Product Description

Do you believe in reincarnation? On a solo elk hunt in the Rocky Mountains, Jeff Barkil discovers something very peculiar. Although he’s never even seen this place before, he seems to know all the landmarks. Somehow he’s able to guess exactly what is in the next valley or over the next hill. Dismissing these amazing perceptions as a fluke, he carries on with his hunt — until he is attacked by a vicious grizzly. Using a great deal of natural skill and determination, Barkil manages to kill the bear and survive. But he is badly injured; he feels close to death. While he is trying to clear his head, he discovers that he has traveled two hundred years back in time and a hunting party of Blackfoot Indians has taken him to their village to honor him for his bravery. Soon he is regarded as a splendid warrior and is given the name Bearkiller. In the boy’s subsequent adventures, stealing horses, and waging war against the Shoshone and the Sioux, he encounters and learns the landmarks he will recognize over two hundred years later as Jeff Barkil. The life of an Indian in the 1780’s was often brief. One day in a fierce battle, the old grizzly wounds are reopened and he is defeated. With blood pouring out of his body, Bearkiller lies down to die and wakes up in a Forest Service rescue helicopter as Jeff Barkil. As the events of his life as an Indian slip rapidly from his mind, Jeff Barkil wonders if what he experienced was real. Was he dreaming? Or was he reliving a past life? What will always remain clear is the image of a great grizzly standing over him, looking down at him as if from the top of a mountain, seeming to know his soul, somehow communicating to him without saying the words: “Until we meet again, Bearkiller.”

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4122006 in Books
• Published on: 2003-11-17
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 231 pages

About the Author
D. J. (Don) Stephens lives in a NW suburb of Chicago with his wife of nearly forty years. Don spent ten years serving in the U.S. Army, during which time he was a member of a Division Rifle Team and Parachuted for a Post Skydiving Team. He has been in the computer industry doing everything from programming to company President since leaving the service. Don writes as a hobby and for relaxation. DEATH RIDER is Don s third novel. He also has some short stories published on the Amazon Shorts Program.

Customer Reviews

A bold journey into the past to discover one's destiny.
Reviewed by Tyrone Vincent Banks of Betsie's Literary Page

Jeff Barkil has always been a loner. He seems to achieve more on his own than in the company of others. He doesn't want his mistakes or miscalculations to affect others. He has the heart of a warrior, which is proven while he is engaged in battle during the Vietnam War. During this war he survives several injuries and several months as a P.O.W. In the words of the author, D.J. Stephens, "He was a survivor and stayed alive for over forty-five years by counting on himself and his instincts."

Jeff felt as if he was truly alive in the outdoors and this feeling helped him escape from the fast pace of his life in Chicago. For this reason he went elk hunting in Montana and he finally caught a glimpse of what makes him the man that he is today. The surroundings are familiar and he knows far more about this territory than he can give himself credit for. The great elk, the subject of his hunt, stands nearby.

After a successful hunt, a powerful grizzly attacks Jeff Barkil. Jeff miraculously triumphs over the grizzly bear but he is seriously injured. He loses consciousness and awakens in a tent in Blackfoot Indian Territory, in the 1780's where he has been nursed back to health. He is given the name Bearkiller in acknowledgement of his victory over the creature that will soon become a part of his being.

The Blackfoot Indians take in this warrior with blond hair and blue eyes and soon they disregard his differences and allow him to join the tribe. The bear becomes his spiritual guide and tells him the credo that Jeff Barkil lived by. Bearkiller is to fight his wars alone, as when he faced the bear - this belief lasts for over two hundred years and has become a part of the warrior reincarnated as Jeff Barkil.

This book is splendidly written! I do not know much about Native American rituals, beliefs or customs, but I feel that they are actively portrayed by D.J. Stephens - as if he's lived those experiences for himself. There is never a dull moment and you are privy to the thoughts and emotions of a mighty warrior with many coups (victories) as he provides for the family that has adopted him as their son.

Turn off the television and read this book. The images will play out before you and offer great insight into the points that comprise the human psyche. As Jeff Barkil is rescued after his ordeal with the bear, you will love "the end...or is it just the beginning?"

Very Good!!!
Wow, D.J. Stephens has really outdone himself in this adventure. I wasn't quite sure what to expect in this story, and I can tell you I was not disappointed in any way. The descriptions he used, made me think I was right beside his hero Jeff Barkil as Bearkiller. I would describe him as a man of honor and pride.

Through every conquest in Bearkiller's adventures it is a sure sign of a man trying to find his way and to survive the odds that are set against him. Bearkiller fights alone and always steps up and fights for honor, and in doing so he rescues the woman he falls for. I love the way this connection between man and woman can be effectively brought together through time.

The familiarity Jeff Barkil had with the land he was hunting in brought him around in a full circle of who he really was after the bear had attacked him in the very beginning of the story.

The hard life the Blackfoot and other tribes had, as described in this book seems lifelike and very believable. I believe Mr. Stephens has done his research. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and it kept me up until I was finished with it.

Thank you D.J. Stephens for another great book...

Tory Lynn, author of "My Charming Protector"

The next Will Henry?
Bearkiller
By D J Stephens

What Dances With Wolves did for the Plains Tribes, Bearkiller does for the mountain tribes. Not since Will Henry have I found an author who really understood the culture of the Native Americans of the West. I felt the cold winds blowing off of the snow packed mountains, and tasted the cool water from the icy streams. This is an incredible adventure in the culture of the Blackfoot Tribes of the Rocky Mountains. Go on a raid to get the spotted horses of the Nez Perce, escape from capture by the Flatheads, and rescue the beautiful woman of your dreams from the Crow. It is like sitting around the fire listening to the tale of the great warriors of the tribe.