Slow Funeral

Ore ( The Illegal Rebirth of Billy the Kid ) turns from SF to contemporary fantasy in this rambling novel about witchcraft in the hills of western Virginia. Maude Fuller is a child of Bracken County witches who's been avoiding her spooky kin by living on welfare in California, but when she feels the mental call of her dying grandmother Partridge, she reluctantly heads East to tend the old woman. Following Maude--and complicating her eventual showdown with her magic-wielding relatives--are Doug Sanderheim, an engineer Maude picked up in a bar, and the Reverend Julian Springer, a maniacal preacher. Maude must protect Partridge from her creepy Aunt Betty, who has dire plans for the dying woman's soul, and must stop her Uncle Luke from using Doug as a human sacrifice. Along with several eerie moments, Ore offers a colorful depiction of Appalachian life and culture. But the novel lacks focus and momentum; in fact, so little happens in the first half that readers may well lose interest before the central conflict becomes apparent. (July)