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A review by steven_v
John the Balladeer by David Drake, Stephen Hickman, Manly Wade Wellman, Karl Edward Wagner
5.0
This is a thoroughly enjoyable collection of short stories about Silver John, a character who supposedly inspired Gary Gygax to make up the Bard class in Dungeons and Dragons. I'd honestly never heard of Silver John, nor of Manly Wade Wellman, before picking up another roleplaying game, Holler, which is a setting for Savage Worlds. In the introduction, Wellman's works and John are mentioned as one of several inspirations for the setting. Wanting to know more about it, I decided to pick up this collection, and I'm glad I did -- despite the high price tag.
This is a difficult book to lay your hands on -- there's no eBook version, and it's been long out of print. I had to pay around $80 for a paperback, which made me almost not want to get it. But there were so many positive comments about this book and its stories that I thought, what the heck, I don't splurge like this on books very often.
I have to say that this book was worth every dollar. Each story is unique and interesting. I liked them all, and loved most of them. Wellman is a very evocative writer, and he manages this with just a few simple words, like saying someone's red hair was the color of a mountain sunset. I can see, hear, and smell the Appalachian woods in these stories, even though I've only ever been up there once myself. His imagery is wonderful. And John is an interesting character. I love the concept of the silver-strung guitar and how the silver is what gives John power over evil forces.
I also very much appreciate the understated nature of the magical or supernatural elements. Much like Tolkien before him, Wellman realizes the value of subtlety. There is no whiz-bang flash to the magic here. No "big budget special effects" style descriptions. Just song, and silver, and things seen out of the corner of one's eye, or implied with a sly knowing smile. I like this sort of low-magic setting best, and find it more entertaining than the flashy stuff.
Overall, I greatly enjoyed these stories, and I'm sure I will read them over again in the coming years. In fact, I might make this another annual read, like I did for over a decade with Harry Potter, and still do with the Gaslight Mysteries.
This is a difficult book to lay your hands on -- there's no eBook version, and it's been long out of print. I had to pay around $80 for a paperback, which made me almost not want to get it. But there were so many positive comments about this book and its stories that I thought, what the heck, I don't splurge like this on books very often.
I have to say that this book was worth every dollar. Each story is unique and interesting. I liked them all, and loved most of them. Wellman is a very evocative writer, and he manages this with just a few simple words, like saying someone's red hair was the color of a mountain sunset. I can see, hear, and smell the Appalachian woods in these stories, even though I've only ever been up there once myself. His imagery is wonderful. And John is an interesting character. I love the concept of the silver-strung guitar and how the silver is what gives John power over evil forces.
I also very much appreciate the understated nature of the magical or supernatural elements. Much like Tolkien before him, Wellman realizes the value of subtlety. There is no whiz-bang flash to the magic here. No "big budget special effects" style descriptions. Just song, and silver, and things seen out of the corner of one's eye, or implied with a sly knowing smile. I like this sort of low-magic setting best, and find it more entertaining than the flashy stuff.
Overall, I greatly enjoyed these stories, and I'm sure I will read them over again in the coming years. In fact, I might make this another annual read, like I did for over a decade with Harry Potter, and still do with the Gaslight Mysteries.