The Boatman: A Western Folk Horror Novel

By K. Bengston

In the 1890s mining town of Potter's Field, faith is everything. Faith keeps the dead in their graves. Each burial must be marked by silver coins on the eyes and their sins read aloud, a ritual meant to usher the dead to Sheol to peacefully wander for eternity. But when the dead begin to stir and the children's bones start to twist, the townsfolk face a truth far older and far hungrier than their God: their religion was built on a lie, and that lie has come to collect.

Father Boone struggles to remember the sacred rites as rain floods the town. Desiree hears children's songs echoing from the woods. And Sawyer, a charming debt collector accused of murder, arrives seeking payment from a dead man, only to uncover the unfathomable that lies beyond the trees.

As faith decays from the bone and folklore becomes flesh, Potter's Field teeters on the edge of damnation.

The rites are failing. The Boatman is coming.

K. Bengston's debut is a haunting blend of folk and religious horror set in the swamps of the American West. Perfect for fans of The VVitch, The Ritual, and True Detective.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0FSBPW9BP
• ISBN13: 9798349544583
• Release Date: September 2025
• Publisher: Jackalope House
• Length: 396 Pages
• Weight: 0.86 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.0" x 8.0"