Philip's Reviews > Johannes Cabal the Necromancer

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:

“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.