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4.28 AVERAGE
4.28 AVERAGE
I liked this one very much, but it seemed to assume some background (or made fun references to) some of the short stories as well as the previous novels, and since I hadn't read those short stories the references fell short. I enjoyed the contrast in characters between Johannes and Horst; I enjoyed the sly narrative goofing around with the epilogues; I enjoyed the idea of the entomopters, even if set pieces with big machines always fail to be as cool to me as the narrator wants them to be. I really enjoyed Johannes's snooty little remarks interrupting Horst's narrative during the first half.
But--and I recognize that this is in no wise Howard's problem, but it is still something that interfered with my enjoyment of the experience--the narrator's wildly different accents for Horst and Johannes made it quite difficult for me to accept that they were brothers. Horst is a proper blimey gov wotcher up to, eh? while Johannes has a distinctly German foreign accent in the first chapters, which softens to the sort of clipped English accent he had in the previous book. Maybe if Johannes were the older brother, this would work: They moved to England when Horst was still able to pick up the local accent even as Johannes retained a slight German flavor to his speech. But since Horst is the older brother, it makes no sense that they, being raised together, would pick up such distinct accents. (Unless Johannes works very hard to rid himself of his cockney accent during his studies, which is possible, I guess, but not addressed in the text at all, because it really is a choice on the part of the narrator, I think, not part of the explicit written characterization.)
But--and I recognize that this is in no wise Howard's problem, but it is still something that interfered with my enjoyment of the experience--the narrator's wildly different accents for Horst and Johannes made it quite difficult for me to accept that they were brothers. Horst is a proper blimey gov wotcher up to, eh? while Johannes has a distinctly German foreign accent in the first chapters, which softens to the sort of clipped English accent he had in the previous book. Maybe if Johannes were the older brother, this would work: They moved to England when Horst was still able to pick up the local accent even as Johannes retained a slight German flavor to his speech. But since Horst is the older brother, it makes no sense that they, being raised together, would pick up such distinct accents. (Unless Johannes works very hard to rid himself of his cockney accent during his studies, which is possible, I guess, but not addressed in the text at all, because it really is a choice on the part of the narrator, I think, not part of the explicit written characterization.)
adventurous
dark
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
funny
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
Yes
I truly enjoyed this book, just like most in this series. Like the other books there is some vocabulary in the book that will probably need to be looked up. You can use context clues to understand there general meaning though. Howard is extremely talented at the dark comedy genre. It is not simply blood and gore mixed with jokes. He has a certain apathy for whatever the situation the characters are currently in. For instance talking about someone yelling for help and then when things get worse he describes it as their conversation becoming more scream-oriented. The book mostly follows the path of Horst, but that greatly added to the overall feel of the book. With the exception of like half a chapter where things slow down, the pace is great and makes you want to see what happens next. I highly recommend this book to anyone that is a fan of darker stories. Following Johannes Cabal the apathetic necromancer is always a safe bet.
I think I love this series more with every book.
That said, I'm glad I like the character of Horst so much, because the first, like, 2/3 of this book primarily focuses on him and his regaling his bother with the story of his second resurrection and the events which have befallen him, which brought him to his brother in the first place. But how can you not enjoy spending time with the dapper vampire who is more concerned with getting trousers upon resurrection than in feeding?
My only real complaint is that the final 1/3 of the book seemed a bit too easy for all the build-up we got to get there. But I suppose that's just what happens when Johannes gets involved and knows so much about the weaknesses of various supernatural aspects.
Oh, I lied - my other complaint was that while this story is nicely wrapped up, it's also kind of not. I mean, it's not a cliffhanger by any means, but it also felt unfinished since
That said -
I continue to love the wry humour and little asides. The interaction between Horst and Johannes is wonderful fun. I'm so looking forward to the next in the series - though the title has me somewhat concerned: The Fall of the House of Cabal. (Though I'm loving the play on Poe's story, and considering these books have toyed with different genres and homages, I have to assume that's on purpose. ^_^)
That said, I'm glad I like the character of Horst so much, because the first, like, 2/3 of this book primarily focuses on him and his regaling his bother with the story of his second resurrection and the events which have befallen him, which brought him to his brother in the first place. But how can you not enjoy spending time with the dapper vampire who is more concerned with getting trousers upon resurrection than in feeding?
My only real complaint is that the final 1/3 of the book seemed a bit too easy for all the build-up we got to get there. But I suppose that's just what happens when Johannes gets involved and knows so much about the weaknesses of various supernatural aspects.
Oh, I lied - my other complaint was that while this story is nicely wrapped up, it's also kind of not. I mean, it's not a cliffhanger by any means, but it also felt unfinished since
Spoiler
the main bad guy got away.That said -
I continue to love the wry humour and little asides. The interaction between Horst and Johannes is wonderful fun. I'm so looking forward to the next in the series - though the title has me somewhat concerned: The Fall of the House of Cabal. (Though I'm loving the play on Poe's story, and considering these books have toyed with different genres and homages, I have to assume that's on purpose. ^_^)
3.5*
I just missed my bb Johannes for most of this book. It really picked up when he joined the narrative though.
I just missed my bb Johannes for most of this book. It really picked up when he joined the narrative though.
adventurous
dark
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated