Book Review: Skyrizer by Cody Goodfellow (based on a concept by Phillip Buchanon)

Skyrizer

Written by Cody Goodfellow, based on a concept by Phillip Buchanon Paperback, 222 pages

Published October 2015 by Octocanon

Look I don't need to be shy about certain facts. Cody Goodfellow is one of my favorite writers of my generation, genre wise I think he is criminally underrated talent. Had he come of age as writer in the 80's horror boom there would probably be a industry based on his imagination. In his team-ups with splatterpunk legend John Skipp we got a tiny glimpse of what he could do with another property. So this novel is not an established franchise but that doesn't matter. For this Goodfellow fan it was a chance to see what the mad genius did playing with the toys in someone else's sandbox.

Based on a concept by the Raiders former 17th over-all pick in the NFL draft Phillip Buchanon. Skyrizer is a short but fun read. The story of seventeen year old Mason McCoy. He has climbed a building with the intention of ending it all. Life is not easy in the Chicago projects, he didn't want to end up in prison like his father but a gang is after him. Everything changes when a mass of shooting stars turns him into something else. High above the city he learns the power to fly is just the beginning. He has a job to to do. Save the city, and be the father he never had.

Look it's a simple story but executed with flair that comes with a Cody Goodfellow touch. I don't know how Buchanon and Goodfellow found each other but I am glad they did. This is not the bat-shit crazy mad scientist prose we Goodfellows have come to expect. I personally found it a enjoyable reading experience in part because it is stretch for the author to restrain himself and tell a straight forward story.

This is a superhero story but under the surface I get the feeling Buchanon wanted to express the importance of responsibility that comes with being a hero. It was Goodfellow's job to handle the gee whiz stuff, and he did. I think fans of Phillip Buchanon the football player should support his vision, fans of Cody Goodfellow will have fun watching this dude put on a different suit.

If there is a negative, it is how the book is being marketed and designed. I think a bio with Buchanon's story, Goodfellow's background on the book could help get interest. I think it should be on shelves at libraries. A super hero story with heart from a former NFL player Skyrizer is neat book.