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Tufa #5
Gather Her Round
In Cloud County, where music and Tufa, the otherworldly fae community, intermix, a monster roams the forest, while another kind of evil lurks in the hearts of men.
Young Tufa woman Kera Rogers disappears while hiking in the woods by Needsville. Soon, her half-eaten remains are found, and hunters discover the culprits: a horde of wild hogs led by a massive boar with seemingly supernatural strength.
Kera’s boyfriend Duncan Gowen mourns her death, until he finds evidence she cheated on him with his best friend Adam Procure. When Adam’s body is the next one found, who is to blame: Duncan or the monstrous swine?
As winter descends and determined hunters pursue beasts across the Appalachians, other Tufa seek the truth behind Adam and Kera’s deaths. What answers will unfold come spring?
Young Tufa woman Kera Rogers disappears while hiking in the woods by Needsville. Soon, her half-eaten remains are found, and hunters discover the culprits: a horde of wild hogs led by a massive boar with seemingly supernatural strength.
Kera’s boyfriend Duncan Gowen mourns her death, until he finds evidence she cheated on him with his best friend Adam Procure. When Adam’s body is the next one found, who is to blame: Duncan or the monstrous swine?
As winter descends and determined hunters pursue beasts across the Appalachians, other Tufa seek the truth behind Adam and Kera’s deaths. What answers will unfold come spring?
320 pages, Hardcover
First published March 7, 2017
46 people are currently reading
486 people want to read
About the author
Alex Bledsoe
67 books794 followersI grew up in west Tennessee an hour north of Graceland (home of Elvis) and twenty minutes from Nutbush (home of Tina Turner). I've been a reporter, editor, photographer and door-to-door vacuum cleaner salesman. I now live in a big yellow house in Wisconsin, write before six in the morning and try to teach my two kids to act like they've been to town before.
I write the Tufa novels (The Hum and the Shiver, Wisp of a Thing, Long Black Curl and Chapel of Ease), as well as the Eddie LaCrosse series (The Sword-Edged Blonde, Burn Me Deadly, Dark Jenny, Wake of the Bloody Angel and He Drank, and Saw the Spider). the Firefly Witch ebook chapbooks, and two "vampsloitation" novels set in 1975 Memphis (Blood Groove and The Girls with Games of Blood).
I write the Tufa novels (The Hum and the Shiver, Wisp of a Thing, Long Black Curl and Chapel of Ease), as well as the Eddie LaCrosse series (The Sword-Edged Blonde, Burn Me Deadly, Dark Jenny, Wake of the Bloody Angel and He Drank, and Saw the Spider). the Firefly Witch ebook chapbooks, and two "vampsloitation" novels set in 1975 Memphis (Blood Groove and The Girls with Games of Blood).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 106 reviews
April 7, 2018
Gather Her Round is the fifth book in the Tufa series, and the last one I had to listen to before I read the final book in the series. The Tufa series is fabulous and I recommend reading the books from the beginning. I especially think so after having finished the last book, but I will get to that one when I review The Fairies of Sadieville.
Gather Her Around has the most gruesome scenes in all the books. Just imagine someone getting attacked and eaten by wild hogs and you get the picture. In this case, is it a young girl named Kara who happens to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. It's up to ex-military Bronwyn Chess (read more about her in the first Tufa book) together with game warden Jack Cates to find and hunt the wild hogs down. However, they are not alone in the hunt. Kara's boyfriend Duncan wants to kill the wild hogs too, and he's also enlisting his best friend Adam Procure in it. Adam who has been seeing Kara behind Duncan back. Which Duncan finds out after Kara's death. Duncan will be the last one to see Adam alive...
This book has the usual Tufa mysteries, which Jack Cates will discover some of when he hits it off with Bliss Overbay, a First Daughter of the Tufa and there are some strange things concerning the wild hogs. As with the previous books is the book absolutely wonderful to listen to with its captivating story and I've come to really love the characters.
Gather Her Around has the most gruesome scenes in all the books. Just imagine someone getting attacked and eaten by wild hogs and you get the picture. In this case, is it a young girl named Kara who happens to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. It's up to ex-military Bronwyn Chess (read more about her in the first Tufa book) together with game warden Jack Cates to find and hunt the wild hogs down. However, they are not alone in the hunt. Kara's boyfriend Duncan wants to kill the wild hogs too, and he's also enlisting his best friend Adam Procure in it. Adam who has been seeing Kara behind Duncan back. Which Duncan finds out after Kara's death. Duncan will be the last one to see Adam alive...
This book has the usual Tufa mysteries, which Jack Cates will discover some of when he hits it off with Bliss Overbay, a First Daughter of the Tufa and there are some strange things concerning the wild hogs. As with the previous books is the book absolutely wonderful to listen to with its captivating story and I've come to really love the characters.
March 19, 2017
I haven’t been as taken by a series of books and a writer’s abilities as I have Bledsoe and his Tufa novels in quite some time. There’s something about the world Bledsoe has created in his fictional Cloud County and this race of displaced fairies, the Tufa, which makes me desperate to know more. I want to know all their secrets!
