The Cunning Man
Ratings1
Average rating5
15
Ratings1
Average rating5
It’s the depths of the Depression, and a mining town in Utah is shut down. Something has awakened underground, and now a monster roams the tunnels. Along comes Hiram Woolley. Hiram is a man with mystical abilities derived from the commonsense application of Scot-Irish folk wisdom and German Braucher magic. He possesses an arcane Bloodstone that allows him to see a lie the moment it is spoken. Behind the played-out farms and failed businesses are demons, curses, sorcerers, and unatoned wrongs. Bags of groceries and carpentry won’t be enough this time.The job will take a man who has known sorrow. A man who has known war. A man of wisdom. A man of magic. The job will take a Cunning Man. At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management). About The Cunning Man: “An attempt at charity during the Great Depression turns into a protracted fight against supernatural forces in this admirable paranormal mystery. . . . the richly imagined magic system and glimpses of Mormon culture create a fully realized world. Historical fantasy fans will delight in the zigzagging plot of this mystery.”—Publishers Weekly "An amazing tale that grabs you by the throat and won’t let go! Butler & Ritchey are a literary force to be reckoned with! Hit that download button and grab your copy now! The Cunning Man will never let you go!"—Sherrilyn Kenyon, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author
Featured Series
2 primary booksThe Cunning Man is a 2-book series with 2 primary works first released in 2019 with contributions by D.J. Butler and Aaron Michael Ritchey.
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The Cunning Man by D.J. Butler and Aaron Ritchy
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I picked this up thinking it might be along the lines Manley Wade Wellman's “Silver John” series, which I think was initially set during the same post-World War I time frame. Like the Wellman, this story involves a staunch, sober and decent man who knows the magical lore of the backcountry. However, where Wellman's hero roamed around the Appalachians with a silver stringed guitar, the hero of the Cunning Man is a Mormon beet farmer.
In this time when diversity is used to justify giving awards to mediocre books, this book really shows diversity. Outside of Orson Scott Card, I don't think I know of another book that mines Mormon culture for its story resources, but this book shows that there is an exotic and deep source of material there.
The “cunning man” of the story is Hiram Woolley, a Mormon beet farmer who helps out his neighbors during the Great Depression. Hiram learned his cunning from his grandmother. Mormon hedge magic involves cantrips, lamens, symbols, and rocks. Hiram has rocks that stop poisoning and also tell him whether someone is lying to him. Since this is Mormon mythos, there is also a “seer stone” that puts the user into contact with angels or demons after one places it in a hat.
Hiram is dispatched to a Utah mining town where the inhabitants are on the verge of starvation because the owners are divided on where the mine should be operated. There are rumors of ghosts in the mine. The railroad wants to use the family division to force a sale of the mine. And, finally, there is another cunning man whose knowledge of lor may exceed Hiram's.
The authors D.J. Butler and Aaron Michael Ritchey set up the pieces and do a good job of moving them around to keep the readers interest. This is a fun book, particularly in light of its setting, but not entirely perfect. Hiram's adopted son, Michael, is just a little to sarcastic for my tastes, but I enjoyed the characters and the working out of the plot.
