The Voice of the Mountain

Silver John is the best creation of a wonderful writer, Manly Wade Wellman. Yes, it does have some Christian overtones, but it's not the usual Christianity of city folks. This is the real, active Christianity of the Applachians. By turns scary, funny, thought provoking and always entertaining, any Silver John story is worth reading.

This book is simply one of the best I've ever read. As much as some people may malign the Balladeer series for its Christian references, I find the entire series to be better for them, despite my Pagan faith. Wellman uses the folklore of the Appalachians, blended with a bit of his own, to make this book a fascinating read. The Judas Gospel, one of those books that has been rumored to exist for years, is sought after by a wizard who decides to use John to help in his plans to rebuild the world. John has to keep the book from being used, and his efforts lead to a very suspensful novel, despite a general lack of action. If you're looking for gore, You probably don't want to read this book. But if you're looking for some of the best dark fantasy of the 20th Century, then you've come for the right one.