at all, the ruthless, stop-at-nothing-until-you-understand-how-it-works sort of curiosity- that's incredibly similar to myself. And that's precisely why Johannes Cabal is such a masterpiece of a character: he's a snarky little bastard, neither hero nor villain, and even when you hate him viciously for being so obtuse or cold or just plain mean, you see enough of yourself in his darkness that you can never write him off completely.
Also, HORST! Horst is Johannes' estranged brother who also happens to be a vampire, and a rather charming one at that. Cabal recruits his help in running the carnival (which is entrusted to him by Satan for the purpose of stealing souls) because he realises that for all his knowledge, Cabal is pretty useless in the actual person-to-person advertising and entertainment aspects of running a travelling carnival. Horst is what's known as a foil in the literary world; that is, a character that contrasts another character, highlighting certain aspects of them that wouldn't be seen otherwise. In this case, Horst's morality and easy charm are a sharp contrast to Cabal's amorality and general misanthropy. The relationship between the two brothers was really touching at times, and most of the time I was shouting, "Just stop being assholes and say you love each other, dammit!" Needless to say, Very thought-provoking stuff.
"You're dead," said Barrow, hoping he was reading Horst's character properly.
"Undead, technically. Not Johannes's doing, I hasten to add. Not directly, at any rate. He had promised to find some way of bringing me back to the land of the living. Not that I'm not in the land of the living now, you understand? I'm speaking figuratively. Now I'm not so sure. I need a little time to think."
"I don't understand you."
"Neither do I, I'm afraid."
There's not much to say about the plot of The Necromancer, as I don't want to give much away. It's exceedingly, brilliantly weird, though, and involves prison escapees, noble ex-cops, swindling, precocious children, a brief foray into purgatory, and a good deal of demonic influence.
I found Howard's writing lovely- it was witty, smart, beautiful, imaginative, and (here comes that word again) dark. It definitely reminded me of The Monstrumologist, only less gory and horrific. Somehow the author manages to dance just along the line between exceedingly clever and trying too hard, but never goes into the trying too hard territory. He also does a really amazing job of showing, not telling, and making connections here requires a fair amount of effort and reading between the lines from the reader, and I love that. I was very surprised upon learning that Jonathan L. Howard actually wrote The Necromancer before he wrote Katya's World, which I inexplicably enjoyed but which I thought wasn't nearly as good as The Necromancer. (Side note: the sequel to Katya's World- Katya's War- was actually fantastic.) Howard's not afraid to deviate from the norm either- parts of the book are told in the form of memos, a child's school assignment, letters, and some scientific analyses from Cabal.
This book wasn't without its flaws, however, which is why I've been floundering between giving it four and five stars. My biggest gripe is the setting. It really isn't very well done. At first, I thought it took place in the late 1880s based on the technology and fashion- cravats and what not. Only halfway through the book did I realise that it actually took place in the 1910s, after 1918, due to passing references to Dadaism and the First World War. This may seem like a meaningless difference, but for me, it totally changes the background, especially the recent occurrence of the first global war. As for the "where" element, I only know it takes place in Britain because of the dialect (of other characters- the brothers Cabal are German) and the names of villages (not that I actually knew any of those villages- they could very well be totally made up for all I know- but because they all sounded rather British). I'm also still ambivalent towards the ending- I'm settling on five stars for now, because it was incredibly enjoyable and it pulled me out of a dreadful, Poe-induced reading slump. Besides, it's like I said in my review of The Shadow of the Wind: five-star books are not flawless, they are books that I loved despite- or perhaps even because of- their flaws.
Not to sound elitist, but I feel like this book will probably be enjoyed by a small group of readers- those who side with unlikeable characters, think the villains are almost always more interesting than the heroes, and have a dark sense of humour. If you don't fall into that category, you might still like it, but chances are you won't get the appeal. Luckily, the above characteristics describe my reading tastes perfectly, and so I found it a fun, darkly whimsical ride. If you're looking for some great gallows humour, complex characters, and an irresistibly original premise, chances are you'll like this one a good deal.
(Note: I apologise if this review pops up on your feed a few times. It's not because I crave popularity or I'm trying to garner likes, it's just because I don't have the book with me now and I like to add quotes to my review, so I'll be adding some quotes from the book when I get a chance. This actually goes for all of my reviews- as a rule, I never purposely bump them. Most likely, if you see some of my reviews continually popping up on your stream, it's because I found a grammar or spelling error, was too anal-retentive to let it be, and forgot to turn off the "update to stream" button when I edited it.)
