Cabal (novella)

For other uses, see Cabal (disambiguation).

"Cabal" is a 1988 novella by British author Clive Barker. Like most of Barker's work it is a horror story. It was originally published in book form as a collection, comprising the novella and several short stories; the book title was also "Cabal".

Plot summary

It features a young man named Boone, who is suffering from an unspecified mental illness. Although this is not serious enough to institutionalize him, he is nonetheless seeing a psychiatrist named Decker.

To his horror, Boone is informed by Decker during one session that he, Boone, is responsible for the brutal mutilation murders of eleven people that have terrorized the city recently. Boone is informed that he does not recall these horrors because his mind has blanked them out of his consciousness. Before he loses all hope, Boone begins to believe salvation may lie in a place called Midian, a semi-mythical city that offers sanctuary to monsters – both the human kind and otherwise. He hurriedly sets off to seek Midian without realizing the full truth of the insidious events that lead him to such a decision.

Trivia

* The book was adapted into the 1990 movie "Nightbreed", directed by Barker himself and with Craig Sheffer starring as Boone and David Cronenberg as Decker.
* British extreme metal band Cradle of Filth's fourth studio album, Midian, is loosely based on the book.