The start of a fantastic new series.
Johannes Cabal has never pretended to be a hero of any kind. There is, after all, little heroic about robbing graves, stealing occult volumes, and being on nodding terms with demons. His purpose, however, is noble. His researches are all directed to raising the dead. For such a prize, some sacrifices are necessary. One such sacrifice was his own soul, but he now sees that was a mistake - it's not just that he needs it for his research to have validity, but now he realises he needs it to be himself. Unfortunately, his soul now rests within the festering bureaucracy of Hell. Satan may be cruel and capricious but, most dangerously, he is bored. It is Cabal's unhappy lot to provide him with amusement.
In short, a wager: in return for his own soul, Cabal must gather one hundred others - in one year.
One year to beat the Devil at his own game. And isn't that perhaps just a little heroic?
Johannes Cabal the Necromancer
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Product Description
About the Author
Jonathan L. Howard is a game designer, scriptwriter, and a veteran of the computer games industry since the early 'nineties with titles such as the 'Broken Sword' series to his credit. He lives in the United Kingdom with his wife and daughter.
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22 of 25 people found the following review helpful
By A. L. Rutter
Format:Paperback
Johannes Cabal, a brilliant scientist and notorious snob, is obsessed with raising the dead. Tormented by a dark and harrowing secret, he travels to the fiery pits of hell to retrieve his soul, long ago sold to the Devil. Satan, incredibly bored and hungry for a challenge, proposes a little wager: Johannes has one year to persuade one hundred people to sign over their souls or he will lose his forever. To keep things interesting, Satan generously throws in a traveling carnival to help Johannes collect on the bargain. With little time to lose, Johannes raises a crew from the dead and enlists his brother, Horst, a charismatic vampire, to be his right-hand man. Once on the road, Johannes and his troupe of reprobates cause mayhem at every stop. But are his tricks enough to beat the Devil at his own game?
From the blurb above, so far this book sounds like Tom Holt, or Terry Pratchett, or any other comedic fantasy author, right? No, definitely not! Jonathan L. Howard infuses Johannes Cabal the Necromancer with flavours from other authors and from films, but the book as a whole is unique and very, very funny. It has the same gruesome humor as Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas, but remains distinctive through the use of snappy one-liners and characters you'll love to hate.
The pacing is perfect. We start with an entertaining visit to Hell (a bureaucratic nightmare, with a pen-pushing clerk as a doorman). Then, the plot kicks into a higher gear and sweeps through a year of thrilling adventures as Johannes Cabal attempts to win his wager with Satan by running a twisted carnival. Howard gives us a sample of Cabal's attempts to collect souls, but doesn't overdo this aspect of the novel.... Read more ›
From the blurb above, so far this book sounds like Tom Holt, or Terry Pratchett, or any other comedic fantasy author, right? No, definitely not! Jonathan L. Howard infuses Johannes Cabal the Necromancer with flavours from other authors and from films, but the book as a whole is unique and very, very funny. It has the same gruesome humor as Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas, but remains distinctive through the use of snappy one-liners and characters you'll love to hate.
The pacing is perfect. We start with an entertaining visit to Hell (a bureaucratic nightmare, with a pen-pushing clerk as a doorman). Then, the plot kicks into a higher gear and sweeps through a year of thrilling adventures as Johannes Cabal attempts to win his wager with Satan by running a twisted carnival. Howard gives us a sample of Cabal's attempts to collect souls, but doesn't overdo this aspect of the novel.... Read more ›
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By Chambers
Format:Paperback
I can't really extend my review past the two words I used in the title - this book is quite simply strange yet brilliant.
The book is cast with a bizarre set of flawlessly moulded characters straight out of a Tim Burton fairy tale, but Howard's clever descriptions and hooking plot lines really showcase his mad troupe of personas. Johannes Cabal himself is the perfect anti-hero: slimy and cheap enough to hate, but witty and clever enough to love.
The plot itself is simple enough, but is astutely intercepted with snippets of sheer genius. Howard strikes the perfect balance of a strong, clear yet humourous plot line. At times it will have you crying with laughter, and screaming at the ink in fury at others, but the overall result is a well-crafted and brilliant read. A must read for any fantasy lover, or a great place to start for those new to the genre!
The book is cast with a bizarre set of flawlessly moulded characters straight out of a Tim Burton fairy tale, but Howard's clever descriptions and hooking plot lines really showcase his mad troupe of personas. Johannes Cabal himself is the perfect anti-hero: slimy and cheap enough to hate, but witty and clever enough to love.
The plot itself is simple enough, but is astutely intercepted with snippets of sheer genius. Howard strikes the perfect balance of a strong, clear yet humourous plot line. At times it will have you crying with laughter, and screaming at the ink in fury at others, but the overall result is a well-crafted and brilliant read. A must read for any fantasy lover, or a great place to start for those new to the genre!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Sam Woodward
TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
After reading The Fear Institute at a frantic pace, I picked this up straight away & read it in a matter of days. And now I'm speeding my way through book 2, unable to put that down either!
In times past, the infamous necromancer Cabal sold his soul to Satan in exchange for knowledge - knowledge to further his researches into conquering death. He has since found that owning a soul is necessary for his work, so somewhat dispassionately makes a further deal with the devil - if he can get 100 people to sign away their souls within a year, his own will be returned to him. And just to make things interesting, Satan provides him with an infernal carnival to help tempt the unsuspecting. This would be a wretched task for anyone but since Cabal's moral compass no longer points North, it's easier for him than most people - but Satan's determined not to make it too straightforward.
