What do you think?
Rate this book
The Cabal of Thotash
The Cabal of Thotash has languished for years within their poorly-ventilated Manhattan lair. All of their rituals to summon an ancient malice and help it unmake reality have accomplished little beyond annoying the upstairs neighbor. When a charismatic sacrifice talks her way off the dark altar and into a leadership position, the Cabal's fortunes turn around, as do their ideas about what it means to serve the greater evil.
The Cabal of Thotash is a wickedly funny novelette that peers beneath the hood of an evil cult and finds the inevitable collisions between orthodoxy and modern culture.
The Cabal of Thotash is a wickedly funny novelette that peers beneath the hood of an evil cult and finds the inevitable collisions between orthodoxy and modern culture.
26 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 4, 2014
41 people are currently reading
211 people want to read
About the author
J. Zachary Pike
11 books947 followersJ. Zachary Pike was once a basement-dwelling fantasy gamer, but over time he metamorphosed into a basement-dwelling fantasy writer. By day Zack is a web professional and creative-for-hire, but at night he returns to his lair to create books, films, and illustrations that meld fantasy elements with offbeat humor. A New Englander by birth and by temperament, Zack writes strangely funny fiction on the seacoast of New Hampshire.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
January 28, 2019
This short story asks and answers the dilemma facing all present-day cults: how does your evil-worshipping cabal adjust to the modern trappings of an urban environment?
When I think of evil cults, excuse me, cabals, I think of dark hooded zealots who sacrifice humans to appease their maniacal eldritch god. Black robes, cauldrons, ancient languages, and mysterious names -- this story has all of them, in spades. Pike wonders how these people would adjust if they all lived on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, holding their weekly meetings in the basement between a landromat and bodega.
Pike's dependable wit and humor shines through as the traditional cabal members are faced with a more 'progressive evil' mindset from their new recruits. Why sacrifice one human, when you can force 100 orphans to work in your sweatshot for 12 hours a day? What kind of wiggle room is there in the Contract Written in Blood?
This is a fun and satirical take on the problems that traditional religions face in today's world, and plenty of humor is mined throughout it's short length. The prose is orconomical, er, economical, and the humor stretches its legs between allegory, satire, and parody.
I received this short story for free for signing up for Pike's email newsletter. This was a fun palate cleanser between more 'serious' books, and should serve as a good introduction to J. Zachary Pike if you're unfamiliar with his work.
When I think of evil cults, excuse me, cabals, I think of dark hooded zealots who sacrifice humans to appease their maniacal eldritch god. Black robes, cauldrons, ancient languages, and mysterious names -- this story has all of them, in spades. Pike wonders how these people would adjust if they all lived on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, holding their weekly meetings in the basement between a landromat and bodega.
Pike's dependable wit and humor shines through as the traditional cabal members are faced with a more 'progressive evil' mindset from their new recruits. Why sacrifice one human, when you can force 100 orphans to work in your sweatshot for 12 hours a day? What kind of wiggle room is there in the Contract Written in Blood?
This is a fun and satirical take on the problems that traditional religions face in today's world, and plenty of humor is mined throughout it's short length. The prose is orconomical, er, economical, and the humor stretches its legs between allegory, satire, and parody.
I received this short story for free for signing up for Pike's email newsletter. This was a fun palate cleanser between more 'serious' books, and should serve as a good introduction to J. Zachary Pike if you're unfamiliar with his work.
January 5, 2019
The story was ok but it was way longer than it ought to have been. I mean the ending was quite obvious and the journey there didn't really justify the time spent on it. Skip this and go directly to Orconomics!
June 5, 2019
A fine little short story, but not really anything special. As another review wrote: “Skip this an go straight to [the far superior] Orconomics.”
June 3, 2014
The Cabal of Thotash is an urban fantasy… Sort of.
Let’s start at the beginning. A mysterious cult devoted to an evil Lovecraftian deity meets in an unventilated basement once a week, and everything is going well enough. Honoring the Contract, doing evil deeds, making sacrifices of innocents upon the altar of Thotash, until one day they bring a young woman into their midst as an intended sacrifice… And everything changes.
Only 9,000 words or so long, that is all this story needed to tell a whimsical and downright hilarious tale of a Lovecraftian cult (sorry, cabal) which just can’t seem to get things right. If you’re a fan of Terry Pratchett or Douglas Adams, and love to revel in the absurdity of situations normal and supernatural, you should not hesitate to pick this up. Genre-savvy readers will instantly recognize both the familiar and the unfamiliar, and you can’t help but laugh as you watch this thoroughly respectable cabal become something infinitely greater than the sum of its parts.
