The Wind Caller by P. D. Cacek

". . . the wind is a vicious, devouring, killing machine."

". . . merges Hopi legend and modern day greed in a tale that takes too long to get to the point."

Gideon Berlander has his windy ridge of Arizona land posted with a sign that warns trespassers will be eaten. He’s not kidding.

Sun Country Homes has taken control of all but twenty-three acres of Gideon’s land by hook and by crook, but Gideon refuses to sell his cabin or the land that holds his wife and daughter’s graves. Sun Country Homes will not be denied and sends Sam Reynolds to work his masterful charm and salesmanship on Gideon. Sam keeps Gideon’s half-breed Hopi granddaughter, Sky, as his ace in the hole, a fact unknown to either Gideon or his estranged granddaughter.

Joseph Longwalker, the current wind caller for the Hopi tribe, shares the power of the winds with Gideon Berlander who wandered into a sacred ceremony more than seventy years before Sun Country Homes decided to turn Berlander’s ridge into an upscale housing development for upwardly mobile yuppies. Joseph must face his fears and Gideon’s twisted need for revenge in order to force Gideon to pass the power to Sky who will unite the severed powers of the wind.

The Wind Caller merges Hopi legend and modern day greed in a tale that takes too long to get to the point. The respect for Hopi legend and tradition is a refreshing addition to an otherwise long-winded story that lacks the punch and power of horror that such a tale demands and should exhibit. P. D. Cacek fails to make important connections or provide characters that make the reader care about the outcome. All the elements are present—dark emotions, fear, magic, riveting descriptions, and power—but end up reading like a dry, coroner’s inventory.

Reviewer: J. M. Cornwell