The Hum and the Shiver: A Novel of the Tufa (Tufa Novels, 1)

At first, Needsville just seems like a typical mountain town, with its share of shabby streets, beautiful countryside and off-putting local folk. Then comes the typical, overdone, tacky parade for the return of an injured, rescued soldier from war overseas, reluctantly labeled a hero. The soldier, a wayward daughter, must decide how she will face each awkward step that brings her closer to home, to who she was, and what she could, or should, or even might become. Bronwyn’s mystery is slow building, at first. As memories and experiences reveal tantalizing hints at Tufa ways, the characters come to life. Their families, traditions, and songs weave a fascinating story I found very hard to put down, reading most of the second half in a single rush! It’s a fun ride, on the night wind, and I can’t wait to read the next. I was so pleased to discover this story after enjoying the Appalachian rhythm and heartfelt songs of Tennessee musical family, Tuatha Dea. Thanks to their recent “virtual pub crawls” on Sunday evenings, I was able to learn of their musical connection to the author. Even better, I’ve got toe-tapping music and inspiring reading to lift me from the doldrums of staying home during a national shut-down.

This book sucked me in, there is no doubt about that. And I applaud the writer for doing a beautiful injection of magic in the everyday lives of the characters in this book. In fact, it took me a little while to stop myself and realize that the story of wounded Iraq veteran twenty year old Bronwynn is not just a straight contemporary story/beginning of the romance. Bronwynn's people, the mysterious Tufas, have shall we say some very interesting traditions and very interesting skills. But it is very easy to forget about the infusion of magical, especially when the first half of the story mostly hints at that and does not exactly lets us on all the secrets. I thought Bronwynn was fascinating, complex character, I thought story flowed very well, however the more I learned about who Tufas are and what their beliefs are, the less I liked them. I wished for more mercy in their beliefs system, and that's the best I can do without starting to talk spoilers. There is a beginning of romance for Bronwynn, although some of her decisions at the end of the book in that department also should we say took me aback a bit. Blood being the most important thing after all does not really sit well with me.

I usually don't care much for contemporary fantasy or kick-ass heroines, but I'd heard good things about The Hum and the Shiver and the description intrigued me, so I bought the low-priced Kindle version. (Kudos to Tor for pricing this ebook fairly instead of pricing it near the paper price, as it does with most of its ebooks, as if paper and printing weren't the biggest costs of making a paper book.) I started it with a mixture of reluctance and anticipation. The beginning read like any other contemporary fantasy, but within a short time it got interesting, so be prepared to hang in for a few pages. The book just gets better and better from there. All the characters felt real and alive, and the fantasy world and its overlap with our world were well drawn. The author hits the reader over the head with some parts of the world building, but I considered that a plus: I always felt on solid ground and ready for what happened next. The author wrote a believable kick-ass heroine and did not put her in high heels or a tight skirt. In fact, throughout the book he avoided all the clichés and stereotypes I expected, given the setting and the semisecret identity of most of the characters. My favorite parts were: --the fresh plot --the Appalachian setting and the author's appreciation for the land and its people --the emphasis on music, especially Appalachian music --the many secondary characters who have rich growth arcs of their own --the ending, which was satisfying in all the right ways yet had enough sadness to not be cloying I recommend this novel to all fantasy readers of age 15 (roughly) and above. If you've read a lot of fantasy, The Hum and the Shiver will definitely not feel like something you've read too many times before. If you've only started reading fantasy and don't always understand what's happening, you shouldn't have that problem with this book because the worldbuilding is clear.

I really loved this series, despite the sort of juvenile, thin characters. The idea to take the already insular world of Virginia mountain backwoods musicians and take it one step farther, to a world where they have magical properties and are essentially a different species, is a super cool pretext. I disagree once again with the people who felt the story never went anywhere. While it's no die-hard movie, it definitely has lots of action. I dislike books where the second you meet a character, it's made clear whether you're supposed to trust/like them or not, by adjectives, vocabulary choices and subtext. I would really rather figure that stuff out on my own, and often feel I'm being condescended to when I read books that have to tell me how to feel and how to like. This book also felt a little like it was written to try to get a move deal. The characters all feel like movie characters to me, not very defined or complicated. Despite that, and the slight YA feel to the story, this is a really cool idea that the writer fleshes out nicely in the subsequent books. I love the music element. Entry into the world of mountain/bluegrass/trad music and the almost spiritual connection that many feel with the old, aural tradition tunes and untrained (except by playing from childhood at every party, wedding, and wake) can be like getting into a country club. I just lije the way the author has spun that out into a very engaging fantasy. Not for everyone, but I certainly love it and will read the next book when it comes out.

I've always loved his books. This one has great depth and they richly realized culture at the center of the story. Well worth a read. Well worth buying.

Author Seanan McGuire mentioned this series on Twitter just today and I'm glad I got a copy. Excellent writing, great characters including a battle-scarred 20 year old protagonist I'm excited to keep reading about.

A great idea and wonderful language don't necessarily make a great book. And that is so true for "The Hum and the Shiver". I love the world building and mystery behind the Tufa. Having read a lot about Ireland's faeries I enjoyed that part very much. And the author did great by bringing the faeries of the past into the new world. Very intelligent and well done. However... where was the plot? Also missing was the character building. And I do like character building. But especially Bronwyn suddenly seems to change and come to terms with things without any reason why. And the end of the story surely couldn't be the end. I was not sure if my book had some pages missing. I'm sorry. But this story is a big disappointment and - even worse - has lots of wasted potential. It could have been a really great urban fantasy story. As it is I can't hand out more than two stars.

Just read the first two Tufa novels, and I can't recommend them highly enough. I am reminded of Jane Louise Curry, of Nina Kiriki Hoffman, of the legends of Prince Madoc, of the stories of the Melungians...and about none of these, as Bledsoe's carefully crafted novels of an inbred, outsider people hidden away in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee are frighteningly, wonderfully original--wonder-full and full of wonder. How I wish I could lend a harmony to musicians like the ones he so brilliantly describes...

Very nice story. Good main character and interesting world concept.

Brilliant, loved reading this, really bought the world to life.