The Fear Institute

The Johannes Cabal Novels, Book 3

By: Jonathan L. Howard

Narrated by: Nicholas Guy Smith

Length: 10 hrs and 21 mins

Publisher's Summary

The third novel in the acclaimed cult-favorite series starring necromancer Johannes Cabal.

Johannes Cabal and his rather inexact powers of necromancy are back once more. This time, his talents are purchased by the Fear Institute as they hunt for the phobic animus - the embodiment of fear. The three institute members, led by Cabal and his silver key, enter the Dreamlands and find themselves pursued by walking trees plagued with giant ticks, stone men that patrol the ruins of their castles, cats that feed on human flesh, and phobias that torment and devastate. The intrepid explorers are killed off one by one as they traipse through this obfuscating and frustrating world, where history itself appears to alter. Cabal, annoyed that the quest is becoming increasingly heroic, finds himself alone with the institute's only remaining survivor, and after a shockingly violent experiment, begins to suspect that not everything is quite as it seems.

©2011 Jonathan L. Howard (P)2014 Blackstone Audio, Inc., and Skyboat Media, Inc.

slow at first, but well worth it

Fear Institute is definitely a departure from the previous two in the series in terms of tone and setting. It felt like Howard was trying something new (and Lovecraftian) that didn't always fit. There were times where Cabal felt slightly out of character, or that the analogies used for humor dragged on for too long to really be funny. However, it really picks up toward the second half, and imo the ending alone makes it fully worth reading!

Performance wise, Nicolas Guy Smith's iteration of Cabal was missing his German accent, which was a little disappointing after the first two books' audio renditions. But I got used to it after a while, and everything else was spot on.

Lovecraft? Okay

So he went full Lovecraft on this one. It's good, but expect what you are gonna get. Having Lovecraft open as you listen might help. But don't worry - it's worth it.

Good

I liked the story but still not as funny or entertaining ass the first book.

Disappointed

Loved book 1 and 2 of the series, but this one was a letdown. Very little of the humor that was in the earlier books, and the story seemed tedious. I am hoping the next book will be back up to the same standard as books 1 & 2.

New narrator was just ok. I missed hearing the slight German accent that was present in the earlier books, but I'm sure I'll get used to the new narration.

The perfect voice for Cabal

I loved this series when I read the first two. This guy has the perfect voice for Johannes, and captures the essence of the book brilliantly.

Good

I really liked the story, but the pacing of the narration was a bit too fast.

OK. Probably the weakest of the Johannes Cabal Novels for me.

On second listen this story reinforced my first impressions as being a bit muddled. Although the usual wit and style runs throughout, the storyline seems to lose its way about 2/3 of the way through and concludes clumsily. I'm looking forward to reading through books 4 & 5 again before a final splurge on the last in the series (so far - please).

Not as much comedy, but great story

This entry into the Cabal saga is not as comedic as the others, but the story is good. Fans of Lovecraft will really enjoy this one. There are some really great concepts in this one; it's a little more cerebral than past Cabal stories.

*yawn*

How could an adventure novel be this boring? The other books in the series are fun: biting, quick paced. This seems to drag. Like the dream world Cabal and his companions explore, time distorts and warps. That's not a good thing.

Into the Sea of Waking Dreams

Johannes Cabal is one of my all time favorite series, the first and fourth novel are two of my favorite books, ever. This is not the best of the Johannes Cabal series, it suffers from the fact that Cabal does not have a well-suited companion to play off of. Nevertheless, it also contains a chapter that absolutes shatters me; and an ending that made the wait for the fourth book nearly unbearable to wait for me. It is also well written, creative, and entertaining. You also must read this to get to the fourth book. It is worthwhile to read, but personally, I find it a weaker entry in the series.

Must Listen!! Funny and captivating

I loved this book, loved the flow of the story. I would recommend 100%