The Lion Returns

At the end of World War 2, Macurdy returns to Oregon, his wife Mary, and his job with the sheriff's department. He's 41 years old, and looks 25. His youthful looks had been commented on before the war. Now they bring him notoriety, mostly unpleasant because of a new Lutheran pastor, who's convinced that Curtis is in league with Satan.

Then Mary and their baby daughter die when their pickup crashes, and Macurdy goes into a grim dark mood that shows no sign of dissipating. He decides to return to the Oz Gate, and to Yuulith, where his peculiarities aren't so peculiar. Back in Yuulith, he quickly contacts old allies, notably Vulkan, a bodhisattva in the form of a giant wild boar. And his old enemy-become-ally, Sarkia, the dynast of the Sisterhood.