Cabal
Ratings43
Average rating3.7
Cabal is yet another novel, later turned film, by the underrated Clive Barker. This book has a lot of different themes and aspects that at times compete with each other within the limited page count. This is by no means among Barkers best work but I do think it's one of his most interesting. Its Barkers take on a chosen one narrative with Boone almost playing this Moses type character and going on a hero's journey of sorts. Its still Barker so nothing is conventional. A popular reading is that the book is an allegory for queerness and it's no stretch to imagine especially considering the time of the novels release. The monstrous, orphic Nightbreed are bastioned beneath a cemetery, away from mortal men who fear and persecute them. This is exemplified by the police brutality against the breed but also by Decker. Decker is a monster in his own right yet instead of joining the Nightbreed he works to exterminate them. Maintaining the queer allegory you could say Decker represents the anger and self hatred often associated with repressed homosexuality. Anger which he can only express when he dons his mask, "Buttonface". This is in opposition to Boone who has also repressed his true self. He's turned into a Nightbreed via oral transmission when he's assaulted by Peloquin. Its only then through his relationship with Lori that he's able to finally accept himself and consumate their love does he become proactive in the story. The books is at its best when Boone, Lori and Decker are playing off each other. Unfortunately this is few and far between. The book is short and its not always efficient with its page count, leading to some parts dragging and some moving quite fast. Barker's prose here is also nowhere near what he displayed in Hellbound Heart. All that said, this is undeniably one of my favorite novels and films. It resonated with me before i even knew exactly why. I would only recommend this to the die hard Barker fans or those who would resonate with its themes.
Seems like Barker really barreled through this one. It was a short novel, less than 200 pages, and might have benefited from being fleshed out a bit. (No gruesome puns intended.) The story was very complex for the short length. Yes, it's a cool plot with lots of imaginative monsters that Barker's so good at. I just get the feeling that he expected the reader to take a lot on faith without much to work with. I can suspend my disbelief but only if the writer develops the characters sufficiently to make it worthwhile.Some of Cabal was well done. Boone is a solid underdog character. Mentally unstable and fragile at the start, he goes through a very weird story of supernatural transformation and finds unexpected heroism. It's also a story of misfit creatures, known as the Nightbreed, who are simply trying to hide from the humans who would see them as monsters. Not original, but Barker has a touch with these kinds of things ([b:Everville 32627 Everville (Book of the Art #2) Clive Barker https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1407712149l/32627.SX50.jpg 942616], [b:Weaveworld 957648 Weaveworld Clive Barker https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1429998286l/957648.SX50.jpg 942564]). Despite the fact that they eat human flesh, I do empathize with the Nightbreed. Decker aka Button Face, the villain, is just not scary. Partly because we only see some of his deeds in retrospect, like convincing the public that Boone is a serial killer or murdering six people at once in a hotel room, none of whom ganged up on him and fought back. If some of these scenes were better written, I might understand his powers of persuasion/physical prowess. The other bad guy, Eigerman, is a cop who goes after the Nightbreed for reasons that are poorly defined other than ego. (I did like the lacy-undergarment-wearing priest though. Why? Because it's left open for me to interpret.) The relationship between Lori and Boone is supposed to have an emotional impact at certain key points throughout the story, but again it is not well defined. All I got was: he's vulnerable; she's insecure. There's no hint that Lori has any hidden depths or dark side that would motivate her to stick with Boone through all the crazy crap that happens in this book. What saved this collection for me were the short stories at the end, especially “The Last Illusion,” the story that the film Lords of Illusion was based on. Short and simple, with some black humor revolving around pacts with demons and a dead body. Harry D'Amour and the other characters all have personality, so clearly Barker is capable of it. It also works because D'amour is an observer in the story, taking action but tangentially involved so the reader gets to see the diabolical events unfold through the eyes of a relatable person.
