Ravenous Dusk [Paperback]

Imagine this- a few years back there was a strange meeting where James Ellroy, Robert Ludlum, David Foster Wallace, Swamp Thing-era Alan Moore, Mendel, Darwin, and the ever-expanding tissue mass from the end of Akira were all sitting around a table, holding a séance where they brought back the ghost of H.P. Lovecraft. Imagine that Lovecraft gave them a message from beyond the grave- "I was right! The Old Ones exist! You have to tell the world!"

"But how will we do that?" the strange and majestically gifted group asked.

And then the ghost commanded them to write a pair of seriously epic horror/action literary thrillers (RADIANT DAWN & RAVENOUS DUSK) under the pseudonym of Cody Goodfellow.

I know the whole scenario is ludicrous, but that's the feeling I had when I was reading these books. Both RADIANT DAWN and RAVENOUS DUSK contain moments of real vision and creativity equal to the greats mentioned above- the intricate plotting, conspiracy, and character arcs of Ellroy, the clean, propulsive action of Ludlum, the rampant intelligence and density of Wallace, the sense of comic book activity elevated to high literature that Moore can pull off, the biological and evolutionary radicalism of Mendel and Darwin- it's all here, amidst Lovecraft's tentacles and the machinations of our own obscure political landscape. And it kicks ass.

The plot of the books is so labyrinthine that describing them here would be futile, but I can say that it involves an ever-expanding global conspiracy revolving around mankind's place on Earth and the potential awakening of creatures vast and ancient and powerful. Central to the tale are three fully-developed characters, Zane Storch, Stella Orozco, and Martin Cundieffe. Storch is the battle-scarred ex-soldier who just won't stay down (think Marv in Sin City, but slightly smarter and more driven). Stella is the feisty everywoman just trying to stay alive at any cost. Martin is, well, Martin is a lot of things, but first and foremost he's a cunning FBI agent with a knack for finding the right info while the world is going crazy around him. The dynamic between hard-charging Zane and wiley Martin will be especially resonant to readers of Ellroy's L.A. Confidential or American Tabloid (Zane is the Bud White to Martin's Exley, the Pete Bondurant to his Ward Littell).

RADIANT DAWN & RAVENOUS DUSK (effectively parts 1 & 2 of one giant story-yes, you need both books, and no, you can't skip ahead to RAVENOUS) are fiercely smart, fast-paced novels for the reader who wants cinematic thrills and chills, and as a nice bonus, fascinating ideas. There are moments here where both Goodfellow's line-by-line writing and his gift for the epic and visionary are nothing less than stunning. Remember the first time you read Clive Barker's "In The Hills, The Cities"? Remember that moment towards the end where your jaw dropped and you realized King wasn't pulling your leg when he said this Barker guy was the real deal? There are hundreds of moments like that throughout Goodfellow's RD books.

Both are highly and absolutely recommended.

I picked Ravenous Dusk up immediately after finishing Radiant Dawn, and I definitely feel rewarded. His writing has improved though the course of this work as it lacks the spots where one gets lost in the first novel.

I would definitely have to say he removed the kids gloves in this book. Where before the horrors were hidden behind the scientific rhetoric, he definitely reveals a world that is beyond human through the course of the novel, a world that would make Cthulhu fans very happy. It is not force either. He works the Mythos into his work rather naturally.

Additionally, I enjoyed the level of conspiracy and plotting in the book. It is convoluted and confusing, but it makes sense in retrospect. I enjoyed the fact that not everything was what it seemed, and he kept stuff covered rather well.

He follows Cundieffe, Storch and Stella to reasonable ends that allows one to be satisfied with the characters. In his efforts to cover more of the story, he does create many more narrating characters. While it does fill out the larger picture, I do believe it was a little excessive.

Finally, my only real complaint is when Armitage enters the picture most of the way though the novel with a thin allusion to his actual presence in the novel beforehand, it stretched my level of believability of the story (yeah, I know it is pretty far fetched, but there was no lead up to this event). The issue could have been belayed through better planning.

If you have a chance, I would definitely give this novel a read. It is fun and absorbing.

Excellent. It's best to read Radiant Dawn before you read this book, since Ravenous does continue the story started in Radiant, but both books are wonderfully written. The characters are well drawn, the story is complex but fun to follow and although it's not exactly true to the usual idea of the Lovecraft mythos, it's close enough to be fun to read. Yes, please read these two. They are well worth the money. Mr. Goodfellow, do you have any more novels ready to publish? I will buy them

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