Karew: The Beast. A lone man overlooks a rainy Brooklyn night beneath silver claw marks.
An urban fantasy novel · John Christopher Collado

The city has secrets. So does he.

Read Chapter One
Book one / The Beast

Something wild.
Something human.

Urban fantasy   /   Brooklyn   /   Found family

Nicholas Karew can change his shape. Finding his place in the world is harder.

Beneath New York’s familiar streets lies a world that survives by staying hidden. Nick is part of it—a man whose animal forms offer extraordinary ways to survive, and difficult questions about who he is.

As danger closes in, unexpected allies become something more. In a city full of secrets, trust may be the most human risk of all.

Read Chapter One ↗
The people at the heart of it

No one survives alone.

Three lives crossing in a city with more beneath the surface.

Character concept portrait of Nicholas Karew on a rainy city street

Nicholas Karew

The shapeshifter

A man of many forms, trying to decide what kind of person he wants to be.

Character concept portrait of Jess in warm apartment light

Jess

The nurse

A trauma nurse whose compassion comes with a steady hand—and a backbone to match.

Character concept portrait of Donnie with a cherry-red GTO

Donnie

The psychic

A knowing smile, a classic GTO, and the distinct impression he knows more than he’s saying.

Exploratory character artwork inspired by the author’s dream casting. No actor affiliation or endorsement.

Welcome to the hidden city

Same streets.
A different world after dark.

Rain on the pavement. Light in an apartment window. Something moving just beyond what you can see.

Hear the atmosphere ↗
The sound of Karew

Turn the volume up.

The complete 20-track listening order for Karew: The Beast. Select any track to find it on YouTube.

01Riders on the StormThe Doors↗02Animal I Have BecomeThree Days Grace↗03Wanted Dead or AliveBon Jovi↗04Crawling in the DarkHoobastank↗05LayersNF↗06Behind Closed DoorsRise Against↗07DecodeParamore↗08Dirt Off Your ShoulderJay-Z↗09In the Air TonightPhil Collins↗10Paint It BlackThe Rolling Stones↗11BrokenSeether feat. Amy Lee↗12Worth Dying ForRise Against↗13FrontlinePillar↗14It’s Not My Time3 Doors Down↗15Locked InDef Rebel↗16Time of DyingThree Days Grace↗17Bring Me to LifeEvanescence↗18Just PretendBad Omens↗19Carry OnGoldfinger↗20New DivideLinkin Park↗

Book One listening companion. Links open YouTube searches for each song. All music belongs to its respective artists.

Behind the story

John Christopher
Collado

Brooklyn roots. A lifelong imagination.

John Christopher Collado grew up in Brooklyn and now lives in Central Florida with his wife and their four boys. A military veteran and avid gamer, he developed his love of storytelling through years of role-playing—creating characters and discovering where their choices would lead.

With encouragement from his wife, he finally took the leap from imagining stories to writing his debut novel, Karew: The Beast.

Find John on TikTok ↗