Story: Boone believes he is responsible for several horrific deaths; at least, that’s what his psychiatrist says. But after he’s killed at a small Canadian cemetery in a confrontation with the police, he learns much more about his own nature and that of the Nightbreed of Midian.
Review: I was lucky enough to find the hardcover version of this book in some discount bin somewhere, and smart enough to purchase it. Barker made a film from this novella called Nightbreed. The film version was quite graphic, but the impact wasn’t nearly as strong as the book’s. Barker can flesh out characters like no other horror author, except perhaps Stephen King. It’s no wonder Steve professes to enjoy Clive Barker’s books over any other horror author’s. I found myself rooting for Boone even though I thought he was a mass murderer, and especially during his encounter with the nightbreed. The woman he loves, Lori, acts somewhat like the reader – always confused by Boone’s activities but sticking with him until the story comes to its amazing conclusion. When the story moves into the supernatural, one finds oneself drawn into a world fully imagined and matured by an author with a truly macabre point of view.
In addition to the main novella, the hardcover version of “Cabal” comes with four short stories included. (I am not entirely sure if the mass market paperback also includes the short stories, but if it doesn’t, the reading public is being short-changed.) One of them is called “The Life Of Death”, and has to be, bar none, the best horror short story I have ever read – and I’m a seriously hard-core Steve King Constant Reader. Barker takes us into a perfectly normal, everyday life and with a couple of swift twists, turns that life into something quite horrifying.
Some people find Clive Barker’s works difficult to read and follow. Not so with “Cabal”. Barker combines morality play with sheer fright to produce a story of love, redemption and creatures whose humanity is sometimes more pronounced than that of any standard human.
Year: 1985
Author: Clive Barker
Publisher: Poseidon Press
Pages: 204