Manly Wade Wellman's Silver John

[dstack]

I was impressed by the setting in The Chained Coffin so went on a search for some of Wellman's Silver John stories. It was a bit harder than I'd anticipated - not much of his work is in-print and very little of it is available digitally.

I was able to obtain The Old Gods Waken first. I did a review of it in my blog as well as info on how best to obtain his works. One thing which surprised me was Baen Books Mountain Magic has all of the Silver John short fiction, but only in the digital version of the book. The dead-tree version instead has Henry Kuttner fiction.

I live closer to the northern end of the Appalachians - Wellman's stories take place in the North Carolina Appalachians while I live in Massachusetts. I used to go up to New Hampshire's White Mountains very frequently before I had kids and am really itching to get back into hiking them. They're absolutely beautiful. A different beauty than the Rockies - to me, a more familiar beauty. Wellman weaves Native American lore, later folklore, magic, monsters, and natural beauty all together and makes it look easy. Silver John is a great inspiration for the D&D bard class. A guy who knows a little bit about everything, makes friends easily, picks up stories and songs. The people of the southern Appalachians are subject to a ton of negative stereotypes, it was nice to get another view.

[michaelcurtis]

Yes, the Paizo Planet Stories collection is the most readily available version. Luckily, it's also the only one you truly need to absorb the flavor of the Silver John stories and the Chained Coffin/Shudder Mountain adventure and setting. If you read that one, everything else is gravy. Delicious, delicious gravy.

I spent my college years in the Catskill region of New York and Wellman's stories have a special resonance for me because of that. I've also got Appalachian blood ties from long ago, so I wanted to treat the Shudfolk of the adventure/setting with the respect they deserved and not as stereotypes.

Glad you enjoyed the setting and that it served as a gateway to Wellman's work!

[Rotten]

I'm from Kentucky, 'nuff said.

I found a few of Manly Wade Wellman's audiobooks on YouTube.

Thanks for mentioning Paizo, I bought that book and will eventually get to reading it.

[finarvyn]

Yes, the Paizo Planet Stories collection is the most readily available version.

I've never read the stories, but I have a few books in Paizo's collection and they are pretty well done. Thanks for the tip, Michael, so I don't have to start combing used bookstores.

[GnomeBoy]

...so I don't have to start combing used bookstores.

You say that like combing used bookstores isn't a glorious end in itself.


...or is that just me?

[Raven_Crowking]

...or is that just me?

No, it is not just you.

[finarvyn]

Oh, don't get me wrong -- I love going to used bookstores. But it's more fun when I don't have a specific thing in mind, since there is a good chance that I won't find it. Much better if I go with an open mind and just find random treasure.

[GnomeBoy]

Oh, random treasure is wonderful.

Picked up one of those old timey sci-fi flip books for a buck just a week ago. How could I not buy Delusion World?

But I find I also like tilting at windmills because they might be giants (searching for the last few items on my Appendix N list).

~cue TMBG song~

[Raven_Crowking]

GnomeBoy, what are you still searching for?

[GnomeBoy]

GnomeBoy, what are you still searching for?

That vaguely-known, angst-deflecting life's puzzle piece that U2 sang about all those years ago...?

Oh. You mean book-wise.

Lest Darkness Fall
Carnellian Cube
Heiro's Journey
Stormbringer
Swords Against Darkness III
Changeling Earth
Shadow People
some Fredric Brown
some Stanley Weinbaum
and maybe a bit more Jack Williamson (but I'd better read the one I found before I go picking up others)

Not a huge list left and I love prowling the aisles of to-me new used bookstores never knowing what I might find (just discovered the awesome Green Apple in SF last week). I have about 50 unread books on my nightstand. About half of that is Appendix N and about 80% of the rest is stuff I couldn't resist while searching out that Appendix N stuff.

I'm also prowling for some "Appendix MA" stuff:

Hothouse
Hull Zero Three
Captive Universe
Space-Born

At the moment, my basic policy is "don't buy a new book until you get through at least two or three already waiting". Or else my old nightstand might collapse!

[Raven_Crowking]

There are some books I have found extras of, but not the ones on your list. If I find an extra of any of them, I'll snag it for you. I think there might be one or two at the BMV on Bloor near Bathurst in Toronto.

[tovokas]

GnomeBoy, I think I have a copy of Lest Darkness fall in a box somewhere. If you'd like it, just send me your address to info(at)purplesorcerer(dot)com. If I can find it I'll pop it in the mail.

And for the rest of those here about, concerning Manly, if you do most your readin' digital like, as somes such as myself are wont to do, as mentioned the Baen Mountain Magic bundle is a good value to find all the John the Balladeer short stories in one place, along with some brief but interesting forward information from folks who knew the man.

[GnomeBoy]

That is tremendously generous of you both!

How could I thank you? ...Custom monsters? Old Dr. Who novelizations? Cold, hard cash? Tissue samples?

The thought of brandishing a book from BMV on Bloor near Bathurst is beyond brain-boggling! You bet I'd be boasting, brother.

...I wonder if the forum needs an Appendix N Swap Shop section...?

[tovokas]

Tears of joy are payment enough.

And I'd still have to find the darn thing...

[Raven_Crowking]

Tears of joy are payment enough.

And I'd still have to find the darn thing...

+1d24.

You deserve whatever I can find.