First published 1998
The mutilated corpses appear across Missouri, each one more savage than the last. The local Native Americans whisper the name Crota, speaking of an ancient beast that feeds on death and grows stronger with each kill. A team of carefully chosen hunters takes up the trail, following the creature's bloody path through small towns and backwoods. They know they face something beyond ordinary predators. Crota moves with purpose, heading toward its destination in the deep places beneath the earth. The hunters race against time as the body count rises and the beast's power swells. In underground chambers that predate human memory, an unspeakable horror waits. The hunters must confront not only Crota but the ancient evil that commands it. Their pursuit becomes a desperate fight for survival against forces that should have remained buried. The battle will test everything they believe about courage, sacrifice, and the thin line between civilization and primordial terror.
Genres: horror, supernatural, thriller, dark-fantasy
Vibes: atmospheric, dark, suspenseful
Tropes: ancient-evil, creature-feature, hunt
Setting: Missouri
320 pages · Mass Market Paperback · Berkley
Content warnings: body-horror, graphic-violence