Video Guide to Mountain Folk

Complete Mountain Folk Video Guide

This is an edited compilation of all 10 episodes of the Mountain Folk Video Guide. Shot at multiple locations throughout the Southeastern US and hosted by John Hood, author of the Revolutionary War-themed historical-fantasy novel, the show offers viewers a fascinating overview of the characters, themes, settings, and magical creatures that populate the exciting and fantastical world of Mountain Folk.

Episode One: “Wee Folk”

In this first episode, John Hood explores fairy-related folklore in cultures across the world. While differing in some details, traditions about fairies have many common elements. That’s just a coincidence, surely. Isn’t it?

Episode Two: “Peak Time”

Shot at Hanging Rock State Park, this episode of John Hood’s video guide explores the role that mountains play as settings for the story of Mountain Folk — and in epic fantasy more generally.

Episode Three: “Battlefields”

In this third episode of the video guide, filmed at Kings Mountain, John Hood describes that engagement as well as other Revolutionary War battles depicted in Mountain Folk, such as Germantown and Yorktown.

Episode Four: “Monster Hunters”

Author John Hood talks about magical monsters such as the Wampus Cat, the Tatzelwurm, and the Jersey Devil. This episode was filmed at the Cryptozoology and Paranormal Museum. In Mountain Folk, fairy nations track monsters and then deploy hunting parties to capture or slay them.

Episode Five: “Historic Homes”

In this episode, shot at the reconstructed Tryon Palace in New Bern, NC, John Hood looks at historic homes featured in the novel, including Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello, George Washington’s Mount Vernon, Daniel Boone’s log cabins, and the traditional homes and council houses of the Cherokee.

Episode Six: “Book Value”

Shot in front of a historic home in Bath, NC, where one of America‘s first libraries was established, this episode explores a key plot point. The human characters who can see through the magical disguises of fairy folk all happen to love reading books with fantastical or mythological elements.

Episode Seven: “Folk Heroes”

Shot at Boone’s Cave Park, this episode profiles frontiersman Daniel Boone, Revolutionary War General Peter Muhlenberg, and Cherokee heroine Nanyehi. They are all point-of-view characters and real people. But as storytellers embellished their adventures, they became legendary heroes.

Episode Eight: “Twists of Fate”

Shot in front of the reconstructed Fort Dobbs, a French and Indian War site, this episode shows author John Hood talking about the quirky accidents and seemingly minor decisions that so often shape the course of history. In the world of Mountain Folk, these twists of fate can have magical explanations. . .

Episode Nine: “Faithful Folk”

Shot in front of one of the oldest surviving church buildings in the South, this episode explores the religious themes in Mountain Folk. One main character, Peter Muhlenberg, is a minister-turned-general. Others quote scripture or pray for divine guidance as they pursue peace and justice in early America.

Episode Ten: “Turning the Knob”

Now that Mountain Folk has been released, this episode explains why John Hood wrote the book — and explores the most-important setting of Mountain Folk, the fairy village magically concealed atop North Carolina’s Pilot Mountain.