# The Necromancer by Jonathan L. Howard



## CyBeR (Jun 29, 2012)

_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 middling terms with demons.

His purpose,  however, is noble. His researches are all directed to raising the dead.  Not as monstrosities but as people, just as they were when they lived:  physically, mentally, and spiritually. 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.  Placed in control of a diabolical carnival - created to tempt to  contentiousness, to blasphemy, argumentation and murder, but one that  may also win coconuts - and armed only with his intelligence, a very  large handgun, and a total absence of whimsy, Cabal has one year._

I  find myself reading quite a few debut novels in recent months. Years  back, had you told me I would be doing such things when there's still a  plethora of old works to be read, I would've called you soft in the  head. Funny how things work out with our reading preferences, wouldn't  you agree? 

I found myself picking up this novel by mere  accident, left with nothing else to read while I was waiting for my car  to be fixed. "Stole" it off a shelf as it were, I was merely expecting  it to provide a few pages of entertainment before I would cast it aside  for something better. As with other authors, such as _Scott Lynch_ (*The lies of Locke Lamora*) or _Mark Hodder_ (*The strange affair of Spring-heeled Jack*),  that proved far more difficult than I would've imagined, seeing as I  was confronted with sharp wit, subtle dry humor, an unambiguously  morally bankrupt protagonist and a sharp turn of the phrase. Well, color  me surprised and post me for the crows. 

Johannes Cabal, our  necromancer, is as far removed from the general mold of novel heroes as  you would be likely to find in this solar system. His morals are all but  absent, his wit is sharp and poignant and his manner of self makes  loving him almost an instant act. This is not someone who would pull a  rabbit out of a hat at the end and prove to be uncharacteristically just  and heroic…no, kind reader, this is a character that would shoot on  sight and never bother with the implications, as long as his purpose is  served. 
In a way, Johannes is incredibly refreshing as a maniacal  character. His quest for his soul back only cements his nature, the  author playing an apt game of smoke and mirrors in everything regarding  his own character's evolution and development. 

And the plot offers ample opportunity for Cabal to shine. 
Halfway  through the book I found myself slightly tired, after an extended  reading session. It wasn't that the book was failing to keep my  interest; it was just how it presented the sequence of events, almost  ruthlessly going from one scene to another, without a moment to allow  the character –and the reader- to take everything in. And then, _Jonathan L. Howard_  proves he has writing chops: he devotes an entire chapter to a well  deserved break, to fleshing out the world that Johannes inhabits and his  own character, allowing us a much desired glimpse into the core of this  very flawed, very enigmatic necromancer. 
And such breaks appear  again, mixing up the flow of the narrative and offering us a very good  view into the heart of the Carnival, front row seats to the madness and,  to my surprise, the methodology of the whole thing. 

This is a  tightly constructed, tightly held together book. The characters offer  surprised –few, but they are there –, the story is held together  marvelously and ties up nicely and the rules, and I stress this, the  rules never go amiss. There is a lot of restraint shown here as things  are worked into shapes, plot points are driven home and Cabal is at the  center, cane in hand, scalpel ready at the moment to slice and dice –  metaphorically speaking, of course -. 

*The Necromancer *is a  wonderful start for a series, offering enough to keep you entertained  and amazed, just like the Carnival itself. But peer too deeply into the  darkest recesses and you may catch a glimpse of the monsters that lurk  there, of men and demons alike, ready to pounce on any fear you may  secretly harbor. This is not a work for those that require a morally  just character, nor is it one for the pure sadist of heart as there is  little blood here and little horror for those seeking easy thrills,  easily stomached gore and everything as childish as that. 
The  Necromancer is a book for those willing to accept a few flaws and  embrace a dark protagonist in his quest not for redemption of his soul,  but mere ownership. 

There is room for growth here and there is  talent to fuel said growth. Give it a try if you like your humor dry,  you story tight and your characters intelligent. 

4/5 Stars


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