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John Thunstone #2
The School of Darkness
John Thunstone is invited to participate in a seminar on folklore at Buford State College. He learns that the college had been founded by a rich man, Samuel Whitney, in gratitude for the healing prayers of a local women's group. However, other accounts state that Whitney had been cursed by his enemies and healed by a coven of witches. Moreover, two or more covens are supposedly still active in Buford. Grizel Fian, a fellow particiant in the seminar, is mentioned as the head of one coven.
182 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 1985
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
May 26, 2020
Интересно, че това е май последната книга на Уелман, а звучи като ранните му разкази. Историята беше увлекателна, но като цяло нищо особено. Както при романите за Силвър Джон и тук имаме редица връзки към предходни разкази за Джон Тъдстоун, които не съм чел. Появяват се герои като Рубен Манко, графиня Монтеско и така нареченият "Уелманов Мориати" - Роули Тома.
Тънстоун е във върховна форма и нищо не може да му се опре, а когато нещата завият по лош път до него са Манко, професор Шимада и Отец Бъндрен, както и редица артефакти, не че нахакания изследовател има нужда от тях.
Университетън в Буфорд има уникална история за създаването си. Известен богаташ пристига в градчето болен и група местни жени измолват здравето му. За благодарност е построено училището. Тънстоун ще открие, че нещата не са точно такива и в града има поне едно активно вещерско сборище, опитващо се да превърне университета в люпилня за черна магия. Нещата се влошават, когато разбира, че вещиците са успели да призоват най-върлия му противник от селенията в които го е изпратил преди години. Симпозиумът за фолклор ще се превърне в сцена на една последна битка между светлина и мрак.
Тънстоун е във върховна форма и нищо не може да му се опре, а когато нещата завият по лош път до него са Манко, професор Шимада и Отец Бъндрен, както и редица артефакти, не че нахакания изследовател има нужда от тях.
Университетън в Буфорд има уникална история за създаването си. Известен богаташ пристига в градчето болен и група местни жени измолват здравето му. За благодарност е построено училището. Тънстоун ще открие, че нещата не са точно такива и в града има поне едно активно вещерско сборище, опитващо се да превърне университета в люпилня за черна магия. Нещата се влошават, когато разбира, че вещиците са успели да призоват най-върлия му противник от селенията в които го е изпратил преди години. Симпозиумът за фолклор ще се превърне в сцена на една последна битка между светлина и мрак.
December 9, 2021
Although fun, this was not as good as the first book in the sires "What Dreams May Come" or the short stories. Its underwhelming plot is partly due to the fact that the whole story focuses on his nemeses, Rowley Thorne, who is such a blah character.
Overall worth a read if you enjoyed the other stories, but don't expect to be blown away.
Overall worth a read if you enjoyed the other stories, but don't expect to be blown away.
January 5, 2018
Wellman wrote some wonderful pulp-y tales and his Silver John books are weird Americana at its finest. This one, not so much. The characters are one- dimensional, cliched, and stereotyped. The plot is meandering and repetitive. For Wellman completists only.
July 14, 2018
This was my vacation book, an even-paced little ditty clocking in at a modest 182 pages. Hey, Wellman was 82 when he wrote this (I think it was his last novel), so you have to cut him some slack.
This book reads like a short story that got stretched to novella length, to its detriment. The problem with the Thunstone books is that the protagonist is such an uber-competent hero that he never really seems to be in danger. You'd think a guy who's been writing since the 1920's would avoid such a pitfall, but maybe Wellman was engaging in a last bit of authorial projection. Thunstone comes across as mature but not yet aging, physically powerful and handsome, a skilled combatant. He knows just about everything about occult matters, is well-read, and totes a silvered sword cane with special powers. Also, he has with him in this book several other skilled occultist of varying flavors. The bad guys are actually outnumbered, and seem desperate and unimaginative, for all that they're devil-worshippers.
The one thing I did enjoy about this book were the conversations between Thunstone and his allies, as they're all well-educated people who throw around literary and historical references with enjoyable aplomb. But the plot is paper-thin and full of holes. It's kind of sad to see such an impressive writer go off on such a mediocre note. I need to go back and read some of his classic pulp stories.
This book reads like a short story that got stretched to novella length, to its detriment. The problem with the Thunstone books is that the protagonist is such an uber-competent hero that he never really seems to be in danger. You'd think a guy who's been writing since the 1920's would avoid such a pitfall, but maybe Wellman was engaging in a last bit of authorial projection. Thunstone comes across as mature but not yet aging, physically powerful and handsome, a skilled combatant. He knows just about everything about occult matters, is well-read, and totes a silvered sword cane with special powers. Also, he has with him in this book several other skilled occultist of varying flavors. The bad guys are actually outnumbered, and seem desperate and unimaginative, for all that they're devil-worshippers.
The one thing I did enjoy about this book were the conversations between Thunstone and his allies, as they're all well-educated people who throw around literary and historical references with enjoyable aplomb. But the plot is paper-thin and full of holes. It's kind of sad to see such an impressive writer go off on such a mediocre note. I need to go back and read some of his classic pulp stories.
August 5, 2023
Wellman's stories of John Thunstone in the 40s were his apprenticeship. The stories generally had little or no tension or atmosphere and the character lacked any personality, or even background (where did his apparently independent wealth come? Where did he learn his expertise in the occult)?
His maturity as a writer came to fruition in his Silver John stories.
I had hoped that his return to the character of Thunstone in his later years would carry over some of what he had learned. Unfortunately, in his 80s at this point, it appears that Wellman's powers as a writer were on the wane.
The character still lacks all depth, but the writing itself is lifeless and boring. This is the least scary horror book I have ever read. If you need something to help you get to sleep you can't go wrong with it.
His maturity as a writer came to fruition in his Silver John stories.
I had hoped that his return to the character of Thunstone in his later years would carry over some of what he had learned. Unfortunately, in his 80s at this point, it appears that Wellman's powers as a writer were on the wane.
The character still lacks all depth, but the writing itself is lifeless and boring. This is the least scary horror book I have ever read. If you need something to help you get to sleep you can't go wrong with it.
June 10, 2019
Meh. Two and a half stars. It is as if Wellman read Dennis Wheatley's "The Devil Rides Out" and said "I think I can do better than that!" and not quite nailing it. The same somewhat preachy tone as Wheatley, but not as well written. It is tempting to compare this to a Hardy Boys mystery, but that does a disservice to that series. Entertaining up to a point, but one expects (actually, deserves) a decent showdown scene between the protagonists and the antagonists, but one would be woefully mistaken in that supposition. Generally speaking, I enjoy Wellman's light prose, but this just didn't do anything for me. Two and a half stars, and I think that's being rather generous.
October 5, 2021
A very pulp adventure, with the good and bad that comes with that.
November 1, 2009
Not as great as I hoped it would be. The writing felt clunky and the story wasn't particularly gripping. Overall a pleasant enough diversion, but I'm hoping Wellman's 'John the Balladeer' character is more interesting.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews