Cabal vs Tales of Terror and Mystery: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: English Horror tales, Horror, Fiction
Cabal
“Of all the rash and midnight promises made in the name of love, none, Boone now knew, was more certain to be broken than "I'll never leave you."”
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Cabal is a 1988 horror novella by the British author Clive Barker. It was originally published in the United States as part of a collection comprising a novel and several short stories from Barker's sixth and final…
Tales of Terror and Mystery
“The idea that the extraordinary narrative which has been called the Joyce-Armstrong Fragment is an elaborate practical joke evolved by some unknown person, cursed by a perverted and sinister sense of humour, has now been abandoned by all who have examined the matter.”
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From the book:The idea that the extraordinary narrative which has been called the Joyce-Armstrong Fragment is an elaborate practical joke evolved by some unknown person, cursed by a perverted and sinister sense of…
Side by side
The verdict
- Readers rate Cabal highest: Cabal 4.3 · Tales of Terror and Mystery 3.8.
- Tales of Terror and Mystery has the widest readership — 2933 ratings behind its score.
- Cabal runs the darker storyline; Tales of Terror and Mystery stays the lighter read.
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How to choose
Scores by source
| Cabal | Tales of Terror and Mystery | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 4.3 (636) | 3.8 (2933) |
| Hardcover | 3.8 (79) | 4.0 (2) |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (82) | 4.0 (153) |
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Reception
| Cabal | Tales of Terror and Mystery | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 636 | 2933 |
| Editions | 16 | 168 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 585 | 2558 |
| Reading it now | 13 | 700 |
| Written reviews | 18 | 243 |
| Wikipedia attention | 2109 | 287 |
| Pages | 268 | 186 |
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Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: Cabal or Tales of Terror and Mystery?
Cabal has the higher combined reader rating across sources (Cabal 4.3/5, Tales of Terror and Mystery 3.8/5).
Which is shorter to read: Cabal or Tales of Terror and Mystery?
Tales of Terror and Mystery is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: Tales of Terror and Mystery (186 pages, ≈ 3 h 27 m); Cabal (268 pages, ≈ 4 h 58 m).
Which is harder to read: Cabal or Tales of Terror and Mystery?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — Cabal: Moderate; Tales of Terror and Mystery: Challenging.
Have both books been made into films?
Cabal: 2 film adaptations; Tales of Terror and Mystery: no film adaptation on record.