Literature is a painting, beautifully translated into language, hung aesthetically on a blank canvas. There is good literature and mediocre literature, but there is also good literature. What is great literature? What makes good literature great literature? Johannes Cabal: The Necromancer by Johnathan L. Howard is a beautifully told tale with roots in macabre and dark humor. But is it great literature? In a way, maybe it is. Howard's writing is witty and revealing. His characterization is interesting and really makes the reader question the character's morality and realize how close Howard has managed to get to human nature. Howard's writing is both witty and entertaining to read. With varied sentence structures and an extensive vocabulary, Howard is able to make even a tale as dark as this seem light in its own way without diluting the dark humor that this genre calls for. Howard's description of Dennis' shooting, a poor excuse for a thief, is written darkly, but with the content of the sentence and Howard's choice of words, the scene is not as grotesque as it would have been. could have been. When Dennis was shot in the back, he was described as "falling, his minimal amounts of brain activity reduced to nothing" (Howard 22). Not to mention that Howard's language is what the novel has been most complimented for. This book is credited for its "witty adventure" (Robinson), but this book still falls into the macabre genre as the epilogue of this novel is noted as "an excellent standalone horror short story" (Watson 1). Thus, despite Howard's intelligent and comedic writing, he is still able to let his story slide into the macabre genre, because it is "the precise work of a talented writer" (Vidimos 1). F...... middle of paper ......rman, Allison. “The crypt struck.” The crypt struck. Clairty Digital Group LLC, October 24, 2009.Web. December 18, 2013. Howard, Johnathan L. “The Kicked Crypt.” The crypt struck. Livejournal and Web. December 18, 2013.Howard, Jonathan L. Johannes Cabal, the Necromancer. New York: Doubleday, 2009. Print.Nina. “Books of Death and Tea: Book Review – Johannes Cabal the Necromancer by Jonathan LHoward.” Death Books and Tea: Book Review – Johannes Cabal the Necromancer by Jonathan L Howard. Blogger, August 18, 2011. Web. December 18, 2013. Unknown. “Johannes Cabal.” Johannes Cabal. Unknown, nd Web. December 18, 2013. Vidimos, Robin. “Hell has a bad sense of humor.” The Denver Post. MNG Corporate, July 19, 2009. Internet. December 18, 2013. Watson, Cary. “JettisonCocoon.” : Book Review: Johannes Cabal the Necromancer (2010) by Jonathan L. Howard. Blogger, March 1, 2012. Web. December 18. 2013.