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philipf's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
jimmypat's review
3.0
This book is a bit of a fantasy pot-boiler, but what makes it worth recommending is the unique setting (Appalachia) and the nature of the characters. There is a simple, earthy goodness to this book that makes it appealing.
fermentedsorcerer's review
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
sisteray's review
4.0
Fun little romp. Remarkably innocent feeling for a horror adventure story. While I came for the action, the book actually is better at building the mythos of the novel. I love how it explored the history of the mysticism involved. It was nice to see how it drew from both Appalachian folklore and tied it into old world cultures. The dialect was great. It captured the feeling of life in the hills. I'm sure that some the the colloquialisms were likely hooey but I felt it worked well.
The ending does drag a bit as our heroes have to face 7 challenges. It deflates the suspense when everything is spelled out for you (and you know that they won't fail). What's funny is that even the narrator talks about how tired he is of describing the trials. Clearly Wellman was more used to writing short stories at this point and padded the ending a bit. That said, those bits were fun, but after a while they many didn't feel like they added anything.
I'm looking forward to reading Wellman's short fiction.
The ending does drag a bit as our heroes have to face 7 challenges. It deflates the suspense when everything is spelled out for you (and you know that they won't fail). What's funny is that even the narrator talks about how tired he is of describing the trials. Clearly Wellman was more used to writing short stories at this point and padded the ending a bit. That said, those bits were fun, but after a while they many didn't feel like they added anything.
I'm looking forward to reading Wellman's short fiction.
stephsj's review
4.0
I really didn’t think I’d like this, but it ended up being fun. An Appalachian man faces ancient evil - how can I resist? Silver John is a folk hero and I love him.
quoththegirl's review
3.0
Very, very unusual book. It's told in an Appalachian, backwoods style that lends credence to the otherwise somewhat ridiculous plot line, but parts of it are genuinely creepy. The pacing is strange, with a lot of slow-moving repetition in spots connected by a few incidents of leapfrogging over action so quickly that you're not really sure what just happened. Not great literature, but certainly intriguing!
beardelzebub's review
3.0
This books saving grace is it's use of Appalachian folklore and world myths. However, that doesn't forgive it it's faults.