Desert Night Unease

Mike Raglan, a skeptical investigator of the paranormal, drives alone through the Utah desert, haunted by an old story of the Anasazi's mysterious disappearance and a recent, desperate letter from his friend Erik Hokart. The landscape is eerie, the silence oppressive, and Mike's unease grows as he witnesses strange flares atop a mesa and encounters inexplicable, shadowy figures. The desert's isolation and the weight of old legends set the stage for a journey into the unknown, as Mike is drawn toward a mystery that will challenge his understanding of reality.

The Kiva's Red Line

Erik Hokart, a brilliant but rational scientist, has begun building a dream home atop a remote mesa. His plans are disrupted when a glowing red line appears on his blueprints, outlining a circular kiva—a ceremonial chamber of the ancient Anasazi. As Erik excavates, he discovers a perfectly preserved kiva with a strange, window-like niche. Unsettling exchanges occur: objects disappear and are replaced with gifts, and his dog, Chief, vanishes through the niche only to return with a sunflower. Erik's daybook, filled with these bizarre events, becomes a crucial record, hinting at a breach between worlds.

Erik's Desperate Plea

Mike receives a frantic letter and Erik's daybook, delivered by a mysterious, exotic woman. The daybook details Erik's growing fear and the supernatural events at the mesa. When Mike's condo is broken into by a professional thief seeking the daybook, he realizes the danger is real and immediate. Erik's plea is clear: trust no one, come at once, and help him escape a threat that defies explanation. Mike's skepticism is tested as he prepares to enter a world where the boundaries of reality are dissolving.

The Old Cowboy's Map

Years earlier, Mike met an old cowboy who claimed to have crossed into another world through a hidden portal, returning with refined gold and dire warnings. The cowboy's hand-drawn map, copied from a gold plate, marks dangerous places and elusive openings between worlds. He cautions Mike: get in, get out, never return. This map, and the cowboy's tale of the "Other Side," become vital clues as Mike realizes the Anasazi may have fled not just drought and war, but a deeper, metaphysical evil.

Parallel Worlds Revealed

Through conversations with Kawasi, a fugitive from the Other Side, and Tazzoc, the Keeper of Archives, Mike learns that the Anasazi escaped into a parallel world—one ruled by The Hand and the Varanel, and haunted by the Lords of Shibalba. The kiva's window is a stabilized portal, but other, erratic openings exist. The Other Side is a land of misty sun, rigid control, and ancient evil. The Hopi legends of emergence and the Maya's Xibalba are revealed as literal truths, and Mike must accept that the supernatural is real, and deadly.

The Poison Woman's Warning

Erik encounters a mesmerizing woman—one of the Poison Women, bred to be immune to toxins but fatal to any man who touches them. She is an agent of The Hand, sent to lure and destroy. Kawasi, in contrast, is a gentle rebel, descended from He Who Had Magic, the leader of the Anasazi dissidents. The Poison Woman's presence signals that the rulers of the Other Side are aware of the breach and will stop at nothing to keep their world secret and untainted by outsiders.

Kawasi's Escape

Kawasi, pursued by the Varanel, flees to Mike's world, seeking his help to rescue Erik and to warn of the impending danger. She reveals the history of her people: the Anasazi who returned to the Third World, only to find it still corrupted by the evil they once fled. Kawasi's knowledge of the portals and her connection to the dissident Anasazi make her both a target and a guide. Together, she and Mike plan a rescue, knowing that time and the stability of the portals are running out.

The Vanishing Café

In a small desert town, a café is incinerated in a flash fire by agents from the Other Side, using mysterious incendiary discs. Erik disappears, and Kawasi narrowly escapes. The local lawman, Gallagher, becomes involved, investigating the arson and the string of disappearances. The violence marks a turning point: the threat is no longer theoretical, and the Other Side's agents are willing to kill to protect their secrets.

Gallagher's Investigation

Gallagher, a pragmatic and experienced officer, is drawn into the mystery. He interviews Mike and Kawasi, investigates the white van used by the agents, and uncovers a network of spies and collaborators, including the enigmatic Eden Foster. Gallagher's open-minded skepticism and local knowledge make him a valuable ally, but he is also a reminder of the limits of law and reason in the face of the inexplicable.

The Mesa's Haunting

Mike and Kawasi return to the mesa, pursued by enemies and haunted by the presence of the Saqua—the hairy, fire-worshipping beings who move between worlds. The mesa, the kiva, and the surrounding canyons are revealed as focal points of instability, where reality is thin and the past lingers. The landscape itself becomes a character, echoing the fears and hopes of those who traverse it.

