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Summary
Summary
Wisp of a Thing: a unique contemporary fantasy where magic is hidden in plain sight and age-old rivalries simmer just beneath the surface
Alex Bledsoe's The Hum and the Shiver was named one of the Best Fiction Books by Kirkus Reviews. Now Bledsoe returns to the isolated ridges and hollows of the Smoky Mountains to spin an equally enchanting tale of music and fairy magic older than the hills.
Touched by a very public tragedy, musician Rob Quillen comes to Cloud County, Tennessee, in search of a song that might ease his aching heart. All he knows of the mysterious and reclusive Tufa is what he has read on the Internet: They are an enigmatic clan of swarthy, black-haired mountain people whose historical roots are lost in myth and controversy. Some people say that when the first white settlers came to the Appalachians centuries ago, they found the Tufa already there. Others hint thatTufa blood brings special gifts.
Rob finds both music and mystery in the mountains. Close-lipped locals guard their secrets, even as Rob gets caught up in a subtle power struggle he can't begin to comprehend. A vacationing wife goes missing, raising suspicions of foul play, and a strange feral girl runs wild in the woods, howling in the night like a lost spirit.
Change is coming to Cloud County, and only the night wind knows what part Rob will play when the last leaf falls from the Widow's Tree...and a timeless curse must be broken at last.
Enter the captivating world of the fae in Alex Bledsoe's Tufa novels
The Hum and the Shiver
Wisp of a Thing
Long Black Curl
Chapel of Ease
Gather Her Round
Author Notes
ALEX BLEDSOE is the author of The Hum and the Shiver, as well as the novels in the Eddie LaCrosse series: The Sword-Edged Blonde, Burn Me Deadly, and Dark Jenny.
Reviews (4)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Rob Quillen, a folk singer whose girlfriend died in a plane crash, seeks out the mysterious Tufa people in search of the song he believes will mend his broken heart. Though the Tufa appear to be a racially ambiguous Appalachian subculture, they're actually descendants of the Fae, capable of strange magics. Hunting his song, Rob becomes caught up in the fate of Curnen, a troubled girl under a terrible curse, and Stoney Hicks, a Tufa man who has been carelessly seducing and destroying women with his magical charms. Bledsoe brings a real warmth and a messy humanity to his modern-day fairy story, with strong characterization and a passionate love of music. Set in the same world as The Hum and the Shiver, this stand-alone novel feels more heartfelt and is written with a lighter touch, fulfilling all of the first book's early promise and hitting the sweet spot between glossy and gritty. (June) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
Another tale of Cloud County, Tenn., and its eldritch inhabitants: the dark-haired, dark-skinned Tufa (The Hum and the Shiver, 2011). When musician Rob Quillen made it to the final stages of a network talent show, the producers insisted on flying in his girlfriend, Anna, but she was killed when her plane crashed, leaving Rob devastated. Then a mysterious stranger advised him to look in Tufa country for a song carved in stone to ease his desolation. With his Hispanic heritage, Rob looks like one of the Tufa, although he has not a drop of Tufa blood. Still, one of the locals invites him to an evening of Tufa music, where he's astounded at the skill and power of their playing. Later, he tries to strike up a conversation with one of the players, Rockhouse Hicks, a supremely malevolent old man who occupies a chair outside the post office, and nearly gets beaten to a pulp for his pains. He's rescued from further assault by Bliss Overbay, a Tufa First Daughter and EMT technician. To Bliss' astonishment, after his head injury, Rob can now see the graveyards of the Tufa, which only Tufa should be able to do, and even read the inscriptions on the tombstones. Rob begins to grasp that there are undercurrents here beyond his comprehension--especially when he hears the eerie cries of a feral girl running in the woods. The girl, Curnen, has been cursed: When the last leaf falls from the Widow's Tree, she will lose the last of her humanity. Bliss is faced with a terrible dilemma: By Tufa law, she may disclose nothing to outsiders, yet clearly Rob was brought here for a purpose. This beautifully handled drama of Appalachian music and magic once again comes complete with fascinating characters, a persuasive setting and intriguing complications. Bledsoe's on a roll.]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
One of the very good things about Bledsoe's latest novel is that we can't tell, until we're well into the book, whether it's a fantasy or offbeat mainstream. Musician Rob Quillen, a contestant on a TV singing competition, is devastated when his girlfriend, who was being flown to Hollywood to surprise him for the show's final episode, is killed when her plane crashes. Told about the Tufa, a mysterious group of people living in the Great Smoky Mountains, Rob heads off to Needsville, Tennessee, in search of a song that can heal a broken heart. At first, the small town feels a little isolated, its people a bit quirky to Rob's big-city eyes. But soon he begins to notice odd things: a graveyard that seems to have vanished when he returns to it; strange, humanlike, howling sounds from the woods. This is a very subtle book; like Graham Masterton, Bledsoe relies on the slow accumulation of tantalizing hints to give the reader a sense of something going on in the space between the words on the page. A chilling mix of fantasy, realism, and a touch of horror.--Pitt, David Copyright 2010 Booklist
Library Journal Review
This mystical tale features musician Rob Quillen, who travels to fictional Cloud County in the heart of the Smoky Mountains in search of the song to soothe his anguish after his girlfriend's tragic death. Replete with mythical creatures and stories, beautifully written ballads, power struggles, action, and a satisfying conclusion, this series' second title works as a stand-alone, with selected characters from the preceding volume, The Hum and the Shiver, included in major and minor roles. Narrator Stefan Rudnicki provides a quiet but frequently chilling portrayal of all of the characters-no clumsy attempts to emulate regional dialects. -verdict Recommended for fans of Bledsoe's previous books, those interested in Appalachian regional fiction, and listeners looking for magical realism/fantasy titles. ["[A] hauntingly beautiful tale of love lost and hope rediscovered," read the review of the Tor hc, LJ 6/15/13.]-Sandra C. -Clariday, Tennessee Wesleyan Coll., Athens (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.