Johannes Cabal

"...but the day was otherwise as good as any day without a large-calibre handgun can reasonably be..."  ~ Johannes Cabal the Detective by Jonathan L. Howard

Yesterday, I finished the second Johannes Cabal book, Johannes Cabal the Detective.  I am in love with this series and its hero.  The writing seems to be getting better with each installment, and it is witty and fun.  It takes place in an alternate-history sort of world, what is currently being classified as "steampunk," a title I'm not all that fond of, but it's done so well that it's not intrusive with its combination of gadgets and magic as that genre can sometimes be.

Johannes himself is a modern-day Faustus, one of my all-time favorite archetypes in literature, and his story is slowly being unfolded for the reader in each volume.  He is a profoundly motivated person who is seeking to do what he thinks is the highest good but who finds himself doing truly heinous things in the process.  While that sounds very angsty, and at times it can get there, it is all done with flair and a great deal of humor that keeps it from being oppressive.

I also spot elements of influence from great sources I love.  I see Frankenstein there so clearly, the great Gothics written large.  In fact, since I have just been teaching Gothic literature and am just about to teach Frankenstein again this year, maybe I was more aware of that genre than I usually would be, but I saw so many parallels between Johannes and his motivations and Victor. 

Johannes also reminds me just the tiniest bit of another magic user I'm fond of, Harry Dresden, except Cabal has none of Dresden's qualms about the use of deadly force. He is in every way just as deadly.  I love the scenes of conflict between him and the Devil in the first book.  Even funnier are his methods of dealing with those who tick him off.  Let's just say you don't want to wind up on his list....

I can't wait for the next one.  It's so nice to have a new author to enjoy.  I don't know when the next one will come out since I think Johannes Cabal the Detective just came out this year, but one hopes Mr. Howard is a quick writer....  I don't think Cabal will stand for anything less, somehow.