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antimony's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5
least fav of the series so far but still enjoyed. the last like 1/5th especially after the reveal about bose was really good. the beginning and middle dragged a lot though and during the adventuring through the dreamlands i had a REALLY hard time keeping any of the characters besides cabal straight. this is something that happens chronically to me when i'm reading a book where all the characters are men (see all the white spaces). which is another thing...there was one woman in this whole book..really excited to go home and get book 4 from the interlibrary loan though
insideunder's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Death, Body horror, and Gore
Moderate: Grief, Pandemic/Epidemic, Vomit, Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Cannibalism
Minor: Medical content, Suicide, and Slavery
aceinit's review against another edition
5.0
Since I don't think this novel is readily available in the US as of this posting, I shall try to make this review as vague and spoiler-free as possible.
I’ve seen a lot of mixed reviews regarding this installment, so I was a little wary going into it. Johannes Cabal has quickly becomes one of my favorite ongoing series, and I had felt an enormous sense of disappointment after the second installment (“The Detective”) failed to live up to its predecessor.
“Fear Institute,” for me, was a delightfully, hauntingly perfect novel, and I may have come to love it even more than the first. Strangely enough, one of the things I most disliked about the second book (it’s sudden break from reality with the warring of three ridiculously-named fictional nations) was one of my favorite parts about this installment. After the first chapter or so, Cabal is taken completely out of this world, and into the skewed and Lovecraftian Dreamlands. Acting as a guide of sorts for a trio of men intent on destorying the Phobic Animus (their name for the physical manifestation that causes all fear), Cabal is very much out of his element.
What I loved most is how Cabal reacts to these changes, particularly as the world around him grows more and more bizarre. From the moment an act of desperation on Cabal’s part creates catastrophic consequences for an entire race of beings, this book grabbed hold of me and refused to let go. Seeing how Cabal reacts to and deals with the devastating results of his actions makes the horror of the act itself more real and profound for the reader. I was left in awe.
There are two more scenes towards the end of the book, where Cabal meets first with the devastations of success in his ultimate quest (the one revealed to readers in the final pages of “The Necromancer) and, later, profound failure as a result of his experimentations, that are also exceedingly well-written. When Cabal is shown what his life would be like should all his dreams come true, the readers are deeply reminded of how futile Cabal’s ultimate quest will inevitably prove. After reading the last sentence of the chapter, I had to set the book down for a while and simply gape at it. All I will say is that I am grateful the novel didn’t end on that chapter, as it would have been the mother of all cliffhangers….or one hell of a way to end the series.
Though the ultimate solution to Cabal’s trials and tribulations in this novel is a bit far-fetched and convoluted, it does not detract from the overall narrative. Howard has also become an author who saves the best for last and, as with “The Necromancer,” “The Fear Institute” closes with a scene that will leave its readers (myself included) anxiously awaiting the next installment.
I’ve seen a lot of mixed reviews regarding this installment, so I was a little wary going into it. Johannes Cabal has quickly becomes one of my favorite ongoing series, and I had felt an enormous sense of disappointment after the second installment (“The Detective”) failed to live up to its predecessor.
“Fear Institute,” for me, was a delightfully, hauntingly perfect novel, and I may have come to love it even more than the first. Strangely enough, one of the things I most disliked about the second book (it’s sudden break from reality with the warring of three ridiculously-named fictional nations) was one of my favorite parts about this installment. After the first chapter or so, Cabal is taken completely out of this world, and into the skewed and Lovecraftian Dreamlands. Acting as a guide of sorts for a trio of men intent on destorying the Phobic Animus (their name for the physical manifestation that causes all fear), Cabal is very much out of his element.
What I loved most is how Cabal reacts to these changes, particularly as the world around him grows more and more bizarre. From the moment an act of desperation on Cabal’s part creates catastrophic consequences for an entire race of beings, this book grabbed hold of me and refused to let go. Seeing how Cabal reacts to and deals with the devastating results of his actions makes the horror of the act itself more real and profound for the reader. I was left in awe.
