Review: Audiobook The Nightshade Cabal

Isaac Barrow very much just wants to be left to his own research, but as the only “out” working Technomancer, there are jobs the locals need doing, from simple repairs, to assisting the local constabulary. When Barrow takes on what he assumes is a simple repair call on an autotype machine, he starts down a fiendish plot by the Nightshade Cabal. And then there’s the the missing girl, Emily Skye, with talents and abilities of her own, that Isaac has been asked to help locate. Believing the missing teenager and the Cabal are somehow related, Isaac is led to horrifying discoveries and a battle to save the minds of everyone.

I had the opportunity and pleasure of reading a very late beta version of The Nightshade Cabal, and then I read it again when it first released, mostly to see if it had changed any. I reviewed it on Amazon and Goodreads, which you can read if you like by following the links. As you can see by the reviews and scores, Chris Patrick Carolan’s debut novel is, in a word, excellent. Not excellent in that B.S. way we use it on a day to day basis. The actual definition of excellent – exhibiting excellence, outstanding.

Isaac Barrow is a Technomancer in 1880’s Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Right there, you know it’s steampunk, but more than that, Chris’ deft hand creates a living, breathing world. From the lamps lighting the cobblestone streets, to the docks, warehouses and the small street urchins running amok, Mr. Carolan’s words bring life to a city that both does and doesn’t exist. The world he creates is rich in detail without being over described, letting you really be in 1880’s Halifax in your mind.

As for our protagonist, one mister Isaac Barrow, he’s not as grumpy as you would expect. He’s kind, thoughtful, courteous, brave, altruistic, and witty. Not witty as in quippy, witty as in he’s quick on his feet, solving problems in the moment under high stakes. As much as he “wants” to be left alone, there’s a part me of that thinks this more a defense mechanism of our character than an actual trait of him.

Any more would really spoil a great read or listen, so that’s about all I’m going to say about the characters and plot. Let’s talk about the performance on the audiobook.

Dean Ruple, whom I had never heard of before now, does an incredible job of narrating and performing The Nightshade Cabal. He seamlessly switches between accents and voices making knowing who is talking without dialogue tags easy and supremely enjoyable. Mr. Ruple’s deep tone lets you settle right in while he narrates, making the prose just as easy to enjoy listening to as Mr. Carolan’s writing makes it wonderful to read.

From the incredible opening at a magic show, to a chase over some rooftops, to the, and personally I think the best section of writing in the book and my favourite part, the effects of a hallucinogenic drug on a character late in the book, The Nightshade Cabal has a rich beautiful world, great action, and some rather — disturbing moments that is sure to please Steampunk and mystery fans alike.

Highly recommend. Audiobook here.