Struck [Paperback]

Keith Pyeatt (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 10, 2009

When lightning strikes Barry Andrews as he hikes among petroglyphs in Albuquerque, it's more than an accident of nature. It's a calling. The surge of energy awakens abilities he's carried since birth. Earth's fate is now tied to Barry's, and Barry's destiny is linked to the past.

A thousand years ago, the ancestors of the Pueblo Indians built an advanced civilization in Chaco Canyon. Seeking to tame their harsh environment, they used the precise alignment of their pueblos to tap into powers they ultimately couldn't control, and their meddling almost ended life on Earth. The Anasazi abandoned Chaco Canyon to prevent future generations from repeating their mistake.

But the pueblo ruins still hold power, and the desire to control it remains strong. One man, driven by greed, ignores Anasazi warnings and exploits the ancient secrets of Chaco. Now Barry must join forces with a Native American elder, accept his role as warrior, and save the earth.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The books I count among my favorites are those whose well-drawn characters linger with me for days, or even weeks. They are the stories that rise above the norm, whose scenes are painted with such skill that I feel a deep sense of place, and suffer a bit of separation anxiety when I approach the last page and realize it's almost over. Struck, Keith Pyeatt's debut paranormal thriller, was such a book." 

--Aaron Paul Lazar, The Compulsive Reader

(compulsivereader.com/html/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=2339)

"Pyeatt has a way with words and he uses it to great advantage. He writes with a realistic sense of place and has a masterful grip on character building... This is a gripping novel with murder, mayhem, and other-worldly emanations expertly sewn together into an engrossing page-turner." 

--Lola R. Eagle, Reading New Mexico 

(readingnewmexico.com/Fiction2.html)

"Using descriptive and well-crafted prose, the author brings the reader back in time with an engaging look into the history of the Pueblo Indians. With touches of paranormal and the overall sense that this could actually happen, the reader is left without a choice but to turn the page and continue reading...I highly recommend it for anyone who enjoys suspense with a dab of dark."

--Lisa Haselton, The Writer's Chatroom 

(twcreviews.blogspot.com/2010/01/review-struck-by-keith-pyeatt.html)

"This is a highly original novel that defies description as one particular genre, including paranormal events, gay romance, science fiction, coming of age, Native American customs and spirituality, with extreme psychological twists. The characterizations are realistic and well-written, and the story draws in the reader with outstanding suspense and plot development." 

--Bob Lind, Echo Magazine

From the Inside Flap

Advance praise for Struck:

"A skillful melding of Native American mythology and suspense is what you'll find once you start reading Keith Pyeatt's STRUCK. And, once you start reading, you'll also find you can't stop. Masterful storytelling from a new author you're sure to hear from again!" 

--Rick R. Reed, author of IM and Deadly Vision 

"Keith Pyeatt is a combination of Tony Hillerman, Anne Rice, and Stephen King who intertwines the legends and mysticism of the Southwest with a jolt of energy and thrills. From the first page, he keeps a low rumble of danger on the horizon, but the approaching storm still catches you by surprise." 

--Greg Lilly, author of Devil's Bridge and Fingering the Family Jewels

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 292 pages
• Publisher: Quest by RCE (July 10, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1935053175
• ISBN-13: 978-1935053170
• Product Dimensions: 0.7 x 5.9 x 8.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,224,132 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Keith Pyeatt spent a decade living in an isolated log cabin he built in northeastern Vermont, USA. He began that decade an engineer and came out of it a novelist. He won't say what happened in those rural woods that turned him, but after reading his novels, it's easy to suspect it had something to do with things that go bump in the night.

Keith's novels might be labeled literary horror, psychological thrillers, paranormal suspense, magical realism, or dark fantasy, but Keith calls them Horror with Heart. His novels tend to be high concept, with huge consequences for mankind if the hero fails to save the day, but it's the characters Keith takes particular pleasure in developing. They come to feel like real, flawed beings to him, whether they're lovable, despicable, tortured, or those "in-between" characters you can't quite decide whether to love or hate.

Learn more about Keith Pyeatt and his novels by visiting his website or blog, sampling his newsletter, or connecting through a link below.

Website: http://keithpyeatt.com
Blog: http://keithpyeatt.blogspot.com
Facebook: http://facebook.com/keithpyeatt
Twitter: http://twitter.com/keithpyeatt
Horror with Heart Newsletter: http://tinyurl.com/hwh-news11

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Struck: A beautifully written thriller September 30, 2009

By Aaron P. Lazar

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

The books I count among my favorites are those whose well-drawn characters linger with me for days, or even weeks. They are the stories that rise above the norm, whose scenes are painted with such skill that I feel a deep sense of place, and suffer a bit of separation anxiety when I approach the last page and realize it's almost over. Struck, Keith Pyeatt's debut paranormal thriller, was such a book.

It's been two weeks since I finished the book, and Barry Andrews, Pyeatt's protagonist, still haunts me. Barry's life was preordained the minute his mother was struck by lightning when he lay curled in her womb. And when lightning finds him again at Albuquerque's Petroglyph National Monument, a series of predestined events are put into motion. The energy now stored within this likeable young man stir powers unimagined.

Against a backdrop of ancient pueblo ruins, slumbering volcanoes that unpredictably awaken, and bizarre disturbances in Chaco Canyon, Pyeatt introduces characters with great depth and a subtle touch of humor.

After being struck, Barry begins to notice bizarre effects. His palm, now marked by a symbol that pulses electric blue on occasion, helps him connect to other souls and carries messages to him about their sadness or fate. He knows when someone is about to die, and can help them peel the layers of pain away so they're free to move on to the next world. Sleep eludes him, and while he stumbles through his job in a daze, strange sensations continue to build within him....

Inexplicably drawn to Native American tribal elder Walter, Barry is invited into his mystical world, from the village of Amitolita where Walter and his wife live, to kivas in the Amitole Pueblo, to ceremonies in a sweat lodge where sage is strewn across the floor and piñon-infused water is boiled to scatter on hot stones to create cleansing steam.

Pyeatt's writing style is easy to swallow, yet innovative with strong poetic influences.

"It only took a moment until he got the sensation of being folded into a deep mixture of past and present that carried him far away from the kiva, far away from his body. He was cocooned somewhere, safe and warm and dark, yet all around him dozens of individual battles raged. Barry only sensed them, but it was enough to recognize their struggles. Life fought death, winter resisted spring, and chaos tugged at order."

The story plunges ahead, and we discover tribal elder Walter spent time training and working with Thomas Maguire, a browbeaten young man raised by a forceful, cruel grandfather. The tribal elder was driven to "prepare" this young man for a yet unnamed climatic event seen only in his spirit-visions, yet doubts have been mounting about the validity of Thomas as the earth's savior. The future holds something monstrous and potent, and Walter realizes he plays an integral role in its outcome.

When a bizarre power transfer ceremony based on Anasazi's ancient history drives supernatural powers into Thomas's being, he gradually turns from a man with a tumultuous and fragile psyche who simply needs to be loved, into a monster. Walter reluctantly recognizes this, and transfers his focus to Barry, the true warrior he's been waiting for all his life. Jealousy pushes Thomas further from his true nature, building inside him with an uncontrollable black force. Destiny calls for a showdown between Barry and Thomas, and the book rockets toward a surprising culmination.

Several of Pyeatt's characters are gay, and the author paints them with professional, loving brush strokes. Barry's sidekick Martin, an overweight waiter at Los Cuates Mexican restaurant, is diagnosed with a life threatening heart condition that leads to a torturous diet. Loveable and real, Martin becomes a clear favorite from the start and plays an important supporting role.

The story and characters are mesmerizing, but it was actually the writing that made me sit up and take notice:

"Pain pierced his lungs, as if the air he breathed had alchemized into something powdery and rough, toxic and thirsty. The agony spread. He couldn't stop it. Every cell in his body pulled at the poison, needing it, expecting it to provide oxygen as before."

See what I mean?

Keith Pyeatt's books are available through all bookstores, including Amazon.com, or purchase autographed copies via his website. Read more ›

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Unforgettable December 5, 2009

By Nancy LaTurner

Format:Paperback

Keith Pyeatt's Struck is one of those rare novels that satisfies, yet leaves the reader wanting more. Without exception, his characters reveal their passion and courage without overshadowing the thrill and suspense of the plot. Both protagonist and antagonist are multi-dimensional and powerfully motivated. Even the supporting cast are fully developed personalities that engage the reader's empathy. Pyeatt's vivid, poetic style carries the story seamlessly from Chaco Canyon to urban Albuquerque to Native American Pueblo through shifting points of view and a series of impeccably timed flashbacks.

If you want to be immersed in a fascinating world populated by compelling characters intertwined in thrilling action, Struck is the book for you. It is unforgettable.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Frightening, Exciting Read November 28, 2009

By Joylene Nowell Butler

Format:Paperback

Struck, Keith Pyeatt's first novel, is a passionate, powerful and frightening story of a man's journey into the paranormal. Barry, a gentle, gay man searching for his place in the world, takes an innocent hike into the Chaco Canyon with his best friend, Martin. Barry's struck by lightening. But what seems a random accident thrusts him into the role of warrior. He's left with the ability to read minds. He soon realizes that he's up against an evil the world is not prepared for. With the help of Walter, an tired, old Shaman, gentle, sweet Barry must learn to do whatever it takes to stop the one man hungry for Barry's power,

Struck is a paranormal thriller, but what separates it from every other thriller is Mr. Pyeatt's ability to spin a tale about incredible events centered around outstanding and courageous characters. Struck left me wanting more, and sad to let go when I reached the end. Barry is a hero, a passionate man who doesn't ask to be the hero, but faced with a choice, chooses to fight pure evil.

Keith Pyeatt may be a new author on the scene, but his name is about to become synonymous with the likes of King, Knootz, Saul, and Poe. I'm thrilled that I found his book and equally excited to learn he has another one coming out soon: The Dark Knowledge. I loved his characters. And what impressed me most was Pyeatt's ability to pull me into the story and let me live the events. I read a lot, but honesty, it's been a long time since I read something so compelling, believable and honest.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Supernatural thriller with a strong sense of place October 13, 2009

By Nancy Holzner

Format:Paperback

One of my favorite things about Keith Pyeatt's Struck is its nearly palpable sense of place. I live far away from the landscape Pyeatt describes, but as I read I was so immersed in place I felt I could look up and see the canyons, pueblos, and mesas described in the book's pages. Richly detailed and beautifully described.

Struck's characters are equally memorable. Barry is a young man coming into his destiny who undergoes a true hero's journey. When he is struck by lightning, his life changes in mysterious ways he doesn't understand--and that tie his fate to that of the earth. Barry's mother had also been struck by lightning when she was pregnant with him; when the lightning finds the adult Barry, it's time for him to decide whether he'll embrace his fate.

Thomas is a fascinating, multi-faceted adversary whose actions grow increasingly chilling but whose history and confusion inspires sympathy. Pyeatt brings this protagonist and antagonist together in a climactic scene that's thrilling, surprising, and life-affirming. I like thrillers, but this book goes way beyond that genre.

Supporting characters were also well drawn, including Walter, Barry's mentor; his friend Martin; and Carlos, Barry's love interest. Pyeatt has created a cast of distinctive characters who come to life on the page.

Struck is more than a thriller or a horror novel. It's a complex story of two men on a collision course, with the fate of the earth hanging in the balance. It's the kind of story whose characters stick with you after you've read the final sentence and closed the book.