The author's name and his character's name are what really attracted me to this book. Something about the name Manly Wade Wellman really speaks to me. Silver John also has a very folktale like sound to it. I knew I had to read it. He gets 1 star for each name right off the bat.

It actually took me a while to read this book, but that isn't because it wasn't good. It's because of all the short stories in it. While I could read through them quickly, I always did it in spare time. So I'd fly through a story and then be able to tear myself away and do other things I needed getting done. Where as other books with one main story draw me in and don't let me tear myself away so easily. But that's alright because it let me enjoy Silver John's adventures for a longer time.

Silver John is a wise, smart, and down to earth hero. I like how he is able to outsmart the bad guys when he can, but isn't afraid to get physical when he has to. A man I'd very much like to know.

It would get 5 stars, but I found some of the stories predictable. Maybe I've just been exposed to too many things and thats why I'm able to tell what's happening. As it is I'd like to give it 4.5 stars, but the Paizo system only allows five ratings, I have to give it what wha the system will allow.

I look forward to reading more of Mr. Wellman's work.

A delightful collection of well-written stories by an author I was previously unfamiliar with.
A rarely seen niche - fantasy Americana. Really not a weak story in the collection, even with some of them being extremely short offerings.

The main reason I gave 4 stars instead of 5 is that I am still struggling with the format. While the multi-column layout is true to the pulp origins of these books, I find it annoying. The interior art is fairly well-done, and the style actually meshes well with the style of the writing, but I still find the presence of the interior art an unnecessary distraction.

Still, an enjoyable read, and highly recommended!

Add my name to the list of those interested in the Silver John novels.

This book is great: it oozes the character of the American Appalachia, as its main character (Silver John, a silver-stringed guitar toting bard WWI veteran type) wanders from village to mountain, encountering various ghosts, witchfolk, other-dimensional Cthulu-esque beasties, and fantastic creatures. That Silver John manages to survive these various encounters is a testament to his rich Bardic Knowledge skills, luck, common sense, smooth talking, and Good Guy behavior.

The writing style is rich, with vivid descriptions and authentic American Appalachian dialect. The stories all vary in size, from a 1 page encounter with a woodland centaur to a 15 page encounter with a near-immortal witch survivor of the Salem witch trials, and all can be read in the "in between" (before bed, on train, in doctor's office, etc).

Overall a wonderful collection of American folklore.

I always find it interesting on how fast I read through certain books. I roared through Asimov's Foundation trilogy and all Douglas Adams' books. However, it took me forever to read through Le Mort d'Arthur.

I now do most of my reading on the way to and from work on buses in Tempe. I started reading this on March 11, 2010 and finished it on April 30, 2010. Sos the Rope (the following book) took only 6 days to read while only being half the length.

Silver John is a great character and it is interesting to read through his character development in the book, especially due to the fact that he did not age in the stories, but there were several decades between the first and the last in the book.

Both were great. Thank you Paizo.

I'll replace this with a full review soon, but for now, I feel the need to stump for it. I started out saying, Who put hicky Americana in my Planet Stories subscription? But from a position of disinterest, this author completely won me over with his superior storytelling and quality writing. Tone is just right. This is a must buy and must read.