There are two more scenes towards the end of the book, where Cabal meets first with the devastations of success in his ultimate quest (the one revealed to readers in the final pages of “The Necromancer) and, later, profound failure as a result of his experimentations, that are also exceedingly well-written. When Cabal is shown what his life would be like should all his dreams come true, the readers are deeply reminded of how futile Cabal’s ultimate quest will inevitably prove. After reading the last sentence of the chapter, I had to set the book down for a while and simply gape at it. All I will say is that I am grateful the novel didn’t end on that chapter, as it would have been the mother of all cliffhangers….or one hell of a way to end the series.
Though the ultimate solution to Cabal’s trials and tribulations in this novel is a bit far-fetched and convoluted, it does not detract from the overall narrative. Howard has also become an author who saves the best for last and, as with “The Necromancer,” “The Fear Institute” closes with a scene that will leave its readers (myself included) anxiously awaiting the next installment.
stepriot's review against another edition
5.0
A fun retelling of Dreamlands of Unknown Kadath with the proper respect for Nyarlathotep, my personal favorite of Lovecraft's monsters.
rui_leite's review against another edition
5.0
All right... it’s time I stop procrastinating and put down my opinion of “Johannes Cabal, The Fear Institute” into words, even though I still have a few things running back and forth in my mind...
First, an advice: getting acquainted with a few of Lovecraft’s Dream Cycle stories before reading this - at least “The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath” and “The Silver Key”- is not essential but might be very useful to fully appreciate the awesomeness of what’s being done here, as Cabal will be, indeed, traveling through Lovecraft’s “Dreamlands” and subverting many of the original stories along the way in an absolutely brilliant manner. Noticing it is not very important on the whole but will add yet another layer of enjoyment to the book.
On to “The Fear Institute”... the story begins with Cabal being visited by three rather ordinary men, members of the aforementioned institute, with a very unordinary proposition: to travel to the exoterical realm of “The Dreamlands”, find the personification of irrational fear and kill it, ridding humanity of that burden.
And this was when I first began fearing... I mean it sounded like a neat idea and all, but what had it all to do with Cabal? Even though the project of killing fear was a very big and noble one, yes, it wasn’t as interesting as... let’s say... having to gather one hundred souls in order to beat the Devil on a bet for personal interest. Indeed one thing I loved in the first book and felt was rather missing in the second was the way in which we were kept trying to decide if Cabal was a villain or not; if “The Fear Institute” was going to be all about that particular quest of killing fear...well... I could very much say goodbye to that.
But was I wrong.
As soon as I realized the manner in which the entrance to the Dreamlands had to be gained I saw we were back to good old moral ambiguity at its best. And I wasn’t disappointed. The scene of the opening of the Gate was one of those moments that, despite being quite, quite funny, left me wondering whether I should be rooting for Cabal or not (but...well... I still was).
And after the group enters The Dreamlands, a realm of thinkers and dreamers, ruled not by reason or physics but by artistic notions, superstition, lore and general aesthetic nonsense I slowly began understanding what really was at stake. That was not a story about a hunt for some weird creature, but instead a story about Cabal’s struggle to keep his mind and sanity in a place where those things could very well not be assets.
To make things worst, early on, in another brilliant scene that goes from hilarious to heartbreaking in a blink, Johannes catches the eye of a god of chaos... and... well... let’s just say that is not a good thing at all. This will also haunt him throughout the story.
And, as the quest goes into full swing, I began noticing that, interesting enough, seeing Cabal in charge of three people, inferior to him and that he very much dislikes, placed him in some of the most interesting moral dilemmas in the series. By the last third of the book you will know just what kind of man Cabal really is, and how he justifies that to himself at every step (and I dare say you’ll like him a bit more for that - I know I did).
