A review by ergative
The Fall of the House of Cabal by Jonathan L. Howard
4.0
As entertainingly written as the rest of the Cabal books. Makes heavy reference to all the books and short stories, but weaves them all together quite skillfully, so references feel coherent, rather than jammed in. The snarky narrator, in between haranguing the reader for being so foolish as to start this book without having bought and read the previous ones (plus everything else the author's written, relevant or not), reassured me that I didn't need the stories, but that they would be helpful, and he was correct: I do rather wish I had read the stories before this one. I really, really want to know more about Zarenyia, dibs, and fish.
The title is definitely a troll on the reader. I find the repeated use of 'this isn't real' for the various scenarios presented by the Five Ways a slightly frustrating way of avoiding stakes higher than the purely personal, but then many of Cabal's adventures take place on the outskirts of reality (Dreamlands, the traveling carnival), so it wasn't unexpected. And he is an arrogant, self-centered little shit, so why shouldn't books about him center on his own personal concerns? I loved Zarenyia; Horst, as always, was charming, and overall a satisfying ride.
The title is definitely a troll on the reader. I find the repeated use of 'this isn't real' for the various scenarios presented by the Five Ways a slightly frustrating way of avoiding stakes higher than the purely personal, but then many of Cabal's adventures take place on the outskirts of reality (Dreamlands, the traveling carnival), so it wasn't unexpected. And he is an arrogant, self-centered little shit, so why shouldn't books about him center on his own personal concerns? I loved Zarenyia; Horst, as always, was charming, and overall a satisfying ride.