Johannes Cabal, necromancer of some little infamy, returns in this riotously clever and terrifically twisted tale of murder and international intrigue. In this genre-twisting novel, infamous necromancer Johannes Cabal, after beating the Devil and being reunited with his soul, leads us on another raucous journey in a little-known corner of the world. This time he’s on the run from the local government. Stealing the identity of a minor bureaucrat, Cabal takes passage on the Princess Hortense, a passenger aeroship that is leaving the country. The deception seems perfect, and Cabal looks forward to a quiet trip and a clean escape, until he comes face-to-face with Leonie Barrow, an enemy from the old days who could blow his cover. But when a fellow passenger throws himself to his death, or at least that is how it appears, Cabal begins to investigate out of curiosity. His minor efforts result in a vicious attempt on his own life—and then the gloves come off. Cabal and Leonie—the only woman to ever match wits with him—reluctantly team up to discover the murderer. Before they are done, there will be more narrow escapes, involving sword fighting and newfangled flying machines. There will be massive destruction, not to mention resurrected dead . . . Steampunk meets the classic Sherlockian mystery in this rip-roaring adventure where anything could happen . . . and does.
Download and start listening now!
"Not as necromantic (I may have just coined a new word there) as the first book, but still highly entertaining. The first book owed a lot more to horror conventions, and this one, despite a little bit of black magic, leans more toward a steampunk detective story. Howard has a way with words that just makes me laugh, and has me rooting for his [anti:]hero even though Cabal is almost completely despicable. Can't wait for the next one, and really looking forward to seeing more of Leonie, as well."
— Stephanie (4 out of 5 stars)
" This was so much fun! If you loved Cabal in book 1, he just improves in this one. The return of Leonie is a cherry on top of the cake. The narrative is excellent and although the mystery does not meet all the traditional expectations, it really is a brilliant and hilarious read. I can't wait for the next one. "
— NicholaM, 11/17/2020" This is the second book in the series. It lived up to the first book and I think I liked it more than the first one. It moved along at a decent pace and had moments where it moved really fast. I continue to wonder how or why a person can be so cold and self-centered at times. "
— Michael, 2/18/2014" The first one was better and it was questionable...which makes this...???? "
— David, 2/12/2014" It's just not as good as the first, but that's inevitably the way it goes. Cabal is an intensely amusing character and the writing style is charming and witty. I'll read another, I'm sure. "
— Alternate, 2/11/2014" It didn't really get going for me until chapter 6, then I thought oh here's a nice little mystery and where's it going to lead to and then I thought what? what's this? This was a book that didn't know what it wanted to be, so it thought it would try to be everything - and didn't succeed. It wasn't awful, though, and those who like the steampunk genre will probably like it anyway, but this book gave me no clue as to what drives anyone to be a necromancer, which was my main question throughout. I wanted to read the first book of the series, which sounds a lot more interesting, but my library only had this one on digital audiobook titles, so I had little choice. I was hoping for more steam or even punk, but got only fizzle. "
— Esther, 2/4/2014" Meh. Not my cup of tea - this is a writing-style problem, but also an overall failure to deliver problem. According to the Denver Post, this is "a swashbuckling adventure set in a steampunk world," and while all those words are technically true, the book is a poorly constructed, illogical mess. A short story tacked onto the end, "The Tomb of Umtak Ktharl," is a nice chaser. "
— Joseph, 1/9/2014" Not quite as fabulous as the first Johannes Cabal book, but pretty good, nonetheless. I really missed the quirky touches of the first book, though, the mob singing happy Cthulu songs, the angry imps vaporized into puddles...maybe the next one will have more of that wry humor. "
— Robin, 1/8/2014" The second in the series...just as entertaining as the first. "
— Chelsea, 12/24/2013" Not quite as fun as the first book, but still hilarious and a good read. "
— Ariel, 12/18/2013" Can I give 6 stars to this please? Second in the series and I'm already impatient for another round. "
— Jack, 10/19/2013" This second book in the series has Cabal with his soul back and actually feeling some conscience twinges and concern for others. The character is not as unpleasant as in the first book and the solution for the murder is totally out of the realm of reality but a good read. l "
— Jane, 10/5/2013" well written, although the story itself is a spin on an old classic. "
— Shakib, 6/6/2013" Just takes too long to long to get going. Disappointing follow up to first book "
— Ben, 3/3/2013" Such a great series, plus as a huge steampunk fan its pretty great. It really shows to the concept of the ripple effect, how a single event can change someones entire story. If only it hadn't been for that dog... Plus I was in tears at Cabals reaction to when the women flirted with him. "
— Nora, 1/9/2013" I read a book about a cruise disaster while on a cruise. This was not excellent planning on my part. Still, I love a good anti-here and I'll get the 3rd volume as soon as it's available in the US. "
— Kyle, 11/4/2012" This book was generally enjoyable and easy to read. It has little substance, and at some parts it is hard to suspend disbelief and follow the author, but for the most part it was worth reading "
— Mary, 9/10/2012" i'm not a fan of agatha-christie-esque murder mysteries, nor steampunk, but add my favourite necromancer to the mix, and you've struck gold. a definite must-read. "
— Anja, 5/20/2012" Another fantastic book by Jonathan Howard. I hope that he writes more novels involving Johannes Cabal, as he has quickly become one of my favorite characters. "
— CatfaceMeowmers, 2/15/2012" An enjoyable, quick read. I liked Howard's dark whimsical tone, but am glad for its short length as it might get tedious after ~400 pages. Looking forward to Cabal's next undertaking. "
— Brendon, 5/7/2011" Darkly funny and twisted...and a truly enjoyable tale that melds character study with wit and deranged humor. "
— Leigh, 5/7/2011" Just the perfect book for me. While I was reading this I kept thinking, god I wish I had written this book. It's bloody fantastic. "
— Amy, 4/28/2011" Very impressive! What started as a humorous faustian tale turned into an imaginative dark fantasy which hearkens to Lovecraft, Stroud and Gaiman. I'm definitely picking up his next book. "
— Steve, 4/1/2011" Very funny in a Christopher Moore kind of way. "
— Wiggie, 3/27/2011" I started to like these two main characters, Cabal Brothers, when I read half of the book.<br/><br/>I mean, I like them as set.<br/><br/>Why did Horst have to die(?) like that????<br/> "
— Erika1411, 3/25/2011Jonathan L. Howard is a game designer, scriptwriter, and a veteran of the computer game industry since the early 1990s, with titles such as the Broken Sword series to his credit. He is author of the Johannes Cabal series, as well as the YA novels Katya’s World and Katya’s War. He lives in the United Kingdom with his wife and daughter.
Judy Young is a voice talent and audiobook narrator.