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A review by pizzamyheart
The Old Gods Waken by Manly Wade Wellman
3.0
Folk horror is extremely underrated.
This story takes place in the Appalachia region. Many of the characters have knowledge in the old folk tales or pagan traditions. They cover many stories and references in a short period of time. There are druids and trials, but the main folk element is the Raven Mockers. Raven Mockers are from the Cherokee legends. According to the legends, Raven mockers are mostly invisible, except when they're about to feast on a new victim. They will devour the heart of the victim and will absorb the extra years of their life. It's truly a terrifying folk creature.
Now onto the book itself. This was my first forage into the Silver John stories. It was a tough start. There was little character development to grow attached to any character and there were so many characters introduced that it was hard to keep them straight. The real strength lies in the journey and Silver John's survival through the trials. It mirrors the trials and tests that characters would go through in traditional folk/fairy tales. If you can get through the first 60 pages, it's a nice book for an afternoon read.
This story takes place in the Appalachia region. Many of the characters have knowledge in the old folk tales or pagan traditions. They cover many stories and references in a short period of time. There are druids and trials, but the main folk element is the Raven Mockers. Raven Mockers are from the Cherokee legends. According to the legends, Raven mockers are mostly invisible, except when they're about to feast on a new victim. They will devour the heart of the victim and will absorb the extra years of their life. It's truly a terrifying folk creature.
Now onto the book itself. This was my first forage into the Silver John stories. It was a tough start. There was little character development to grow attached to any character and there were so many characters introduced that it was hard to keep them straight. The real strength lies in the journey and Silver John's survival through the trials. It mirrors the trials and tests that characters would go through in traditional folk/fairy tales. If you can get through the first 60 pages, it's a nice book for an afternoon read.