Capture
share on social media

Mountain Folk

Release Date: 06/08/2021

Categories:

share on social media
about Mountain Folk

John Hood’s new novel Mountain Folk uses elements of folklore and epic fantasy to tell the story of America’s founding in a fresh and exciting way. Goran is one of the rare fairies who can live without magical protection in the Blur, the human world where the days pass twenty times faster than in fairy realms. Goran’s secret missions for the Rangers Guild take him across the British colonies of North America — from far-flung mountains and rushing rivers to frontier farms and bustling towns. Along the way, Goran encounters Daniel Boone, George Washington, an improbably tall dwarf, a mysterious water maiden, and a series of terrifying monsters from European and Native American legend. But when Goran is ordered to help the other fairy nations of the New World crush the American Revolution, he must choose between a solemn duty to his own people and a fierce loyalty to his human friends and the principles they hold dear.

Editorial Review ★★★★★

In this imaginative blend of American history and fantasy, John Hood creates an enchanting alternate vision of the Revolutionary period through the eyes of Goran, a fairy who can survive in the human world. Hood’s innovative fusion of historical figures with folkloric elements produces a fresh perspective on America’s founding era.

What sets this novel apart is its masterful integration of fantasy and historical fact. Hood weaves together real historical figures like Daniel Boone and George Washington with magical beings and creatures from both European and Native American mythology. His ability to blend these elements while maintaining historical authenticity demonstrates particular skill in world-building.

The book’s greatest strength lies in its protagonist, Goran, whose position between fairy and human worlds creates compelling dramatic tension. Through Goran’s moral conflict between duty to his fairy nation and loyalty to his human friends, Hood explores universal themes of conscience and conviction against the backdrop of revolutionary America.

The writing effectively balances historical detail with fantasy elements. Hood’s careful attention to period accuracy while maintaining the wonder of folkloric elements creates an engaging narrative that serves both as historical fiction and fantasy adventure. His incorporation of monsters and magical beings from diverse cultural traditions adds depth to the alternate history setting.

“Mountain Folk” stands as a unique contribution to both historical fiction and fantasy literature, offering readers an imaginative lens through which to view American history.

About This Author

John Hood is a writer, teacher, and foundation executive with a deep passion for both the American Founding and speculative fiction. The author of several critically acclaimed books of economic and political history, Hood has reported on governments from town councils to Congress and written for the Wall Street Journal, Reader’s Digest, USA Today, The Chicago Tribune, National Review, The Spectator, Military History, and dozens of other publications. Since 1986, Hood has penned a syndicated column that now appears regularly in 60 newspapers in his home state of North Carolina. A weekly panelist on “NC SPIN,” a public-affairs program on North Carolina’s public-television network, Hood is a frequent commentator for other radio and TV programs, as well, including appearances on Fox News, NBC News, and National Public Radio. His most-recent nonfiction work, Catalyst: Jim Martin and the Rise of North Carolina Republicans, won a book award from the North Carolina Society of Historians. Hood teaches public policy to Duke University graduate students and tap dancing to tweens and teens. He received his B.A. in journalism from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and his M.A. in liberal studies from UNC-Greensboro. He resides near Raleigh with his wife, two sons, and a stepdaughter.

Other Books
That You'll Love