I have adored all of Aconyte’s Arkham Horror tie-in novels but I have to say this series featuring Carl Sanford has to be one of my favourites. I am not sure if it’s the fact he’s not exactly a ‘good guy’ or just the wonderful if not macabre adventures he gets himself into but it is hard to not like Sanford, even while disliking him as well. The Twilight Magus is another wonderful instalment in Sanford’s life and adventures. Perhaps most interesting is that we see the once great leader out of Arkham and indeed out of the Silver Twilight Lodge and in Madrid. I will admit I was a tad sceptical of this change of scenery at first but I shouldn’t have been. Pratt knows what they are doing and how to tell a bloody good story.


From the first chapter I was hooked and couldn’t put it down. It was delightful to see Sanford work on his knowledge and cunning and without the backing and wealth of the lodge. It really gives us an understanding of why and how he was the leader. I will say this is an obvious must read for Arkham Horror fans but these tie-ins are fantastic in the sense that while of course there are references and easter eggs throughout any cosmic/eldritch horror fan will be able to enjoy these books too.

A review of “Herald of Ruin” & “The Twilight Magus”
written by Tim Pratt with cover art by John Coulthart

published by Aconyte Books.

Tim Pratt was first introduced to Arkham Files fans with the release of “The Ravening Deep”, and as my review of that book states, I was looking forward to his eventual return. Fortunately, Aconyte chose to follow that first book with 2024’s “Herald of Ruin” and the upcoming “The Twilight Magus”, branding the trilogy under the “Sanford Files” line. I enjoyed reading “Herald of Ruin” when it was published, but I chose to hold off on reviewing the book as it left me stunned, being a fan of the Arkham Files line, with the setting developments it wrought. When “The Drowned City” LCG campaign was announced by Fantasy Flight Games VP of Strategy, Jim Cartwright, the month after “Herald of Ruin” was released, he stated that…


“This is just a huge milestone for us as we take Arkham Horror the city into a new direction, into a new place, and I promise you, when the campaign is over, Arkham will truly never be the same.”

Having read the second book of the Sanford Files, I was excited about just how audacious the changes coming to the Arkham Files IP could be. Now that “The Drowned City” has been released and I’ve had an opportunity to read the third book in the series, “The Twilight Magus”, I feel comfortable putting down my opinion on what was done and how well it worked.


“Herald of Ruin” picks up the story of Carl Sanford in 1927, atop his seat of power, unchallenged in his dominion over the city of Arkham, as Mr. Pratt continued to put his stamp of ownership on Sanford with his tone-perfect dialogue and running internal monologue. Following the events of “The Ravening Deep,” the Magus of the Silver Twilight Lodge had made some slight alterations to his life, including taking on a new bodyman, only ever known as “Altman”, to drive him throughout his city and to deal with anything Sanford may have needed run down or stabbed. Whereas readers are given a brief glimpse of Altman’s brother, Reggie, in “Ravening Deep” this Altman takes the narrative real estate that had previously been reserved for Diana Stanley as we learn about how he came to be in the employ of the Silver Twilight Lodge, his past, and more importantly, his goals for his future. Thankfully, Ruby Standish marks her return in this follow-up novel, having come to an agreement with Sanford that allows her to operate out of his city. I appreciate that Mr. Pratt took the time to show how unsettled Ruby had become after her confrontation with the mythos the prior year. Not everyone deals with the occult on the same scale as Carl Sanford, so it makes sense that, after battling Comets and a Shogoth, Ruby would find her mental stability shaken to a degree. Mr. Pratt also brings the lodge’s Warden, Sarah Van Shaw, back in all of her inscrutable glory as the mystical embodiment of the Silver Twilight Lodge. Any one of these four characters could carry a story on their own, but Mr. Pratt paces the arc well so that not one of them feels like they were shortchanged in development throughout the adventure.


