Fear Nothing (novel)
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| Fear Nothing | |
 Cover of Fear Nothing |
|
| Author | Dean Koontz |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | Moonlight Bay Trilogy |
| Genre(s) | Suspense, Mystery novel |
| Publisher | Cemetery Dance Publications, Bantam Publishing |
| Publication date | 1997 (hardcover), 1998 (paperback) |
| Media type | Hardcover, Paperback |
| Pages | 448 pp |
| ISBN | ISBN 1-881475-27-1 and ISBN 0-553-57975-4 |
| Followed by | Seize the Night |
Fear Nothing is a novel released in 1997 by the best-selling author Dean Koontz. The book is the first installment in what is reported to be a three part series of books, known as the Moonlight Bay Trilogy, featuring Christopher Snow, who suffers from the rare (but real) disease called XP (xeroderma pigmentosum). The second of the three is Seize the Night. No release date has yet been set for the release of the third book titled Ride the Storm. Fear Nothing is in several ways a successor to 1987 Koontz novel Watchers.
Fear Nothing was originally released by Cemetery Dance Publications in 1997 as two different limited edition hardcovers (ISBN 1-881475-27-1):
- A slipcased limited edition of 698 signed and numbered copies.
- A traycased lettered edition of 52 signed and lettered copies.
[edit] Plot summary
Fear Nothing, told in the first person, follows several days of Christopher Snow's life, as he discovers and attempts to unravel a mysterious and seemingly endless conspiracy. The novel begins with the death of Christopher's father, and his accidental discovery of a plot to cremate the remains of a vagrant in place of Christopher's father, who is taken to an unknown destination. As Christopher tries to discover the motive behind these actions, he uncovers a deeper and darker mystery in which countless townspeople seem to be willing or unwilling conspirators. As Christopher races to uncover the truth about the deaths of his parents and the complex events occurring in the town, he finds both himself and his friends in danger, and faces the choice of abandoning his search and returning to normal life, or risking everything in his quest for the truth...
Later Christopher finds a gun on his bed with an urgent message on his answering machine to call Angela Ferryman, a nurse and life-long family friend, while his dog, Orson, is busy digging holes in the garden. His next stop is to see Angela who reveals some of the town’s deep secrets, but before he can find out more, Angela is killed and Chris barely escapes when unknown assailants set the house on fire. Christopher sets off on his bicycle, with Orson following to the home of his best friend Bobby Halloway, a gnarly and wholly righteous surfer dude, who lives in a cottage on the edge of town, near to the sea. Upon hearing Chris’s story Bobby urges Christopher to leave it alone. With Sasha Goodall (a night DJ at the local radio station) sending out some tunes for her man, the friends share some food and a few beers (including the dog). Soon a phone-call from with a message for Chris to meet another friend, sends him off on a race into the mist of the night where they are followed by the Rhesus monkeys being led by a shadowy figure of a half-man, half-beast.
As Christopher meets with Roosevelt Frost, his ex-football player friend, turned animal psychologist, and owner of the cat Mungojerrie, Christopher is again warned off his investigation yet feels compelled to unravel this mystery. People who first appeared to be upstanding citizens are becoming engulfed by primal desires and exhibiting odd if not strange behavior. Most of the night is spent with Chris and Orson going from one Moonlight Bay citizen to another, talking to each to piece together the puzzle.
[edit] Names in Fear Nothing
Numerous names in Fear Nothing are likely references popular American literary and movie figures.
- Orson - In the words of Chris Snow:
"As a puppy, my dog was given a series of names, but he didn't care to respond to any of them on a regular basis. After noticing how intently the mutt focused on old Orson Welles movies when we ran them on video-and especially on the appearance of Welles himself in any scene-we jokingly renamed him after the actor-director. He has ever since answered to this moniker."
- Lewis Stevenson - Although Lewis is spelled Lewis as opposed to Louis, his name is likely a reference to Robert Louis Stevenson, the literary figure.
- Roosevelt Frost - Although his first name is Roosevelt, as opposed to Robert, Roosevelt shares his last name with the famous poet (Robert Frost) and the same first name initial. Also Roosevelt Frost shares his first name with the last name of famous 32nd U.S. president Franklin D. Roosevelt.
- Father Tom Eliot - This priest's name is a reference to the poet Thomas Stearns Eliot (T. S. Eliot), who is often quoted or mentioned in the works of Koontz.