January 7, 2019
This book made me giggle-snort on the metro, which is not a very frequent occurrence. I got my copy as a Christmas present from my darling husband, who obviously knows exactly what will make me cackle maniacally.
The story opens on Johannes Cabal taking a little trip down to Hell in order to negotiate his contract with Satan regarding the purchase of his soul, and Howard describes the first step for getting into Hell as filling out a large number of standardized forms. This was all it took to automatically endear me to the hyper-rational (and let's face it, occasionally dick-ish) necromancer and his Faustian quest to get his soul back after an ill-advised transaction. The return policy, as it were, is a touch more complicated than Johannes had anticipated: the Devil wants one hundred souls in exchange for Cabal’s (signed, sealed and stamped, obviously), and he gives the unfortunate man a singular tool to help him in his recruitment campaign, a discarded carnival.
I had a feeling Bradbury had been a major influence on Howard, and he says as much himself in the acknowledgements, but the tone is very, very different from "Something Wicked This Way Comes"; think dark carnival as told by Terry Pratchett, and that will give you a good idea of what you are in for. Howard's writing is razor sharp (in a very dry, British sort of way) and hilarious – if your sense of humor leans towards the macabre, as mine certainly does. In fact, it's hard to resist the temptation to read this one aloud, but I guess staying perfectly deadpan might be a challenge…
The relationship between Johannes and his brother Horst was one of my favorite elements, their banter and often absurd sibling animosity sticking a perfect note. If I have any complain, it's that the uneven pacing meant we didn't spend as much time with these two as I wish we had. The side-stories are fun, but never quite as entertaining as what happens when a misanthropic necromancer and a dashing vampire have to work together. Though I admit nothing made me laugh quite a much as the idea of "Necronomicon: The Musical".
A fun, light but not fluffy read of damnation, traveling circus and weird sorcery.
The story opens on Johannes Cabal taking a little trip down to Hell in order to negotiate his contract with Satan regarding the purchase of his soul, and Howard describes the first step for getting into Hell as filling out a large number of standardized forms. This was all it took to automatically endear me to the hyper-rational (and let's face it, occasionally dick-ish) necromancer and his Faustian quest to get his soul back after an ill-advised transaction. The return policy, as it were, is a touch more complicated than Johannes had anticipated: the Devil wants one hundred souls in exchange for Cabal’s (signed, sealed and stamped, obviously), and he gives the unfortunate man a singular tool to help him in his recruitment campaign, a discarded carnival.
I had a feeling Bradbury had been a major influence on Howard, and he says as much himself in the acknowledgements, but the tone is very, very different from "Something Wicked This Way Comes"; think dark carnival as told by Terry Pratchett, and that will give you a good idea of what you are in for. Howard's writing is razor sharp (in a very dry, British sort of way) and hilarious – if your sense of humor leans towards the macabre, as mine certainly does. In fact, it's hard to resist the temptation to read this one aloud, but I guess staying perfectly deadpan might be a challenge…
The relationship between Johannes and his brother Horst was one of my favorite elements, their banter and often absurd sibling animosity sticking a perfect note. If I have any complain, it's that the uneven pacing meant we didn't spend as much time with these two as I wish we had. The side-stories are fun, but never quite as entertaining as what happens when a misanthropic necromancer and a dashing vampire have to work together. Though I admit nothing made me laugh quite a much as the idea of "Necronomicon: The Musical".
A fun, light but not fluffy read of damnation, traveling circus and weird sorcery.
January 14, 2022
A fun read, and just like that it's become a new favorite series.
Before "settling" for this one, I found myself picking up (and putting down) a few different books that I've had on the priority shelf for some time now, figuring now was as good a time as any to go through them, but it wasn't that easy. None of them worked. None of them made me want to return to the story within, and I'd rather save them for a better mood, rather than push through.
I thought I had finally come down with a case of Quarantine Brain™, accurately termed by Carol, even though I wasn't in quarantine, but that wasn't quite it. It turned out that I could and still can devour fiction just fine. There were just specific conditions I required and they had to be met exactly, otherwise the book "won't work."
This book, fortunately, had them in spades.
■ urban fantasy with a vague historical setting
■ witty narration that sometimes borders on being overwrought/overwritten--I like it this way at this very moment for some reason
■ weirdness--loads of weirdness actually
■ otherworldly creatures--loads of them too
■ likable main character--well, this one is a stretch, but I personally find Johannes quite pleasant... it's probably because he's a cold pragmatist to the core and is unapologetic about it. (And a necromancer.)
So, yeah, really looking forward to starting the next book and making my way through the whole series.
Notes and spoilers to be added later.