For a first entry into the market by a new author, this short story/novella/novelette/whatever we’re calling short fiction these days is well worth the time and small investment. The formatting is invisible, and while I might wish for fewer ‘was’s in the first paragraph, it did not detract from my thorough enjoyment of the story, nor did it reduce the number of laugh-out-loud moments in this brief yarn.
5 stars. Highly recommended.
--This review has been cross-posted with permission from the Genre Underground.
Let’s start at the beginning. A mysterious cult devoted to an evil Lovecraftian deity meets in an unventilated basement once a week, and everything is going well enough. Honoring the Contract, doing evil deeds, making sacrifices of innocents upon the altar of Thotash, until one day they bring a young woman into their midst as an intended sacrifice… And everything changes.
Only 9,000 words or so long, that is all this story needed to tell a whimsical and downright hilarious tale of a Lovecraftian cult (sorry, cabal) which just can’t seem to get things right. If you’re a fan of Terry Pratchett or Douglas Adams, and love to revel in the absurdity of situations normal and supernatural, you should not hesitate to pick this up. Genre-savvy readers will instantly recognize both the familiar and the unfamiliar, and you can’t help but laugh as you watch this thoroughly respectable cabal become something infinitely greater than the sum of its parts.
For a first entry into the market by a new author, this short story/novella/novelette/whatever we’re calling short fiction these days is well worth the time and small investment. The formatting is invisible, and while I might wish for fewer ‘was’s in the first paragraph, it did not detract from my thorough enjoyment of the story, nor did it reduce the number of laugh-out-loud moments in this brief yarn.
5 stars. Highly recommended.
--This review has been cross-posted with permission from the Genre Underground.
August 10, 2016
I received a free ecopy of this novelette from the author for an honest review.
I've had this on my TBR list for a while and I decided to just sit down and take a few minutes to read it since it's only 26 pages. I didn't look at the summary, I just started reading. What a pleasant (I'm not sure that's quite the right word) surprise.
The Cabal of Thotash is satire at its best. I was laughing from the beginning. These people do their best to be evil. They even sacrifice a human every month; however, this month's sacrifice eventually ends up being the leader of the Cabal and what she turns it into is hilarious. The ending was perfect.
I definitely recommend this novelette to anyone who enjoys satire.
I've had this on my TBR list for a while and I decided to just sit down and take a few minutes to read it since it's only 26 pages. I didn't look at the summary, I just started reading. What a pleasant (I'm not sure that's quite the right word) surprise.
The Cabal of Thotash is satire at its best. I was laughing from the beginning. These people do their best to be evil. They even sacrifice a human every month; however, this month's sacrifice eventually ends up being the leader of the Cabal and what she turns it into is hilarious. The ending was perfect.
I definitely recommend this novelette to anyone who enjoys satire.
July 2, 2015
After the fantastic Orconomics I was keen to read anything else from Pike. This popped up on my kindle for less then a dollar and I was straight into it. As the price suggests this is a novelette length work that follows a cult in New York, worshiping a Lovecraftian deity. In true Pike fashion the real world intervenes and before long the cult is dramatically less dark, but growing exponentially in size.
I found this to be a very enjoyable, quick read which introduces a little bit of the humor you can expect to find in Orconomics.
I found this to be a very enjoyable, quick read which introduces a little bit of the humor you can expect to find in Orconomics.
September 11, 2017
A twisted urban fantasy.
This Short story ties in the Pike's (death and taxes) so I'd advise you to read that one first, don't worry they're both fun and delightfully short.
The Cabal is about about a group that worships a prince of hell and by worships I mean obey his teachings to the letter be it regarding the rituals or the human sacrifices.
Then one day they grab a millennial to sacrifice and she attempts to "modernize" the whole practice declawing the whole thing.
This was a fun and light hearted read with alot of attention to details. Surprisingly well written too! The ending put a big smile on my face... then again I hate the stereotypical millennial so it's not surprising.
For $1 you can grab yourself an hour of entertainment and a big smile, bargain bin price I'd say!
This Short story ties in the Pike's (death and taxes) so I'd advise you to read that one first, don't worry they're both fun and delightfully short.
The Cabal is about about a group that worships a prince of hell and by worships I mean obey his teachings to the letter be it regarding the rituals or the human sacrifices.
Then one day they grab a millennial to sacrifice and she attempts to "modernize" the whole practice declawing the whole thing.
