The Kingdom of the Dead — G.W. Thomas

Enter the world of Arthan the bear man! In this fifth novel and sixth book about Arthan the bear man, the were-bear and two companions go to the world beyond death to retrieve a stolen child. The two who journey with him are Vih the fox woman, who meet in Bearshirt #4 The War of the Weres. The other is Jach, a strange wizard that Arthan had rescued as a boy. Now grown to a man, the white-skinned mage leads the trio into a strange dimension where souls go after death. It turns out to be very different than the myths of storytellers and priests.