Reviews

The Death of Me by Jonathan L. Howard

fairywine's review

3.0

A fun and clever little Johannes Cabal short story. To go into detail would I think spoil the experience of reading The Death of Me, so I won't. But Jonathan L. Howard deserves a lot of credit for playing with the reader's expectations, then playing with the playing, then playing with the playing of that playing, and so on. Not very long or involved, but it's an entertaining ride and a nice little bit of insight into our favorite necromancer of some little infamy, with a nice splash of Emily Dickinson for good measure.

sarahjonewt's review

5.0

The only disappointing thing about Howard's short stories is that they're short. I want to read more about Cabal's interactions with faeries and how he goes about pissing off the entire race of beings. That said, I think this is probably my favorite Cabal short.

wemic's review against another edition

adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.5

sm_almon's review

5.0

Wish it was longer!

zossy's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious 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? Yes

4.25

mackle13's review against another edition

3.0

Not a bad short story to add to the Johannes Cabal series, but a bit thinner on the ground that many of the other stories - even the other short stories.

It's probably more a 2.5, overall, but I really liked the Holmes reference at the end -

Spoiler

the woman

.

geilie's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny reflective fast-paced

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

4.0

jesssepp's review against another edition

dark funny reflective fast-paced

• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

carol26388's review against another edition

3.0

Johannes needs to run to town and pick up a few things, only in his case it doesn't come close to a loaf of bread and a gallon of milk. This is a fuller story, more developed, with the acerbic tone that so characterizes the series.

"Walking helped him to think and, today, he was thinking what an unpleasant day it was to be walking... Cabal regarded sweating as one of Nature's more subtle revenges upon humanity and its pretensions to Prime Species."

In the traditions of many a Grimm fairy tale, he meets a black coach drawn by black horses, a mysterious and beautiful woman inside.

"They looked at each other for a long moment, she in her widow's weeds, he in his disgruntlement."

It is dark tale, giving some background to Cabal's environment and showcasing his immoral side, so recently found in "Johannes Cabal the Necromancer." Mood is well developed. I don't suggest it if you are looking for a charming protagonist, but it's a rather interesting little challenge.

Three and a half fairies stars.

Read it at Tor: http://www.tor.com/2013/09/10/the-death-of-me/

sarah42783's review against another edition

3.0

No bloody fishing wonder this is my least favorite Jojo Cabal Necromancing Adventure (JCNA™) so far! It's about the bloody shrimping silly fay/fey/fae/fair folk/whatever! And it is a truth universally acknowledged that the silly fay/fey/fae/fair folk/whatever ever-so-slightly tend to awaken the homicidal maniac in me and stuff!



No, I'm not usually that green. Must be something I ate and stuff.

Need I say more? Didn't think so. But. Just in case: QED and stuff. Ha.