Before "settling" for this one, I found myself picking up (and putting down) a few different books that I've had on the priority shelf for some time now, figuring now was as good a time as any to go through them, but it wasn't that easy. None of them worked. None of them made me want to return to the story within, and I'd rather save them for a better mood, rather than push through.
I thought I had finally come down with a case of Quarantine Brain™, accurately termed by Carol, even though I wasn't in quarantine, but that wasn't quite it. It turned out that I could and still can devour fiction just fine. There were just specific conditions I required and they had to be met exactly, otherwise the book "won't work."
This book, fortunately, had them in spades.
■ urban fantasy with a vague historical setting
■ witty narration that sometimes borders on being overwrought/overwritten--I like it this way at this very moment for some reason
■ weirdness--loads of weirdness actually
■ otherworldly creatures--loads of them too
■ likable main character--well, this one is a stretch, but I personally find Johannes quite pleasant... it's probably because he's a cold pragmatist to the core and is unapologetic about it. (And a necromancer.)
So, yeah, really looking forward to starting the next book and making my way through the whole series.
Notes and spoilers to be added later.
December 17, 2016
A funny, slightly pretentious, very clever, Faustian story? There was no way in hell I wouldn't enjoy this. Faust has been one of my favourite books since I read it for my German course in school - I loved (and still do love) it enough that for several years I wanted to get a quote from it tattooed on the outside of my foot (and would have done so if not for the three tattoo artists who told me the location is impossible). Now I am kinda glad I did not get that tattoo, because WOW that would have been pretentious without end. So yes, I enjoyed this book immensely. I still get a kick out of the fact that Johannes' vampire brother is named Horst - which must be THE most unfitting name for a vampire ever (especially because "Horst" is used as the nicest possible way of insulting somebody, at least in the part of Germany where I am from).
The premise is brilliantly funny - Johannes sold his soul to the devil in exchange for knowledge but now his lack of soul is interfering with his experiments and this just won't do. So Cabal takes another wager with the devil (always a clever idea...): if he manages to get 100 people to sign over their souls within one year he can have his soul back. It says a lot about Johannes Cabal that this seems like a reasonable request with no moral implications at all. So, with the help of one of the devil's own carnivals and his aforementioned brother Horst (see, still funny) he sets out to win this wager.
While the pacing is a bit off in places, I still thoroughly enjoyed this. It is cleverly constructed and super funny in places. The characters are archetypical enough to please the inner Goethe fan in me, but still human enough to seem real. I cannot wait to get my hands on the next book in the series!
The premise is brilliantly funny - Johannes sold his soul to the devil in exchange for knowledge but now his lack of soul is interfering with his experiments and this just won't do. So Cabal takes another wager with the devil (always a clever idea...): if he manages to get 100 people to sign over their souls within one year he can have his soul back. It says a lot about Johannes Cabal that this seems like a reasonable request with no moral implications at all. So, with the help of one of the devil's own carnivals and his aforementioned brother Horst (see, still funny) he sets out to win this wager.
While the pacing is a bit off in places, I still thoroughly enjoyed this. It is cleverly constructed and super funny in places. The characters are archetypical enough to please the inner Goethe fan in me, but still human enough to seem real. I cannot wait to get my hands on the next book in the series!
July 30, 2019
This book was pretty unique and it was funny. It made me laugh several times out loud and that almost never happens to me. Mr. bones was one of my favorite characters in this book. It was a funny different story and was quite entertaining. It was a quick read I flew through it. If you can get ahold of a copy definitely give it a go.
October 3, 2021
This is just silliness. I can't believe I made it through to the end.
#bookclubstrikesagain
#Iamthewrongreaderforthisbook
#bookclubstrikesagain
#Iamthewrongreaderforthisbook
November 10, 2015
I really liked this book. The writing is dense, but darkly smart and clever. The characters are well drawn, and complex, and I love how the author used the language they spoke to help define them. I also loved the difficult relationship between Johannes and Horst. The secondary cast was interesting, and added a lot to the story. I appreciated their insight into the story, and the characters. Having views other than Johannes' helped me to understand Johannes, and how he is perceived. The plot was nicely convoluted, and well drawn. It drew me in, and I found myself ordering the next book before I finished this one. Here's hoping it arrives with the library loans today.
picture credit to cdranger
picture credit to cdranger
Read
April 12, 2013I tried. Oh how I tried. The premise for this book had me at hello. The audiobook starts out very charming and engaging with a winsome scene of Hell's bureaucracy. The dialogue is crisp, witty and very British. Narrator Christopher Cazenove reminded me of Alan Rickman, which is made of win for me.