In the Tufa books, Bledsoe has a whole people to take stories from, a sort of Spoon River Anthology of backwoods rural folk. There’s no central character to his stories, usually. Instead, the community of Needsville and the Tufa people become the protagonist. This means that Bledsoe can approach the community from any angle. There is a multitude of characters that can grace his pages, and endless wealth of stories to tell.
In GATHER HER ROUND, the fifth outing in Cloud County, the community of Tufa have been struck by a tragedy: a monster pig, bred and raised domestically but released and gone feral, has killed one of their own. Hard to think a catalyst like this could turn into a love story, but the Tufa say that all songs are love songs.
Like the other books, Bledsoe’s prose is tight and effortless. It compels you to read more. His affection for his characters is evident, and his grasp on the community as a whole is total. The greatest travesty is that it takes a year (or more) for a new Tufa novel to emerge from this fertile landscape he’s created and I’m stuck waiting, desperate for the next one, the images and ideas of the most recent book plaguing me like an earworm that gets stuck in your head and leaves you humming the same song for weeks.
All of these books are fantastic. GATHER HER ROUND is no exception, a five-star novel in every way, shape, and form. Alex has said that the sixth trip through Cloud County is on its way. I will have to wait patiently for it to arrive, because I’m sure it will be another must-read novel.
In the Tufa books, Bledsoe has a whole people to take stories from, a sort of Spoon River Anthology of backwoods rural folk. There’s no central character to his stories, usually. Instead, the community of Needsville and the Tufa people become the protagonist. This means that Bledsoe can approach the community from any angle. There is a multitude of characters that can grace his pages, and endless wealth of stories to tell.
In GATHER HER ROUND, the fifth outing in Cloud County, the community of Tufa have been struck by a tragedy: a monster pig, bred and raised domestically but released and gone feral, has killed one of their own. Hard to think a catalyst like this could turn into a love story, but the Tufa say that all songs are love songs.
Like the other books, Bledsoe’s prose is tight and effortless. It compels you to read more. His affection for his characters is evident, and his grasp on the community as a whole is total. The greatest travesty is that it takes a year (or more) for a new Tufa novel to emerge from this fertile landscape he’s created and I’m stuck waiting, desperate for the next one, the images and ideas of the most recent book plaguing me like an earworm that gets stuck in your head and leaves you humming the same song for weeks.
All of these books are fantastic. GATHER HER ROUND is no exception, a five-star novel in every way, shape, and form. Alex has said that the sixth trip through Cloud County is on its way. I will have to wait patiently for it to arrive, because I’m sure it will be another must-read novel.
March 15, 2017
A new song on the night wind
I am always struck dumb after reading one of the Tufa novels. There is absolutely nothing my poor voice could say that could explain them or explain how they strike a certain chord in the heart that makes you want them to be true. In fact, a part of me always believes that somehow, somewhere, they really are true, and that Cloud County exists on some plane or other. They ring so true in the heart I think because his voice is so similar to the Appalachian stories and songs I grew up hearing, and he gives it all that slight magical twist that marks the work of the gifted writer. In the end, he has written a song, and Alex Bledsoe's songs of the Tufa couldn't be better.
I am always struck dumb after reading one of the Tufa novels. There is absolutely nothing my poor voice could say that could explain them or explain how they strike a certain chord in the heart that makes you want them to be true. In fact, a part of me always believes that somehow, somewhere, they really are true, and that Cloud County exists on some plane or other. They ring so true in the heart I think because his voice is so similar to the Appalachian stories and songs I grew up hearing, and he gives it all that slight magical twist that marks the work of the gifted writer. In the end, he has written a song, and Alex Bledsoe's songs of the Tufa couldn't be better.
March 10, 2017
Feels like a filler story, a placeholder for the next. I kept expecting something more to happen.
January 4, 2021
I'm trucking through these novels, which follow the Urban Fantasy formula except they take place in Appalachia. The Tufa, a mysterious ethnic group that outsiders believe is some mixed-race blend of white, black, and Native American, but are actually the descendants of the Tuatha Dé Danann, are once again roiled by an old-fashioned hill country soap opera that brings outsiders poking around.
It all starts when a teenage girl is banging two boys. Which, we are told, the Tufa do not really care about, since they are neither Christian nor completely human and their morals aren't conventional ones. Of course, we were told in the last book that the Tufa don't really care about sexual orientation either, but that didn't prevent the "bad" Tufa from making "faggot" jokes every page or so.
Kara, our hot-to-trot teenage protagonist, is just mulling over which of her beaus she should bang tonight when she encounters a giant killer hog out in the woods, and gets gored and eaten. The Tufa may not be completely human, but they can still die in stupid ways.
