A Johannes Cabal Update

Well, it's official.  I've read every available Johannes Cabal story.  I've read all three novels and all five short stories.  Yes, I could also explore the wild world of fan-fiction, but I tried that once as a college freshman and barely made it out with my life and my sanity.  Let a bunch of hormonal teenagers write stories about their favorite characters, and you will not believe the Frankenstein monsters they create.  I'll stick to the series canon, thank you very much!

Still, it's a little sad.  I was so excited to finally get my hands on these books and stories, and now I have to wait for an indefinite amount of time until the fourth book comes out in the States.  (I can't find anything about it on Goodreads, but according to a podcast I found online, Jonathan L. Howard DOES have a book on the way: The Brothers Cabal).  Don't listen to the podcast until you've read book 3 (The Fear Institute) first, however, since the excerpt being read contains a huge spoiler otherwise. 

Educational?  Yes.  Spoilers?  Also yes.  Don't do it.

I did get my hands on the audio book version of book 1 from the library, though, and used my Christmas Barnes and Nobel giftcard to buy the book itself.  My nights have been spent listening and reading along in the quiet of the house after everyone else has gone to sleep.  And so far, it's been pretty wonderful.

I find I've been reading a lot more fantasy lately.  Or, perhaps I've always read a lot of fantasy, but I'm just starting to realize it.  Either way, my days have been crammed with stories of monsters and wizards, zombies, ancient evil, and heroes.  It's been pretty great.  Though, at the same time, I've also been trying to read more non-fiction between books to sort of bring me back down to earth.  Too many good fantasy novels, one right after the other, tends to dilute their potency.  But, if you read a good memoir or a book about animals or space or a famous scientist, then the fantastical aspects of your other reading just sort of jump off the page.  Or, at least it does for me.  Which is why, following The Ocean at the End of the Lane (Neil Gaiman), I've started reading The World's Strongest Librarian (Josh Hanagarne), which is pretty good so far.  I've been reading for about two days, and I think I'm over halfway done.

Still, I'm a bit disappointed about my Johannes Cabal books.  It just feels like a sort of grim finality that I haven't experienced since high school, when I devoured Jasper Fforde's books (all three series of them) with the same voraciousness.

Oh well.  I guess all I can do is wait, right?  At least there will be more Cabal sometime.