Then there's the confrontation with Lucifer that's just as delightful and intriguing. Johannes Cabal is a Necromancer who traded his soul to the Devil. But now he needs it back. However, known neither for his mercy nor sense of fairness, Lucifer offers Cabal a wager he cannot refuse -- get 100 people to sign over their souls in one year and his soul will be returned. Fail to accomplish this task and Cabal forfeits the rest of his mortal life as well as his already misbegotten soul. Fun, right? I mean, if you're not the Silver-Tongued Devil himself, how do you get not just one but one hundred people to trade away their souls? That would be a neat trick.
So things started out on a high note. I was having a lot of fun. Then the exacting, fussy paragraphs of dense description of every single miniscule detail (or so it seemed in the listening) started to bog the story down. I would listen to loooooong mintues of prose and feel like the story had made very little progress at all. Even the snappy dialogue started to lose its snap. I was getting impatient. Rather than tickle my funny bone and engage my senses, everything started to feel oh so droll and pip pip cheerio, you know?
I'm not going to say I *hated* this book, because that would mean I thought it was poorly written and bad for everyone. No, it's not bad for everyone, it just isn't for me. I ran into the same problem with Roger Zelazny's A Night in the Lonesome October. I have friends who that is their favorite book, but it did very little for me. And this book reminded me a lot of that one, so I'm going to make a bold suggestion here that if you're a Zelazny fan, then you might love this too. I could be way off, but I'm going to throw it out there anyway just in case it sweetens the deal.
Then there's the confrontation with Lucifer that's just as delightful and intriguing. Johannes Cabal is a Necromancer who traded his soul to the Devil. But now he needs it back. However, known neither for his mercy nor sense of fairness, Lucifer offers Cabal a wager he cannot refuse -- get 100 people to sign over their souls in one year and his soul will be returned. Fail to accomplish this task and Cabal forfeits the rest of his mortal life as well as his already misbegotten soul. Fun, right? I mean, if you're not the Silver-Tongued Devil himself, how do you get not just one but one hundred people to trade away their souls? That would be a neat trick.
So things started out on a high note. I was having a lot of fun. Then the exacting, fussy paragraphs of dense description of every single miniscule detail (or so it seemed in the listening) started to bog the story down. I would listen to loooooong mintues of prose and feel like the story had made very little progress at all. Even the snappy dialogue started to lose its snap. I was getting impatient. Rather than tickle my funny bone and engage my senses, everything started to feel oh so droll and pip pip cheerio, you know?
I'm not going to say I *hated* this book, because that would mean I thought it was poorly written and bad for everyone. No, it's not bad for everyone, it just isn't for me. I ran into the same problem with Roger Zelazny's A Night in the Lonesome October. I have friends who that is their favorite book, but it did very little for me. And this book reminded me a lot of that one, so I'm going to make a bold suggestion here that if you're a Zelazny fan, then you might love this too. I could be way off, but I'm going to throw it out there anyway just in case it sweetens the deal.
September 25, 2023
Look, I'm not here to tell you if this will be funny for you, but I equally laughed, felt, and was just amazed. Great story, great story telling. I still start snickering remembering D & D running into each other off screen and hearing their subsequent attempts at fisticuffs. I'm literally doing it now as I type this for you. 🤣🤣🤣
April 9, 2012
Dreadful. I knew I was going to throw in the towel after about 30 pages, but I kept going until page 65 because I wanted to give it a reasonable chance. I was in the mood for some gothic wit, some charming amorality, and some evocative darkness. Fail, on all accounts. It wasn’t witty. The plot was contrived. The writing was forced and awkward. And the main character was neither charming nor witty. In fact, he was stiff and boring. Here is the dead-on insight I had about this book:
Sometimes while I'm reading, descriptive phrases or concepts that I will use in my review will burst into my head (it’s not that I’m formulating my final opinion but that critical thoughts are sparked as I go along, both positive and negative) and soon after I had begun reading The Necromancer, I thought … this book is constructed like a video game. It starts with a quest for the main character. Turns out our anti-hero surrendered his soul to Satan, and the book starts out with him tricking his way back into Hell in order to demand it back. (Side note: Uhm? Really? And he thinks it likely because Satan is … a standup guy? So, he starts out behaving like a moron even though he’s supposed to be intelligent if rather clueless about common-sense matters.) Satan tells him, okay—if you get this dark soul-stealing carnival up and running and can steal me 100 souls in 1 year, then I’ll give you your soul back. Quest: check! His first mission: Get the carnival up and running. His second mission, figure out how the different elements of the circus will help him succeed at his mission. Each soul is a sub-mission. There are side-quests, etc. He seeks help from other characters (those played by the computer). Blah-blah-blah. Totally like a video game storyline. So then I was using my blow dryer on the book. (I’ll pause. I spilled water all over it, and I was planning to take it to the charity resale shop--Howard Brown, which raises funds for the healthcare needs of poor LGBT folks--that is next to the gay nightclub, which is next to my condo building, but I obviously couldn’t donate the book soaking wet.) And while I was blow drying it, the author page blew open, and I read thereon that the author of this book was a video game designer and scriptwriter.I rest my fucking case.
