Manly Wade Wellman (1903–1986)

This book is a lot like your brother-in-law: You really want to like him, but it's very hard.

Manley Wade Wellman was probably best known as a writer of fantasy and science fiction, but he was also interested in folklore (his work appeared frequently in the North Carolina Folklore Journal) and history. This book seems to have been his attempt to combine the latter two.

Unfortunately, the folklore won. And it was the worst sort of folklore: The kind that didn't just evolve but was made up.

I show more can't say much about most of the events described in this book; I don't have any other sources about them. But I do know about the murders of Naomi Wise by John Lewis, of Charles Silver by his wife Frankie, and of Laura Foster by Thomas Dula ("Tom Dooley"). And in all cases Wellman has reached for the most readily available sources and not tried to research further. In the case of Frankie Silver, there isn't much we can add to those sources, for the good and simple reason that very little is known; Wellman may have the facts right, although I'm dubious about his interpretations. In the case of Dula, the broad outline is right but a lot of the details are wrong, sometimes in a way that is somewhat prejudicial to our understanding. In the case of Naomi Wise, the result is pure garbage. He took his "facts" from the account written by Braxton Craven, and Craven's story is pure fiction with about eight accurate words in it "Naomi Wise," "John Lewis," and "drowned in Deep River." It's true that the Wise case is another one where the truth mostly eludes us, because it was long ago and records are few, but we can prove Craven was wrong. (For an obvious example, Craven said Wise was a 19-year-old "maiden." But she had two illegitimate children, the older of whom would have had to have been conceived when Wise was nine years old if Wise had been 19 when murdered!)

The writing is good. The subjects interesting. But if the book is wrong when I know the truth, how can I trust it in cases where I don't? If you want to read this as fiction, great; it has several interesting crime tales. But don't believe anything it says without verifying it. show less

Ol’ John he was a wanderer,
Not a penny to his name.
Seeking country shelter,
Not glory or his fame.

Entertained his hosts would he,
With guitar of silver string.
Regaling forgotten country lore,
And wisdom he did sing.

Many queer encounters,
Did Silver John face down.
From other worldly horrors,
And an ugly avian frown.

But, nay a man of action,
He fought not with his fists.
Instead he tricked away the spirits,
Back into Appalachian mists.

So next time you hike the trails,
Spare a thought for John.
Singing show more his age old ballads,
And ensuring the horrors were gone.

A true masterwork of folk fantasy, the heartwarming tales of John the Balladeer stretch from the 1950’s to the 1980’s and are perhaps some of the great unsung classic stories of the genre. There are vague comparisons to The Witcher here as the supernatural collide with ordinary lives in rural lands, but whereas Geralt fights in dreary, imaginary lands with alchemy and blades of silver and steel, John is grounded in a more familiar world (free of modern trappings), relying on his wits and fireside stories—using these old tales to outsmart and trap ghosts or monsters and lay to rest any curses upon the damned.

It’s this lack of action and emphasis on old folk tales and a ready supply of catchy songs that make this such a refreshing and upbeat read. The stories appear to read mostly sequentially, often referring to previous adventures of John and gradually expanding his world with its own unique folklore.

There is no doubt that this collection deserves a higher place of recognition, with Silver John endearing himself to be the equal of any iconic literary hero.
Thanks to Valancourt, these are stories that can be handed down all over again. John would be proud. show less

Originally published in 1973, Worse Things Waiting collects 28 of Manly Wade Wellman's colorful stories which first appeared in the early pulp magazines Strange Stories, Unknown, and Weird Tales. Wellman seems most comfortable spinning convincing yarns of local myths and legends with a certain backwoods Southern charm, with “Come Into My Parlor”, “Sin’s Doorway”, “The Pineys”, and “The Witch’s Cat” among the best of these. This anthology offers wonderfully creepy fantasy show more and horror tales of strange creatures and anthropomorphic or otherwise living abodes, werewolves and the undead, sinners and spells, and the supernatural plight of soldiers, warriors, and slaves. Much as Rudyard Kipling used the exotic setting of India to infuse some of his strange stories with an added layer of mystery, Wellman similarly uses the lost worlds of Native American myths and legends as the underpinning of some stories; "For Fear of Little Men", "Young-Man-With-a-Skull-at His Ear", and "Dhoh" are the most effective of these. The collection ends with a quartet of excellent Civil War stories infused with witchcraft: (1) A witch promises Rebel soldier Clay Harned safe passage through the bloody war in return for his hand in marriage in “His Name on a Bullet”; (2) Confederate scout Joseph Paradine encounters the effects of a mysterious spell placed on Union soldiers in “The Valley Was Still”; (3) Dueling spells of Good and Evil clash in “Fearful Rock”; and (4) The purity of young Confederate prisoner Cole Wickett propels him into the service of Union Army Sergeant Jaeger against vampires and the forces of Evil in “Coven”. Lee Brown Coye's playfully macabre illustrations add a nice ghoulish touch. Kudos to Shadowridge Press for bringing back this impressive anthology. show less

I expected as I drilled down further into 1951 science fiction novels to find a marked decrease in quality, but after reading Wellman's Twice in Time this is not the case. He claimed to be the author of some 500 stories of which over 80 were in the fantasy and science fiction genre. Many of his stories were originally published in the pulp magazines of the 1940's 50's and 60's and in 1956 his nonfiction historical work Rebel Boast was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize: with a legacy such as show more this, there is no doubt that he was a competent writer.

Twice in Time is a fantasy time travel novel. Leo Thrasher in 1957 has invented a time travel laser disc that he uses to transport himself back in time. He has a workshop just outside Florence in Italy and succeeds in transporting himself back to the mid 15th century at the time of Lorenzo de Medici the Magnificent. Leo unfortunately at once finds himself under the power of a sorcerer in the black arts, however his skills as an artist and fencing master enable him to adapt into the society of the high Italian renaissance. He rapidly becomes an adviser to Lorenzo the Magnificent being able to suggest and then detail in diagrams, practical examples of inventions from the 20th century that can aid the enlightened despot.

Manley Wade Wellman wrote many young adult stories and this novel soon turns into an adventure story that fits with the known historical events of that period, for example Leo finds himself involved in the Pazzi conspiracy of 1478. Leo's struggle with the sorcerer and his own knowledge of the future explains some of the mysteries of the advancement of science during the Medici reign. It is historical fantasy fiction, brought to life with some skilful writing and a reasonable feel for the period. It hasn't got the depth of a novel like Mark Twains much earlier 'A Yankee in King Arthur's Court', but it is a page turner of a story with some nice ideas. 3.5 stars show less