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The Hum and the Shiver

The Tufa Novels, Book 1

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The Hum and the Shiver

By: Alex Bledsoe
Narrated by: Emily Janice Card, Stefan Rudnicki
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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?

©2011 Alex Bledsoe (P)2011 Blackstone Audio, Inc. Fantasy Fiction Genre Fiction Small Town & Rural Magic
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Critic reviews

“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)
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I chose this book. It was not my usual read, but something intrigued me. Then it took four attempts before I got into it. I really think that it is worth a try. Now I will look out for book two.

The Hum and the Shiver.

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Just finished listening to this, thoroughly enjoyed it. I don't normally write reviews, but I can't let this one go completely unreviewed, it deserves to be listened to.

I'm sure you can all read reviews of the paper version of this book. Do that now. The first three reviews I read all seem to capture the essence.

I liked this book because it starts off as a complete mystery. There is the ongoing story concerning the return of Bronwyn from Iraq, her convalesence and re-integration into Tufa society, her reaction to and handling of an impending crisis. There is also the drip, drip, drip of snippets of information concerning the Tufa, what they are and where they come from.

There are a lot of characters, all richly detailed. No-one is completely explained, everyone has more history you can learn, no character is too simplistic, they all seem so complicated that it really piques your interest as to where they are going and what will become of them.

Parents beware, though ! I was thinking that this would be a perfect recommendation for my 15-year old daughter (to get her away from yet more vampire stories), but the sexual references are frequent and leave little to the imagination - quite a distraction when you're listening in the car on the way home from work !

All in all, a satisfying listen and I finished the book wanting more. I shall certainly keep a watch out for any succeeding books in the series.

At last, a fantasy with a bit of depth !

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this book grips you from the start and takes you on a thought proving journey. the narration is good.

Powerful

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I was a bit dubious about this book, but some of the following books write ups really drew me in.
I'm glad I did, it's a bit different but gives a good accounting of the supernatural fee in modern times.

I had to carry on

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The most enjoyable part of the experience was the story, which was unusual for me enough to keep me hanging. The characters are well fleshed out and have substance. The challenge with the story is that while it is set in our world, it is describing something that is super natural. But the complexities of everyday life and challenges are familiar enough. It reminded me of the 'Wood Wife', another similar story. In terms of audio I liked the realistic American accents of the narrator which brought the story to life. AS a non/native english speaker, I wouldn't be able to read the book on its own as phonetics in english are harder to read for me. Plus I tend to listen on the go when I don't have time to sit and read.

Overall it is a good book with some rivoting themes, I particularly like that fact that the characters are able to evolve in some way and that they can be critical of their own environment. In other words they are quite realistic. This can be rare in fantasy fiction.

An unexpected surprise

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