December 22, 2016
Quintessentially British humor-infused urban fantasy with an anti-hero protagonist.
Johannes Cabal has done a deal with the devil for his soul. But that was a while ago, and now he needs his soul back. Not because he wants to avoid damnation, but because being soulless is causing issues with his experiments in necromancy. So with this second deal he has to sign up 100 other peoples' souls for Satan to get his own soul back. To do this the Devil loans him one of his carnivals and sends him on his way.
There are some brilliant bits of humor here. Deliciously dry humor throughout, but unfortunately uneven in both pacing and tone and quality of joke. If you'd only read excerpts from the beginning and middle you could be thinking you were reading two completely different books, and for me at least, many of the jokes just fell flat.
Regarding tone, you never get the feeling that Cabal is basically good or misunderstood. Right from the beginning it's clear that if he's not entirely mad, but he is amorally obsessive. So even when he does good, it's a happy accident (that he doesn't care enough to be happy about anyway), so there's not much in the way of redemption for him.
There's elements of brilliance here and I'd be interested to see how Howard refines this in later books, but the rest I found to be a bit of a slog.
Johannes Cabal has done a deal with the devil for his soul. But that was a while ago, and now he needs his soul back. Not because he wants to avoid damnation, but because being soulless is causing issues with his experiments in necromancy. So with this second deal he has to sign up 100 other peoples' souls for Satan to get his own soul back. To do this the Devil loans him one of his carnivals and sends him on his way.
There are some brilliant bits of humor here. Deliciously dry humor throughout, but unfortunately uneven in both pacing and tone and quality of joke. If you'd only read excerpts from the beginning and middle you could be thinking you were reading two completely different books, and for me at least, many of the jokes just fell flat.
Regarding tone, you never get the feeling that Cabal is basically good or misunderstood. Right from the beginning it's clear that if he's not entirely mad, but he is amorally obsessive. So even when he does good, it's a happy accident (that he doesn't care enough to be happy about anyway), so there's not much in the way of redemption for him.
There's elements of brilliance here and I'd be interested to see how Howard refines this in later books, but the rest I found to be a bit of a slog.
March 21, 2020
"We’re supposed to be doing the devil’s work and you’ve gone and contaminated it all with the whiff of virtue. I really don’t think you’ve quite got the hang of being an agent of evil.”
...
Have you ever come across a book with a synopsis that blew you away? You read it, and you just knew the book would be great? And isn't it even better when the book actually turns out to be amazing?
The Necromancer was that for me.
Years ago, Johannes Cabal sold his soul to the Devil to master the art of necromancy. Now, he wants it back, and slightly bored, Satan proposes a wager: Johannes has to persuade a hundred people to sign over their souls with the help of a hellish carnival in one year's time, or he will be damned for eternity. Johannes accepts, enlists the help of his vampiric brother, and sets off with his nefarious roadshow across the English countryside.
If that synopsis doesn't intrigue you, I don't know what will.
I'm a sucker for Faustian tales like this. With gallows humor and sinful shenanigans besides, how can you go wrong with this book? It was an absolute delight from start to finish.
This is the type of story I've been craving for years. It gave me everything I wanted: witty, beautiful writing, a fiendishly charming story, and characters that I adored. I loved everything about this little nightmare of a story.
Johannes Cabal has instantly become a new favorite character of mine. I love him with all of my heart. He's a soulless necromancer/scientist hellbent on cheating death, and I adored learning more about him and his past. His dialogue made me laugh out loud, and I just...think he's so cool. There are so many layers to him, so many aspects to his personality that I adored. He's terrifying and lovely and I JUST WANT THE WORLD FOR HIM OKAY?
Johannes enlists the help of his brother, Horst, who is a vampire. Why? Because Johannes doesn't really understand people...or fun. Horst, on the other hand, is charismatic and charming, and I enjoyed seeing the two connect despite their strained relationship. Ironically, the blood-sucking vampire in this traveling carnival was the only morally upright one.
I even loved the side-characters! Bones was easy to like, despite him being a demon and all. Frank was a sweetheart, as was his daughter, Leonie. I can't wait to see more of her in the sequel.
There was just...something about this book. Something so special. I've fallen head-over-heels in love and I'm not even sorry. The haunting imagery, dark humor, and witty writing completely entranced me.
I felt so much for Johannes. Despite his flaws, I actually wanted him to succeed. The quiet tragedy of his character, and his hopeless quest against death moved me. This book made me tear up on two occasions.
This book is so good. I can't actually convey how much I loved it.
And of course I'm going to continue on. I'm so excited for the things to come in the next books. The ending was perfect, and it left me wholly satisfied and craving for more.
READ THIS. If the synopsis sounds interesting, please try it out. Or if you love books about traveling circuses, read this book. Just do yourself a favor and read The Necromancer. I devoured this book in two days.
For my dark, evil little heart, this book was truly a gift.
...
"It wasn't life that took her away from you," said Cabal, looking at him directly. There was an even intensity in his eyes, like the gaze of a man who walks into a room where he knows he is going to see something awful and has braced himself for it.
"Fate, then?"
"Death. Death is your enemy. My enemy. Life can be cruel, that's true. Death is always cruel."
...
Have you ever come across a book with a synopsis that blew you away? You read it, and you just knew the book would be great? And isn't it even better when the book actually turns out to be amazing?
The Necromancer was that for me.
Years ago, Johannes Cabal sold his soul to the Devil to master the art of necromancy. Now, he wants it back, and slightly bored, Satan proposes a wager: Johannes has to persuade a hundred people to sign over their souls with the help of a hellish carnival in one year's time, or he will be damned for eternity. Johannes accepts, enlists the help of his vampiric brother, and sets off with his nefarious roadshow across the English countryside.
If that synopsis doesn't intrigue you, I don't know what will.
I'm a sucker for Faustian tales like this. With gallows humor and sinful shenanigans besides, how can you go wrong with this book? It was an absolute delight from start to finish.
This is the type of story I've been craving for years. It gave me everything I wanted: witty, beautiful writing, a fiendishly charming story, and characters that I adored. I loved everything about this little nightmare of a story.
Johannes Cabal has instantly become a new favorite character of mine. I love him with all of my heart. He's a soulless necromancer/scientist hellbent on cheating death, and I adored learning more about him and his past. His dialogue made me laugh out loud, and I just...think he's so cool. There are so many layers to him, so many aspects to his personality that I adored. He's terrifying and lovely and I JUST WANT THE WORLD FOR HIM OKAY?
Johannes enlists the help of his brother, Horst, who is a vampire. Why? Because Johannes doesn't really understand people...or fun. Horst, on the other hand, is charismatic and charming, and I enjoyed seeing the two connect despite their strained relationship. Ironically, the blood-sucking vampire in this traveling carnival was the only morally upright one.
I even loved the side-characters! Bones was easy to like, despite him being a demon and all. Frank was a sweetheart, as was his daughter, Leonie. I can't wait to see more of her in the sequel.
There was just...something about this book. Something so special. I've fallen head-over-heels in love and I'm not even sorry. The haunting imagery, dark humor, and witty writing completely entranced me.
I felt so much for Johannes. Despite his flaws, I actually wanted him to succeed. The quiet tragedy of his character, and his hopeless quest against death moved me. This book made me tear up on two occasions.
This book is so good. I can't actually convey how much I loved it.
And of course I'm going to continue on. I'm so excited for the things to come in the next books. The ending was perfect, and it left me wholly satisfied and craving for more.
READ THIS. If the synopsis sounds interesting, please try it out. Or if you love books about traveling circuses, read this book. Just do yourself a favor and read The Necromancer. I devoured this book in two days.
For my dark, evil little heart, this book was truly a gift.
...
"It wasn't life that took her away from you," said Cabal, looking at him directly. There was an even intensity in his eyes, like the gaze of a man who walks into a room where he knows he is going to see something awful and has braced himself for it.
"Fate, then?"
"Death. Death is your enemy. My enemy. Life can be cruel, that's true. Death is always cruel."
September 7, 2010
This book was just what I needed after coming out of my Mockingjay funk. Mockingjay was brilliant, don’t get me wrong, but it also sucked my will to live in 7 loaded hours. I was in a daze for, like, two days. I think I could only move on to other books because my mom started reading it after I finished, preventing me from a re-read, and I got to meet up with my best friend to discuss and have group therapy over our very similar, life-ending experiences.
So yes, dry British humor was what I needed to slap some sense into me. Ironically, it was a story about Hell, Satan, and Necromancy that plucked me out of my depression and had me laughing out loud in public.
