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An Occurrence in Crazy Bear Valley
Strap on your six-guns and saddle up for a shoot-out against a horde of angry Sasquatch, zombies, dinosaurs, and more.
The Old West has never been weirder or wilder than it has in the hands of master horror writer Brian Keene.
Morgan and his gang are on the run--from their pasts and from the posse riding hot on their heels, intent on seeing them hang. But when they take refuge in Crazy Bear Valley, their flight becomes a siege as they find themselves battling a legendary race of monstrous, bloodthirsty beings. Now, Morgan and his gang aren't worried about hanging. They just want to live to see the dawn.
Deadite Press is proud to present Brian Keene's An Occurrence in Crazy Bear Valley for the first time in paperback. Also includes the bonus short story "Lost Canyon of the Damned".
The Old West has never been weirder or wilder than it has in the hands of master horror writer Brian Keene.
Morgan and his gang are on the run--from their pasts and from the posse riding hot on their heels, intent on seeing them hang. But when they take refuge in Crazy Bear Valley, their flight becomes a siege as they find themselves battling a legendary race of monstrous, bloodthirsty beings. Now, Morgan and his gang aren't worried about hanging. They just want to live to see the dawn.
Deadite Press is proud to present Brian Keene's An Occurrence in Crazy Bear Valley for the first time in paperback. Also includes the bonus short story "Lost Canyon of the Damned".
108 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 1, 2012
11 people are currently reading
325 people want to read
About the author
Brian Keene
384 books2,987 followersBRIAN KEENE writes novels, comic books, short fiction, and occasional journalism for money. He is the author of over forty books, mostly in the horror, crime, and dark fantasy genres. His 2003 novel, The Rising, is often credited (along with Robert Kirkman’s The Walking Dead comic and Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later film) with inspiring pop culture’s current interest in zombies. Keene’s novels have been translated into German, Spanish, Polish, Italian, French, Taiwanese, and many more. In addition to his own original work, Keene has written for media properties such as Doctor Who, Hellboy, Masters of the Universe, and Superman.
Several of Keene’s novels have been developed for film, including Ghoul, The Ties That Bind, and Fast Zombies Suck. Several more are in-development or under option. Keene also serves as Executive Producer for the independent film studio Drunken Tentacle Productions.
Keene also oversees Maelstrom, his own small press publishing imprint specializing in collectible limited editions, via Thunderstorm Books.
Keene’s work has been praised in such diverse places as The New York Times, The History Channel, The Howard Stern Show, CNN.com, Publisher’s Weekly, Media Bistro, Fangoria Magazine, and Rue Morgue Magazine. He has won numerous awards and honors, including the World Horror 2014 Grand Master Award, two Bram Stoker Awards, and a recognition from Whiteman A.F.B. (home of the B-2 Stealth Bomber) for his outreach to U.S. troops serving both overseas and abroad. A prolific public speaker, Keene has delivered talks at conventions, college campuses, theaters, and inside Central Intelligence Agency headquarters in Langley, VA.
The father of two sons, Keene lives in rural Pennsylvania.
Several of Keene’s novels have been developed for film, including Ghoul, The Ties That Bind, and Fast Zombies Suck. Several more are in-development or under option. Keene also serves as Executive Producer for the independent film studio Drunken Tentacle Productions.
Keene also oversees Maelstrom, his own small press publishing imprint specializing in collectible limited editions, via Thunderstorm Books.
Keene’s work has been praised in such diverse places as The New York Times, The History Channel, The Howard Stern Show, CNN.com, Publisher’s Weekly, Media Bistro, Fangoria Magazine, and Rue Morgue Magazine. He has won numerous awards and honors, including the World Horror 2014 Grand Master Award, two Bram Stoker Awards, and a recognition from Whiteman A.F.B. (home of the B-2 Stealth Bomber) for his outreach to U.S. troops serving both overseas and abroad. A prolific public speaker, Keene has delivered talks at conventions, college campuses, theaters, and inside Central Intelligence Agency headquarters in Langley, VA.
The father of two sons, Keene lives in rural Pennsylvania.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
August 4, 2015
This novella, set in the Old West, follows a group of outlaws on the run from a posse. After they come across a lumberjack crew, and murder them, the outlaws hole up for the night in their nearby cabin. But something appears out of the pine forest that night, something as tall and furry as a grizzly, and one of the men shoots and kills it. However, the beast is no bear, and there are others. Many others, and they're not happy one of their own was killed.
Gritty and visceral, Keene handles the western (albeit, western horror) genre as deftly as he does everything else. The bonus story at the end, "Lost Canyon of the Damned," is another weird western, and Keene fans will be delighted with this nod to his popular zombie novels.
Highly recommended!
Gritty and visceral, Keene handles the western (albeit, western horror) genre as deftly as he does everything else. The bonus story at the end, "Lost Canyon of the Damned," is another weird western, and Keene fans will be delighted with this nod to his popular zombie novels.
Highly recommended!
September 13, 2020
This slim volume has two fun Weird Westerns, very deft mixes of the familiar tropes of the horror genre and the traditional Western. Rather than just setting his traditional horror stories in the old West, he makes the setting an integral part of the narrative. In the tradition of Razored Saddles, we have cowboys and zombies and dinosaurs and Bigfoot meeting in this pair of engaging and entertaining stories.
December 10, 2012
Brian Keene writes a western. Do I stutter? Don't worry though this has all the darkness and gore you could want and expect from Keene. Only it's the old west.
This book actually has two stories. The title novella, AN OCCURRENCE IN CRAZY BEAR VALLEY is basically Keene playing with the bigfoot lore. The second is a shorter but wilder tale called THE LOST VALLEY OF THE DAMNED. That story is cowboys and zombies and dinosaurs. Do I stutter?
While this is not the fabled new novel from Keene under Deadite Press it is still Keene you may not have read before. This is Keene taking a spin on a genre he himself is a fan of. It is not Loius L'Amour at all though. This is Keene writing western, horror and bizarro at the same time. Read it! Do I stutter?
This book actually has two stories. The title novella, AN OCCURRENCE IN CRAZY BEAR VALLEY is basically Keene playing with the bigfoot lore. The second is a shorter but wilder tale called THE LOST VALLEY OF THE DAMNED. That story is cowboys and zombies and dinosaurs. Do I stutter?
While this is not the fabled new novel from Keene under Deadite Press it is still Keene you may not have read before. This is Keene taking a spin on a genre he himself is a fan of. It is not Loius L'Amour at all though. This is Keene writing western, horror and bizarro at the same time. Read it! Do I stutter?
February 9, 2015
A horror western. Not really sure why this sub genre is so popular, I mean it seems hit or miss with me, and this story actually did hit, but the bonus story for me was a miss. Occurrence had some good elements, some nasty outlaws meet their end in some rather horrific ways. The back story of the "creatures" works well into the fabric of the story, and was very satisfying.
March 10, 2020
This book contains two stories; Occurrence in Crazy Bear Valley and Lost Canyon of the Damned, both are weird westerns, and both were a lot of fun. These are gory, well written horror tales that made me wish that they were longer, Brian’s style suits the weird western genre and I hope he returns to it in the future.
May 8, 2018
Brian Keene writes well. I love reading anything by him. This was a hard book for me to track down through my library and when I finally got it, I was a little disappointed with the size. It's less then 100 pages and has two stories. Both stories are great but over to soon.
August 24, 2025
An action packed rumble in the forest with Sasquatches and a western spit of tobacco.
November 19, 2018
Good start to the book, mega letdown of an ending for me. This is a super fast read, believable characters and just not a lot more to be said on this one it's like 72 pages tops.
January 1, 2018
Awesome
I love everything I've read from Brian Keene and this was no exception. Dead Sea was the first book I read so the second story was my favorite.
I love everything I've read from Brian Keene and this was no exception. Dead Sea was the first book I read so the second story was my favorite.
October 30, 2012
I have been reading Brian Keene books for many years and have come to love his work so jumped at the chance to read and review 'An Occurance in Crazy Bear Valley' from Deadite Press.
The book is set during the Wild West and whilst this is not a normal setting for a horror book it does fit in well. It follows six outlaws on the run from the law when they come across a hut used by some woodmen, which not only has a secret inside, is situated near where the 'crazy bears' live. It's then a fight for survival after the gunslingers make the wrong impression on these locals.
I really enjoyed this book - the characters are entertaining and varied and despite reading horror for many years the setting was original.
The book also has a bonus novella in the back which is again set in the wild wet but also contains zombies and dinosaurs - and yes that sounds odd but the story works well and makes for an entertaining quick read.
So if your after an entertaining horror book unlike anything you've read before (but in a good way) then this will do the trick.