When Sanford gets word of a new esoteric enthusiast having set up shop in his city, Carl determines it is worthy of further investigation, which is what leads to the introduction of Randall Tillinghast, the titular Herald of Ruin. Throughout the story, readers are treated to an escalating battle of wills and strategy as Carl Sanford begins to understand just how capable his new opponent is. One of the recurring tools that Mr. Pratt likes to give page space to is the fantastical items of power wielded by Sanford, or gifted by Tillhast. The author uses these items to provide both unsettling moments of discovery as well as cinematic displays of power that mark some of the most entertaining and memorable moments across any of the Arkham Files novels.

With Randall Tillinghast’s appearance already having been locked in for “The Drowned City,” Mr. Pratt does a superb job of demonstrating why Randall is a worthy addition to the IP’s stack of elder gods and cultist adversaries as he confidently begins to dismantle Sanford’s once unassailable grip upon the witch-cursed city of Arkham, Massachusetts. Fans of the Arkham Files who strictly stick to the games will miss out on the introduction of the amazing Gloria Dyer, Tillinghast’s administrator, who also features prominently throughout the story as she facilitates her boss’s wishes. Bubbly and peculiar Gloria bumps up against every character in the story, always providing levity and insight into the machinations of her employer. One of the challenges that Mr. Pratt had to address in “Herald of Ruin” is the importance of Randall Tillinghast within the overall Arkham Files setting. “Herald of Ruin” takes place before the main “The Drowned City” event, and helps set the stage for elements of the LCG campaign, so that precludes Tillinghast being dealt a meaningful defeat within the pages of this story.


There appears to be an interest in Randall Tillinghast being an ongoing concern within the IP, so Mr. Pratt was also limited in terms of providing a definitive explanation of Tillinghast’s history and motivations. This results in a less fleshed-out antagonist than readers of the Aconyte Arkham line may be accustomed to. Readers are provided with a vibe check of who the character is without the details of what he is trying to accomplish or why. Readers are instead provided with multiple interactions with Tillinghast by the surrounding characters that establish his style and inscrutable nature. Having read comics for decades, I’ve been exposed to this style of “big bad” introduction numerous times, and you may be familiar with this as well. Mr. Pratt successfully gets the concept that Tillinghast matters, without providing the details to say why, and it was an interesting experience to see this style of introduction play out in the Arkham Horror setting. Fans of the “The Drowned City” event may have taken note that the narrative weaves in and around the classic “Call of Cthulhu” story itself, using elements and characters of Lovecraft’s most famous story to establish the actions of this overarching event. Mr. Pratt does a great job of using that process to tie Tillinghast and one of Sanford’s associates together, establishing a prior history between the two as well as showing readers that a change to the original Call of Cthulhu narrative is afoot.

Advertisement
Having successfully staved off a challenge to his power barely a year before, Carl Sanford is as self-assured as ever as he aligns his agents against his newest adversary. It is truly enjoyable as the story escalates and the, at best, morally compromised antagonists manipulate each other in the hopes of claiming ownership of the City, more power, or freedom. As I stated earlier, “Herald of Ruin” breaks new ground in terms of escalated stakes that matter to the overall IP. Given the changes wrought by the story, I initially suspected that fans were in for some form of mythos-powered time travel that undid the events of this book in the subsequent story, because I doubt the finale of “Herald of Ruin” would have been allowed in a pre- “The Drowned City” world. Time travel and alternate realities were not a prospect that interested me, but now, a year after my initial read, I can say this book is necessary reading for fans of the Arkham setting and will be referenced as the start of a new stage of fiction for the IP.


That new stage continues in Mr. Pratt’s subsequent Arkham Files novel, “The Twilight Magus”. Narratively, enough time passes between these two novels that “The Forbidden Visions of Lucious Galloway”, “The Nightmare Quest of April May,” and the entire “The Drowned City” campaign in the LCG and Mansions of Madness system take place, making this the first novel to give fans a glimpse of a post-Cthulhu Arkham Files world. Readers pick up with Carl Sanford’s scheme from the LCG campaign, having turned to ash, and the occultist having fled Arkham, making his way to Spain. Now that his former seat of power in the Silver Twilight Lodge is no longer as welcoming or suitable to his needs, Carl has chosen to establish himself within an even more influential group, the Red Coterie. The Coterie, a collection of wizards, necromancers, conjurers, and mystics that wield items of incredible power, is one of, if not the most, influential organizations within the Arkham Files setting, so it makes perfect sense that Carl Sanford would feel he belongs in their company. With that premise, Mr. Pratt proceeds to take readers on a lovely tour of various Spanish destinations that are so well laid out that it becomes clear, the deeper you get into the story, that the author has taken this trip himself and left it feeling compelled to share the experience with the reader. With the beautiful seaside vista of Barcelona serving as the initial backdrop, readers are quickly reminded that even when diminished, Carl Sanford is still a force to be reckoned with.

