Cryptids are not something I have always been passionate about, but as of late I have been wanting more. Enter, Dopefoot by Joshua Millican. Sometimes there is that story that perfectly times out with your current passion, but also adds so much more. Dopefoot is a tension-filled horror where cannabis cultivation and mysterious forces combine for a truly terrifying tale.
When a college drop-out accepts work on a cannabis farm in the woods of Northern California, he realizes almost immediately that the harsh realities of this life won’t match his naïve fantasies. He’ll have to work hard-and watch his back. Dubbed “Harmless” by his cultish cohorts, the young man learns the logistics of cultivation and the dark philosophies dictating conduct in this outlaw wilderness.
The farm sits on a mountain the locals call Satan’s Tumor, above a valley called The Green Cauldron, where dangerous elements have been brewing beneath the misty canopy. Overstimulated gangs of smugglers and well-funded foreign mobsters vie for control of this fertile territory, threatening to disrupt an elaborate ecosystem that predates history.
And beneath it all, in the most dismal corners of The Green Cauldron, even darker forces are stirring… angry, agitated, pushed to the brink. The forest is an explosive tinderbox on the verge of ignition. If he’s going to survive, Harmless must sink to new depths before facing unimaginable horrors on a feverish journey into Hell and back.
When looking for new books to read, cannabis farmer is not typically towards the top of this list. However, I know the harsh realities of such an industry can be which peaked my interest. This is even before including the mysteries that surround this farming area. Bigfoot and related creatures have always been lingering in my mind, but have really moved to the forefront over the past few months, making Dopefoot the perfect story to read right now.
What made Dopefoot a story I could not put down from the first few pages was Millican’s captivating writing of Harmless his journey to Northern California, his start on the farm, and the dangers of such a profession. Those who wish harm on such a place from gangs or mobsters that want control over the area was horrifying enough and had me hooked. The addition to mysterious forces made the book for me, but it was these early chapters that made me care. Moving forward I had a connection to Harmless and what he was about to go through.
Millican takes real-life horrors and combines with supernatural forces making a truly terrifying story. Just when you think things are going bad for our band of farmers, things only get worse. This made each page turn that much more suspenseful and tension-filled. It’s the mystery that comes with it all which added to the story and allowed for an unsettling read. Millican knew exactly where he was taking us, and there were moments of apprehension on my part, not wanting to see what happens next, I was sure as hell I went along for the ride.
Dopefoot ended up being exactly the horror story I was looking for and then some. Joshua Millican takes the brutal realities of Northern California’s cannabis trade and blends it fantastically with cryptid folklore and unsettling supernatural terror. Dopefoot is a relentless story filled with paranoia, violence, and supernatural horror that never loosened its grip.
Dopefoot hits bookstores everywhere on June 16, 2026 from Mad Axe Media.