The book is set during the Wild West and whilst this is not a normal setting for a horror book it does fit in well. It follows six outlaws on the run from the law when they come across a hut used by some woodmen, which not only has a secret inside, is situated near where the 'crazy bears' live. It's then a fight for survival after the gunslingers make the wrong impression on these locals.
I really enjoyed this book - the characters are entertaining and varied and despite reading horror for many years the setting was original.
The book also has a bonus novella in the back which is again set in the wild wet but also contains zombies and dinosaurs - and yes that sounds odd but the story works well and makes for an entertaining quick read.
So if your after an entertaining horror book unlike anything you've read before (but in a good way) then this will do the trick.
December 31, 2014
A pretty good story, when I first heard of it I really wanted to read it because I love the few horror western novels I have read but then I saw Brian keene in a post describe it as weird western and I was thinking bizzaro and I back burnered it. Now that I finally got around to it (thanks to a lendle) I am happy to report that it is not bizarre at all, just a horror western. My only complaint is that the ending really isn't all that great, it's not bad but it just ends very abruptly.
January 29, 2023
Тук имаме две повести в жанра паранормален устърн (май трябва да си направя отделна група за него), които си пазех за черни дни, защото непрочетените неща от Кийн много намаляват, въпреки продуктивността му.
An Occurrence in Crazy Bear Valley – Група преследвани от закона, закоравели престъпници решават да прекарат нощта в дърварска хижа. Когато един от тях гръмва нещо, което прилича на мечка за вечеря, си нямат на педстава, че в тази долина има неща, които не са си и представяли. Скоро се оказват обкръжени от жадни за отмъщение саскуочи и оцеляването им ще е доста... проблемно.
Lost Canyon of the Damned – Оцелели след зомби нападение над малко градче в дивия запад се опитват да избягат от пълчищата неживи, които ще направят всичко възможно да ги превърнат в следващата си закуска. Случайно групата попада в долина излязла сякаш из под перото на Артър Конан Дойл, което ще доведе до неочаквана комбинация – зомби динозаври. Отново оцеляването е далеч от вероятно.
И двете новели са силно графично агресивни в стила на ранния Кийн и са пълен читателски кеф. Препоръчвам я тази малка книжка на всички любители на откаченото приключение от онези списания, които при нас са се случвали само между двете световни войни, но са изгадили жанровата литература в световен план.
An Occurrence in Crazy Bear Valley – Група преследвани от закона, закоравели престъпници решават да прекарат нощта в дърварска хижа. Когато един от тях гръмва нещо, което прилича на мечка за вечеря, си нямат на педстава, че в тази долина има неща, които не са си и представяли. Скоро се оказват обкръжени от жадни за отмъщение саскуочи и оцеляването им ще е доста... проблемно.
Lost Canyon of the Damned – Оцелели след зомби нападение над малко градче в дивия запад се опитват да избягат от пълчищата неживи, които ще направят всичко възможно да ги превърнат в следващата си закуска. Случайно групата попада в долина излязла сякаш из под перото на Артър Конан Дойл, което ще доведе до неочаквана комбинация – зомби динозаври. Отново оцеляването е далеч от вероятно.
И двете новели са силно графично агресивни в стила на ранния Кийн и са пълен читателски кеф. Препоръчвам я тази малка книжка на всички любители на откаченото приключение от онези списания, които при нас са се случвали само между двете световни войни, но са изгадили жанровата литература в световен план.
May 30, 2023
I'll say it now, I'm not a fan of Brian Keene. His novel 'Castaways' was a rather dull read despite its halfway interesting premise and 'The Cage' is one of the worst written books I've ever read in my life. In fact, I wasn't planning to read anything else by him, picking this one up quite by accident (I read the description on Prospector and put it on hold, only seeing the name of the author after it was already in transit whereupon I said, "Oh no. Not you again!"). Turns out, it was a lucky mistake because this was surprisingly fun to read. The writing is simple but effective, there's some real atmosphere and the stories play as perfect throwbacks to the fantastic pulps of yesteryear (albeit gorier and with more swearing. Reader discretion is advised). The second story ends with the main cast discovering a lost continent populated by zombie dinosaurs. This should give you an idea of the unpretentious fun you're in for. Pick it up even if you don't ordinarily like the author. He might surprise you.
May 19, 2017
Maybe 2.5 stars. I really like Brian Keene's books, so I hate to rate it so low. This just didn't do much for me. Could be because it was too short. Not enough plot. As it was, it was razor thin. The ending left much to be desired. I did have some good points though. The action and gore were spot on. Not enough to carry this thing through. I would have liked to see a bit more of the Bigfoot type creatures.
