



The closing of the Red Queen storyline felt… extraordinarily anti-climactic. For someone who was supposed to be such a big threat/a nemesis to Cabal, she didn’t really make much an impact. Her scheme with the five ways seems like it could have been built upon more as well.



While we're on it, the five ways could have been explained better. As things stand, how much is real, is still very much in question as we only have characters saying what is real to judge on (characters who have been wrong multiple times in the series). Again, this feels like it is set up for future plot lines. Normally this wouldn't bother me, but again, as being presented as the final book, this hurts it. [Let us start with the worst one here; it is not a very fitting ending to the series. If this is indeed the last book, this is very disappointing as so many things are left unresolved. In fact, so many more questions about the side characters are presented that if it were not for Howard’s introduction, I would think this was a novel entirely about setting up future events. That hurts this one a lot given the presentation.The closing of the Red Queen storyline felt… extraordinarily anti-climactic. For someone who was supposed to be such a big threat/a nemesis to Cabal, she didn’t really make much an impact. Her scheme with the five ways seems like it could have been built upon more as well.While we're on it, the five ways could have been explained better. As things stand, how much is real, is still very much in question as we only have characters saying what is real to judge on (characters who have been wrong multiple times in the series). Again, this feels like it is set up for future plot lines. Normally this wouldn't bother me, but again, as being presented as the final book, this hurts it. (hide spoiler)

a FewI don’t really review book series. I don’t mean just on goodreads, but any website where I’ve reviewed anything. If I review any volume in a multi-part series, it is generally the first and before there is a second volume. I do this because if I review one volume, part of my mind makes an obligation to review them all.I have not reviewed the first 4 books in the series, but I will make an exception for Herr Cabal. He has most certainly earned it.I will not recap the previous 4 books (like Howard rather comically does in the beginning, I would only ask would be readers why they are starting at book 5 instead of reading the first 4?). I will include my brief thoughts on the previous books though, as it helps with understanding my own perspective when reading my review.: My discovery of this book was purely accidental. I was browsing my local Borders (back when they were still around, which certainly dates my experience with the series) and stumbled upon the book in their horror section. A brief look at the back and I had to blind buy it. I love it when books and movies can combine horror and comedy, and the description made it sound like it had a good shot of getting it right. To put it simply, it far exceeded my expectations. This is of the most enjoyable books I’ve ever read and made me a Howard fan immediately. I loved the villain protagonist Cabal and his pragmatic outlook (and yet sympathetic goals). The take on the classic carnival of discord idea was delightful (and the reference's to Dr. Diablo and Dark's carnivals brought a smile to my face as a horror fan). 5/5: Alternately titled by me at the time;. To say the sequel was not what I was expecting would be an understatement. Not a complaint mind you, but I expected more of the horror/comedy of the first novel. Instead I got a steam punk detective story with a healthy dose of comedy. While initially there may have been some disappointment, I got over it quickly as Cabal was as witty and humorous as his first adventure. Another solid read. 4/5: This is where Cabal and I parted ways briefly, though not by choice. There was a fairly long delay in this one being published in the United States. On more than one occasion I was tempted to import it, but I luckily stumbled upon a copy at a used bookstore. To date this is the only one of Howard’s novels I have not bought new. My thoughts on this one… well, it is the low point in the series for me and actually took me two tries to read it. It starts off wonderfully, with a delightful set up and interesting ideas... then when they actually enter the dream lands, I found it lost a lot of steam. It makes up for it with quite possibly the best ending in the series (and made the next book needed a.s.a.p.). 3/5: The fourth book again changed the tone of the story (a recurring pattern as you no doubt noticed). This time it becomes much more of an adventure story, with about half of the book focusing on Johannes’ brother Horst. I have noticed some reviewers feel the novel suffers from this, but I found it rather refreshing to see Cabal’s world from a different point of view and I really do love Horst's view in contrast to Johannes. Something about this one really just really works for me, and it is my second favorite after the first novel. 4/5Now we come to, the fifth and quite likely final novel in the series. This book has been something of an emotional rollercoaster for me, with Howard starting his introduction saying that he may not continue the series. As such I will be looking at this book not only as another Cabal novel, but examining it as a conclusion. Let us go with the reviewer's old friends (at least this reviewer's old friends) some pros and cons (Note: the cons will all be listed as spoilers, as I do give away a bit of the later plot).Pros:Howard has once again made this feel completely different from the previous Cabal novels, while making it flow smoothly. There are some wonderful nods to the earlier books, and a couple of scenes re-examined in an interesting way.Cabal’s character growth. He has come a long way from the literally soulless necromancer of the first book. It has been a long ride for him, and he has changed quite drastically, but it all feels like a proper evolution for the character. Some of his interactions with the characters are almost... emotional.Zarenyia. I cannot state how wonderful this character is and how much she added to the novel. Her enthusiasm makes for a wonderful contrast to Cabal and the fact that they get along makes it even funnier. Apparently she was introduced in one of the short stories I have not read. Despite this, Howard introduces her in a way that makes it apparent that she and Cabal have a history, but doesn't really confuse the reader... just makes one curious enough to find the short story.The writing. Howard has a wonderful way with words. The Cabal novels have a delightfully witty writing style where even the narrator is as sarcastic as the many characters. Some may call it overly verbose, but even that is at times played for laughs (and interesting to compare to Howard's much simplerbook, showing it's a purely aesthetic choice for this series).Cons:In conclusion: Despite my complaints, I truly liked the book a lot. In terms of ranking the books I would place it third afterandThe biggest flaws of the book really are that it leaves way too many loose ends for my liking. Despite that, it is a very enjoyable read.I love this series. I honestly can’t think of a book series in recent years that I’ve liked more than it save for Joe Abercrombie’sbooks. Herr Cabal stands out as one of my favorite anti-heroes (or villain protagonist depending on the book). I enjoyed Howard’sand would love to see a sequel. If he decides to write a standalone novel or start a new series, I’ll buy it day one… but it is my sincere hope that one day he will come back to this one and the brothers Cabal will ride again.["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>