Where I Liked It and Didn't, All at Once

Johannes Cabal the Necromancer by Jonathan L. Howard
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I found this a light, brisk read, and rather enjoyed it. Fun. Funny. Some good moments. But it seemed thin, in a way, though, and I cannot be more enthusiastic, even though I don't have any heavy criticism. (I sorta feel like I do when I drink diet soda--it's sorta good, and I kinda like it, but then I don't. Not really. Same here.)

The writing is clever and witty and sort of cracked, like Willy Wonka for adults, and the action feels like a cartoon in sensibility--serious events are treated as fodder for humor. Death and damnation for laughs. That kinda works, making it possible to read a story about a monster without throwing it across the room, but it makes me a little unhappy just the same.

I liked the ending and found it satisfying for the kind of make-a-bet-with-the-devil story we find ourselves in. And though I acquired some sympathy for the main character, I still don't like him, which makes it a harder sell for me to go on to the sequels.

I like the premise, at least--a necromancer making a bet with the devil to try to win back his soul--and if the thought of that contest in a humorous fantasy sounds good to you, you might be the exact audience for this. I'm close, but not quite it.

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