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The Devil and the Blacksmith: A New England Folktale, Beautifully Illustrated
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A quiet New England village is thrown into turmoil upon the homecoming of a local army private who brings a vengeful spirit back home with him from the horrors of Andersonville Prison Camp of Civil War fame. Based on the Basque folklore legend of THE DEVIL AND THE BLACKSMITH handed down through oral tradition for centuries, exquisite comedy, bravery, and valor offset the tragedy of one Rhode Island families’ loss of faith, home, land, and their most treasured member of the family.
When people think of “folklore,” all kinds of familiar imagery come to from classic tales such as BEOWULF and SLEEPING BEAUTY to a myriad of NATIVE AMERICAN INDIAN MYTH AND LEGENDS, there is a seemingly endless array of imaginative and resonant storytelling that continues to enchant audiences both young and old today. But this imaginative retelling of THE DEVIL AND THE BLACKSMITH takes a much, much more savage approach to that old sort of epic storytelling, and the result is a relentlessly dark, dramatic, and visually striking piece of literature that will leave every reader, every single one, asking themselves if this whole legend might actually be true somehow. But one thing is for certain this is NOT a book for children and whatever you decide to do do not read this story alone in the house at night in the dark. Be forewarned! Strange things are certain to unfold …
A quiet New England village is thrown into turmoil upon the homecoming of a local army private who brings a vengeful spirit back home with him from the horrors of Andersonville Prison Camp of Civil War fame. Based on the Basque folklore legend of THE DEVIL AND THE BLACKSMITH handed down through oral tradition for centuries, exquisite comedy, bravery, and valor offset the tragedy of one Rhode Island families’ loss of faith, home, land, and their most treasured member of the family.
When people think of “folklore,” all kinds of familiar imagery come to from classic tales such as BEOWULF and SLEEPING BEAUTY to a myriad of NATIVE AMERICAN INDIAN MYTH AND LEGENDS, there is a seemingly endless array of imaginative and resonant storytelling that continues to enchant audiences both young and old today. But this imaginative retelling of THE DEVIL AND THE BLACKSMITH takes a much, much more savage approach to that old sort of epic storytelling, and the result is a relentlessly dark, dramatic, and visually striking piece of literature that will leave every reader, every single one, asking themselves if this whole legend might actually be true somehow. But one thing is for certain this is NOT a book for children and whatever you decide to do do not read this story alone in the house at night in the dark. Be forewarned! Strange things are certain to unfold …
- GenresHorror
375 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 9, 2023
7 people are currently reading
126 people want to read
About the author
Jéanpaul Ferro
38 books48 followersAn 10-time Pushcart Prize nominee, Jéanpaul Ferro’s work has appeared on National Public Radio, Contemporary American Voices, Columbia Review, Emerson Review, Connecticut Review, Portland Monthly, Arts & Understanding Magazine, The Providence Journal, Saltsburg Review, Hawaii Review, and others. He is the author of All The Good Promises (Plowman Press, 1994), Becoming X (BlazeVox Books, 2008), You Know Too Much About Flying Saucers (Thumbscrew Press, 2009), Hemispheres (Maverick Duck Press, 2009) Essendo Morti – Being Dead (Goldfish Press, 2009), nominated for the 2010 Griffin Prize in Poetry; and Jazz (Honest Publishing, 2011), nominated for both the 2012 Kingsley Tufts Poetry Prize and the 2012 Griffin Prize in Poetry. He was born and raised in Scituate, Rhode Island.
THE DEVIL AND THE BLACKSMITH: https://www.amazon.com/Devil-Blacksmi...
THE DEVIL AND THE BLACKSMITH, Official Trailer: https://youtu.be/MEGwnZ_oD3o?si=fgC1i...
THE DEVIL AND THE BLACKSMITH: https://www.amazon.com/Devil-Blacksmi...
THE DEVIL AND THE BLACKSMITH, Official Trailer: https://youtu.be/MEGwnZ_oD3o?si=fgC1i...
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
September 19, 2023
A quiet New England village is thrown into turmoil upon the homecoming of a local army private who brings a vengeful spirit back home with him from the horrors of Andersonville Prison Camp of Civil War fame. Based on the Basque folklore legend of THE DEVIL AND THE BLACKSMITH handed down through oral tradition for centuries, exquisite comedy, bravery, and valor offset the tragedy of one Rhode Island families’ loss of faith, home, land, and their most treasured member of the family.
When people think of “folklore,” all kinds of familiar imagery come to mind: from classic tales such as BEOWULF and SLEEPING BEAUTY to a myriad of NATIVE AMERICAN INDIAN MYTH AND LEGENDS, there is a seemingly endless array of imaginative and resonant storytelling that continues to enchant audiences both young and old today. But this imaginative retelling of THE DEVIL AND THE BLACKSMITH takes a much, much more savage approach to that old sort of epic storytelling, and the result is a relentlessly dark, dramatic, and visually striking piece of literature that will leave every reader, every single one, asking themselves if this whole legend might actually be true somehow. But one thing is for certain though: this is NOT a book for children and whatever you decide to do personally: do not read this story alone in the house at night in the dark. Be forewarned! Strange things are certain to unfold …
When people think of “folklore,” all kinds of familiar imagery come to mind: from classic tales such as BEOWULF and SLEEPING BEAUTY to a myriad of NATIVE AMERICAN INDIAN MYTH AND LEGENDS, there is a seemingly endless array of imaginative and resonant storytelling that continues to enchant audiences both young and old today. But this imaginative retelling of THE DEVIL AND THE BLACKSMITH takes a much, much more savage approach to that old sort of epic storytelling, and the result is a relentlessly dark, dramatic, and visually striking piece of literature that will leave every reader, every single one, asking themselves if this whole legend might actually be true somehow. But one thing is for certain though: this is NOT a book for children and whatever you decide to do personally: do not read this story alone in the house at night in the dark. Be forewarned! Strange things are certain to unfold …
October 31, 2023
FYI: Subject matter is dark and adult and at times very scary. "The Devil and the Blacksmith," as plenty of things to be afraid of. A disembodied shadow person that haunts a POW blacksmith from Rhode Island. A Devil that is blood-thristy for Confederate soldiers. Spectors that kill innocent victims in order to munipulate real world events. Until one brave young man stands up to end the madness in a way that one does not see coming that ushers in a new world, but at a price. Startling. Heartbreaking. Yet inspriational at every level. Five stars plus a big smile and a little heartache inside my chest! :) :)
October 31, 2023
Gorgeous. Crazy. Scared me ****less at times. Great family aspect kicks in halfway through the narrative. And then all these threads of New England and Native American folklore is crazy interesting. The Devil and the Blacksmith is an alternative universe of sorts with real historical events woven into a tale like Homer's The Odessey. And a great tragic love story that kicked me right in the heart too! Beautiful. Highly recommend.
June 29, 2025
A few nights i decided to sit down and read this home alone at night....it was scary as hell!!! I loved the descriptions of the woods and atmosphere of Anderson prison camp, love interests and family dynamics were great. Overall super
October 31, 2023
A new classic! Genre-bending at its best.
June 29, 2025
holy mother of fucksticles
that
was
aye-maze-ing
that
was
aye-maze-ing
December 9, 2025
Beautiful retelling of a tragic story with a magical realism element to its narrative like something out of a Fairy Tale nightmare. Gorgeous ending and a real retelling of the magic and love of family. Really enjoyed.
October 31, 2023
Beautiful redtelling of a tragic story with a magical element to it like something in a Fairy Tale nightmare. Gorgeous ending and a real retelling of the magic and love of family.
June 29, 2025
This novel chilled me to the bones. And it is much more than I anticipated as there are ghost stories within stories from New England and native American folklore. Plus the love story and destruction of Scituate, Rhode Island makes you feel like you are there.
I won't give away the end, but THE DEVIL AND THE BLACKSMITH has an epilogue that is unlike any other novels I've ever experienced. Something that raised the hair up on my arms and sent tingles down my spine leaving me wanting to know more, which I'm doing right now. I think other readers will be--I don't know: in shock perhaps as Mr. Ferro has given us all a little gift that really left me bewildered, confused, smiling, a little scared, and scratching my head; a lot. Saying it is a twist is an understatement. Perhaps more like a hallucination that is true? And changes everything you just read? I'll leave what it is and what it means up to each individual reader. But it is a jeweled gift for sure. Five stars for me! Excellent read.
I won't give away the end, but THE DEVIL AND THE BLACKSMITH has an epilogue that is unlike any other novels I've ever experienced. Something that raised the hair up on my arms and sent tingles down my spine leaving me wanting to know more, which I'm doing right now. I think other readers will be--I don't know: in shock perhaps as Mr. Ferro has given us all a little gift that really left me bewildered, confused, smiling, a little scared, and scratching my head; a lot. Saying it is a twist is an understatement. Perhaps more like a hallucination that is true? And changes everything you just read? I'll leave what it is and what it means up to each individual reader. But it is a jeweled gift for sure. Five stars for me! Excellent read.
November 30, 2023
Frighteningly good tale full of terror and surprisingly moving. NOT just a horror novel, but something altogether different from other novels I've read of late. Mr. Ferro has written a love-letter to the horror genre and to New England itself. Kudos!
June 29, 2025
A powerful work of horror the likes of which Shirley Jackson and Stephen King would be proud.
SITLALLI.
SITLALLI.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews