About Mountain Folk (The Folklore Cycle Book 1)
Journey into an extraordinary reimagining of America’s founding, where history and fantasy collide in spectacular fashion. In Mountain Folk, master storyteller John Hood weaves a spellbinding tale that brings together iconic American heroes, mythical creatures, and the epic struggle for independence in ways readers have never experienced before.Goran, a rare fairy capable of surviving in the human world without magical protection, serves as a secret agent for the rangers guild across the British colonies. His missions lead him through the untamed wilderness of early America, where he crosses paths with legendary figures such as Daniel Boone and George Washington. But this isn’t the history you know — it’s a world where monsters from European and Native American folklore lurk in ancient forests, where dwarves walk among settlers, and where water maidens emerge from mist-shrouded lakes.When the brewing American Revolution threatens to tear apart both human and fairy realms, Goran faces an impossible choice: honor his duty to help fairies suppress the revolution or stand with his human friends in their desperate fight for freedom. Set against the backdrop of America’s most pivotal historical moment, Mountain Folk masterfully blends historical accuracy with epic fantasy, creating an adventure that will forever change how you see the American Revolution.Perfect for fans of historical fantasy and alternative history, this innovative novel offers a fresh perspective on America’s founders while exploring timeless themes of loyalty, friendship, and the price of freedom.Editorial Reviews:“Mountain Folk combines frontier history with fantasy creatures in a fun and unexpected manner.” — Winston-Salem Journal“Fairies, elves, dwarves, water maidens, monsters, and more. Soldiers and heroes of the American Revolution. Founding Fathers of our country like Washington and Jefferson. Cherokee and Shawnee women and warriors. A minister turned soldier and politician who is unembarrassed to quote Scripture. Throw all these ingredients into a stew pot of fiction, turn up the burner, and you soon have bubbling on the stove John Hood’s Mountain Folk . . . I found it both entertaining and educational.” — Jeff Minick, Smoky Mountain Living“Beyond the epic fantasy itself, the best magic in Mountain Folk is the sorcery that will make early American history accessible to a wide swath of ages, tween to adult, who would otherwise eschew the subject. Not since John Jakes’ The American Bicentennial Series has the story of our nation’s founding been so engaging and approachable.” —Tom Mayer, The Mountain Times“Mountain Folk celebrates America’s founding and its iconic heroes by blending real-life characters and events with elements of magic, myth, and mountain folklore.” — CNS News“A classic.” — The Epoch Times
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Learn More About The Author
John Hood is president of the John William Pope Foundation, a Raleigh-based grantmaker that supports public policy organizations, educational institutions, arts and cultural programs, and humanitarian relief in North Carolina and beyond.
Hood is also the former chairman of the board at the John Locke Foundation, a North Carolina think tank that issues reports, hosts events, produces broadcast programs, and publishes Carolina Journal, which serves a monthly audience of more than half a million North Carolinians through its print, radio, and online editions as well as its news service. Hood helped found JLF in 1989 and served as its president from 1995 to 2014.
Since 1986, Hood has written a syndicated column on politics and public policy for North Carolina newspapers. It currently appears regularly in the Winston-Salem Journal, Greensboro News & Record, Triangle Business Journal, and newspapers in 50 other communities. Hood is a frequent radio and TV commentator and teaches at Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy.
Hood is the author of nine books, including two novels in his Folklore Cycle series of historical-fantasy tales: Mountain Folk (2021), largely set during the American Revolution, and Forest Folk (2022), largely set during the War of 1812. His other books include Catalyst: Jim Martin and the Rise of North Carolina Republicans (2015), Our Best Foot Forward: An Investment Plan for North Carolina’s Economic Recovery (2012), Selling the Dream: Why Advertising is Good Business (2005), Investor Politics (2001), The Heroic Enterprise: Business and the Common Good (1996), and two volumes of family history.
A former Bradley Fellow at the Heritage Foundation, Hood writes and comments frequently for national media outlets. His articles have appeared in magazines such as National Review, Readers’ Digest, The New Republic, The Spectator, Military History, and Reason as well as newspapers such as The Wall Street Journal and USA Today.
At JLF, Hood created the E.A. Morris Fellowship for Emerging Leaders, which prepares young North Carolinians for leadership roles in the public and private sectors. He also serves on the faculty and as board chairman of the N.C. Institute of Political Leadership; as co-chair of the North Carolina Leadership Forum, based at Duke University; as vice-chair of the James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal; and on the boards of directors of the State Policy Network and the Student Free Press Association. He is a former member of the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill Board of Visitors and currently serves as vice chair of North Carolina Public Radio (WUNC) and on the foundation board for UNC’s Hussman School of Journalism and Media.
Hood received his B.A. in journalism from UNC-Chapel Hill. He earned a M.A. in liberal studies and a graduate certificate in nonprofit management from UNC-Greensboro. He is a Mecklenburg County native and currently resides in Wake County with his wife, two sons, and a stepdaughter.