Shadows in the Hollows

By Rod Trent

In the shadowed hollows of 1890s Ashe County, North Carolina, the enigmatic Melungeons-descendants of African, European, and indigenous blood-face a world of whispers and prejudice. Sensationalized by journalist Will Allen Dromgoole, their myths of shifting skin tones and exotic origins ignite public fascination, while census takers label them "free persons of color" amid flickering illusions: blue eyes and high cheekbones that shimmer like holograms under mountain light. But as racial reclassification laws tighten and discrimination bites deeper, a darker horror stirs-people vanishing into eerie rifts in the Appalachian wilds.

Enter Hugh Brogan, a circuit-riding Baptist preacher traversing remote trails on horseback to minister to his scattered kin. Piecing together court documents and hushed folklore, Hugh uncovers a latent sci-fi mutation in their heritage, awakened by the region's ancient minerals. This anomaly grants fleeting glimpses into parallel realities free from oppression, yet it lures the unwary into deadly traps, summoning an unseen entity hungry to claim their hidden legacy.

Torn between prayerful denial and defiant embrace, the community fractures: some hail the mutation as resistance against historical erasure and eugenics horrors, others dread the scrutiny it invites. As disappearances mount, echoing past traumas, Hugh rallies his people in a desperate bid to master the anomaly before it devours them. In a heart-pounding ritual blending faith and forgotten rites, they confront the entity bridging worlds-risking everything to forge a resilient identity that defies boundaries and reclaims their power from the brink of oblivion.

A haunting blend of historical intrigue, light horror, and speculative wonder, this tale illuminates the shadows of heritage and the cost of belonging.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0GS22ZT59
• ISBN13: 9798251424966
• Release Date: March 2026
• Publisher: Independently published
• Length: 414 Pages
• Weight: 1.22 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.9" x 6.0"