''Cabal'' is a 1988 horror novel by the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

author

Clive Barker Clive Barker (born 5 October 1952) is an English novelist, playwright, author, film director, and visual artist who came to prominence in the mid-1980s with a series of short stories, the ''Books of Blood'', which established him as a leading h ...

. It was originally published in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

as part of a collection comprising a novel and several short stories from Barker's sixth and final volume of the ''

Books of Blood ''Books of Blood'' is a series of six horror fiction anthologies collecting original stories written by British author, playwright, and filmmaker Clive Barker in 1984 and 1985. Known primarily for writing stage plays beforehand, Barker gained a ...

''. The book was adapted into the film ''

Nightbreed ''Nightbreed'' is a 1990 American dark fantasy horror film written and directed by Clive Barker, based on his 1988 novella ''Cabal''. It stars Craig Sheffer, Anne Bobby, David Cronenberg, Charles Haid, Hugh Quarshie, and Doug Bradley. The film f ...

'' in 1990, written and directed by Barker himself, starring

Craig Sheffer Craig Eric Sheffer (born April 23, 1960) is an American film and television actor. He is known for his leading roles as Norman Maclean in the film ''A River Runs Through It (film), A River Runs Through It, ''Aaron Boone in the film ''Nightbreed' ...

and David Cronenberg. A television adaptation is in development at SyFy, directed by

Michael Dougherty Michael Patrick Dougherty (born October 28, 1974) is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, and animator, best known for the cult horror film ''Trick 'r Treat'' (2007), and the monster film '' Godzilla: King of the Monsters'' (2019) ...

and written by

Josh Stolberg Josh Stolberg is an American film director, screenwriter, and photographer. He won the Seashore Award and the Queen Spirit Award as a director of the film '' The Life Coach''. He also wrote and directed the 2005 film ''Kids in America'', and mad ...

Plot

Boone, a young man suffering from an unspecified mental disorder, is told by his trusted psychiatrist, Decker, that he is responsible for brutal serial murders in Calgary, which Boone has no recollection of committing. After a suicide attempt, Boone is taken to a clinic and told by a fellow patient named Narcisse that he knows the location of Midian, a semi-mythical city that welcomes monsters. Believing that Boone is an emissary of Midian, Narcisse reveals Midian's location to him and maniacally savages his own face with a razor. Horrified, Boone escapes the clinic. Following Narcisse's directions, Boone locates Midian, which lies beneath a cemetery. At the cemetery, two of denizens of Midian, known as Night Breed, reveal themselves and attack Boone; one of the assailants bites into Boone's neck, but he narrowly escapes. Decker appears and reveals to Boone that Decker himself had committed the murders and framed Boone as a scapegoat. Boone is shot dead by the local policemen, who had been pursuing him alongside Decker. Boone's body is placed in a morgue, but it later mysteriously disappears. Boone's lover, Lori, is unable to cope with what she has been told about Boone, so she travels to Midian for answers. Along the way, she makes friends with Sheryl, who accompanies her, though Sheryl stays in town and does not enter the cemetery. Lori encounters a small, frail creature writhing in pain at the cemetery. One of the Night Breed, Rachel, begs Lori to bring the creature to her. When she does so, the creature transforms into a human child: Rachel's daughter, Babette. As thanks, Rachel says she knows Lori has come for Boone, but the Night Breed leader, Lylesburg, silences Rachel and refuses her entrance to Midian. Decker seduces Sheryl, kills her, and reveals his identity to Lori. Lori narrowly escapes Decker and returns to Midian, where a revived Boone saves her against Lylesburg's wishes. As punishment, Lylesburg exiles the couple. Boone and Lori return to her hotel, where they discover Decker has massacred many people. The police arrive and, though Lori flees, Boone uncontrollably eats some of the dead bodies before getting arrested. Decker convinces the bigoted police chief, Eigerman, to go to Midian and capture or kill everyone living there. Eigerman sends a small squad of officers to scout Midian, and they kill one of the Night Breed. Babette telepathically tells this to Lori. Lori meets up with Narcisse, and together they help Boone escape from jail. Eigerman and Decker organize a lynch mob to attack Midian, including a priest named Ashbery. Boone, Lori, and Narcisse find that Eigerman's men have overrun Midian and that many of the Night Breed have been killed, forcing them out from the underground by setting the city aflame. Decker kills Narcisse during the battle, but Boone kills him. Eigerman's men are chased off by the Night Breed, but Midian is completely destroyed, and many Night Breed have been killed. Eigerman and Ashbery form a team to eradicate the Night Breed. Baphomet, the creator of Midian, re-baptizes Boone as "Cabal" and grants him new power, tasking him with finding a new home for the Night Breed, a task he accepts.

Editions

In 2013, small press publisher Fiddleblack released an "annotated, limited edition" of the novella, titled ''Cabal & Other Annotations''. The hand-numbered books were limited to a run of 300 and contained a collection of essays from Barker-centric contributors such as Peter H. Gilmore and

Nicholas Vince Nicholas Vince (born May 1958) is an actor, writer, and film maker who was born in West Germany and lives in South London. He trained at Mountview Theatre Academy, and shortly after graduating he met Clive Barker, modeling for him and later being ...

, as well as artwork by Barker himself and a sizable appendix of scholarly footnotes by horror philosopher

Eugene Thacker Eugene Thacker is an American philosopher, poet, and author. He is Professor of Media Studies at The New School in New York City. His writing is often associated with the philosophy of nihilism and pessimism. Thacker's books include ''In the Dus ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cabal (Novella) 1988 British novels 1988 fantasy novels 1980s horror novels British novellas British novels adapted into films Novels by Clive Barker Poseidon Press books Short story collections by Clive Barker William Collins, Sons books