The Mountain King

The Mountain King
by Rick Hautala

About the Book:
In the halls... of the Mountain King...

There are many legends and ancient tales concerning Mount Agiochook, the second tallest mountain in Maine. Some of these tales speak of a demon that resides on the rocky slopes near the mountain's snow-crested summit. Legend has it that a force of supernatural evil periodically emerges from the mists that shroud the mountain and comes down to the valley, looking to claim a life.

Sometimes the life it claims is an animal — perhaps a stray dog or a farmer's cow or a horse. At other times, it claims a human life, a straying hiker or a lost camper.

Mark Newman has hiked the numerous trails to the summit of Mount Agiochook many times. He has heard the stories and Indian legend, but he doesn't believe them.

Not until one September afternoon, when an early snow storm sweeps through the mountains, and he witnesses something he knows can't possibly be real.

But it is all too real!

Convinced that there is something lurking near the summit of the mountain... something terrible... something that won't be satisfied with claiming just one human life, Mark vows to hunt it down and destroy it.

What he doesn't know is that he, too, is being hunted. Under suspicion for the murders of his best friend and his wife's lover, Mark is being pursued by the local police, an angry mob, and something else... something he can't begin to comprehend until he confronts it, face to face.

From international best-selling author Rick Hautala — with dust jacket artwork and interior illustrations by acclaimed artist Stephen R. Bissette, creator of Tyrant — comes this terrifying adventure story of horror and suspense that will thrill you and haunt you long after you've finished reading it. This deluxe edition is protected inside a handmade cloth slipcase and is signed by the author!

Under his own name as well as the pseudonym A. J. Matthews, Rick Hautala has written more than thirty novels and over sixty short stories that have been published in a variety of national and international anthologies and magazines.

His most recent books under his own name include Bedbugs, and The Mountain King. As A. J. Matthews, he has published The White Room, Looking Glass, and Follow.

His A. J. Matthews novel in progress for Berkley is titled Unbroken, and he is writing an original Creature from the Black Lagoon novel with Christopher Golden for Dark Horse. He is also working on The Singing Sands, the first in a proposed Young Adult series titled Mockingbird Bay.

Rick’s latest collection is Occasional Demons and Chesapeake Films recently optioned an original screenplay, Chills.

Born and raised in Rockport, Massachusetts, Rick is a graduate of the University of Maine in Orono with a Master of Arts in English Literature (with a concentration in Medieval and Renaissance literature).

His three children are all grown up and (mostly) out of the house. He lives in southern Maine with author Holly Newstein and Kiera the “Wonder Dog.”

Published in two states:
• Limited Edition of 500 signed and numbered copies ($50)
• Traycased Lettered Edition of 26 signed and lettered copies ($150)

Editions

Excerpt

Artwork