Review: Johannes Cabal the Necromancer by Jonathan L. Howard
Johannes Cabal the Necromancer
by Jonathan L. Howard
We’ve all done things to advance our careers that we later regret, but Johannes Cabal has screwed himself royally. He sold his soul to Satan in order to further progress his studies in necromancy, but it turns out that the lack of a soul is seriously cramping his research. So Johannes crashes Hell and demands his soul back from the Infernal One, who agrees to give it up if Cabal acquires one hundred human souls to replace it. Oh, and since the Devil’s such a nice guy he’ll toss in a special carnival to help. After a quick stop in a musty graveyard to recruit the assistance of Horst Cabal, Johannes’ charming brother (and vampire!), the carnival begins trawling the countryside to damn the wicked and the gullible and save Johannes’ soul.
The peeks into the world of this carnival-from-Hell were fascinating. Hideous freak shows, occult rides, a cursed midway…a dark carnival is a wonderful place to set to set a story, and author Jonathan Howard creates a creepy setting that I wish he'd spent more time exploring. We see how Cabal ensnares a few of his souls through the attractions of the Carnival, but it would have been great to see more of the different ways he catches his victims.
Something about the book felt unfinished. There were stories that should have been told, but weren't. For example, what motivated Cabal to get into necromancy in the first place? This is hinted at but never looked at in detail. How did Horst become a vampire? Again, never explained to my satisfaction. There were so many references to previous events that occurred before this novel began that the book reads just like the second volume of a series. In fact, as I read I became so convinced that there was another book I went to Google and spent a few minutes trying to find the title to the book I was certain preceded this one.
Likewise, the ending wraps up so quickly and on such a cliffhangin' note that I will be VERY surprised if a sequel doesn't come out in the next few years. (In fact, in an interview on Amazon Howard announces he just finished Johannes Cabal the Detective.)
Johannes Cabal is one sarcastic and calculating bastard. He's not quite a villain, but he's certainly no hero. Even anti-hero is a hat that doesn't quite fit him. But he's very determined, and his dialogue is quite snappy and sharp. His brother, Horst, is equally delightful and provides a perfect foil for Cabal. But while the characters' personalities are well-developed, their histories are not. I wish more time had been spent discussing their childhood or what Horst did while incarcerated underground.
But as much as I’m whining, I really did enjoy this book. It’s positively entertaining and fun.
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