Advertisement
Bucking the expectations of what could have been a lesser, standard revenge story, “The Twilight Magus” instead directs Carl’s efforts with an eye to the future and what could be while applying an internal logic that makes sense as to the choices Carl has made to get to where he is. Whereas “Herald of Ruin” is a tightly contained story taking place, mostly, in Arkham, “The Twilight Magus” sprawls across the world as the remnants of the Silver Twilight Lodge, who were left behind in Arkham, seek out their former “Magus” for their own individual reasons. Mr. Pratt makes clear that Sanford expects an eventual reunion with his past associates and aligns his efforts to coincide with that inevitable reunion. This created an entertaining space in the narrative for me as the story progressed, and I tried to determine what exactly Sanford had planned for said reunion. Mr. Pratt’s handle on who Carl Sanford is, as a powerfully manipulative sociopath, works wonders throughout the story, and I found myself deeply enjoying the final meeting between the disparate members of the Silver Twilight Lodge.

The bulk of “The Twilight Magus” is tied to Carl Sanford’s pursuit of a newly introduced member of the Coterie, the Blood Moon. The tension that is established with the Moon’s ability to influence others leads to several exciting scenes of intrigue as Carl determines who he can and cannot trust, as well as some great chase scenes. In addition to the Moon’s rank and file minions, readers are also introduced to seventeen-year-old Estrella, a confused devotee of the Blood Moon who provides a unique perspective on the actions being taken as she wields otherworldly powers on her mission. Estrella is a unique addition to the Arkham mythos, and learning more about her, her powers, and her ideology always made for an entertaining perspective. Mr. Pratt has dialed in his writing style to accommodate the Arkham Files setting to such a degree that I found “The Twilight Magus” one of the most tone-perfect and entertaining reads I have experienced from Aconyte. Additionally, to avoid spoilers, I am choosing to skip talking in depth about a possession storyline that afflicts a point of view character that runs throughout this book, which was so well-executed in terms of horror, comedy, violence, and pacing that, in my opinion, it would have carried the book on its own to great effect.

I would be remiss if I didn’t point out that there is a canonical issue within the story that did leave me hanging as a fan. If you have been reading Aconyte’s Arkham Files line up to now, then you are aware that Carl has attempted to make inroads to the Coterie in the past. I am opting to be vague as the revelation of Carl’s plot is a fun surprise at the end of another book, and there is a reference within “The Twilight Magus” to that very story, however, at no point does any character reference that this isn’t Carl’s first time talking to the orginization nor does Carl’s running interior thoughts ever reference his past actions with the group. I found myself repeatedly waiting for the other shoe to drop in referencing that past association, in some form, but it never came. If you’re familiar with Carl’s actions in the past, know going into this that it has no bearing on this story.

Before I wrap up, I’d like to call out the intrinsic details of the covers for both of these books, which are provided by John Coulthart. Mr. Coulthart has maintained a fantastic design space between all three of Mr. Pratt’s Arkham novels, which are poster-worthy to me. If you would like to learn more about his process and intent, I encourage you to check out both of his blog entries for “Herald of Ruin” and “The Twilight Magus”.

I hope you enjoyed this look at the “Herald of Ruin” and “The Twilight Magus”. If you would like more updates about the history of Arkham, its residents, and the events tied to the area, please bookmark this site and check out Arkham Historian on Blue Sky for future updates. If you have any questions or wish to request specific content, please use this contact form.

