Drummer Boy

A Rich, Funny Story with Believable Southerners, Dealing with Civil War Ghosts
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DRUMMER BOY is set in the North Carolina mountains. Its cast includes contemporary teenage boys, their dysfunctional families (mainly fathers obsessed with reenacting the civil war), and an old couple with deep roots in the mountains. All of them try to live their lives around the civil war ghosts haunting their town.

Scott Nicholson does many things brilliantly well, IMO. He engages the senses religiously, immersing you in his tale. His characters, mostly male, are believable with all of their neuroses and sexual oddities, enough so that I laughed out loud dozens of times. His writing is often poetic and remarkable, even while describing simple things. show more His setting is believable, whether it's about the trailer park where the boys live, or the Appalachian mountains. And there is a theme and message here, which I greatly prefer in a novel; the author is telling a story first and foremost, but he's also saying something in the end.

When I give a book four stars, it means I loved it, but I thought there were some areas where it could've been even better. I thought the beginning of the book was excellent; it built a great deal of mystery around believable characters in situations that made me laugh. I thought the middle dragged a bit, but Nicholson's excellent writing still carried it; once the basic mystery of the story was known, it felt like I was waiting too much for the climax through the middle section.

I thought the end was mixed in that it was great in some respects, but flawed in others; it was exciting and really made me turn the pages, but I found the grand finale less believable than all the rest of his tale, and the final wrap-up felt too short. The mixed ending keeps it from being a five-star book for me. For example, I would've liked to have seen the tension between the fathers brought to more of a conclusion, and perhaps something more impacting regarding the female photographer. However, the major characters, the boys Vernon Ray and Bobby, were dealt a powerful resolution.

I have no significant interest in the Civil War per se, but I really enjoyed the Civil War ghost angle in the story, and I thought the historical info centering around Kirk's Raiders was handled particularly well, since it was based on historical events without ever feeling pedantic.

I've heard from multiple sources that Scott's book, The Red Church, is also very good. I'm looking forward to reading that one next. I know that it's set in the same area, and has one of the same characters, Sheriff Littlefield.

I think DRUMMER BOY gives us a southern ghost story to savor and laugh with, and an author whose rich and creative prose is its own reward. show less

DRUMMER BOY is hard to categorize. It's essentially like a ghost story you might hear by the campfire, placed in southern Appalachia and mixed with an odd juxtaposition of a long-held southern grudge against Yankee aggression with the intrusion of modern development.

The book opens with a seemingly ordinary scene involving three adolescent boys throwing rocks at a spooky cave known as the Jangling Hole in a place called Mulatto Mountain. Bobby Eldreth is being taunted by his wealthy friend Dex McCallister to throw a rock into the cave. Bobby, who lives in a trailer park along with the third boy, the always out-of-step Vernon Ray Davis, is torn between the two friends. Their triangular relationship isn't the only thing making Bobby tense. show more The Jangling Hole is reputed to be haunted by the ghosts of long-buried Civil War soldiers.

When a store owner claims one of the boys got a five-finger discount on his goods, the police intervene. At some point, a shot rings out. The cops return fire, but no one can find the shooter.

From that point, the story introduces a plethora of well-developed characters who seem to represent different aspects of the South. Along with the boys, there's an old farmer named Hardy who lives near Mulatto Mountain. A somewhat tragic character, his family once owned the land that's to be developed and he's not happy about it. In addition, his son bears the irreparable scars of having experienced an unknown trauma at the Jangling Hole.

To read the entire review, see: http://thebookgrrl.blogspot.com/2010/05/ghosts-from-civil-war-arise-in-drummer.h... show less

Nicholson just gets better and better. I've been enjoying previous works of Scott's recently, but this is the best yet. His characters are well drawn and completely believable, and he pulls you into their stories and back stories with consumate ease. Nicholson is a masterful writer, at the top of his form. Miss him at your peril.

3.5 stars!

I read this novel with my horror group at Shelfari. We previously read The Red Church together and enjoyed it, so we decided to read this story as well.

Sheriff Littlefield is the main character in this book, but I think the other characters stole the show from him. These characters include civil war re-enactors, a group of boys coming of age, some terrible alcoholic parents, farmers and many more. Most of them fascinating and multi-layered.

There is a hole in a field called the Jangling Hole. Why is that? All sorts of noises emanate from it and no one quite knows why. They do know that a band of misfits from the civil war died down there. But are they really dead? You will have to read this to find out.

I thought the setting, show more the details about the civil war and the characters in this book were fantastic. On the other hand, I also thought that the story got off to a bit of a slow start and it took a little while to get into. Despite that, it was still a good story, though perhaps just short of the great story The Red Church. show less

Very cool book! It was mix of horror, contemporary, and historical that really worked well together. The author managed to create that weird small town that seems normal until you start looking into it's dark corners.

The idea of haunting by Civil War soldiers is not a new concept but Scott puts a great spin on things. While I won't say to much about that...I REALLY like what he did.
The character's were definitely interesting. From the police, to the re-enactors, to the rag-tag group of teenage friends; they all added some great elements to the story.
I enjoyed it myself and look forward to reading more of the author's work. I have "The Skull Ring" for review and I'm hoping to get my hands on the "Red Church" which is mentioned in this show more book. My interest in Scott Nicholson's work has been peaked! show less

Fantastic descriptions and wonderful plot. Nicholson does a wonderful job of pulling the reader into the mind of his characters as they struggle with various issues ranging from homosexuality to infidelity. This was a page turner that kept me up for a few nights in a row, clicking away on my kindle.

ABR's full Drummer Boy audiobook review can be found at Audiobook Reviewer.

Dummer Boy is the second in a series following The Red Church. The setting is in Titusville – somewhere on the Appalachian Mountain Ridge. This area is deeply committed to its historic past of battles during the Civil War. Residents of this town are poor and stereo-typical back hills redneck types. The story centers around the civil war and it’s victims of long ago who still can be found near the Jangling Hole.

Several people have fallen victim to the Jangling Hole and it’s spirit inhabitants. The Hole is stirred up when the mountain is slated to be a huge housing development. The spirits manifest and visit several residents who have ties to the long dead show more men. Within these residents is a young boy – Vernon Ray Davis who does not belong in the world of his father (although he longs for it) and does not belong in the world of the Jangling Hole residents.

Vernon Ray Davis and his friends have multiple encounters with these spirits but ultimately, no one can save Vernon. He is faced with joining a world whose inhabitants have accepted him and given him what he has longed for – respect, and a coveted role of drummer boy or continue in the world where his father mocks and openly hates him. the jangling hole and it’s residents resonant with the rat-a-tat of the snare drum from the dead drummer boy who needs to be replaced.

Officer Littlefield who was predominant in the first book – The Red Church – is not as involved as he is always a day late and a dollar short.

The book had some harsh language but given the demographic it is written about, it only makes it more realistic. The plot and characters were well developed and believable.

The narrator, Milton Bagby did an excellent job of reading the book. He spoke clearly and concisely.

Audiobook provided for review by Scott Nicholson. show less