Forebear

"A mixed martial arts fighter draws on the spirit of his mountain man ancestor during a precarious Western journey in this debut novel... Gaddis' novel unleashes a flurry of Western sights and sounds that stretch from St. Louis to Mendocino, California, in two wildly different centuries... described in forthright, heedful language... Amid the book's brisk plot, the exploration of the roots of Western families is impressive... An entertaining, discerning take on the connections between the Old and New West." -- Kirkus Reviews

CENTURIES LATER, REVENANT MOUNTAIN MAN HUGH GLASS IS STILL WAY TOO TOUGH TO KILL.

A martial artist dosed with rat poison by his manager in hopes of a bloodier fight jumps at the chance to erect a wild west gym as a front for a massive indoor marijuana grow op.

Guided by his forebear, revenant mountain man Hugh Glass, he retraces the Lewis and Clark expedition, riding herd on a U-Haul full of Cali hydroponics and weed.

But Lewis and Clark never had to contend with the Highway Patrol.

New West dialog reminiscent of Elmore Leonard meets Old West history with a McMurtry feel in Forebear, the first of three Montucky crime novels vividly depicting the rise and fall of medical marijuana in a cowboy state.

Marshall Lewis Gaddis is a writer, musician and actor who appeared in several films by Jon Jost and more recently in Copper City, premiering in 2018, from English filmmaker Jason Massot. Marshall's forebears include the explorer Meriwether Lewis and the writer William Gaddis. Forebear is his first novel.

He received his bachelor's degree with honors from the Writers' Workshop at the University of Iowa, where his thesis advisor, Kurt Vonnegut, provided valuable insights and advice.

After receiving an M.F.A. from the University of Montana, he joined the writing faculty--alongside landmark authors James Lee Burke, Richard Hugo, James Crumley, William Kittredge, and James Welch--before embarking on a career as a full-time writer, editor, publications manager and publisher. He divides his time between southwestern Montana and San Diego's North County.