…and then there’s the twist…
…and then there’s chapter 14…
…and then there’s the other heartbreaking, wibbly wobbly timey wimey kind of twist…
…and then there’s the cruel cliffhanger…
And throughout it all, I laughed, I laughed like mad, and I ranted and I held the book tight, shouting at the pages in disbelief… and, very often, I did all these things in the space of a few lines…
In short, just like the first book, this played merry hell with my mind and heart… and I loved every moment of it for that.
So now all is left to say is… HURRY UP WITH THE FOURTH BOOK MR JONATHAN L. HOWARD BECAUSE I BLOODY WELL NEED TO KNOW IF THAT THING IS…er… THAT OTHER THING…argh…
(You’ll see)
First, an advice: getting acquainted with a few of Lovecraft’s Dream Cycle stories before reading this - at least “The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath” and “The Silver Key”- is not essential but might be very useful to fully appreciate the awesomeness of what’s being done here, as Cabal will be, indeed, traveling through Lovecraft’s “Dreamlands” and subverting many of the original stories along the way in an absolutely brilliant manner. Noticing it is not very important on the whole but will add yet another layer of enjoyment to the book.
On to “The Fear Institute”... the story begins with Cabal being visited by three rather ordinary men, members of the aforementioned institute, with a very unordinary proposition: to travel to the exoterical realm of “The Dreamlands”, find the personification of irrational fear and kill it, ridding humanity of that burden.
And this was when I first began fearing... I mean it sounded like a neat idea and all, but what had it all to do with Cabal? Even though the project of killing fear was a very big and noble one, yes, it wasn’t as interesting as... let’s say... having to gather one hundred souls in order to beat the Devil on a bet for personal interest. Indeed one thing I loved in the first book and felt was rather missing in the second was the way in which we were kept trying to decide if Cabal was a villain or not; if “The Fear Institute” was going to be all about that particular quest of killing fear...well... I could very much say goodbye to that.
But was I wrong.
As soon as I realized the manner in which the entrance to the Dreamlands had to be gained I saw we were back to good old moral ambiguity at its best. And I wasn’t disappointed. The scene of the opening of the Gate was one of those moments that, despite being quite, quite funny, left me wondering whether I should be rooting for Cabal or not (but...well... I still was).
And after the group enters The Dreamlands, a realm of thinkers and dreamers, ruled not by reason or physics but by artistic notions, superstition, lore and general aesthetic nonsense I slowly began understanding what really was at stake. That was not a story about a hunt for some weird creature, but instead a story about Cabal’s struggle to keep his mind and sanity in a place where those things could very well not be assets.
To make things worst, early on, in another brilliant scene that goes from hilarious to heartbreaking in a blink, Johannes catches the eye of a god of chaos... and... well... let’s just say that is not a good thing at all. This will also haunt him throughout the story.
And, as the quest goes into full swing, I began noticing that, interesting enough, seeing Cabal in charge of three people, inferior to him and that he very much dislikes, placed him in some of the most interesting moral dilemmas in the series. By the last third of the book you will know just what kind of man Cabal really is, and how he justifies that to himself at every step (and I dare say you’ll like him a bit more for that - I know I did).
…and then there’s the twist…
…and then there’s chapter 14…
…and then there’s the other heartbreaking, wibbly wobbly timey wimey kind of twist…
…and then there’s the cruel cliffhanger…
And throughout it all, I laughed, I laughed like mad, and I ranted and I held the book tight, shouting at the pages in disbelief… and, very often, I did all these things in the space of a few lines…
In short, just like the first book, this played merry hell with my mind and heart… and I loved every moment of it for that.
So now all is left to say is… HURRY UP WITH THE FOURTH BOOK MR JONATHAN L. HOWARD BECAUSE I BLOODY WELL NEED TO KNOW IF THAT THING IS…er… THAT OTHER THING…argh…
(You’ll see)
anzz26's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
anxious_undertaker's review
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
is_book_loring's review
3.0
The weakest installment yet, the plot hangs too much on the jokes and the witty lines. Nevertheless, it's Johannes Cabal and the last chapter is some good stuffs.
trex121's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0