Cabal
Worth buying if: You enjoy Clive Barker's baroque body horror and mythmaking.
Skip it if: You avoid vivid grotesque imagery or graphic horror scenes.
Exact edition: Edition shown · ISBN-13 9780006176664. The Amazon link uses this ISBN, so the product page should open to the edition shown here.
If this page helped you decide, purchasing through the Amazon button above supports UPB Books at no extra cost to you and helps us continue improving the site. Thanks for visiting today.
Check Amazon for the current price and availability of this exact edition.
Affiliate disclosure: purchases made through links on this site may earn us a commission at no additional cost to you.
Summary
In Cabal, convicted killer Boone brings wounds and paranoia to a journey that leads him toward the mythical city of Midian and its inhuman inhabitants; Barker blends horror, dark fantasy, and moral ambiguity across 268 pages of vivid grotesque imagery.
Why this book now
Barker's Cabal remains a standout in modern dark fantasy and horror, worth revisiting for readers tracing the roots of contemporary genre blends and film adaptations of Barker's wo.
30-second preview
Two quick cards, fifteen seconds each.
Card 1 of 2
Best for readers who...
Good fit if you want...
- You enjoy Clive Barker's baroque body horror and mythmaking.
- You follow novels that inspired film adaptations and cult fandom.
- You avoid vivid grotesque imagery or graphic horror scenes.
- You prefer straight realist fiction without supernatural cities like Midian.
Decided it fits?
Exact edition: Edition shown · ISBN-13 9780006176664
Worth buying if: You enjoy Clive Barker's baroque body horror and mythmaking.
Skip it if: You avoid vivid grotesque imagery or graphic horror scenes.
Check Amazon for the current price and availability of this exact edition.
Reader guide
Cues to help you decide faster.
Reading commitment
Light Short sit-downs
At 268 pages, Cabal is a medium-length dark fantasy that rewards steady reading—expect dense description, shifting moods, and episodic tension over several sittings.
What stands out here
This Fontana edition centers Barker's original prose and the novel's episode structure, highlighting the Midian mythos and the specific character arc of Boone Poplar.
Best way to approach it
Approach Cabal slowly to savor Barker's imagery: pause at dense descriptive passages, note recurring motifs (Midian, monsters, guilt), and accept moral ambiguity rather than seeking tidy answers.
Was this page helpful?
Quick thumbs only. No login.
Loading feedback…
Other formats and editions
Same title and author, with each available binding identified.
Exact edition: ISBN-13 9780006176664
Check Amazon for the current price and availability of this exact edition.