American Shaman, Book 1

All shamans must undergo three trials: the mental trial, the physical trial and the moral trial. Geser, a young shaman apprentice migrates from Siberia to Texas, where he must completehis third and final shaman trial. But there is a problem -- thir third trial conflicts with his day job, stealing cars. He must resolve his vocation and his occupation and survive the machinations of the murderous trickster Raven. And he has allies: the beautiful Aolma, who Geser saved from heroin addiction, Toothless Steve, who fears nothing except predictability, and the spirit teacher Icci. Geser knows that the most powerful shaman is the one brought closest to death by the three trials.

American Shaman, Book One is an acutely written page-turner for those who grew up reading about magic but then grew up -- now they are looking for a more real magic. American Shaman, Book 1 draws upon the ancient stories of the world's oldest religion, shamanism, to tell the story of Geser, a trainee shaman who must undergo the third and final trial to become a full-fledged shaman. His tutor is the owl-spirit Icci. His friends and allies include the beautiful Alma Mergen, a junkie who Geser saves from addiction, Steve, a young, enthusiastic skatepunk who never learned fear, and Verdad, the conguero leader of Geser's drum circle. The central conflict is between young Geser and his boss Raven, leader of a car theft ring. But the real conflict is within Geser himself, who must decide whether he wants to be a white shaman, who deals only with Spirit Ground and cannot heal, or a Black Shaman, who reconciles Spirit and Human Ground in order to heal the sick. The book incorporates imaginative graphics that include photos, contemporary illustrations and ancient Siberian drum paintings -- a book that doesn't feel like a book.

Brian Prioleau has made a living as a writer for years, but this is his first foray into fiction. His day job is search engine optimization and content development for websites. He lives in Austin Texas with his beloved Gloria Adriana.