david j rodger

David J. Rodger (born 1970 in Newcastle Upon Tyne) is a British science fiction & fantasy author and game designer best known for his novels set in a near-future world of corporate and political intrigue. So far he has published five novels; four that are set in the same world: God Seed; Dante’s Fool; Iron Man Project and Edge, and one, Dog Eat Dog, set within the world of Yellow Dawn. Yellow Dawn is a role-playing game set in the same future world as his novels, ten years after it has been devastated by a terrible mutagenic virus. Rodger's novels often combine high-tech intrigue and political/corporate machinations with elements of the Cthulhu Mythos, as created by H.P. Lovecraft. Rodger's contributions to the Mythos include the creation of a new Great Old One in his novel Edge, and the use of the Outer God Nyarlathotep in the novel God Seed. In Yellow Dawn Rodger's interpretation of the Mythos, in particular the Great Old One Hastur, is a major part of the background material. Rodger has recently published Shadows of the Quantinex, a large-scale campaign expansion for the Yellow Dawn game. Rodger has also written Cloudy Head, a children's story illustrated by Kenn-Ole Moen, and Murder at Sharky Point, a murder mystery game. Rodger spent 8 years working for a non-departmental government agency, developing a virtual communications service within the IT Division, before moving into commercial project management for a UK media company. In 2000 Rodger's presence on the Internet got him a place in the BBC documentary Through The Eyes of the Young, directed by Chris Terrill. Rodger now lives in Bristol, England, with a Braun coffee-maker, writing from a house on a hill with a view of Earth's curve.

You can follow him on Twitter @davidjrodger

NOVELS: Sci-fi & Dark Fantasy

YELLOW DAWN : Post-apocalyptic fiction and role-playing game

SHORT STORIES: click here to view list

Very Stephen King feel to it. Excellent horror story. Tightly written and fast-paced. – Simon Pyne ( Devil's Spring )

H.P. Lovecraft would be proud of you – Floyd Hayes, New York ( Dog Eat Dog )

Really engaging characters and plenty of pace. ‘Unputdownable' is such an overused phrase, but this is in that category.” ( Iron Man Project )

I think your work is without doubt the best I've read in years. You're this exciting cross between Ernest Hemingway, William Gibson, Richard Morgan and Stephen King. I think you should have all your books in the bestseller list. Why does the whole world not know about you? ( EDGE , Dog Eat Dog )

This is really, really good stuff. I'd go as far to say it's the best Sci Fi horror I've read in ten years. I can't think of anything that beats it in terms of action, the innovative ideas per page quota is off the chain, the characters are deep and real. Drobna is the best anti-hero in the genre. A total bad ass, he makes Mad Max look like Stephen Fry. ( Dog Eat Dog )

The main characters are wonderfully described and you really get under their skin. It's a wonderful story with the typical unexpected turns. It's not the usual pulpy Mythos story either, it's subtle and mature affair. I can really recommend this book for everyone, especially Stephen King, Cthulhu and cyberpunk fans. ( EDGE )At one point when I got off the subway I had to sit on the horrid wooden seats to continue reading, despite being on my way to work…. ( Dog Eat Dog )

I read a lot of SF and Fantasy and I would say that DeD is definitely in the Top 10 percent of what I read ( Dog Eat Dog )

Great story, full of dread and menace – Pete Haughie, Leipzig ( Arnos Vale )

Hauntingly engaging, spooky and intriguing, Cloudy Head will stay with you for days. ( Cloudy Head )

I'm starting to pick up your style now. Things are never as they seem. When you're halfway through the book, what you are guessing as the end, is way off! When you think its done, there is more. Really hard to guess whats next even. Kept me reading until 5am!” ( Dante's Fool )

The atmosphere and setting is brilliant ( Devil's Spring )

My copy of Dog Eat Dog arrived today. I sat down just to flick through it; next time I looked up I was 84 pages in! Utterly gripping, your best work yet. ( Dog Eat Dog )

Without doubt David J Rodger's best to date; I've read Iron Man and God Seed and you can see a real maturity, a strong clear narrative that allows the post-apocalyptic zombie dystopia to bleed through like a dismembered corpse under a cotton sheet ;) Some really chilling moments, some great action and a fully-realised and plausible shattered society. I cannot wait to see more novels set in the world of Yellow Dawn..please, Mr Rodger! ( Dog Eat Dog )

A palpable hit. I read this twice in quick succession, both times getting goosebumps in the early Dead City scenes, and later with the tales final lines. The greater insight into the nature of the zed wave given here and in “The Tainted Moor” add a new dimension of creeping horror to an already terrifying phenomenon. Bravo! ( House of Heavenly Light )

Hi. Just wanted to express to you how good your short story is and how much I enjoyed reading it. Your writing, the relentless pace and self-assured voice really draws one in. It's very clean, sharp and dynamic. – Irini, New York ( House of Heavenly Light )

Genuinely scary stuff. There's some truly disturbing imagery and ideas here, executed with a deft hand. I love the echoes of Lovecraft's “The Colour Out Of Space” and “The Whisperer in Darkness”, and the greater inclusion of the Hastur mythology in the world of Yellow Dawn adds a wonderfully nightmarish aspect to an already chilling atmosphere. – Chris H, Bristol ( The Tainted Moor )

The setting provokes an atmosphere of disquiet and unease. As the tle unfolded the quiet beginning of it developed into frightening and sickening revelations and the end left me feeling thoroughly unsettled. In a good way of course. That hollow from things left in a manner that doesn't seem right in the ways of the universe at all. Twisted and perverse in a very dark fashion. I look forward to learning more about the universe of Yellow Dawn, and I love the aspect in which the “influence” and “Infection” originates. Enjoyed the read and the styles of writing you have used to approach both House of Heavenly Light and The Tainted Moor. – Sammi, Arizona ( The Tainted Moor )

Really fantastic sci-fi/horror novel. Some genuinely terrifying zombies in it too! – Adam Lee ( Dog Eat Dog)

Great way to follow what's happening with current projects and catch eclectic updates from weird and wonderful corners of the web. See samples of new work and enjoy special discounts. Drop by and say hello; if I like you I might send you a free short story :o)

So we're into 2012. The end of the world or actually just a period of metaphorical "death" to bring about a new beginning? 2011 was certainly an interesting year for me - you can read my highlights of 2011 here.

Meanwhile, after 10 months of shredding my brain on the overhaul of Yellow Dawn - The Age of Hastur I've finally finished the re-write; now plunging into the delightful task of spell-checking and formating. I should be able to release the new version (2.5) before Spring 2012. Once that's out I'll be releasing (or unleashing) the second of the two novels I wrote last year, Living in Flames; the first being DOG EAT DOG, the post-apocalyptic thriller set in the world of Yellow Dawn. Next in the plan is to compile an anthology of the cyberpunk, sci-fi & dark fantasy and gritty horror shorts I’ve put down over the past few years. And then… finally, I’ll be able to turn my hand to producing a new work of science fiction and dark fantasy: Oakfield.

Meanwhile, as well as overhauling YD 2.1 I've also been continuing to play it. My RPG group and I are continuing to plough through "Horror on the Orient Express" modified for a post-apocalyptic cyberpunk / mythos setting. Currently in Trieste after the insanity of Venice falling apart. I chose to weave some Agatha Christie and Conan Doyle detective mysteries into the plot, giving the players the chance to meet NPCs from these great stories and solve the crimes; it's been a thrilling success.

Got Kindle? You can now buy all of my books from Amazon for Kindle. I've taken full advantage of the great pricing model Amazon offers authors and made all these novels available for £2.90 ($3.99 USD or 3.20 euros. Browse available books here. Alternatively, you can buy them as iBooks via iTunes store. And of course, you can still get everything in paperback from LULU.

You can follow updates on work in progress via my blog - click here to view

November '11, Great News: I scored a five star review on Amazon for my novel, Edge; very pleased it and weaves into the overwhelmingly positive feedback I've been gaining for other work: makes all the effort worthwhile. October '11, I wrote a free scenario called Kingdom of Shadows: based on Roman Polanski's classic occult thriller – The Ninth Gates; it can be used for Yellow Dawn, Call of Cthulhu or any RPG system that handles the supernatural. August '11, I took a step away from the brain-breaking task of reworking Yellow Dawn to put together a little study of the occult symbolism and meanings behind my favourite Polanksi film, The Ninth Gate. July '11, I penned a little article about the "Curious Case of the Sandstone Wall". June '11, article about my entrance into the Amazon Kindle market. May'11 I died 3 times in one night in the city-wide Zombie chase event, 2.8 hours later: pics & vids here. Feb'11 Meanwhile, it's been a great start to the year. In 41 days I wrote 14 short stories; suffered some serious eye-ball burn. Dec '10 I launched my 5th novel, Dog Eat Dog, the first to be set within this post-apocalyptic world of Yellow Dawn. SFX plug my work: Earth's greatest sci-fi magazine, SFX – plugs my novel Dog Eat Dog.. Examiner.com runs an interview with me : written by Michael Tresca, a piece about Yellow Dawn, its origins and my plans for the future of the RPG. Read here . Fantastic fan review – Murder At Sharky Point : great response for the dinner party game & murder mystery download. Read…