Listen to a sample
The Hum and the Shiver
- Author
- Alex Bledsoe
- Publisher
- Blackstone Publishing
- Publish Date
- 27 September 2011
- Run Time
- 9 hours 43 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
What to expect
In this valley songs live … and kill.
No one knows where the Tufa came from or how they ended up in the mountains of east Tennessee. When the first Europeans came to the Smoky Mountains, the Tufa were already there. Dark-haired and enigmatic, they live quietly in the hills and valleys of Cloud County, their origins lost to history. But there are clues in their music, hidden in the songs they have passed down for generations.
Private Bronwyn Hyatt, a true daughter of the Tufa, has returned from Iraq, wounded in body and spirit, but her troubles are far from over. Cryptic omens warn of impending tragedy, while a restless “haint” has followed her home from the war. Worse yet, Bronwyn has lost touch with herself and with the music that was once a part of her life. With death stalking her family, will she ever again join in the song of her people and let it lift her onto the night winds?
Critics Review
-
“Imagine a book somewhere between American Gods and Faulkner…Absolutely worth your time.”
Patrick Rothfuss, #1 New York Times bestselling author
-
“It’s a mixture: folk tales and folks songs, updated with a dose of Sex and the City. Or, you might say, a rustic version of ‘urban fantasy,’ with its suggestion that there’s mystery just around the corner, hidden behind even the dullent small-town façade.”
Wall Street Journal
-
“Bledsoe turns standard urban fantasy tropes on their head by reimagining modern elves as a tiny, isolated ethnic group unsure of their own origins…The slowly unfolding mystery of the Tufa is a fascinating and absorbing masterpiece of world-building.”
Publishers Weekly
-
“[Bledsoe] crafts a deceptively simple story of family and community, laced throughout with the music and beliefs of a magical reality. Elegantly told, this series opener…should attract a wide readership beyond genre fans.”
Library Journal (starred review)
See more reviews See fewer reviews
-
“This powerful, character-driven drama, set forth in superbly lucid prose, occurs against an utterly convincing backdrop and owns complications enough to keep everybody compulsively turning the pages. A sheer delight.”
Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
User Reviews
No reviews yet.
Details
- Author
- Alex Bledsoe
- Narrator
- Emily Janice Card, Stefan Rudnicki
- Duration
- 9 hours 43 minutes
- Release Date
- 27 September 2011
- ISBN
- 9781481589222
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Blackstone Publishing
- Genre
- Contemporary fantasy, Fantasy, Traditional stories, myths and fairy tales
Synopsis
In this valley songs live … and kill.No one knows where the Tufa came from or how they ended up in the mountains of east Tennessee. When the first Europeans came to the Smoky Mountains, the Tufa were already there. Dark-haired and enigmatic, they live quietly in the hills and valleys of Cloud County, their origins lost to history. But there are clues in their music, hidden in the songs they have passed down for generations.Private Bronwyn Hyatt, a true daughter of the Tufa, has returned from Iraq, wounded in body and spirit, but her troubles are far from over. Cryptic omens warn of impending tragedy, while a restless “haint” has followed her home from the war. Worse yet, Bronwyn has lost touch with herself and with the music that was once a part of her life. With death stalking her family, will she ever again join in the song of her people and let it lift her onto the night winds?
About xigxag
xigxag is an independent, UK-based audiobook platform and the UK's only B Corp certified audiobook company. We offer nearly 150,000 audiobooks, all with professional human narration. No AI-generated voices. xigxag is rated an Ethical Consumer Best Buy for audiobooks and a top-rated ethical bookshop.
There is no subscription. You buy the audiobooks you want, you own them permanently, and prices start at $13.95. The more you listen over the year, the less you pay per book, and there is always a selection in Listen for Less from $7.95. You can also send audiobooks as gifts using our audiobook gift cards or in-app gifting.
Every audiobook on xigxag has honest reviews covering both the book and the narration, and our community features make it easy to share what you are listening to, discover what others recommend, and find your next listen.
Download or stream on iOS, Android, or in your browser. Browse the full catalogue at xigxag.co.uk.