The book did drag in a few odd places, mostly near the beginning, but that’s really my only criticism (Well, that and the appalling lack of female characters! Layla the Latex Lady doesn’t count. However, the ending does give me hope for the sequel!). The characters, the dialogue, the obscure/odd references, the lighter take on seriously serious issues…all of it works together to form a novel that is quirky and sometimes unpredictable, goofy and occasionally disgusting, but above all, hilarious. The author, Howard, reminds me of Douglas Adams and Neil Gaiman (Truly, the highest of compliments).
However, despite the crafty absurdity, there is an underlying seriousness to the book, a human element. It’s a character study of motivation and relationships (and how the two influence one another) and the true nature of evil (is it taking people’s souls or insisting a person in Limbo must fill out thousands of forms with no eraser?). The laughs and the bizarre twists do a good job of distracting from that seriousness, but if the ending is any indication, Howard will touch more upon these themes in the sequel.
I will suggest this book to everybody, because it would be a shame to never read about Johannes Cabal and his serious lack of social skills. He’s soulless, yes, but not heartless.
So yes, dry British humor was what I needed to slap some sense into me. Ironically, it was a story about Hell, Satan, and Necromancy that plucked me out of my depression and had me laughing out loud in public.
The book did drag in a few odd places, mostly near the beginning, but that’s really my only criticism (Well, that and the appalling lack of female characters! Layla the Latex Lady doesn’t count. However, the ending does give me hope for the sequel!). The characters, the dialogue, the obscure/odd references, the lighter take on seriously serious issues…all of it works together to form a novel that is quirky and sometimes unpredictable, goofy and occasionally disgusting, but above all, hilarious. The author, Howard, reminds me of Douglas Adams and Neil Gaiman (Truly, the highest of compliments).
However, despite the crafty absurdity, there is an underlying seriousness to the book, a human element. It’s a character study of motivation and relationships (and how the two influence one another) and the true nature of evil (is it taking people’s souls or insisting a person in Limbo must fill out thousands of forms with no eraser?). The laughs and the bizarre twists do a good job of distracting from that seriousness, but if the ending is any indication, Howard will touch more upon these themes in the sequel.
I will suggest this book to everybody, because it would be a shame to never read about Johannes Cabal and his serious lack of social skills. He’s soulless, yes, but not heartless.
June 27, 2019
Darkly smart, wittily clever, and dry. As my friends would say ‘a British tone’. Sounds like my kind of book!
I will admit that Johannes Cabal is an acquired taste.
Why not four stars? The middle felt quite disjointed and abrupt.
I am looking forward to the next in the series. Maybe some of the kinks will be worked out.
I will admit that Johannes Cabal is an acquired taste.
Why not four stars? The middle felt quite disjointed and abrupt.
I am looking forward to the next in the series. Maybe some of the kinks will be worked out.
March 14, 2023
Ratings:-⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
February 10, 2023
Very fun, splendid humor and great freaking characters. It would such such a marvelous read if not for that ending.
July 6, 2012
Johannes Cabal is a wicked dark comedy. Johannes sold his soul to learn the laws of necromancy and makes a wager with Satan so that he may win it back - one year to persuade one hundred people to sign over their souls. A travelling circus is an aid to his task. Horst, a charismatic vampire and brother of Johannes joins as the carnival's barker on the diabolical romp through the English countryside.
February 4, 2024
Wicked, but in an utterly delightful and irreverent way. For some reason, reading Murderbot put me in the mood to read Johannes Cabal. As characters they are significantly different, but in the ways they are the same, those similarities are completely engaging. Both are out of patience with humans, both have a wonderful sarcastic wit that I adore and both have a core of decency despite their better judgement. This was so fun and I especially enjoyed the carnival aspect considering I grew up on one and had parents who were in sideshows themselves.
August 4, 2017
Reread 8/4/17: Still find this darkly charming.
Take one necromancer...
"His name was Johannes Cabal, and he was summoning a demon."
and one vampire...
"His perceptive eye and sympathetic heart, however, were all his own."
...and one year aboard a literal train from hell, a traveling Carnival ofDiscordWonders...
"The Cabal Bros. Carnival was something special. Something unusual. Something different."
...to complete the mission: one hundred souls in one year's time to undo a Faustian deal with the Devil.
This book certainly won't be to everyone's tastes. It almost wasn't to mine. It's another perfect example of mood reading. I started this book two years ago. It wasn't clicking with me at all so I put it aside and forgot about it. If it wasn't for a reading challenge I likely never would have picked it up again. This time around I simply adored it. It's darkly charming with its dry, sarcastic humor but it tugged at my heart strings a time or two as well - a true gothic fairy tale, if such a thing exists. I had such fun with it, alternately feeling such sympathy for and frustration with the Cabal Brothers, Johannes and Horst, that I'm ordering the next three books now. And if I had any artistic skills whatsoever, I'd be sketching the hell out of these guys.
Take one necromancer...
"His name was Johannes Cabal, and he was summoning a demon."
and one vampire...
"His perceptive eye and sympathetic heart, however, were all his own."
...and one year aboard a literal train from hell, a traveling Carnival of
"The Cabal Bros. Carnival was something special. Something unusual. Something different."
...to complete the mission: one hundred souls in one year's time to undo a Faustian deal with the Devil.
This book certainly won't be to everyone's tastes. It almost wasn't to mine. It's another perfect example of mood reading. I started this book two years ago. It wasn't clicking with me at all so I put it aside and forgot about it. If it wasn't for a reading challenge I likely never would have picked it up again. This time around I simply adored it. It's darkly charming with its dry, sarcastic humor but it tugged at my heart strings a time or two as well - a true gothic fairy tale, if such a thing exists. I had such fun with it, alternately feeling such sympathy for and frustration with the Cabal Brothers, Johannes and Horst, that I'm ordering the next three books now. And if I had any artistic skills whatsoever, I'd be sketching the hell out of these guys.
May 18, 2014
4 Stars
The Necromancer book one of the Johannes Cabal series by Jonathan L Howard is a dark urban fantasy done right. Johannes Cabal is not a good man heck, he is not even a nice man. He literally sold his soul to the devil and has now decided that he wants it back.
The book moves along briskly with plenty of action, dialogue, and great settings. This story really does travel to Hell and back. I really enjoyed the writing style of Howard. He is big on painting a dark and dirty picture and he is big on witty and satyrical dialogue.
“”“Oh, yes,” he said over his shoulder. “They’ll come from miles around for this. ‘Roll up, roll up. See the world’s largest collection of antediluvian signage. Gasp at the decrepitude. Be astounded by the grammar. A fascinating show rivalled only by the lint in your navel.’ I’ll have to fight them off with a stick.””
The book covers many deep and philosophical subjects which should be no surprise since death and Hell itself are the main plot points…
“Cabal leaned forward. “I know now,” he said, caution gone. “One place is run by a bored, disappointed sadist. The other … Spiritual transfiguration, do you know what that means? It means having everything that you ever were stripped away, bars of light, too intense to look upon.” He unconsciously fingered the smoked glasses in his breast pocket. “Homogeneity incarnate. Can you imagine that? That’s what the Heavenly Host is, countless thousands of bars of light, souls burning, all the same. Your personality lost forever. Immortal souls, hah! It’s the final death. Sacrificed to a mania for order.” He looked around at the middle distance, his disgust a palpable thing. “Lambs to the slaughter.””
This was a fun and fast read that left me wanting more. I will definitely move on to book two in the series.
Highly recommended!
The Necromancer book one of the Johannes Cabal series by Jonathan L Howard is a dark urban fantasy done right. Johannes Cabal is not a good man heck, he is not even a nice man. He literally sold his soul to the devil and has now decided that he wants it back.
The book moves along briskly with plenty of action, dialogue, and great settings. This story really does travel to Hell and back. I really enjoyed the writing style of Howard. He is big on painting a dark and dirty picture and he is big on witty and satyrical dialogue.
“”“Oh, yes,” he said over his shoulder. “They’ll come from miles around for this. ‘Roll up, roll up. See the world’s largest collection of antediluvian signage. Gasp at the decrepitude. Be astounded by the grammar. A fascinating show rivalled only by the lint in your navel.’ I’ll have to fight them off with a stick.””
The book covers many deep and philosophical subjects which should be no surprise since death and Hell itself are the main plot points…
“Cabal leaned forward. “I know now,” he said, caution gone. “One place is run by a bored, disappointed sadist. The other … Spiritual transfiguration, do you know what that means? It means having everything that you ever were stripped away, bars of light, too intense to look upon.” He unconsciously fingered the smoked glasses in his breast pocket. “Homogeneity incarnate. Can you imagine that? That’s what the Heavenly Host is, countless thousands of bars of light, souls burning, all the same. Your personality lost forever. Immortal souls, hah! It’s the final death. Sacrificed to a mania for order.” He looked around at the middle distance, his disgust a palpable thing. “Lambs to the slaughter.””
This was a fun and fast read that left me wanting more. I will definitely move on to book two in the series.
Highly recommended!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,138 reviews