Reviews

Cabal by Clive Barker

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kayleem93's review against another edition

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3.0

3.5 loved the plot and story, greatly disliked the abrubt and answer lacking ending.

ninevehthecat's review against another edition

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5.0

This was insanely well-written, classic horror. The language is so vivid and rich and the storytelling is phenomenal—terrifying and so unique. Absolutely loved it all.

trilbynorton's review against another edition

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3.0

Clive Barker's prose is evocative without being florid, and his characters well-drawn. However, I'd have liked more time with the Nightbreed. I liked the theme of "humans are the real monsters" and the potential identification of the Breed with the LGBTQ+ community, but I feel like these would have been even clearer if more of the book had concerned itself with them rather than the human characters.

alyx30's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

lukesanby's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

This was a reread, but I had only a vague memory of the story that I forgot major key plot points and characters, so I regard this as a first time read. I started this book at Download 2023, the short sub-chapters were ideal for moments of much needed rest. I assume any camping/festival would give the same experience. I also bought a new, inexpensive edition because the one I own is cumbersome and attached to a longer novel. This edition is badly made, with the printing being worst of all. Lines of text have the top and bottom shifted a few pixels out from each other. Not illegible but irritating. There are a few missing letters in the middle of words leaving blank spaces. Even the first page has two mistakes “sstage” and “bades,” where “stage” and “based” were more likely intended. However, unlike my original copy, this one has beautiful illustrations.

Clive Barker is a master of the horror story, and part of that is using the horror elements to explore more than appears on the page. What the Breed represent is always bubbling up, but on this reading, I found the exploration of how normal people as a group can become part of an evil action,

but here Barker subverts my expectations and shows us that these people do revolting things because that is what they believe. They are not let off the hook with some justification of manipulation or groupthink or any mitigating factors. They decide on a target and inflict terror. This is prominent in Chapter 22 Triumph of the Mask.

‘I see no massacre.” (p220).

The ending of this story is of course emotional and tender. It is the only part I really remember from first reading it.

The description of the Breed having to hide themselves more than ever as they wait for a new home where they may once more be safe should be as painful as it is.

The LGBT+ subtext is powerful; communities having to hide from a world that wants to do direct harm to them. Many groups of people will feel the truth of this story, but in 2024

the forced diaspora, ethnic cleansing, destruction of culture and community are ever more present in my mind.

Quotes

Dead men were bad lovers (p79)

Flesh could not keep its glamour, nor eyes their sheen […] But the monsters were forever (p188)

He saw their terror, and took strength from it. They stole such authority for themselves, these people. Made themselves arbiters of good and bad, natural and unnatural, justifying their cruelty with spurious laws (p217)