As God created Man in His own image, so too did Lucifer create the Ujahwek to prey upon the fleshed manifestations of his enemy.
For years Randall Montgomery swung a sledgehammer in a coal mine, as if pitting himself against a mountain would replenish a soul depleted by the Civil and Indian Wars. With the onset of black lung and middle age, he journeys west to visit an old army buddy before starting life anew. Instead of a friendly reunion, he finds a burgeoning terror last encountered in North America by early humans. A threat bent on claiming all who draw breath in the Wyoming Territories.
For ages the dark spirits of the once-feared Ujahwek have waited, ravenous and expectant … until a banished female shaman of the Blackfoot tribe is drawn to Skull Cliff in the Owl Creek Mountains. The shaman embraces the spirit of Xotaena, Ujahwek high priestess, and unleashes the means to resurrect the unholy species. Immediately they hunt their prey: humans. Xotaena selects Randall Montgomery for possession with the soul of her mate. To survive he must battle in both the physical and mental realms, or get dragged into the depths of humanity lost.
From the reviewer:
This fits comfortably in the Weird West genre with lashings of demonic possession and a hint of zombiedom. The trio of protagonists, led by a not-so-lonesome hero, fits nicely together and take the reader on a thrill ride to a desperate conclusion. It’s hedonistic reading, something to be devoured, and would not be out of place sandwiched between Howard E. Robert and Joe R. Lansdale. If you read and enjoyed the Weird West anthologies, this is something you will enjoy. – Pierre Mare
John A. Karr believes fiction writing each day helps keep the demons at bay.
He is the author of a handful of novels: Death Clause, Hippocrates Shattered, Rhone, and Van Gogh, Encore.
Dark Continents recently published his Weird West novella, Ujahwek. His short stories have appeared on webzines Allegory, The Absent Willow Review, and Danse Macabre. More works are in progress and in the marketing queue Upcoming release: Paranormal mystery, Ghostly Summons.
www.johnakarr.com
@johnakarr
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