As the town, and the local wildlife control anti-hog task force (yes, really, apparently wild hogs are a real problem in Appalachia, though usually not car-sized ones) goes a'hunting, both of Kara's exes decide they want to kill the thing too... for revenge. Well, they are teenage boys, therefore, not too bright. One of them doesn't know the other one knew he was also doing Kara, so when they go out at night to find the hog.... there is, you might say, a kind of hunting accident.
The rest of the book is about the search for the hog, and the search for the answers behind Adam Procure's death. Duncan, the guilt-ridden buddy of the dead boy, ends up being "comforted" by Adam's hot younger sister.
So, Gather Her Round is mostly a soap opera. But there's also some more faerie mysticism, as Mandalay Harris, the twelve-year-old girl with all the memories of thousands of years of Tufa keeps making cryptic statements about how "things are going to change." Everyone is jumpy about whether the spirit, or haint, of Rockhouse Hicks, the mean and nasty leader of the "Unseelie" Tufa who died a couple of books ago, is still around. And there is some music, as the Tufa really like music.
The Tufa saga is light reading, but remains passably entertaining. It seems as if the books are leading up to some significant change in the status quo, but that might not be until the author has milked the series dry.
It all starts when a teenage girl is banging two boys. Which, we are told, the Tufa do not really care about, since they are neither Christian nor completely human and their morals aren't conventional ones. Of course, we were told in the last book that the Tufa don't really care about sexual orientation either, but that didn't prevent the "bad" Tufa from making "faggot" jokes every page or so.
Kara, our hot-to-trot teenage protagonist, is just mulling over which of her beaus she should bang tonight when she encounters a giant killer hog out in the woods, and gets gored and eaten. The Tufa may not be completely human, but they can still die in stupid ways.
As the town, and the local wildlife control anti-hog task force (yes, really, apparently wild hogs are a real problem in Appalachia, though usually not car-sized ones) goes a'hunting, both of Kara's exes decide they want to kill the thing too... for revenge. Well, they are teenage boys, therefore, not too bright. One of them doesn't know the other one knew he was also doing Kara, so when they go out at night to find the hog.... there is, you might say, a kind of hunting accident.
The rest of the book is about the search for the hog, and the search for the answers behind Adam Procure's death. Duncan, the guilt-ridden buddy of the dead boy, ends up being "comforted" by Adam's hot younger sister.
So, Gather Her Round is mostly a soap opera. But there's also some more faerie mysticism, as Mandalay Harris, the twelve-year-old girl with all the memories of thousands of years of Tufa keeps making cryptic statements about how "things are going to change." Everyone is jumpy about whether the spirit, or haint, of Rockhouse Hicks, the mean and nasty leader of the "Unseelie" Tufa who died a couple of books ago, is still around. And there is some music, as the Tufa really like music.
The Tufa saga is light reading, but remains passably entertaining. It seems as if the books are leading up to some significant change in the status quo, but that might not be until the author has milked the series dry.
May 29, 2017
This time it's a purely rural fantasy, including violent folk songs, a monster hog and a ghost seeking revenge. Told as a story in a story, you get to see several characters in action, several who are pretty despicable. A decent read, if a bit of a downer, I liked other books in the series better.
November 30, 2016
I was lucky enough to get an advanced reader copy of this book, which is good, because I couldn't wait to read it! As usual, author Alex Bledsoe writes like a dream, with intriguing characters and a plot full of surprises. Another winner.
June 22, 2017
I fell in love with this series and couldn't wait to get my hands on this book. It didn't disappoint.
The Tufa world is rich and flowing and mystical, as well as dark, gritty, and earthy. Bledsoe shows us the worst and the best in the world in a way that makes it unforgettable.
The Tufa world is rich and flowing and mystical, as well as dark, gritty, and earthy. Bledsoe shows us the worst and the best in the world in a way that makes it unforgettable.
January 29, 2021
Notes:
Currently on Audiblre Plus
I love how the stories never lose a touch of otherness. In the first two books, it was the Tufa that held the most mystery. Later, the stories show glimpses of other mysteries that are a part of this world and that is pretty cool. =)
Currently on Audiblre Plus
I love how the stories never lose a touch of otherness. In the first two books, it was the Tufa that held the most mystery. Later, the stories show glimpses of other mysteries that are a part of this world and that is pretty cool. =)
July 21, 2017
5+ stars This was an outstanding book!!
Alex Bledsoe just keeps getting better. I am absolutely in love with this series.
Alex Bledsoe just keeps getting better. I am absolutely in love with this series.
March 30, 2017
Alex Bledsoe got me hook line and sinker with his first novel of the Tufa The Hum and the Shiver. With each subsequent Tufa tale, he reels me in further. There are so many elements about the series which keep me reading: the backstory, the setting, the depth of the characters, not to mention the incredible story arcs that weave and wander between the books creating a tapestry that delights, surprises, and satisfies. When I read a Tufa novel, the plots of each book engage me, but the writing-- oh, the writing! In a seemingly effortless, unpretentious, uncluttered way, Bledsoe brings the sounds, smells, and sights of Cloud County to vivid reality in my own imagination. I am transported to walk among the characters he has created, a silent observer, watching the good, the evil, and the in-between create the paths of their lives. These are stories that ring with song, those rich ballads from ages ago, and new ones filled with love, longing, and a touch of magic.
Kera Rogers set out one afternoon to practice her music at a favorite spot in the woods. A text conversation with her boyfriend abruptly cuts off and Kera is believed to have fallen victim to the wild hogs, led by a monstrous, seemingly supernatural one. When the young man she was seeing behind her boyfriend's back is the next to die, the plot, as they say, thickens. One of the things I particularly enjoyed about this tale was the telling: the split format of an adult Janet at the Smoky Mountain storytelling festival, relating the tale while intertwining her music and the basic narrative unwinding the memory of a happening in her girlhood.
If you've read any of the Tufa series, you may see characters you've met in other books, but if you've never come to Cloud County in your reading before, this, as with any of the books in the series, gives an easy glide in, without a preponderance of fill-in to catch you up.
Bottom line: thank you Alex Bledsoe. You keep writing; I'll keep reading.
Thank you to Tor Books for this copy.
Kera Rogers set out one afternoon to practice her music at a favorite spot in the woods. A text conversation with her boyfriend abruptly cuts off and Kera is believed to have fallen victim to the wild hogs, led by a monstrous, seemingly supernatural one. When the young man she was seeing behind her boyfriend's back is the next to die, the plot, as they say, thickens. One of the things I particularly enjoyed about this tale was the telling: the split format of an adult Janet at the Smoky Mountain storytelling festival, relating the tale while intertwining her music and the basic narrative unwinding the memory of a happening in her girlhood.
If you've read any of the Tufa series, you may see characters you've met in other books, but if you've never come to Cloud County in your reading before, this, as with any of the books in the series, gives an easy glide in, without a preponderance of fill-in to catch you up.
Bottom line: thank you Alex Bledsoe. You keep writing; I'll keep reading.
Thank you to Tor Books for this copy.
May 6, 2017
I read and reread the past four Tufa books very carefully, looking for things that would create beautiful scenes in a coloring book. (I drew The Tufa Coloring Book.) So, I was relieved recently to crack open Alex Bledsoe's latest book, Gather Her Round, and just, you know. Read it.
Having read the previous four so closely further enriched my reading experience of the fifth. I knew what to expect, and when I found it, it was comfortable and cozy. And then when the unexpected happened, that made it all the more exciting.
Gather Her Round has all of the elements which made me love the other Tufa novels:
- The magical forest as a setting.
- The strong female characters.
- The songs.
- The tribal rituals elevated to a higher level of intelligence.
- The outsider discovering the Tufa for the first time.
- Rednecks as real, relatable people.
- The clash between the two Tufa groups.
- Riding the night winds!
All that, and more, of course. Gather Her Round most notably also has a mythical beast, really more of a horror story type beast, but written without excessive gore. We don't know if the wild boar is a normal pig escaped from a farm, or something conjured by a haint, or if it's, as the fortune teller says, "mostly real," but not entirely. Perhaps the Night Winds conjured it? The mystery of the whole thing kept me reading. And then there was also the interesting guilt of not really killing someone, and not really not killing someone. The whole thing made for a good story, well told.
Oh, and it's a story within a story, one of my favorite things! (cue Julie Andrews) The whole tale is told by a Tufa keeping everyone on the edge of their seats at a storytelling event.
August 29, 2018
97 points/100 (5/5 stars!)
Alert: Gushing Incoming
If it has a man and a woman in it, it is a love story. One day, Kera Rogers disappears while taking a hike in the woods, and turns of half-eaten by wild hogs. Her boyfriend, Duncan Gowen, mourns her until he finds his best friend was also with her and he didn't know. So he plans his revenge. The hog keeps getting bolder, and hunters pursue it to stop the threat, but the Tufa also have a monster to track.
Well, shit. That was amazing.
This was a tale that was told after the fact. We are being told a story. It is the tale worthy of a Shakespearean tragedy. It is obvious by now that the Tufa are not nice people, as a collective. They are as cold and cruel to each other as they are to non-Tufa. There are no happy endings to be had.
As with the first three books, this also has multiple plots. The major one is like if A Midsummer Night's Dream was a tragedy with a bunch of horrible people in it. It actually took months to complete, and the ending to the tale was absolutely amazing. I don't want to give away too much about it, because it is truly well put together.
There is also young Mandalay, now 13 years old. She is trying to figure out how to be the leader they need her to be. She is young, she knows people see her as young, especially outsiders. It hurts her that she isn't able to do everything she is supposed to. She is trying to find the balance between kid and leader that she has been balancing upon since she was born. I really love Mandalay. I feel like I've been watching her grow up this entire time through the series, and I love it.
I can't remember if Janet Harper is a character new to this book or not. Either way, she becomes a full character in this book. She is only a couple of years older than Mandalay, passionate about what she is passionate about, and carefree about the rest. She is frequently in her room smoking pot with her best friend, she loves music more than boys or girls, and wants to be a journalist. Mandalay has been hearing her name on the wind, though, and she has a part to play. And play she does.
This book is so intrinsically fae. I compared this book to A Midsummer Night's Dream for many reasons, and part of it is because this is so fae. There is music and wild animals, death and love, destruction and heartbreak, and a bit of something that is pure magic. I love fae, and Gather Her Round is the best of the reasons why I do. I've read so many series that try to be as good as just one chapter of this book was.
I only have one more book to read in this series now, and I'm dreading the end as much as I'm looking forward to reading it.
To read out more reviews in this series and others, check out keikii eats books!
Alert: Gushing Incoming
If it has a man and a woman in it, it is a love story. One day, Kera Rogers disappears while taking a hike in the woods, and turns of half-eaten by wild hogs. Her boyfriend, Duncan Gowen, mourns her until he finds his best friend was also with her and he didn't know. So he plans his revenge. The hog keeps getting bolder, and hunters pursue it to stop the threat, but the Tufa also have a monster to track.
Well, shit. That was amazing.
This was a tale that was told after the fact. We are being told a story. It is the tale worthy of a Shakespearean tragedy. It is obvious by now that the Tufa are not nice people, as a collective. They are as cold and cruel to each other as they are to non-Tufa. There are no happy endings to be had.
As with the first three books, this also has multiple plots. The major one is like if A Midsummer Night's Dream was a tragedy with a bunch of horrible people in it. It actually took months to complete, and the ending to the tale was absolutely amazing. I don't want to give away too much about it, because it is truly well put together.
There is also young Mandalay, now 13 years old. She is trying to figure out how to be the leader they need her to be. She is young, she knows people see her as young, especially outsiders. It hurts her that she isn't able to do everything she is supposed to. She is trying to find the balance between kid and leader that she has been balancing upon since she was born. I really love Mandalay. I feel like I've been watching her grow up this entire time through the series, and I love it.
I can't remember if Janet Harper is a character new to this book or not. Either way, she becomes a full character in this book. She is only a couple of years older than Mandalay, passionate about what she is passionate about, and carefree about the rest. She is frequently in her room smoking pot with her best friend, she loves music more than boys or girls, and wants to be a journalist. Mandalay has been hearing her name on the wind, though, and she has a part to play. And play she does.
This book is so intrinsically fae. I compared this book to A Midsummer Night's Dream for many reasons, and part of it is because this is so fae. There is music and wild animals, death and love, destruction and heartbreak, and a bit of something that is pure magic. I love fae, and Gather Her Round is the best of the reasons why I do. I've read so many series that try to be as good as just one chapter of this book was.
I only have one more book to read in this series now, and I'm dreading the end as much as I'm looking forward to reading it.
To read out more reviews in this series and others, check out keikii eats books!
June 17, 2017
4+ stars
Bledsoe is a master at creating a world and a story with the things he doesn't say, and his Tufa series is a shining example of how the art of subtlety can creep inside you and blossom. Now into book five I find that the vague sense of haunting that accompanies the setting and the characters of this series only serves to accentuate the duality of also feeling like I'm coming home when I start a Tufa story. Gather Her Round is at once a warm, welcoming blanket and a chilling, dark knot in your stomach.
I consider this series one of this year's finds and I look forward to more to come.
Bledsoe is a master at creating a world and a story with the things he doesn't say, and his Tufa series is a shining example of how the art of subtlety can creep inside you and blossom. Now into book five I find that the vague sense of haunting that accompanies the setting and the characters of this series only serves to accentuate the duality of also feeling like I'm coming home when I start a Tufa story. Gather Her Round is at once a warm, welcoming blanket and a chilling, dark knot in your stomach.
I consider this series one of this year's finds and I look forward to more to come.
September 21, 2018
When a mysterious giant feral pig kills a Tufa girl, her boyfriend makes a bad decision that will haunt him for the rest of his life.
I adore the Tufa books! They're grounded in such utter reality that the magicalness seems real and true as well. The author does a great job making you see that even the characters who are 'bad' have reasons behind what they do. You couldn't pay me enough money to live in Cloud County, but I definitely enjoy the visits.
The first book in the volume is still my favorite but this is the second best. Definitely give this series a try!
I adore the Tufa books! They're grounded in such utter reality that the magicalness seems real and true as well. The author does a great job making you see that even the characters who are 'bad' have reasons behind what they do. You couldn't pay me enough money to live in Cloud County, but I definitely enjoy the visits.
The first book in the volume is still my favorite but this is the second best. Definitely give this series a try!
November 7, 2017
Filled with Tufa greatness.
June 9, 2017
These books are wonderful summer reads, now if only they had an index of songs and singers at the end.
September 6, 2018
Of all the Tufa books, this was my least liked, mostly because one of the lead characters was a good for nothing young man (Duncan), a member of the Tufa tribe who resemble the stereotypical rednecks. It's about his girlfriend Kera, who was also going around with Duncan's best friend Adam, and what happened when they met the giant hog.
May 24, 2017
I'm pretty sad that I'll have to wait another year for a new Tufa book. I've got another author to watch for now. This series is so good! I highly recommend if you like fantasy/American stories steeped in folklore and custom.
March 19, 2017
So, I'm a huge fan of the Tufa novels. But this one might be my favorite. It's a monster story with a focus on human relationships. And the magical side of the Tufa is downplayed almost to non-existence. However, that serves the story very well. Mr. Bledsoe is masterful at dialogue and character development. You really can relate to the people and the events in the novel. It helps to have read the previous novels. Back-stories can only help with the depth of emotion in certain situations. But this novel doesn't need that. There's enough in it for the casual reader who may never have read a Tufa story to understand everything. Surprisingly, the tension in the book is not some grand scheme of someone trying to kill or ruin everything. The plot is more localized and in reality more effective for it. You want to know about the "monster" and how to stop it. But you also care more about the choices made by the characters and how they affect events. I loved this book. The way music and stories weave themselves in and out of the narrative makes all of the Tufa books some of my favorite serial novels. I've always been of the opinion that music is the common language that we all share. And these books seem to operate under the same premise. Bravo!
December 13, 2020
Definitely not the best in the series. And, in fact, it’s my least favorite to date. It didn’t really advance anything regarding the nature and society of the Tufa. It was simply a slow moving who dunnit of sorts that never really went anywhere. I sure hope with next book the series gets back on track.
March 11, 2017
I'm not sure why I enjoyed this one so much. Maybe it seemed as it tied up some ends from previous books while telling this story moved the whole story forward and I appreciated the format of the story. Beautiful! Can't wait for the next one!
December 9, 2017
I was quite disappointed. The last two Tufa novels have been trending downward after the first three were so engrossing. The main characters were unlikable so didn’t care much about what happened to them. When all was said and done, there wasn’t much to the story.
April 19, 2019
My least favourite of the Tufa novels. Most of the story centers on a giant hog running amok in Cloud county causing murder and mayhem. I liked the character development with the regulars (Bliss and Mandalay) but the new characters seemed flat.
July 7, 2021
Definitely the poorest of the series so far. The book starts off fairly interesting, but then it just drags on and on for its better half, with the ever so frequent mention of the wild hog, only to pick up pace by the end.
January 19, 2019
These books are so lyrical and amazing, even when filled with horror and terror. This one was one of the best.
August 30, 2022
This has been my least favorite of this series so far, but there’s only one left, so lll still be finishing it!
May 21, 2023
Gather Her Roundis unusual, even for a novel of the Tufa. The story is introduced as a story that Janet Harper, now a famous singer and storyteller of Tufa heritage is telling at a national storytelling festival. She tells it as a story that she personally knew of and even had a small part in. Most of the story that appears in the book seems to be a bit different from the festival version. But we come back to the festival several times in the middle of the story.
The actual story begins with Kera Rogers, a young and very modern Tufa woman, whose Tufa blood is nevertheless rather thin, being eaten by a monster as she is on her way through the woods to a favorite rock where she liked to practice her tin whistle.
Her boyfriend – one of her two boyfriends, but he doesn’t know about the other one yet – is mystified when she suddenly stops in the middle of a texting conversation. But he isn’t sufficiently worried to go looking for her until much later in the day. Then, after calls from her father and his best friend, he heads out to where she should have been. When he reaches the rock, he finds smears of blood and her pennywhistle and knows she is gone.
When he returns to her house, they call the only Tufa state trooper and Bliss Overbay, the county paramedic. They, along with a couple of local men, survey the site and make a preliminary hypothesis that it was wild hogs. But were they just animals?
Some days later, Duncan (the boyfriend) returns to the site and discovers Kera’s cell phone undiscovered in the brush. He takes it home without telling anybody. And discovers that, apparently she was also seeing his best friend, Adam. He is furiously angry, not that they had dated, but that they had done so without telling him.
The real tragedy of this story is what happens to Duncan and Adam after this discovery. The pigs – particularly the one giant hog – are still in it, and still a baffling mystery, but they don’t seem to have nearly the power to disrupt the peace of the land that the betrayals surrounding Kera’s infidelity do. And this is in a culture where Puritan attitudes about sex aren’t even a factor.
The Tufa are divided into two clans. One of the earlier Tufa books named them the Seelie and the Unseelie – the two divisions of Celtic fairies in Ireland and/or Scotland. I’d have to spend too much time researching to get back to which is which among the Cloud County Tufa, but one of the factions was formerly controlled by Rockhouse Hicks (now deceased) who left a long legacy of bitterness of various kinds. Kera, Duncan, and Adam were members of Rockhouse’s group, which is now controlled by Junior Damo. At one point, Duncan goes to Junior for guidance. It’s not made really clear what happened in that session, but it seems that Junior may have been channeling Rockhouse, which led to a less-than-stellar outcome. Mandalay Harris (the leader of the other faction) and her people have been discussing whether Rockhouse has been an influence in the monster feral pig attacks, but they have been unable to detect anything of his presence still hanging about even as a ghost.
But earlier today it occurred to me that, just as Mandalay receives guidance from the former leaders of her group even though they are now deceased, it is possible that, for better or worse, Junior may now have the same sort of access to counsel from Rockhouse, who is the only former leader of their group.
Maybe a year later, after all the parties to the love triangle and the pig attacks are dead, the team from law enforcement and wildlife resources finally untangles the truth about the monster pig. It turns out that he wasn’t supernatural in origin after all. But he wasn’t entirely natural either. This is an unusual story and well worth reading.
The actual story begins with Kera Rogers, a young and very modern Tufa woman, whose Tufa blood is nevertheless rather thin, being eaten by a monster as she is on her way through the woods to a favorite rock where she liked to practice her tin whistle.
Her boyfriend – one of her two boyfriends, but he doesn’t know about the other one yet – is mystified when she suddenly stops in the middle of a texting conversation. But he isn’t sufficiently worried to go looking for her until much later in the day. Then, after calls from her father and his best friend, he heads out to where she should have been. When he reaches the rock, he finds smears of blood and her pennywhistle and knows she is gone.
When he returns to her house, they call the only Tufa state trooper and Bliss Overbay, the county paramedic. They, along with a couple of local men, survey the site and make a preliminary hypothesis that it was wild hogs. But were they just animals?
Some days later, Duncan (the boyfriend) returns to the site and discovers Kera’s cell phone undiscovered in the brush. He takes it home without telling anybody. And discovers that, apparently she was also seeing his best friend, Adam. He is furiously angry, not that they had dated, but that they had done so without telling him.
The real tragedy of this story is what happens to Duncan and Adam after this discovery. The pigs – particularly the one giant hog – are still in it, and still a baffling mystery, but they don’t seem to have nearly the power to disrupt the peace of the land that the betrayals surrounding Kera’s infidelity do. And this is in a culture where Puritan attitudes about sex aren’t even a factor.
The Tufa are divided into two clans. One of the earlier Tufa books named them the Seelie and the Unseelie – the two divisions of Celtic fairies in Ireland and/or Scotland. I’d have to spend too much time researching to get back to which is which among the Cloud County Tufa, but one of the factions was formerly controlled by Rockhouse Hicks (now deceased) who left a long legacy of bitterness of various kinds. Kera, Duncan, and Adam were members of Rockhouse’s group, which is now controlled by Junior Damo. At one point, Duncan goes to Junior for guidance. It’s not made really clear what happened in that session, but it seems that Junior may have been channeling Rockhouse, which led to a less-than-stellar outcome. Mandalay Harris (the leader of the other faction) and her people have been discussing whether Rockhouse has been an influence in the monster feral pig attacks, but they have been unable to detect anything of his presence still hanging about even as a ghost.
But earlier today it occurred to me that, just as Mandalay receives guidance from the former leaders of her group even though they are now deceased, it is possible that, for better or worse, Junior may now have the same sort of access to counsel from Rockhouse, who is the only former leader of their group.
Maybe a year later, after all the parties to the love triangle and the pig attacks are dead, the team from law enforcement and wildlife resources finally untangles the truth about the monster pig. It turns out that he wasn’t supernatural in origin after all. But he wasn’t entirely natural either. This is an unusual story and well worth reading.
October 28, 2018
Gather Her Round by Alex Bledsoe is book #5 in the Tufa series and followers of this blog know that I am a huge fan of this series. What makes this series so good is that it is not solely about a cast of characters but about the race of Tufas and often, the main characters of each book have never appeared in the prior novels. Yes of course, there is a mainstay of characters but the are as much a part of the setting as the mountains of Appalachia and the secluded town of Needsville.
Young Kera Rogers heads up into the woods near her home. She has hardly a care in the world. She texts her boyfriend Duncan and for Kera the world has all sorts of possibilities. The rules that apply to some women do not apply to Tufa women. Kera can take as many lovers as she wants to without any judgement. Right now Kera has two lovers and she knows that in her heart she only wants one. But how will the one she leaves take it. Its a problem she will never have to face.
Kera disappears and her remains are discovered shortly afterwards. She is a victim of a vicious animal attack and from what little remains of her body, it is determined that if was a herd of feral hogs. But what the people of Needsville fear is that this is not just a normal herd of hogs. At it's head is a monster the size of a car with tusks that can tear the flesh from bone. There is a creature roaming the woods of the Tufa and they begin to wonder what power has sent this beast to hunt them.
Jack Cates, the game warden puts together a team to hunt down the herd, including the one Tufa woman is known outside of Needsville, war veteran Bronwyn Chess. But Cates is challenged not only by the beast itself, but by the silence of the Tufa. He has heard all the stories and rumors of these people. The tales of magic and lawlessness. He soon realizes that he won't receive the help he thinks he needs to find the boar.
Duncan Gowen was Kara's boyfriend and finds himself drinking his pain away. In his hands he holds Kara's cell phone and what he finds out is that she had another lover. One she kept secret. One that turns out to be his best and oldest friend, Adam. What he soon finds is that everyone knew that Kara and Adam were lovers. A right in Tufa culture she had. But in Duncan's heart there is a darkness and anger growing. Duncan convinces Adam to follow him into the woods to hunt down the wild boar that had killed Kara.
Jack and Bronwyn set their traps for the herd when they hear a shot and the screams in the woods. Following the cries they find Duncan shaking. He claims a giant boar rushed out of the woods and impaled Adam, carrying his friend away. The second killing stuns the Tufa, but they can feel on the night winds that all may not be as it seems as two spirits cry out in the woods. Cries for the truth and justice that only the Tufa can bring.
It is hard to describe just how good these tales of the Tufa are. Bledsoe has created a world of fable and lore. Of a people hidden amongst us and exiled from the dream that had been their home. Nothing is as it seems when it comes to the Tufa. There is something very Shirley Jackson like in this novel. Something of old. A tension and a sense of dread. The fleeting happiness Duncan achieves after the deaths of Kara and Adam is fool's gold. The monster in the woods is personified by the wild boar but it is the monster in the heart of Duncan that troubles the Tufa the most. It is that one that must be dealt with.
The tales of the Tufa are a fantasy series written about and written for; adults.
A great book!
Young Kera Rogers heads up into the woods near her home. She has hardly a care in the world. She texts her boyfriend Duncan and for Kera the world has all sorts of possibilities. The rules that apply to some women do not apply to Tufa women. Kera can take as many lovers as she wants to without any judgement. Right now Kera has two lovers and she knows that in her heart she only wants one. But how will the one she leaves take it. Its a problem she will never have to face.
Kera disappears and her remains are discovered shortly afterwards. She is a victim of a vicious animal attack and from what little remains of her body, it is determined that if was a herd of feral hogs. But what the people of Needsville fear is that this is not just a normal herd of hogs. At it's head is a monster the size of a car with tusks that can tear the flesh from bone. There is a creature roaming the woods of the Tufa and they begin to wonder what power has sent this beast to hunt them.
Jack Cates, the game warden puts together a team to hunt down the herd, including the one Tufa woman is known outside of Needsville, war veteran Bronwyn Chess. But Cates is challenged not only by the beast itself, but by the silence of the Tufa. He has heard all the stories and rumors of these people. The tales of magic and lawlessness. He soon realizes that he won't receive the help he thinks he needs to find the boar.
Duncan Gowen was Kara's boyfriend and finds himself drinking his pain away. In his hands he holds Kara's cell phone and what he finds out is that she had another lover. One she kept secret. One that turns out to be his best and oldest friend, Adam. What he soon finds is that everyone knew that Kara and Adam were lovers. A right in Tufa culture she had. But in Duncan's heart there is a darkness and anger growing. Duncan convinces Adam to follow him into the woods to hunt down the wild boar that had killed Kara.
Jack and Bronwyn set their traps for the herd when they hear a shot and the screams in the woods. Following the cries they find Duncan shaking. He claims a giant boar rushed out of the woods and impaled Adam, carrying his friend away. The second killing stuns the Tufa, but they can feel on the night winds that all may not be as it seems as two spirits cry out in the woods. Cries for the truth and justice that only the Tufa can bring.
It is hard to describe just how good these tales of the Tufa are. Bledsoe has created a world of fable and lore. Of a people hidden amongst us and exiled from the dream that had been their home. Nothing is as it seems when it comes to the Tufa. There is something very Shirley Jackson like in this novel. Something of old. A tension and a sense of dread. The fleeting happiness Duncan achieves after the deaths of Kara and Adam is fool's gold. The monster in the woods is personified by the wild boar but it is the monster in the heart of Duncan that troubles the Tufa the most. It is that one that must be dealt with.
The tales of the Tufa are a fantasy series written about and written for; adults.
A great book!
March 13, 2025
I always respect the Tufa books, but I think the ones that blend outsider and insider are more successful than the ones that take place with entirely Tufa characters. With Chapel of Ease, Bledsoe was doing a very intentional kind of uncertainty; but here the uncertainty felt less intentional and more . . . lazy?
Many of the Tufa books have one thing or another that rubs me the wrong way. This particular presentation of Tufa justice seems to depend on my accepting a lot of interpretations that simply don't follow from the facts on the page. And I still don't understand where the (unnatural part of the) pig came from.
Many of the Tufa books have one thing or another that rubs me the wrong way. This particular presentation of Tufa justice seems to depend on my accepting a lot of interpretations that simply don't follow from the facts on the page. And I still don't understand where the (unnatural part of the) pig came from.
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