This charming book brings to mind a darker, more adult Terry Pratchett, combined with some very thorny ethical dilemmas. Like a vampire, it weaves a seductive charm but after a while, throws some unexpectedly thorny moral dillemas your way. Funny & thought-provoking with an iconic main character, this book is difficult to put down & constantly entertaining, with a couple of subtle references to H.P. Lovecraft - hints of things to come in book 3, which is set in a world realised by the master of eldrich fiction. It's unique, darkly amusing & very compelling.
In times past, the infamous necromancer Cabal sold his soul to Satan in exchange for knowledge - knowledge to further his researches into conquering death. He has since found that owning a soul is necessary for his work, so somewhat dispassionately makes a further deal with the devil - if he can get 100 people to sign away their souls within a year, his own will be returned to him. And just to make things interesting, Satan provides him with an infernal carnival to help tempt the unsuspecting. This would be a wretched task for anyone but since Cabal's moral compass no longer points North, it's easier for him than most people - but Satan's determined not to make it too straightforward.
This charming book brings to mind a darker, more adult Terry Pratchett, combined with some very thorny ethical dilemmas. Like a vampire, it weaves a seductive charm but after a while, throws some unexpectedly thorny moral dillemas your way. Funny & thought-provoking with an iconic main character, this book is difficult to put down & constantly entertaining, with a couple of subtle references to H.P. Lovecraft - hints of things to come in book 3, which is set in a world realised by the master of eldrich fiction. It's unique, darkly amusing & very compelling.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By phoebes_mum
Format:Paperback
Johannes Cabal has sold his soul to the devil, and now he wants it back. So far, so familiar. After some persuasion, the devil furnishes Johannes with a travelling carnival (as you do), a remit to bring him a hundred new souls in exchange for his own, and a deadline of one year. The devil being a man of his word, what could possibly go wrong?
This is rather an oddity. The book itself isn't bad - it's decently written, moderately clever, darkly funny in places, not entirely unoriginal - but it's wholly unengaging. The fault for that has to lie with Johannes himself, who not only has no soul, he has no personality either. When the devil outshines your leading man, you know you're in trouble. The opening scenes in Hell are rather excellent, but after that it's all downhill. I shan't be reading the sequels.
This is rather an oddity. The book itself isn't bad - it's decently written, moderately clever, darkly funny in places, not entirely unoriginal - but it's wholly unengaging. The fault for that has to lie with Johannes himself, who not only has no soul, he has no personality either. When the devil outshines your leading man, you know you're in trouble. The opening scenes in Hell are rather excellent, but after that it's all downhill. I shan't be reading the sequels.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By jw1951
Format:Paperback
I thought that this was an amusing and clever supernatural comedy. The hero, if that's the word, pits his wits (with varying degrees of success) against a variety of antagonists, including the Devil himself, and deals with a variety of perplexing situations. Jack Vance's Cugel the Clever is maybe the original of the Cabal character, with Vance's "Eyes of the Overworld" surely being the defining novel of this type, but Johannes Cabal is a good imitation, nearly matching Cugel for cynicism, and the book isn't without depth, including pathos, or even tragedy, which Vance doesn't really do. Highly recommended.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Not for me but~
Bought this book for my daughter for christmas,not my cup of tea but she loved it,just wish she would stop going on about it.
Published 2 months ago by Tony Wilson
5.0 out of 5 stars
very funny
races along at lightening speed. I read this quickly, couln't put it down!
Wanted to read it again almost straight away.
Wanted to read it again almost straight away.
Published 3 months ago by badger
5.0 out of 5 stars
Despicable Him
Johannes is a despicable character in many ways, but entertainingly so. No, he's not the "charming villain" as this particular villain comes from an almost entirely emotionless,... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Magnus Hølvold
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the most entertaining books I've read in recent years.
All I can say is "buy this book", you won't be disappointed. Full of quirky characters in surreal situations, this is a well written, dark but full of humour, debut.
Published 5 months ago by Steven C ASHFORD
1.0 out of 5 stars
Unreadble formatting.
I found the formatting in this Kindle book made it unreadable.
Everytime there was a new paragraph there was a large gap between paragraphs, it was very unsual. Read more
Everytime there was a new paragraph there was a large gap between paragraphs, it was very unsual. Read more
Published 12 months ago by D. J. Owens
5.0 out of 5 stars
The perfect mix of the macarbe/humor
I began this book with an open mind, by page 5 I was laughing while been dragged into my love of horror, magic, demons and the devil. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Mr. T. Dure
4.0 out of 5 stars
Satirical horror at its best
I enjoyed this book, probably because it appeals to the more depraved area of my psyche. This is a very inventive piece of writing and the characters - almost all grotesque - are... Read more
Published 16 months ago by Jack Murphy
3.0 out of 5 stars
Basic story with no surprises
I always find that it's easy to review a book you have loved or hated. Your feelings are well defined in those cases and it makes it easy for you to pinpoint what created these... Read more
Published 17 months ago by Harlequin
4.0 out of 5 stars
Erudite and gently witty
In a universe very much like our own, with the addition of magic and Hell being real, Johannes Cabal is a necromancer, a speaker with and controller of the dead. Read more
Published 19 months ago by Jo Bennie
3.0 out of 5 stars
Original and somewhat funny
Johannes Cabal sold his soul to the devil in exchange for the secrets of necromancy. A little later, he decides he wants his soul back. So he goes to Hell and asks. Read more
Published 21 months ago by Nina (Death Books and Tea)
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