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A review by steven_v
The Old Gods Waken by Manly Wade Wellman
4.0
This is a very enjoyable, quick read from Manly Wellman, who is the author of many Silver john short stories. This one is his first novel, and I think it was very well done. I adore the writing style, how John's narrative voice shines through -- "Gentlemen, let me tell you..." he will say to the reader. I live in NC, though not the mountain area where this takes place, and several of the speech patterns Wellman uses in the story, are still alive and well today in the area. He represents them well, and it seems so effortless. (I'm sure it wasn't.)
The characters are interesting -- there is John, of course, but also Reuben Manco, the Cherokee shaman who helps him out through the 2nd half of the book, and Holly Christopher, the historian from UNC- Chapel Hill, and the Forshays, whose land is being threatened by some unpleasant neighbors.
I only have to slight disappointments with this novel, that prevented me from giving it 5 stars. One was that John hardly used his silver-strung guitar at all, and since that is his trademark, I kept looking for it to factor in... but it never did. The second was that the ending felt kind of abrupt -- all these dangerous forces are arrayed against our heroes, and it seems hopeless and then, in 5 pages, the novel is done. The ending could have been a bit more satisfying.
However, the book as a whole is an enjoyable read, and definitely felt like a solid addition to the Silver John mythos. If I can find it (these books are almost impossible to get in hard copy and mostly don't exist as eBooks), I will try the 2nd book in the novel series later this year.
The characters are interesting -- there is John, of course, but also Reuben Manco, the Cherokee shaman who helps him out through the 2nd half of the book, and Holly Christopher, the historian from UNC- Chapel Hill, and the Forshays, whose land is being threatened by some unpleasant neighbors.
I only have to slight disappointments with this novel, that prevented me from giving it 5 stars. One was that John hardly used his silver-strung guitar at all, and since that is his trademark, I kept looking for it to factor in... but it never did. The second was that the ending felt kind of abrupt -- all these dangerous forces are arrayed against our heroes, and it seems hopeless and then, in 5 pages, the novel is done. The ending could have been a bit more satisfying.
However, the book as a whole is an enjoyable read, and definitely felt like a solid addition to the Silver John mythos. If I can find it (these books are almost impossible to get in hard copy and mostly don't exist as eBooks), I will try the 2nd book in the novel series later this year.