August 18, 2021
Go into your garage. Open the top drawer and remove the stun grenade. Pull the pin, and hold it up in front of your eyes.
Now you can picture what I look like after finishing this book. The story was incredible, as was the bonus story, Lost Canyon Of The Damned. Both left me wanting more, as I felt they could easily be extended into novels. Think I’ll have to check out Dead Sea!
Now you can picture what I look like after finishing this book. The story was incredible, as was the bonus story, Lost Canyon Of The Damned. Both left me wanting more, as I felt they could easily be extended into novels. Think I’ll have to check out Dead Sea!
January 25, 2022
Two short story stories first one has big foots in the mid west after the Civil War. And the 2nd one is zombies in Midwest chasing a group of survivors in the desert into a canyon that also has dinosaurs. Great stories!
January 1, 2023
cool horror western
Starting to become a big fan of Mr. Keene’s. This book is so cool because it’s a horror western which I love. Even loved the zombie dinosaur story afterwards. Just great storytelling.
Starting to become a big fan of Mr. Keene’s. This book is so cool because it’s a horror western which I love. Even loved the zombie dinosaur story afterwards. Just great storytelling.
July 8, 2024
Loved this quick read. Get 2 great short stories featuring an old western gunslinger setting dealing with some intense creature feature action + some of the best zombie action and concepts I have read in horror thus far.
This was my first Briane Keene work I read, and I'm very impressed.
This was my first Briane Keene work I read, and I'm very impressed.
May 8, 2018
Another great tale from Brian Keene. This book actually had two short stories in it. Both westerns with a horror/"fantasy" twist. You love to hate some of the characters, and feel for others.
February 18, 2019
Entertaining enough. I honestly expected more gore and whatnot from the cover but the story was a bit on the tamer side. Still a good, fun read though.
May 25, 2024
Loved it. I love Brian Keene in the western genre and I love Sasquatch stories.
February 19, 2021
This is actually two short stories: An Occurrence in Crazy Bear Valley and Lost Canyon of the Damned. They are both horror novellas set in the “wild west” of pulpy Westerns, with a tinge of the weird.
Occurrence follows a group of outlaws, who are cutting through the wilderness. They murder some lumberjacks and hole up in their cabin. However, the forest is strangely quiet and eerie around them, and they soon learn it is home to a race of sasquatches.
The main problem I have with this story is that the characters are all just so plain unlikeable. I feel like that was intentional on the author’s part – these are hardened criminals, it’s in keeping with the Western theme and, given the cover illustration, you know where the story’s going . . . All that being said, I thought we didn’t get quite enough gory sasquatch action in the end. Not enough to balance out being stuck following such unpleasant people. Love the idea though and would be down to read more about the “crazy bears.”
Lost Canyon of the Damned is infinitely more my jam. I really get a kick out of this one. Imagine a zombie apocalypse in the days of the Old West. Then add dinosaurs to the mix for some reason! I thought this was a ton of fun. Zombies! Dinosaurs! Zombie dinosaurs! An absolute blast.
This is my first taste of Brian Keene and I will definitely be coming back for more.
Occurrence follows a group of outlaws, who are cutting through the wilderness. They murder some lumberjacks and hole up in their cabin. However, the forest is strangely quiet and eerie around them, and they soon learn it is home to a race of sasquatches.
The main problem I have with this story is that the characters are all just so plain unlikeable. I feel like that was intentional on the author’s part – these are hardened criminals, it’s in keeping with the Western theme and, given the cover illustration, you know where the story’s going . . . All that being said, I thought we didn’t get quite enough gory sasquatch action in the end. Not enough to balance out being stuck following such unpleasant people. Love the idea though and would be down to read more about the “crazy bears.”
Lost Canyon of the Damned is infinitely more my jam. I really get a kick out of this one. Imagine a zombie apocalypse in the days of the Old West. Then add dinosaurs to the mix for some reason! I thought this was a ton of fun. Zombies! Dinosaurs! Zombie dinosaurs! An absolute blast.
This is my first taste of Brian Keene and I will definitely be coming back for more.
December 22, 2016
This was my first Brian Keene read and holy crazy bear. I'm glad I picked this one up. It's a weird, bizarro, gory tale set place in the old west. What else do you need? Nothing... that's what. Looking forward to reading more by Keene.
