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The Lay of Old Hex: Spectral Ballads and Weird Jack Tales Paperback – October 1, 2017

by Adam Bolivar (Author), K a Opperman (Introduction)
4.9 4.9 out of 5 stars 7 ratings
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The ballad is one of the most ancient forms of poetic expression, and it has been used for the expression of weirdness and terror at least since the days of Sir Walter Scott. In recent years, the accomplished weird poet Adam Bolivar has lent new vitality and piquancy to this venerable literary mode.

The present volume, a masterpiece of folk horror, assembles a wealth of Bolivar's spectral balladry, prose tales, and vignettes, telling the story of Jack Drake, whose mother gives him a Silver Key that triggers his subsequent journeys and adventures. It becomes evident that many of these adventures echo the work of H. P. Lovecraft, a dominant influence on Bolivar's poetry, flawlessly conveying terror and strangeness in a manner that evokes both old-time legendry and contemporary cosmic horror. In one of the most powerful of his ballads, "The Rime of the Eldritch Mariner," he fuses Lovecraft and Samuel Taylor Coleridge in reinterpreting "The Call of Cthulhu" by means of The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.

Deftly interweaving English and Appalachian traditions, Adam Bolivar's mastery of the diction and atmosphere of the weird ballad allows him to tap into haunted undercurrents of ancestral memory, producing phantasmal effects seldom found in other forms of weird literature.

Weird poetry is thriving in our time, but it is safe to say that few poets today can match the achievement of Adam Bolivar in fashioning this rich conglomeration of hypnotic verse.

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  1. Print length
    328 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Hippocampus Press
  4. Publication date
    October 1, 2017
  5. Dimensions
    6 x 0.69 x 9 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1614981981
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1614981985
  8. See all details
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4.9 out of 5 stars
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Sherrie Tournour
    5.0 out of 5 stars The book arrived on time and in perfect condition. The verses within are a joy and ...
    Reviewed in the United States on November 1, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    The book arrived on time and in perfect condition. The verses within are a joy and shiver to read. Nicely done.
    One person found this helpful
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  • sksouth
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in the United States on December 1, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    Good spooky fun! The alternation between ballad and text format keeps the reading experience varied.
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  • Shimrod
    5.0 out of 5 stars Antiquarian Whimsy and Eldritch Horrors -- Manly Wade Wellman meets H. P. Lovecraft meets Jack the Giant Killer!
    Reviewed in the United States on April 5, 2018
    Readers who appreciate folklore, mythology, antiquarian whimsy and eldritch horrors and are in for a genuine treat with this highly unusual tome. The format -- alternating ballads and prose tales -- puts me in mind of WHO FEARS THE DEVIL? by Manly Wade Wellman. In fact, Bolivar is working from a similar vein of inspiration--Wellman's famed balladeer, Silver John, might feel right at home in some of these tales.

    It's not evident from the cover design, but there is also a definite Lovecraftian vein running through this folklore-rich tome. It includes Bolivar's Rhysling Award winning ballad, “The Rime of the Eldritch Mariner,” which mashes up “The Call of Cthulhu” with Coleridge's THE RIME OF THE ANCIENT MARINER. The book is richly illustrated with old-style woodcuts, which add much to the experience.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Kyla Lee Ward
    4.0 out of 5 stars He looked like he was dead
    Reviewed in the United States on March 13, 2018
    A collection of contemporary balladry, Bolivar's The Lay of Old Hex mixes traditional forms with fresh perspectives, American folk lore with literature. Prose vignettes, lengthy versifying, layerings of fairy tale and nursery rhyme gradually paint a portrait of a family doomed, by a progenitor who left Europe for the new world, to a wickedly varied cycle of temptation and destruction.

    The Devil is here, both Old Scratch and golden Lucifer with his retinue of fatal beauties. The fey folk are present, in lascivious, treacherous array. King Arthur makes appearance, and there is a definite Lovecraftian frisson. But the man who is a noble hero within the Dreame may be arrested for vagrancy in an earthly town, and the quest that begins on the back of Sleipnir may continue in other ways.

    “Across the bridge there stopped a train;
    Drake boarded it to ride.
    He found a berth for Lily's bed
    And lay himself beside.
    The grim conductor rattled chains
    And had a skull-like head.
    His body but a bag of bones,
    He looked like he was dead.”

    - "The Lay of Jackson Drake"

    The constants throughout are the Son, the Key, the Journey, the catalysing Drink, and the Woman, be she demon, nereid or parson's daughter. Stairs figure largely, along with tea. Above all, the action hinges on promises extracted and broken. In this way, Jack gives way to Jackson, to Josiah, John and Jasper, all the way down to Tamsin Willowe, who drives a Model A roadster back to old Hexam town (“half in Dreame, and half on earth we know”) to discover her ancestor's fate. A kind of Jungian delirium sets in: can the pattern be broken? Is it a curse imposed by implacable cosmic entities, or something intrinsic to the human condition? If the reader is not willing to accept universal archetypes, perhaps the national will do. If crossing an ocean, accepting local initiation and marrying outside your class does not suffice to shatter a dismal and feudal past, then what will?

    The author's ambition is signalled in references to Browning's "Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came", not to mention the piece entitled “Rhyme of the Eldritch Mariner”. And yet, to my mind, some of the most effective works are shorter, and peripheral to the central body of work. The opening “Ballad of Jack Keeper”, brings a wonderful mix of humour and the macabre to a straightforward moral tale. “Ye Black Star” is a wonderfully eerie vision, that stands upon its own.

    “They climbed aboard with open eyes
    As wide as they could be,
    And saw a black star shine above,
    Which blackly lit the sea.
    How can this be, you well may ask
    How can a black star light?
    It was a light we cannot see
    But penetrates the night.”

    Boliver's use of the ballad form (ABCB or else ABAB) is as polished and unyielding in his epics as in his shorter verses. His prose is rich, meandering and hypnotic, never so much as in the charming “Gooseberry Tea”. The 9 part sequence commencing with “The Grimalkin's Curse” combines both, as the contemporary incarnation of Jack takes a road trip back to Hexham to finally confront his family's nemesis with a guitar, a goth and a head in a box.

    Plumbing the depths of The Lay of Old Hex requires a degree of commitment—there is simply so much here. Like one of Jack's demonic deals, this book requires permission to work its magic, and yet that magic is potent. Adorned with wood-cut style illustrations “restored” by Dan Sauer, it is a reminder that the past exists in the present, and can be as lively and relevant as ever.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Ashley Dioses
    4.0 out of 5 stars It is a joy to see ballads come back to life in this ...
    Reviewed in the United States on October 16, 2017
    It is a joy to see ballads come back to life in this exquisite collection of folk horror poetry. True to the story form, as ballads are known for, Adam pens such fascinating tales of the legendary Jack and his encounters with giants, the Devil, and other eldritch beings. Fans of fairy tales, folk horror, and Lovecraft will find much to enjoy in this massive collection of the fantastic and macabre.
    One person found this helpful
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