COYOTE

In Combee’s paranormal novel, the Utah wilderness becomes a battleground for an ordinary man in his fight against an otherworldly creature.

Jim is something of a loner, and he’s perfectly content with hiking on his own. But one such excursion in Southeastern Utah turns into a terrifying ordeal when he stumbles upon an apparent ritual involving a group of strange coyotes. Some are on all fours, but others are upright, including one wearing a red blazer and bowler hat who spots Jim watching them. The latter comes after Jim, who manages to escape back to his apartment; however, the snazzily dressed bipedal leader, whose name is Coyote, keeps visiting him. Eventually, Coyote demands that Jim return to the woods with him, threatening to frame him for the murders of people that the coyote group has been hunting if Jim refuses. Jim later comes to know 12-year-old Audrey, who, along with her family, suffered a coyote assault. As it turns out, the pair aren’t entirely defenseless against Coyote and his cohort; Jim has vivid dreams, which seem to him like someone else’s memories, and they include spells and enchantments. If he can remember and recite them properly, he may be able to use them as weapons against Coyote. Combee’s story moves at a leisurely tempo, concentrating often on Jim’s personal anxieties. The hero incessantly questions himself, a habit that clearly stems from his awkward interactions with others. He’s firmly established as an unremarkable person who happens to be facing very unusual problems. Numerous scenes showcase Jim trekking through the wilderness, and vivid descriptions make his environment seem welcoming, with soft earth, “sun etched shadows,” and “rugged rock-strewn slopes.” However, there’s little in the way of suspense, and readers may periodically forget that the murderous Coyote haunts these same woods. Audrey’s family’s chilling experience—in which Coyote supernaturally manipulates the landscape as he and his army attack—is compelling, though. More insight into the villain gradually comes to light, and the inevitable showdown between good and evil is well worth the wait.

An often engaging, if deliberately paced, tale of beasts and magic.