Johannes Cabal: The Fear Institute

“Johannes Cabal: The Fear Institute,” by Jonathan L. Howard, is the 3rd book in the Johannes Cabal series, and has finally been published in the USA.

I first encountered a Johannes Cabal story in an old issue of the H. P. Lovecraft magazine. I fell in love, found another short story online, and soon had ordered the first book. I was not disappointed. Howard is a deft and skillful writer, wry, with a very solid background in the necessary allusions and tropes. While Cabal (and his motivation) remains the same throughout the stories, the books have very divergent settings and themes. The first involves a Hellish Carnival; the second is a madcap romp through steam punk and political intrigue and detectiving; and the third takes us through Lovecraft’s Dreamlands.

One thing that invariably happens while reading a Johannes Cabal story is that I start really hugely missing table top gaming with a good DM. “The Fear Institute” was no exception to this, leaving me longing our old Call of Cthulluh game.

Howard captures very well the plight of a rational man moving through an irrational world, with people he doesn’t particularly like. He weaves a tight story including non-humans, mischievous gods, creeping horrors, irritating adventurers, time travel, poets, academic rivalry, snark, and necromancy. He juggles the different threads well, weaving together a story that’s a much greater whole than its parts.

I’m eagerly awaiting the next book.

Mirrored from Thoughtful Consumption.