Cabal Summary & Key Insights

Clive Barker's Cabal, also known as The Great and Secret Show, plunges readers into a dark fantasy world where the line between reality and nightmare is perpetually blurred. The story centers around the gruesome murder of the renowned artist, Aaron Boone, whose death is only the beginning of a terrifying descent into the demonic underworld.

Boone's friend, Lieutenant Harry D'Amour, a former police officer now deeply embroiled in the occult, investigates his death. He discovers Boone wasn't just murdered; his soul was brutally harvested by a powerful entity. This leads D'Amour to the Cabal, a clandestine brotherhood of ancient sorcerers—half-human, half-something else—who worship a monstrous god named Jezebel. This deity resides in a nightmarish realm known as the Territories, accessed through a gateway in Boone's abandoned studio.

The Cabal, led by the enigmatic figure known as the Great and Secret One, uses Boone's stolen soul to enhance their power and summon their god to the mortal plane. Their plan aims to unleash a reign of unimaginable horror upon the world, using rituals of grotesque sacrifice and magical manipulation. The Cabal itself is portrayed as a fractured group, with conflicting agendas and loyalties simmering beneath their terrifying exterior. Members like Buttercup, a powerful sorceress with a disturbingly childlike demeanor, and the monstrous creature known only as "The Creature," exhibit the horrifying results of unchecked power and the corrupting influence of Jezebel.

D'Amour, initially reluctant to fully engage with the occult, finds himself unexpectedly thrust into a desperate struggle against the Cabal. He's aided by a diverse group of allies, including Boone's girlfriend, a seemingly innocent woman named Leah, whose connection to the supernatural is revealed gradually. These unexpected allies provide both practical assistance and emotional support as D'Amour navigates the increasingly terrifying landscape.

Throughout the narrative, D'Amour discovers the extent of Jezebel's influence, and the Cabal's disturbingly successful strategy in slowly corrupting the world from within. He learns that the Cabal’s horrific actions are not simply acts of evil but are part of a larger cosmic struggle, a war between opposing forces vying for control of reality itself.

Barker's Cabal explores themes of power, corruption, the nature of good and evil, and the blurring lines between sanity and madness. The grotesque imagery and intense violence are not simply gratuitous; they serve to emphasize the horrifying consequences of unchecked ambition and the seductive allure of forbidden knowledge. The ultimate confrontation between D'Amour and the Cabal is a visceral and terrifying climax, leaving the reader questioning the true nature of victory and the lingering shadow of unseen horrors.