Tazzoc, Keeper of Archives

Tazzoc, a lonely scholar, guards the vast Archives of the Other Side—stone tablets, clay records, and plans of the Forbidden. He reveals the decay of his society, the loss of curiosity, and the rise of The Hand's tyranny. Tazzoc's alliance with Mike is tenuous, driven by a shared love of knowledge and a desire to see the Archives preserved. He provides maps and warnings, but his motives are ambiguous, and betrayal is always possible.

The Forbidden Maze

The heart of the Other Side is the Forbidden—a colossal, black-walled citadel, a maze of death-trap rooms, glass corridors, and secret passages. The Hand rules from its center, unseen and all-powerful. Mike, disguised in Tazzoc's robe, navigates the maze using ancient maps, chalk marks, and his wits. The maze is both a physical and psychological trial, designed to destroy intruders and preserve the secrets of the regime.

The Hand's Dominion

The Hand, a shadowy autocrat, maintains control through fear, surveillance, and the Varanel. The society is stagnant, its people cowed, its history suppressed. Human sacrifice and the worship of monstrous idols echo the darkest aspects of Mesoamerican myth. The Hand's paranoia and Zipacna's ambition threaten to unleash violence on both worlds, as the portals begin to destabilize.

The Saqua and the Fire

The Saqua, mysterious hairy beings, are drawn to fire and possess knowledge of the portals. Mike realizes that their ritual—warming hands at the fire—may be a key to communication and escape. The Saqua's ambiguous nature—part animal, part human, part spirit—embodies the liminality of the mesa and the thinness of the veil between worlds.

Johnny's Hidden Gold

Johnny, the legendary cowboy trapped for decades on the Other Side, becomes an unexpected ally. He reveals caches of gold, the truth of the old cowboy's map, and the dangers of the lizard-infested ruins. Johnny's survival skills and outsider perspective help Mike and Erik navigate the final obstacles, but also highlight the cost of crossing boundaries—loneliness, loss, and the erosion of identity.

The Iron Mountain Mystery

The remains of the steamboat Iron Mountain and its English-speaking graves are discovered, confirming legends of disappearances and the reality of the portals. Melisande, the last survivor of the Iron Mountain, joins the group, her story a poignant reminder of the human toll of the supernatural. The convergence of lost travelers, ancient rebels, and modern seekers underscores the universality of the search for home and meaning.

The Final Crossing

As the portals begin to close—heralded by a spacequake—Mike, Erik, Johnny, Kawasi, and Melisande make a desperate dash for the last opening. Betrayed by Volkmeer, confronted by Zipacna, and pursued by the Varanel, they fight their way through ruins and up the mesa. In a brutal final battle, Mike defeats Zipacna, and Chief, his loyal dog, drags him through the closing portal just in time. Volkmeer, caught in the transition, is fused into the stone, a grim warning of the dangers of crossing worlds.

Return to the Haunted Mesa

Back in their own world, the survivors are changed—haunted by what they have seen and unable to share their story. Gallagher, the lawman, is left with unanswerable questions. The portals are closed, the kiva sealed, and the Saqua are left a gift of fire. Mike, Erik, Kawasi, and Melisande return to the ordinary world, carrying the burden of memory and the knowledge that reality is far stranger—and more fragile—than anyone suspects.

Characters

Mike Raglan

Mike is a professional debunker of the paranormal, shaped by a childhood of loss and a career spent exposing fraud. His skepticism is both armor and limitation, challenged by the events at the mesa. Mike's psychological journey is from rationalist to reluctant believer, forced to confront the reality of parallel worlds, ancient evils, and the limits of human understanding. His relationships—with Erik, Kawasi, and Johnny—reveal a man capable of loyalty, courage, and love, but also haunted by loneliness and the fear of the unknown.

Erik Hokart

Erik is a self-sufficient inventor, drawn to the mesa by a dream of solitude and creation. His rational mind is tested by the supernatural events he encounters, and his daybook becomes a lifeline to reality. Erik's capture and imprisonment in the Forbidden force him to rely on others and to accept the existence of forces beyond his comprehension. His love for Melisande and his friendship with Mike reveal a capacity for vulnerability and trust.

Kawasi

Kawasi is a fugitive from the Other Side, descended from the Anasazi dissidents. She is both a bridge and a barrier—her knowledge of the portals and her courage make her indispensable, but her loyalty to her people and her fear of The Hand complicate her choices. Kawasi's psychological depth lies in her struggle between duty and desire, tradition and change, and her growing love for Mike. She embodies the possibility of resistance and the hope for a better world.

