Wellman's feel for the mountain "hants" and his knowledge of the people-their fierce pride and essential generosity-give these tales a weight that they might not otherwise possess. Besides, whatever these tales lack in scare-power, they more than make up for both in ghostly and in Appalachian atmosphere. There are not many big scares in these stories still, Wellman has a knack-similar to Le Fanu's-of choosing the precise detail to deeply unsettle his reader. He bought himself a mountain cabin, and soon began to write stories about John the Balladeer-itinerant musician and collector of songs-who wars against the forces of evil, armed with his silver-stringed guitar. Wellman-already established as a successful author of genre fiction-traveled to North Carolina to teach writing at Chapel Hill, and fell in love with the music and culture of the Smokies. With this innovative and unique cycle of stories, Manly Wade Wellman became the first writer to use the legends and lore of the Appalachians to craft a body of weird tales.
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