Publisher's Synopsis
Modern man knows there is only one world on planet Earth, that monsters come from symbolic tales, and black magic and ravelling portals are fantasy. The White Man believes ravens, coyotes and bears are plain animals. The Hopi believe otherwise. Their history tells them this is Tu'waqachi, the Fourth World Below, the coyote is a troublemaker, and the bear is a healer and the Keeper of Dreams. Skin walkers live among them. The Navajo believe this is the Fifth World, where coyotes are tricksters, bears host evil spirits, and thunder birds bring flooding storms. The Old World collides with the New World where stone arches and natural bridges stretch across the air, and monsters roam America's National Park sites. Colt Swift foot is a youth caught between two cultures, the material world of Bahanna, the White Man, and the spiritual and supernatural realm of the Arizona tribe of Hopi. He confronts life and death when he gets ensnared in the Old World plot that transforms his healing totem into a ferocious demon bear that feasts on fear. Colt must navigate the Ways -- a short cut through Below -- and survive long enough to rescue Spirit Bear. Will discovering the truth about his history and skin walkers save Colt? Alexandria Walker is a junior ranger at Arches National Park, Utah, and an aspiring photo journalist in a hurry to be older. A lover of ravens, Alex investigates the large number of dead corvids. One twilight, she witnesses a strange sight that leaves her both cursed and blest. Helping the High Raven changes Alex's life, sending her flying into a world of Native American legends, monsters and YaYa curses. They are joined by a visiting Boy Scout, Jimmy, on their adventures. With help from the secretive One Tribe, the three youths must elude a murderous trickster, deadly thunderbirds, and frightening haunts, all while gathering worldly reminders to reawaken Spirit Bear and stop an ancient menace intent on revenge and destruction.
