tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1390876285955310032.post1858689142458499960..comments2024-03-26T14:48:15.857-07:00Comments on Rocket Stack Rank: The Man I Love, by James Patrick KellyGreg Hullenderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16720604327299886491noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1390876285955310032.post-11355473268901201932020-07-10T09:32:23.102-07:002020-07-10T09:32:23.102-07:00I would have thought more highly of this story if ...I would have thought more highly of this story if I hadn't been much more impressed by it when I read it the first time about forty years ago, when it was titled "Dumb Supper" by Manly Wade Wellman. (One of his Silver John stories.)<br /><br />This is in no way an accusation of plagiarism: I wouldn't be at all surprised to learn that Wellman's story is based on an old folktale, or an old song, and in any case it's not the bare bones of the idea that matter, it's what you do with it. The problem is that I found Wellman's story much more atmospheric and enthralling. Also, Kelly puts this odd and implausible superstructure around the story - the narrator inherits a bar whose patrons are all ghosts! - whereas John just stumbles into the situation.(Admittedly, this is the kind of thing that happens to John a lot.)<br /><br />And while I've been an admirer of Kelly's fiction for a long time, in this case his narration just can't match the voice in Wellman's story: "But inside, Jeremiah Donavant and Lute Meechum were together at last, and peaceful. So peaceful, I reckon most folks would call them dead and gone."PhilRMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10424101929412027083noreply@blogger.com