An Occurrence In Crazy Bear Valley

by Brian Keene

Strap on your six-guns and saddle up for a shoot-out against a horde of angry Sasquatch!

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.

This new edition of Brian Keene's An Occurrence in Crazy Bear Valley includes a brand-new Afterword written by the author.

85 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 4, 2024

About the author

BRIAN 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.

Reviews

[Joshua Tatum · Rating 3 out of 5]

The synopsis tells you all you need to know about the plot - a gang of outlaws hunkers down in a run down logging cabin and slugs it out with a pack of Sasquatches (or is it just ‘Sasquatch’, like ‘deer’? I dunno - whatever. You get it.) I’m not big on Bigfoot or Bigfoot-adjacent cryptids, but Brian Keene rarely misses for me, and the cover art is great, so I gave it a go. This one did not quite do it for me.

The story starts off well, introducing the outlaws, building character, capturing the remoteness and treachery of the terrain, and building the tension by keeping the monsters on the periphery. The bullets and the blood start flying, and then suddenly… it’s over. This one came to way too quick an end for me. When I’m introduced to a band of bads, my expectation is that I’m going to see them get picked off, And Then There Were None style, in varying degrees of violence and mayhem. That didn’t quite happen here. I was just looking for a little more progression, a little more of the monsters, and overall just a little more story. But it was a super quick read with some on-brand writing from Keene, so it’s hard to be too mad at it. If you’re a fan of Keene’s work or a fan of Bigfoot lore, you definitely won’t hate this one.

[Danny Welch · Rating 4 out of 5]

If I ever want to sit down and read a horror novel that is both exciting and fast-paced, I know I'm in safe hands with Brian Keene at the helm. An Occurrence in Crazy Bear Valley was a novella initially released in a collection of bizarre stories set in the Wild West but has now been republished with a gorgeous cover of its own. Of course, it's been republished before along with a short story that links up with it, so I'll have to find a copy of Brian Keene's short story collections to read it. But what did I think of this novella, was it a fun time or was it unexpectedly a little boring?

Morgan and his gang are on the run from the posse, their crimes are about to catch up with them. However after they kill a bunch of lumberjacks in the woods, they find a small cabin to settle in for a while. Inside they find the beautiful and terrified Crystal who is desperate to escape her captives and is thankful for her rescue. But the gang desperate for food are about to make a terrible mistake and anger a race of ancient beings...

An Occurrence in Crazy Bear Valley is a fun and atmospheric Western horror story with an unsettling build-up and a gruesome finale. It's an enjoyable and fast-paced story that's well-written. My favorite character in this novella has to be Crystal, she's the only decent individual in this story and you feel sorry for her.

Overall: It's a fun novella that was a great way to lose some time. 8/10

[DJMikeG · Rating 3 out of 5]

A just okay novella by Brian Keene, who is one of my favorite writers. Keene's "just okay" is a hell of a lot better than most other authors when they kinda phone it in. The page count of 88 pages is misleading, as the novella itself clocks in at a malnourished 67 pages. Pretty flimsy, in my opinion to warrant a release of just this novella. I think he should have thrown in a couple of short stories to put some meat on this book's bones.
This novella was originally included in a now super rare collection of four novellas called Four Rode Out. I think I would have enjoyed it more as a part of a collection than as a stand alone release. The story itself is just okay, again. I really feel like Keene could have done much more with the Bigfoot mythos, but again, he kinda phones it in here. Not to nitpick too much or give anything away, but you pretty much could have replaced the Bigfoots (Bigfeet?) with zombies and not much of the story would change. Well, on the bright side, Keene's lesser works are better than many author's entire bibliographies.
For Keene completists only.

[Jorge Palacios Kindelan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ever wondered if The Hateful 8 turned into a killer Sasquatch movie? Thats Brian Keene’s Occurrence at Crazy Bear Valley, a fun snd violent western that you can read in one afternoon. Its fast paced and gory and really fun #horrorbooks #horrorbookstagram #horrorjunkie #briankeene

[Lyle Boylen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great tale from Brian Keene.

[Joe Kucharski · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brian Keene's wild, genre-blasting novella An Occurrence In Crazy Bear Valley might indeed wrap up in a jiff, but rest assured, justice was meted, and a good story was told along the way.