Take a minute and get to know the characters from The Power of Zahn. Look for coming posts that will introduce the Flat Tail Pickers, Hans Halvorsen’s love interests, and some important secondary characters.

Hans Halvorsen/Zahn
Hans Halvorsen (aka Zahn) was born to second-generation Danish immigrants, and took the looks of his Norse forefathers: Barrel chest, sandy hair, and murky blue eyes. Hans wakes from the Darkness to discover aching gums and strange megapowers. But more alarming to him initially is his hairline. A war was raging, and the follicles on his upper forehead had singled for a retreat and pulled back the troops.

In Tahlequah, Hans goes to work at Cherokee Bob’s Floats, where he joins up with Bart Featherstone and Unit 3 as part of their honky-tonk band, the Flat Tail Pickers (FTP). On the river, mild-mannered Hans typically sports 1990’s style Hawaiian shorts and homemade concert T-shirts. Needless to say, his lack of style is recognized by the ladies.

Hans transforms into megahero Zahn by putting on black rimmed trifocals obtained from his former Seattleite friend, Coke Bottles McGee. The transformation is instantaneous. His front chompers extend, his arms and legs shorten and thicken, and webs form between his toes. The lightning fast metamorphosis blows his mind. It is equal parts supernatural gift and unholy curse. To hide his identity, Zahn wears a brown wetsuit with a yellow Z emblazoned across the chest and matching aqua socks. The entire outfit is finished off with a beaver fur hat, complete with a tail down the back.

Capon
Capon is an evil combination of Ross Perot, George Bush and Ed Walden and is the eccentric chicken billionaire and owner/founder of Capon’s Chicken Chunks, located in your grocer’s freezer. He resides in Golden Gallina Hotel and Casino, a giant chicken themed casino along the banks of the Illinois River. He originally built it to gain membership with the Cherokee Nation, but the scheme was rejected by Chief Whitekiller. Capon intends to use his evilness (and the help of some powers gained by a deal with the Devil) to exact revenge on the Cherokee Nation, specifically Stud Wesley.

A disproportionate man, Capon’s arms and chest are Mr. Universe quality, while his waist measures only twenty-five inches and thighs as thick as a caveman’s club run into pool stick calves. His entire body is wrapped in gleaming white skin, plucked clean of any hair except for the top of his head.

Bart Featherstone
Cherokee Indian and member of the Order of the Beaver, Bart Featherstone is responsible for discovering the Mark of the Beaver on Hans’ arm and recognizing the Power of Zahn within him. He desperately wants to avenge the death of his beloved Snoqualmie at the talons of Capon’s giant chicken warriors.

Bart is the leader and co-founder of the Flat Tail Pickers. He is a masterful musician who chooses his words as if he had only been allotted a certain number of them.

Dusty “Unit 3” Spetz
Dusty was the Christian name bestowed upon Unit 3 by his mama, but all the employees at Cherokee Bob’s refer to him by his CB call name and true identity. Every summer since the scorcher of ’78, Unit 3 has worked the 26-mile landing and ordered around all the college kids who buck canoes on the scenic river.

For a man teetering towards half-century of hard living, 3 is in pretty good shape. His arms and legs are cut, and his leathery skin could be used to make a saddle. Only his belly shows the signs of his beer chugging, potato chip diet. It looks like he’s stuffed a pony keg under his wife-beater. Any time Thad or one of the other frat boys joke about Unit 3 being in his second trimester; he always comes back with, “Pregnant with an African elephant. Trunk’s already been born. Want to see ‘er?”

Unit 3 is the cofounder of the Flat Tail Pickers. He quickly becomes Hans’ best friend and helps him to discover his megahero abilities. Like Bart, Unit 3 seeks revenge on Capon. His son from his second common-law marriage sits in prison due to his involvement with Capon’s drug enterprises.

The Great Beaver
The Great Beaver was the prophesized flat tail with the heart of a bear who would give his eternal spirit to a mortal man. The prophecy proclaims that this fair skinned tribesman will deliver the Cherokee from evil. A society of Cherokee tribal elders, The Order of the Beaver, has monitored him as far back as anyone’s grandfather can recall. The Great Beaver is not a myth, but rather a 127 pound, teeth-and-fur giant flat tail. The natives say he was born with the earth and rose from the mud and fallen trees.