Mountain Magic

THE HILLS ARE ALIVEWITH MUTANTS AND MAGIC.!

Evil men and evil magic are poised to prey on the people of the hamlets and hollows of Appalachia: witches, demons, and criminals of more than one century. But the mountain folk have defenders, too, as strange and varied as the dangers that threaten them:

David Drake's unforgettable OLD NATHAN the Wizard, a backwoodsman who talks to animals and who'll fight the Devil himself if he must.

Henry Kuttner's grimly hilarious HOGBEN FAMILY, some of whom aren't entirely human--and others who're entirely inhuman.

Eric Flint and Ryk E. Spoor's SLADES, whose uneasy coexistence with underground spirits is about to end in an earthquake that'll wipe humanity off the surface of four states.

Magic, mutants, and mountaineers mixing in adventures that range from eerie to side-splittingly funny:

MOUNTAIN MAGIC

[David Drake] has developed a following . . . just short of cult proportions. Rave Reviews

[Eric Flint is] an SF author of particular note, one who can entertain and edify in equal, and major, measure. Publishers Weekly

I consider the work of Henry Kuttner to be the finest science fantasy ever written. Marion Zimmer Bradley

Cover art by Gary Ruddell

This is a work of fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional, and any resemblance to real people or incidents is purely coincidental.

First paperback printing, October 2004

Distributed by Simon & Schuster
1230 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10020

Printed in the United States of America

Typeset by Bell Road Press, Sherwood, OR

ISBN: 0-7434-8856-3

"Exit the Professor" was first published in Thrilling Wonder Stories, October 1947. "Pile of Trouble" was first published in Thrilling Wonder Stories, April 1948. "See You Later" was first published in Thrilling Wonder Stories, June 1949. "Cold War" was first published in Thrilling Wonder Stories, October 1949. Reprinted by permission of Don Congdon Associates, Inc. Copyright 1947, 1948, 1959 by Standard Magazines, renewed 1977 by C.L. Moore. Old Nathan was first published by Baen Books, October 1991, copyright David Drake. This is the first publication of Diamonds are Forever, copyright 2004 by Eric Flint and Ryk E. Spoor.

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form.

A Baen Books Original
Baen Publishing Enterprises
P.O. Box 1403
Riverdale, NY 10471
https://www.baen.com

Production by Windhaven Press
Auburn, NH

Electronic version by Baen Books
https://www.baen.com

To Henry Kuttner (19141958) and
C.L. Moore (19111987)

BAEN BOOKS by
DAVID DRAKE & ERIC FLINT

Mountain Magic
(with Ryk E. Spoor & Henry Kuttner)

The Belisarius series:

An Oblique Approach
In the Heart of Darkness
Destiny's Shield
Fortune's Stroke
The Tide of Victory

The General series:

The Tyrant

BAEN BOOKS by RYK E. SPOOR

Digital Knight

For a complete listing of Baen Books
by these authors, please go to our website:
www.baen.com