Tazzoc

Tazzoc is the Keeper of Archives, a man isolated by knowledge and haunted by the decay of his society. His alliance with Mike is driven by a desire to see the Archives preserved and used, but his motives are complex—part self-preservation, part genuine curiosity. Tazzoc's psychological profile is marked by loneliness, suppressed ambition, and the corrosive effects of living under tyranny. He is both a source of wisdom and a potential betrayer.

Zipacna

Zipacna is a powerful, ruthless figure—possibly The Hand himself or his chief lieutenant. He is a master of manipulation, violence, and self-preservation, driven by a lust for power and a contempt for weakness. Zipacna's psychological makeup is that of a classic tyrant: paranoid, charismatic, and ultimately self-destructive. His confrontations with Mike are both physical and symbolic, representing the clash between freedom and control.

Johnny

Johnny is a legendary figure, trapped for decades on the Other Side. His survival skills, practical wisdom, and outsider's perspective make him a valuable ally. Johnny's psychological resilience is matched by a deep loneliness and a longing for home. His story is a cautionary tale about the costs of crossing boundaries and the importance of adaptability.

Gallagher

Gallagher is the local officer drawn into the mystery by violence and disappearance. His blend of skepticism, imagination, and practical knowledge makes him both a foil and an ally to Mike. Gallagher's psychological strength lies in his ability to balance reason and intuition, and his willingness to accept the limits of his understanding.

Eden Foster

Eden is a beautiful, sophisticated woman living among humans but serving the interests of The Hand. Her psychological conflict is between loyalty to her origins and a growing desire for freedom and belonging in the human world. Eden's role as a Poison Woman and her ambiguous relationship with Mike and Gallagher highlight the dangers of divided loyalties and the seductive power of the unknown.

Melisande

Melisande is the last descendant of the Iron Mountain's passengers, raised in isolation and prepared for the possibility of return. Her love for Erik and her courage in leading the group to safety make her a symbol of resilience and the enduring human spirit. Melisande's psychological journey is one of adaptation, loss, and the search for connection.

Volkmeer

Volkmeer is a former friend of Mike's, enriched by gold from the Other Side and ultimately corrupted by his alliance with The Hand. His betrayal and grisly fate—caught in the closing portal—serve as a warning about the dangers of greed, divided loyalty, and the temptation of forbidden knowledge.

Plot Devices

Parallel Worlds and Portals

The central device is the existence of parallel worlds, accessible through unstable portals—kivas, canyons, and windows in the fabric of reality. These openings are both literal and symbolic, representing the thinness of the veil between the known and the unknown, the past and the present, the rational and the supernatural. The instability of the portals creates urgency and danger, while their locations—tied to ancient ruins and sacred sites—anchor the story in the landscape and mythology of the Southwest.

The Daybook and Archives

Erik's daybook, the old cowboy's map, and Tazzoc's Archives serve as both plot devices and symbols of memory, history, and the search for meaning. These records provide clues, warnings, and a sense of continuity across generations and worlds. The act of reading, writing, and interpreting becomes a metaphor for the struggle to understand and survive in a world where reality is uncertain.

The Maze and the Labyrinth

The Forbidden is a literal maze, filled with death traps, glass corridors, and secret passages. Navigating it requires intelligence, courage, and adaptability. The maze is also a psychological device, representing the confusion, fear, and self-doubt that accompany the search for truth. The left-hand rule, chalk marks, and ancient maps are tools for survival, but also reminders of the limits of knowledge and the dangers of overconfidence.

Foreshadowing and Mythic Resonance

The story is rich in foreshadowing—old tales, Hopi and Maya myths, and the warnings of the cowboy and the Poison Woman all come true in unexpected ways. The use of real-world legends (Xibalba, the Anasazi, the Iron Mountain) grounds the supernatural in history and gives the narrative a mythic resonance. The recurring motifs of fire, sunflowers, and the Saqua tie the personal journeys of the characters to larger, universal themes.

Analysis

Louis L'Amour reimagines the American Southwest as a liminal space where history, legend, and the supernatural intersect. The novel explores the psychological costs of skepticism and belief, the necessity of courage in the face of the unknown, and the importance of memory and history in shaping identity. The parallel world of the Anasazi is both a cautionary tale about the dangers of tyranny, stagnation, and fear of the other, and a mirror for our own world's anxieties about change, loss, and the limits of knowledge. The story's resolution—ambiguous, haunted, and unresolved—suggests that some mysteries are meant to endure, and that the true adventure lies not in conquering the unknown, but in learning to live with it.

Last updated: May 27, 2025