Owls Hoot in the Daytime and Other Omens

OWLS HOOT IN THE DAYTIME AND OTHER OMENS is a collection of all the Silver John short stories. These were written over a period of about 30 years, so the stories vary quite a bit both in style and theme. Each story has John wandering Appalachia battling evil. Along the way he usually runs into someone in need (often because they are being victimized by some kind of supernatural creature or back-woods conjurer. The language is very colorful and allegedly very accurate to the region's vernacular. John usually dispatches them with the help of his silver stringed guitar or brings them to reason using his wits rather than might. Wellman weaves real Appalachian folklore and folk-ballads into his tales, lending them a very authentic feel.

You show more really get a sense of place when Wellman writes about the mountains and the inhabitants thereof. The title refers to an Appalachian saying referring to hidden places way back in the hills. For example, when one wants to describe a place as way off the beaten track, one will say it's a place where, "owls hoot in the daytime and where they have possums for yard-dogs." show less

Compiles all of Wellman’s “John” stories, whose protagonist is a man named John who plays a silver-stringed guitar and roams the mountains of the Appalachias and the American South collecting songs, confronting evil, and earning the goodwill of others.