This was a fun and light hearted read with alot of attention to details. Surprisingly well written too! The ending put a big smile on my face... then again I hate the stereotypical millennial so it's not surprising.
For $1 you can grab yourself an hour of entertainment and a big smile, bargain bin price I'd say!
August 10, 2018
I'm a sucker for cults, chaos, and creatures that try to destroy the world. I'm the one nut rooting at sidelines and getting eaten by some horrible monster. I have made my peace with that. I wanted the cabal to succeed, to get past their inner power-play, sacrifice something else than a cat, and bring upon apocalypse, they didn't. (Sorry to ruin your ending, but you might have noticed such an event to happen. Shame on you thinking it could have ended any other way.)
This was a fun short read and had a great potential to be intriguing and mind-blowing. Unfortunately, the writer hurried with the ending, left the characters thin, and provided a few weak jokes. I think another editing round would have benefited this and a lot. That said, The Cabal of Thotash had its moments. The mere concept is brilliant. Also, I liked to think of this book as a critique of how the original cause of religions or anything else easily slips away if there is a promise of money, orgies, and brand-new hybrid. Who can say no to that or donuts?
This was a fun short read and had a great potential to be intriguing and mind-blowing. Unfortunately, the writer hurried with the ending, left the characters thin, and provided a few weak jokes. I think another editing round would have benefited this and a lot. That said, The Cabal of Thotash had its moments. The mere concept is brilliant. Also, I liked to think of this book as a critique of how the original cause of religions or anything else easily slips away if there is a promise of money, orgies, and brand-new hybrid. Who can say no to that or donuts?
November 28, 2018
Koodos to Steve Hamilton who created the cover. I may have mentioned it before, but people do judge a book by its cover, and cheap-looking photographs or poorly Photo-shopped compilations of images are a sign that I should keep away. I've bought many self-published e-books and I'm very wary now. Not that I care about the few dollars I'll lose, but it's the time I'll waste reading a book that was so-so (just like the cover warned me)...
This was a pretty funny examination of why a Lovecraftian cabal, worshiping the old ones, probably wouldn't be able to sustain itself in this modern day and age. There was some nice skewering of religion, and digs at people who take the easy way whenever the chance presents itself instead of dedicating themselves for the long haul.
I thought the naming of the cabbalists was quite a laugh and seeing new members name themselves made it even funnier. The twist with the Lurker at the Threshold was quite a laugh as well.
This was a pretty funny examination of why a Lovecraftian cabal, worshiping the old ones, probably wouldn't be able to sustain itself in this modern day and age. There was some nice skewering of religion, and digs at people who take the easy way whenever the chance presents itself instead of dedicating themselves for the long haul.
I thought the naming of the cabbalists was quite a laugh and seeing new members name themselves made it even funnier. The twist with the Lurker at the Threshold was quite a laugh as well.
June 1, 2020
Very funny! What happens when a dark cult ummm.... cabal moves with the times? And the old leadership, including the dark one they serve, isn't so certain of it?
Chock full of names like Keeper of Secrets and Lurker at the Threshold and anything else you can think of from a Lovecraft-style cabal, this novella had me chuckling along.
It's hard to be evil and dark when you need an inhaler or have to deal with modern times, but a few folks can manage it.
There's not a lot of character development, but the plot is funny and moves along quickly. Very tongue in cheek.
Chock full of names like Keeper of Secrets and Lurker at the Threshold and anything else you can think of from a Lovecraft-style cabal, this novella had me chuckling along.
It's hard to be evil and dark when you need an inhaler or have to deal with modern times, but a few folks can manage it.
There's not a lot of character development, but the plot is funny and moves along quickly. Very tongue in cheek.
September 24, 2017
This satirical novella is about how a purist cabal, dedicated to evil drifts away from following the evil Contract literally. One snarky change at a time, they make evil more relevant and end up with hundreds of followers, a fancy facility, community spoiling projects, and even evil leadership conferences. But while they might think the old ways are outdated, Thotash does not.
July 19, 2018
An interesting short story by J. Zachary Pike, not connected to the Dark Profit Saga, but good enough to stand on its own. I'm not usually a fan of short stories, but The Cabal of Thotash was easy to read and got its message across with just the right amount of humour to keep me turning the pages. I got my free copy via Kobo and the author's own web page without any problems.
June 24, 2019
That book kept me grinning all the time while I devoured it in one go. Simply hilarious satire :-D
Was a bit disapointed about the abrupt and...uhm...rather definitve end, transforming this book in a shortstory.
Which is imo kind of unused potential, as the story and characters are funny and well defined, they could have make for sure for a whole book, if not even for a serie ;-)
Was a bit disapointed about the abrupt and...uhm...rather definitve end, transforming this book in a shortstory.
Which is imo kind of unused potential, as the story and characters are funny and well defined, they could have make for sure for a whole book, if not even for a serie ;-)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 2, 2021
Tudo que eu esperava.
Curt e divertida, a história imagina como um culto lovecraftiano faria um rebranding pro mundo moderno com resultados mistos.
Tem pelo menos dois parágrafos com observações que me fizeram rir alto e recomendo pra qualquer pessoa que goste de Cthulhu e humor.
Obs. Pode ser adquirido de graça assinando a newsletter.
Obs 2. Leiam "Orconomics"
Curt e divertida, a história imagina como um culto lovecraftiano faria um rebranding pro mundo moderno com resultados mistos.
Tem pelo menos dois parágrafos com observações que me fizeram rir alto e recomendo pra qualquer pessoa que goste de Cthulhu e humor.
Obs. Pode ser adquirido de graça assinando a newsletter.
Obs 2. Leiam "Orconomics"
November 29, 2023
The premise is good: it's a cult focused on eldritch horrors, but its members are a bunch of New Yorkers that mostly aren't that dedicated to the cause. But there's hardly any horror (this is a comedy); the characters are flat as cardboard; and the humor is pretty good but not great. So the story didn't hold my interest. At least it's short...
December 15, 2025
This is a very enjoyable, quick read that kept a happy smile on my face the whole way through. Great commentary on what happens when followers miss the point of their religions - an especially bad idea when the religion is devoted to Lovecraftian entities with a penchant for gory retribution. Very funny satire!
July 14, 2018
Fun read!
I really enjoyed this funny story! Plenty of satire, irony, and downright funny stuff found here. I like the characters and the bit of mystery injected into the story. You will most certainly like the ending! Read this!
I really enjoyed this funny story! Plenty of satire, irony, and downright funny stuff found here. I like the characters and the bit of mystery injected into the story. You will most certainly like the ending! Read this!
October 14, 2020
This short story was hilarious and thoughtful. I don't know why J. Zachary Pike isn't incredibly famous.
I highly recommended all of his books.
Why are you still reading this review? Go read his books!
And, you're welcome.
I highly recommended all of his books.
Why are you still reading this review? Go read his books!
And, you're welcome.
January 14, 2023
A short story by Pike, reflecting his sense of humor. In this one he homes in on a hapless cult to Thotash. Are they just hobbyists or is Thotash the real thing?
Free book for Pike’s newsletter members.
Free book for Pike’s newsletter members.
December 22, 2024
so fun! love this author and want to see more!
‘Nuff said. I read the economics trilogy twice in quick succession and have run out of stuff by this author to read. More, please! And thanks! —
‘Nuff said. I read the economics trilogy twice in quick succession and have run out of stuff by this author to read. More, please! And thanks! —
December 7, 2018
This was a fun little read. I can clearly see Pike's humor that hooked me in his Arth books.
The end...the end is nice and neat. Kind of...Twilight Zone in a way?
The end...the end is nice and neat. Kind of...Twilight Zone in a way?
March 9, 2019
A refreshing look at the challenges of bringing The Elder Gods into our modern world. Highly entertaining and well written.
May 14, 2020
Ha!
...or should that be "Ia"? :D
Nice ending! Good bit of humor. Very atmospheric.
This author can generally be relied on for sly humor.
...or should that be "Ia"? :D
Nice ending! Good bit of humor. Very atmospheric.
This author can generally be relied on for sly humor.
June 14, 2020
I dont even know what to count this as, urban fantasy? I don't know how Zack Pike does it but another fun read.
July 28, 2022
A short story, not really a book. Good fun.
August 9, 2022
Such a beautiful, short story. Truly a pleasure to read.
August 9, 2023
As much I enjoyed the Dark Profits saga it’s nice to see a book set in our universe and this book is such fun to read 😂😂
October 1, 2023
Loved this short story /commentary on the compromise of religion conforming to the culture .
I just discovered this author and enjoy his humor and wit.
I just discovered this author and enjoy his humor and wit.
December 19, 2023
Pretty funny short story, do wish it was longer but for everything that was written I had a great time. Currently really appreciating J. Zachary Pikes works
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews