Cabal is a novella by Clive Barker. If you are choosing your next horror read by length, that gives you a useful place to start: something to settle into on a quiet evening without committing to a full novel. I would put the lamp on and make a drink first. Whether the drink stays warm is between me and my attention span.

Its first US publication placed it in a collection with a novel and several short stories from Barker’s sixth and final Books of Blood volume. So there is a little context for anyone browsing his books: this novella originally had other fiction around it. You can choose the shorter form, or look for the collection if you fancy having more than one piece to pick from.

The description available here does not give Cabal’s premise or establish how frightening it is. I would rather let you discover the story than dress that gap up as a plot summary. For a night when a compact horror read sounds appealing, though, it belongs on the list. Clear a corner of the sofa, keep your place in the book, and give it the evening.