Book Review – The Shasta Gate

In the guise of a romantic adventure, The Shasta Gate embarks on a breathtaking exploration of love, consciousness and the nature of reality on California’s legendary Mt. Shasta. Girl on a horse, guy on a motorcycle, erotic romance, deliciously wicked bad guys and a mysterious Indian with apparently extraordinary powers catapult you into an unforgettable experience.

Catherine Conrad leaves her yuppie San Francisco boyfriend behind for the summer to make her annual pilgrimage to her father’s Arabian ranch. There, she will ride her stallion, Jebel Druze and try to make sense of her life, under the guidance of Ram, the Shasta Indian who’s her spiritual father.

Drawn by the legends and mystical aura of Mt. Shasta, Eugene, a 21st Century “Dharma Bum,” is motorcycling up the coast from Baja. He runs into The Gang, whom he antagonizes with his riding skills, and then – almost literally – runs into Catherine and her horse. She loathes him at first sight.

Catherine finds Eugene camped in an isolated area of the ranch. He’s not at all the biker she took him for. After a night in his tent, the two ride off to Shasta together with The Gang not far behind.

Their time together on the mountain is anything but idyllic. Eugene infuriates Catherine with his philosophizing and, worse, meditation. The sex, both exhilarating and scary, isn’t sufficient compensation. She decides to return to the ranch, foolishly accepting a ride with one of the bikers. Aware that Catherine’s in danger, Eugene puts her well-being ahead of his hurt and anger and goes after them.

The two reunite in the presence of a Mt. Shasta guru, who speaks of the legends surrounding the mountain and what these stories may mean to them personally. Their love-making that night opens doors Catherine is afraid even to acknowledge, let alone to pass through. Confused and afraid, she flees into the forest, where she has a remarkable encounter with a mysterious musician.

Facing fear is only half the battle for Catherine and Eugene. As they try to outrun the Gang, the lovers become trapped by a landslide on the mountain. Catherine feels betrayed by her dreams and visions. And where is Ram when she really needs him? Having foreseen everything that has occurred, Ram is right where he needs to be.

If Catherine and Eugene can find the courage, an extraordinary destiny awaits them, beyond the Shasta Gate.

Dick Croy is an award-winning screenwriter, novelist and playwright. He was writer and director of The Fourth Dimension, a documentary series of seven 60-minute television specials on the paranormal. His novel The River Jordan, co-authored by Henry Burke, was a Foreword Magazine book-of-the-year nominee in 2001.

Dick and his wife, Joy, live in Cincinnati, Ohio. Together they have shared in life’s adventures with their five daughters.