The Bone Tower

by Jackson Arthur

This is an alternate version of the 1800s, where magic and monsters are real.

The frontier is wide, violent, and only half mapped. Steam, steel, and six shooters exist alongside sorcery, ancient creatures, and powers older than nations. Most of the world accepts magic as a dangerous but necessary force, used to heal, build, and wage war against the things that stalk beyond civilization.

To investigate crimes of the magical world, the Council appoints marshals. These are hardened lawmen tasked with confronting threats too unnatural, too volatile, or too politically dangerous for ordinary justice.

Marshal Jeremiah Scott is one of them.

Jeremiah is summoned to Ignis, a town that believes magic is sin made flesh and that purification comes only through flame. The case appears simple. Two parents found dead in their bed. Their young son missing without a trace. But beneath Ignis’s walls of prayer and purity, Jeremiah uncovers signs of necromancy, a dark art feared even by sorcerers themselves.

As the dead rise and violence erupts in the rain soaked streets, Jeremiah is drawn into a horror far greater than one missing child. Haunted by the loss of his former partner and marked by a force that whispers from the void, he learns that ancient barriers are thinning, and something vast and merciless has taken notice of him.

304 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 1, 2026

About the author

Jackson Arthur is born and raised in Ohio. He lives there with his wife, daughter, cat, and chinchilla. He has always been a fan of horror and his favorite author is Stephen King. He mostly writes scary stories but also dabbles in the weird and abnormal. Some of his short stories have been narrated on YouTube and Spotify.

You can find Jackson Arthur on Facebook at
https://www.facebook.com/JacksonArthu...

You can email him at JacksonArthurStories@gmail.com

You can visit his website at https://jacksonarthurstori.wixsite.co...

Reviews

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was gritty and kept my attention. Think Wild West but with cult-like behavior.

This book follows a Marshal while he protects a town of religious fanatics from an ancient evil. Not only did he have to deal with the “bad guy” but also with prejudices due to his use of magic.

The characters are engaging and the writing was superb. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of this book. I was able to finish the book in a single day and my only complaint was that I wish it was longer. I could have read about Marshal Scott’s adventures for another 400 pages and been happy 🤣❤️

[melissa Reynolds · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, the story gives witcher and supernatural vibes but in the wild west, in a world we're magic is banned and the Marshalls exist to keep that under control. In this world the Puritans follow the burning man Jesus, and his teachings believing Magic to be Evil. The world building good and the magic system is unique and well written, as are the characters, the story really pulls you in, you fell like you are in Ignis fighting for the good against evil. I loved the characters, my favourites were Jerimah and Eve.

Marshall Jerimiah Scott travels to Ignis to investigate the deaths of three people, once he arrives things spiral into a huge battle of good verus evil that not everyone survives, Jerimaiah is a flawed man, he is deeply troubled by the death of his partner, Walter and blames himself, he suffers from self doubt and believes himself unworthy. Although he is troubled, he wants to do the right thing and help, even if people don't listen or understand him. There were parts where I wanted to shake Jerimiah and make him listen but that's all part of the story. I would love to read more about him and his travels, and the magic within the world.

[Jannetta · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a brilliant read, with an interesting premise and a set of characters with full-bodied, realistic personalities. The story, while based on magic and a classic fighting-evil trope, was fresh enough in the details and surrounding elements of time and place to capture my attention. The timeline worked well – no real issues with continuity. Marshal Jerimiah Scott is a hero with a past – battle-scarred, laden with knowledge of what evil can do, and the imagination to recognize that evil can adapt, grow in strength, and has one terrifying goal: to rule the world. While some elements of this book echo many other stories, such as ghouls and ghost descriptions, these tend to share elements across stories and do not detract from the fast-paced action, and the rest of the storyline engages the imagination. This book is an adventure in a magical realm, set in early America, and what I found the twist or two of where and what people are involved, along with a quiet hero, refreshing.

[Zoe Stalcup · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved! It was so good! The plot is so interesting. The author did an amazing job of keeping the story interesting!