This book was a joy to read. Aside from one criticism I would highly recommend Johannes Cabal to anyone interested in the macabre. Jonathan Howard brings to the page the tenor of Something Wicked This Way Comes and the wit of Christopher Moore, with a healthy dose of the endearing antics of John Constantine. Tragic and funny this romp through the world of infernal carnies did nothing less than make me scramble to read the next installment, Johannes Cabal: the Detective. Well written with a hint of the grandiose style of carnival barkers and Penny Dreadfuls the exploits of the novel's anti-hero protagonist is an easy read, to boot.

There were a few chapters where the approach came off to me as kitchy and didn't add anything to the book. For instance there is a chapter where a child is involved in the character's antics and the author chooses to frame two-thirds of the chapter as a "summer vacation" report in the child's broken english. I think it took "showing" instead of "telling" to an extreme that removed me from the fantasy and made it painfully obvious I was reading a book.

I will definitely come back to this novel in a years time if for no reason than to revisit truly endearing, creepy characters and to share Howard's obvious love for language.