Advertisement

Best regards

Dude in Progress

Carl Sanford is in Spain in the latest entry in the Sanford Files! The Twilight Magus is another great entry in the Arkham Horror novels by Tim Pratt. Highly recommended for fans of the first two books, but new readers could also jump in at this point (and catch up on the first two after!). Well-written lovecraftian pulp fiction for fans of the genre. I absolutely enjoyed it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Aconyte Books for a complimentary eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Another fun Sanford story! This one didn't hit quite as hard as <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6699099836">Herald of Ruin</a> did for me, both because it was a bit repetitive (another story of two awful sorcerers fighting each other for control and power in a city), and because despite getting to see Sanford at his lowest, he was still largely narcissistically certain of his own power and ability to take charge of anything he wanted to. It was saved for me with that by Sanford growing and changing as a character after experiencing what it was like to not be backed at the very, very end, even if he still had his pure egotism. I'm not sure it entirely sold me on that growth over time, but I enjoyed seeing it.

Loved Estrella. I hope she gets a cute girlfriend. (Maybe she and Pepper from the Countess Zorzi books can meet... wink.) Also really loved the way Altman's dark passenger was written, what a fun and horrible character!

Thorne makes a return in this one, and I am a huge, huge Thorne fan based on their appearance in Song of Carcosa. They are... less playful in this, less themselves and full of constant visible manipulations, and it's hard to say if this is just a flaw in representing the character or if Thorne is just really checked out and displeased to be dealing with Sanford, which I could believe. I would also interact differently with Sanford than I would with Zorzi. The other Coterie members we meet are fascinating, though. Loved the Claret Knight.

Speaking of the Coterie, this part is a bit spoilery, so please feel free to skip, but... they are fundamentally a queer organization. Oh, a cult, and eldritch nightmare sorcerers and all that, but all the members in the books I've read are queer in some way (They appear in Song of Carcosa and in this book, and also a short story collection I haven't yet read). The Cavalier, Thorne, Cinabre, the Claret Knight, the Blood Moon -- all queer or queer-coded if not confirmed; and ultimately, a system is what it does. I was frowning very heavily throughout most of the book at the idea of having to deal with a narcissistic straight guy trying to take it over from the inside, especially a protagonist (Sanford is usually written as getting what he wants in SOME way, if not the way he intended). <spoiler>Fortunately, that didn't happen and the way it worked out was more satisfying to me.</spoiler>

I will say it felt very odd to have this one coming out before the last book of the Drowned City trilogy since so much of the aftermath of what happened in the Nightmare Quest of April May was described here even though we haven't seen it directly yet. But that one's a marketing decision, not on the book itself.

All in all, 4 stars, and I look forward to reading the next one! Especially if I can see more of Sanford having to deal with a smart-talking murder demon in his head.

The third installment of Tim Pratt's ongoing adventure set in the Arkham Horror universe finds Carl Sanford, our recently exiled and nearly destitute (by his opulent standards) protagonist, in Spain.

After being bested by rival Randall Tillinghast and losing his claim to Arkham's Silver Twilight Lodge, Sanford has decided to move on to loftier goals – namely the takeover of Europe's ancient secret society, The Red Coterie. But in order to gain admittance to this exclusive enclave, he must first destroy the looming threat of a blood magus known as The Blood Moon.

Meanwhile, two of Sanford's former Silver Twilight employees (and current enemies) have learned of his survival and are traveling across the Atlantic to find him.

Pratt does an excellent job weaving his own exciting story utilizing the world and tropes of FFG's Arkham Horror series of board and card games, which of course is based on the works of H.P. Lovecraft. Fans of both Lovecraft and the game series will feel right at home in this ongoing tale of power and betrayal. Though this story reaches a satisfying conclusion, it's clear that there's more to come for Carl Sanford in the future.

3-1/2 stars

Set in the 1920's this horror is a great read for fans of Lovecraft or classic noir movies. The novel follows Carl Sanford as he begins to rebuild his lost power after the events of the previous book.

While the book is well written, with an intricate and well put together plot, it was not for me. I did not enjoy the way this book was written despite being intrigued by the premise.

The author clearly has a gift for writing that kept me reading longer than I should have, but it simply was the wrong choice for me. I DNF'd at 30%.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the copy in exchange for an honest review.

Carl Sanford, late of Arkham, down but never out abroad.

Pratt's anti-hero rewards readers, sauntering into danger well dressed and with a trick up his sleeve, no matter the situation.

I hope this isn't the last we see of him.

"The enigmatic Carl Sanford is the master of all things occult in Arkham, until a charismatic newcomer threatens to take everything away from him in this dark mystery set in the world of Arkham Horror.

Carl Sanford's mastery of the Silver Twilight Lodge gives him unbridled power and influence, but unforeseen turmoil is coming to Arkham... A new occult curiosity shop in the city, opened by newcomer Randall Tillinghast, draws Sanford's ire, challenging his formerly unrivalled authority. Sanford expects to crush the newcomer like an ant and take what he wants from the wreckage, but Randall Tillinghast isn't quite as humble and harmless as he seems. In possession of an array of magical artifacts, Tillinghast begins to subvert Sanford's reputation in more ways than one, forcing Carl Sanford to call all the monsters and magic at his disposal to stop him. Will it be enough?"

I just can't get enough of Arkham Horror. Be sure to also check out the comics written by Cullen Bunn!

My thanks to both NetGalley and Aconyte Books for an advance copy of the third book in this series about a powerful man, driven from all that he knows, with only the rings of power on his fingers, an indomitable will, a need for vengeance, and an old world in which to regain his fortune.

If one goes for the head of a powerful occult society on best not miss. In the case of Carl Sanford the forces against him not only missed, but gave him something that Sanford had no idea he needed. A reason. Being a powerful magician one gets used to the prestige, the fear, the creatures of the night that serve. This breeds a certain complacency. Stripped of his cabal, his fortune, his library and his relics, and nearly his life, Sanford finds himself away from Arkham, Massachusetts, and back in the Old World of Spain. Sanford has a new thirst for power, a new drive to succeed, and revenge always at the top of his thoughts, even as enemies, both new and old, plan to erase his memory from the world. The Twilight Magus: An Arkham Horror Novel by Tim Pratt is the third book in the Sanford files, dealing with new eldritch horrors, new cultists, and a threat that could change history.

Carl Sanford was once head of the Silver Twilight Lodge, a powerful force in Arkham, Massachusetts, and one that gave him power in both the material and ethereal worlds. This ended with betrayal, his house shattered, his fortune taken, and nearly his life, Sanford has traveled to Spain to rebuild his strength and power base in order to take back what was once his. There is a rumor of an old group, made up of strong magicians the Red Coterie, one Sanford hopes to join, and eventually make his own. Sanford has also learned that old betrayers have learned that he is not dead, and are coming to Europe to finish what they started. An opportunity from the Red Coterie is offered. If Sanford is able to defeat one of the most powerful creatures in Madrid, the Blood Moon, Sanford would be brought into the Coterie, and given the power he craves. Though no one knows where the Blood Moon lurks, how their power works, or even how many followers they have. The mission sounds impossible, but Sanford loves a challenge, if he can only stay alive long enough, and sane enough to keep his head in the fight.

I truly enjoy these Arkham books, though I have only played the game maybe twice. These are some of the most fun, most interesting horror books that I have read, loaded with ideas, and characters that I really can't get enough of. I enjoy this series watching Carl Sanford go from a full of himself Aleister Crowley-like person, to a John Constantine-like character, sort-of-ahead of his enemies, thought failing and getting hurt more often than not. The setting is really good. Arkham has been played out, hence the flooding storyline that is running concurrent to these stories, opening the world to the writers. One can tell that Pratt really loves Spain. Both Madrid and Barcelona are travelled, with descriptions of places and people, that are as interesting as the story. Which is quite good, moving well at a good pace, never losing the reader even with the different POV's, and again never slowing down.

One can read this without reading the other books in the series, but I recommend the whole series as they are quite good. I always look forward to seeing Tim Pratt's name on these books as he is an author I quite like. Another solid book in the Arkham Horror series.