November 11, 2014
When I picked up this short story, I expected a western style horror which is basically what we got. The western style part is that these men are outlaw gunslingers being hunted by an angry posse, and after killing a few lumberjacks, they take refuge in the old cabin in the woods. We get a few mentions of their outlaw past and their weapons but the story is set in the forest, not an old western town which is good, as westerns are not my favourite genre.
The men get on the wrong side of Yeti like creatures living in the woods and find themselves fighting for their lives each night as the attacks intensify. It had good action and tension and was a well written short story. My only complaint was the very sudden ending which did spoil it a bit. I had hoped for a bit more action and death!
This is the first thing that I have read by this author and I did like the way he put the story together. I am certainly going to continue on to read the novels of Mr Keene which I have been getting over the last year.
The men get on the wrong side of Yeti like creatures living in the woods and find themselves fighting for their lives each night as the attacks intensify. It had good action and tension and was a well written short story. My only complaint was the very sudden ending which did spoil it a bit. I had hoped for a bit more action and death!
This is the first thing that I have read by this author and I did like the way he put the story together. I am certainly going to continue on to read the novels of Mr Keene which I have been getting over the last year.
November 17, 2014
Honestly, this one was unimpressive.
Then again, I've never really been a huge fan of Keene's short stories. Yes, he's written some amazing novels (some of which will always be on my favorites lists), but I have yet to be impressed by the shorter, quicker work he's done. "An Occurrence in Crazy Bear Valley" doesn't do much to change my view on the matter.
It's fast and it doesn't have a lot of backstory to get through, so there's that. And there's a pretty good helping of blood and guts and gore as well, and that's always good. What isn't it that it's just not very exciting, the characters are fairly weak, and, like I said, it's incredibly short. I might have enjoyed this more if I hadn't already read the included short "Lost Canyon of the Damned" in another anthology...and, by the way, that story is much better.
It's been a long time since Keene has published a full length novel, so, I guess, these Deadite Press collections will have to hold us over until then. I have a feeling it's going to be a long wait.
Then again, I've never really been a huge fan of Keene's short stories. Yes, he's written some amazing novels (some of which will always be on my favorites lists), but I have yet to be impressed by the shorter, quicker work he's done. "An Occurrence in Crazy Bear Valley" doesn't do much to change my view on the matter.
It's fast and it doesn't have a lot of backstory to get through, so there's that. And there's a pretty good helping of blood and guts and gore as well, and that's always good. What isn't it that it's just not very exciting, the characters are fairly weak, and, like I said, it's incredibly short. I might have enjoyed this more if I hadn't already read the included short "Lost Canyon of the Damned" in another anthology...and, by the way, that story is much better.
It's been a long time since Keene has published a full length novel, so, I guess, these Deadite Press collections will have to hold us over until then. I have a feeling it's going to be a long wait.
November 15, 2014
Who knew that Brian Keene was a fan of the Big Foot mythology? In An Occurrence in Crazy Bear Valley we get a little taste of the terror of being attacked by a army of Big Foot creatures. (Or is that Big Feet?) The one thing I really liked about this short novella is that the whole plot felt similar to the once popular defense games like "Nazi Zombies" from the Call of Duty franchise.
October 12, 2015
So.... this exists.
I'm not sure what more you want me to say? The only thing that makes this even remotely a western is the language used. I live in the region described so the other reviews that complain about this not being in a desert... well, guess they don't know a few things.
The development of the characters is poorly handled (barely handled at that) and there are several spots where the studio could have gone longer (and spared us the zombie raptor slash fiction.
I enjoy Keene but this was just shoddy craftsmanship.
I'm not sure what more you want me to say? The only thing that makes this even remotely a western is the language used. I live in the region described so the other reviews that complain about this not being in a desert... well, guess they don't know a few things.
The development of the characters is poorly handled (barely handled at that) and there are several spots where the studio could have gone longer (and spared us the zombie raptor slash fiction.
I enjoy Keene but this was just shoddy craftsmanship.
November 22, 2013
When I Read Brian Keene, I expect well-written characters and a lot of gore. What a surprise, he delivers both here. The main story and the shorter one included with it are wonderful examples of why Mr Keene is in my Top Five list of favorite horror authors.
December 14, 2014
Two short stories making up about 100 pages. Both westerns one with a group of bigfoots set on payback for the killing of one of their own the other has what left of a town fleeing from zombies only to run into dinosaurs. Brian Keene sure can tell a tale.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews