Midsommer meets All Quiet on the Western Front in this masterful blend of mystery, adventure, and folk-horror. In the midst of the First World War, a handful of allied POWs escape the torments of Germany’s most brutal internment camp only to find themselves stranded deep in the merciless wilderness of the Alps. The locals there are odd, and their traditions ancient. With hushed voices they whisper of a beast that roams the frozen mountains. They call it... The Sarvàn. "Fans of Dan Simmons and Wilbur Smith rejoice, for another contender has solidified his standing within the ring of historical adventure. Hoover pulls no punches, delivering the sheer brutality of the First World War without remorse. But the epic clash of nations becomes only a backdrop to a greater mystery, one of ancient gods and harrowing deeds. One that seizes the reader by the throat and hauls them forward through the pages in a rabid, wild-eyed fervor until either dashing them on the rocks of despair or raising them high in triumph and glory. I won't tell you which, but know that if I could, I would read it fresh a hundred times over." -William Bolyard, author of Demons in the Taillights and Sober Man's Thoughts "Hoover moves at a break-neck pace with the skill of a speed climber. He manages to weave terrifyingly realistic flashes of combat that read like an Ernst Jünger story with a tale of survival among Alpine horrors that rival anything by Dan Simmons or Michelle Paver. The Sarvàn cements Hoover as a master of Horror." -Mac Caltrider, award winning journalist and author of Double Knot "In gritty prose that is both ethereal and raw, Douglass Hoover once again proves why his is a voice to be heard. The Sarvàn is a stark and haunting novel that forges myth in the shadow of the Great War. With echoes of the great war writers that came before him, Hoover distills a tincture of horrific realism and surreal violence into a mythic narrative built upon the scaffolding of history. What Hoover has crafted is a window to the old world—where legend and truth intersect to form the archetypes that guide us in bearing witness to man's oldest and most indifferent god: war." -Kacy Tellessen, Eugene Sledge Award winning author of Freaks of a Feather: A Marine Grunt's Memoir "Hoover is one of the best writers I know. His writing is forged in his previous lives - in combat as a Marine, and as a blacksmith in the mountains back home. The Sarvàn reminds me of an old Siberian saying: 'The blacksmith and the shaman are from the same nest.' Hoover has wrought a hallucinatory nightmare populated by characters who were so convincing they gave me déjà vu. The Sarvàn is brilliantly written and meticulously researched and has everything I love: cold mountains, hot frauleins, ancient horror. My only complaint about this book is that it ended (but what an ending)." -Ben Timberlake, author of High Risk "Hoover once again blurs the line between the snarling beasts of imagination and the savage horrors of reality. The Sarvàn stands as an expertly woven tapestry rich with history, excitement, and raw emotion — all of which collide in a brutal and ultimately fulfilling climax that will leave you reeling long after you close the cover." -Nick Orton, author of Tales From The Gridsquare and The Transcript