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Set List: A Novel
SET LIST begins in 1970, when Blanchard Shankles and John Covey come together and start making music in a rock and roll band named Skyye. They were two young men from Sequoyah, Georgia, with limited prospects and big dreams, who were joined in their quest for fame and fortune by their friends Ford Man Cooper, Chicken Raines, Jimbo Tant, Tucker McFry, and Simpson Taggart. These fledgling musicians set out upon a musical voyage that spanned four decades, fifty states, and uncounted miles as they pursued the elusive success that was always just one song ahead of them. Along the way the band played bars and clubs, carnivals and dances, dives and festivals, and together through good times and bad, sickness and health, romance, marriage, divorce, birth, and death, they each built two the one out under the lights that they were drawn to like moths to a flame, and the one they came back to when the music stopped and the crowds went home. The story alternates between present-day North Georgia and the 1970s and is the story of a bar band as told primarily through the eyes of its lead guitar player, Blanchard Shankles, and its bass player, John Covey. Each chapter is built around an original song in the band's repertoire plus an iconic song from the archives of rock and roll, and together these songs and these chapters form the set list of the band members' lives.
320 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2018
5 people are currently reading
18 people want to read
About the author
Raymond L. Atkins
6Ìýbooks48ÌýfollowersRaymond L. Atkins resides in Rome, Georgia, where he is an instructor of English at Georgia Northwestern Technical College. He lives in a 110-year-old house with a patient wife and a fat dog. His hobbies include people-watching, reading, and watching movies that have no hope of ever achieving credibility.
His first novel, The Front Porch Prophet, was published by Medallion Press in 2008 and was awarded the Georgia Author of the Year Award for First Novel. Midwest Book Review called it "an intriguing and clever tale, highly recommended for community library fiction collections."
His second novel, Sorrow Wood, was published by Medallion Press in 2009. As noted in Publisher's Weekly, "Subtle humor and mostly pitch-perfect prose distinguish Atkins's compelling mix of mystery and romance, set in 1985 with flashbacks to the 1930s and '40s. Atkins smoothly weaves past into present as the action builds to a final poignant twist."
His third novel, Camp Redemption, was published by Mercer University Press in 2013. It was awarded the Ferrol Sams Award for Fiction and won the 2014 Georgia Author of the Year Award for Fiction. "Camp Redemption showcases the best of Raymond Atkins’s talents in Southern fiction: characters who move in with us, for better or worse; a plot that keeps the pages turning; and the stately, elegant prose of a born storyteller. Alternately hilarious, sad, and downright scary, this is Atkin's best novel yet." Melanie Sumner, The Ghost of Milagro Creek
His fourth novel, Sweetwater Blues, will be released by Mercer University Press in September 2014. "Raymond Atkins is a marvel. As one of Georgia’s most talented authors, he magically weaves complex stories from believable characters. You know the people he writes about; they are flawed, complicated, and real. From the first page to the last, Sweetwater Blues takes the reader on a journey filled with consequences, courage, and redemption. Using his remarkable wit and masterful gift of storytelling, Atkins brings us full circle. When you close this book you will wonder, what else has he written? Then you will rush out to buy his other award-winning books." Renea Winchester, In the Garden With Billy
His first novel, The Front Porch Prophet, was published by Medallion Press in 2008 and was awarded the Georgia Author of the Year Award for First Novel. Midwest Book Review called it "an intriguing and clever tale, highly recommended for community library fiction collections."
His second novel, Sorrow Wood, was published by Medallion Press in 2009. As noted in Publisher's Weekly, "Subtle humor and mostly pitch-perfect prose distinguish Atkins's compelling mix of mystery and romance, set in 1985 with flashbacks to the 1930s and '40s. Atkins smoothly weaves past into present as the action builds to a final poignant twist."
His third novel, Camp Redemption, was published by Mercer University Press in 2013. It was awarded the Ferrol Sams Award for Fiction and won the 2014 Georgia Author of the Year Award for Fiction. "Camp Redemption showcases the best of Raymond Atkins’s talents in Southern fiction: characters who move in with us, for better or worse; a plot that keeps the pages turning; and the stately, elegant prose of a born storyteller. Alternately hilarious, sad, and downright scary, this is Atkin's best novel yet." Melanie Sumner, The Ghost of Milagro Creek
His fourth novel, Sweetwater Blues, will be released by Mercer University Press in September 2014. "Raymond Atkins is a marvel. As one of Georgia’s most talented authors, he magically weaves complex stories from believable characters. You know the people he writes about; they are flawed, complicated, and real. From the first page to the last, Sweetwater Blues takes the reader on a journey filled with consequences, courage, and redemption. Using his remarkable wit and masterful gift of storytelling, Atkins brings us full circle. When you close this book you will wonder, what else has he written? Then you will rush out to buy his other award-winning books." Renea Winchester, In the Garden With Billy
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
September 28, 2018
Set List appealed to me because each chapter is fashioned around a song title. I had only read one other author that did this, and I think it's a very creative way to tell a story. Weaving through the time of the past, growing up with his family, and the present, in a band with heart problems, Blanchard's story unfolds for us.
We learn his love for music that started in childhood. How growing up in a very untraditional home with a sick mother and uncaring father shaped him in life. He grouped up in a band with his best friend Covey, and while Covey plays a large part in most of Blanchard's interactions, it is Blanchard's story. Of falling in love, and losing it. Of his dedication to music, to partying hard, a life that is lived with no thought to health, and Covey on the sidelines trying to encourage him.
Set List is very well told, and is well-written. Atkins is a great storyteller, who is imaginative, and that shines through in his characters. This was a thought-provoking read, of hardship and life, of acceptance and friendship. A great read.
We learn his love for music that started in childhood. How growing up in a very untraditional home with a sick mother and uncaring father shaped him in life. He grouped up in a band with his best friend Covey, and while Covey plays a large part in most of Blanchard's interactions, it is Blanchard's story. Of falling in love, and losing it. Of his dedication to music, to partying hard, a life that is lived with no thought to health, and Covey on the sidelines trying to encourage him.
Set List is very well told, and is well-written. Atkins is a great storyteller, who is imaginative, and that shines through in his characters. This was a thought-provoking read, of hardship and life, of acceptance and friendship. A great read.
December 19, 2018
I really enjoy the books by Ray Atkins, and this one is no exception. Filled with his offbeat humor and also truth, this is one man's struggle to find his way in the world after having the "sloppy luck" to be born into a fractured family. Chapters alternate between a younger version of Blanchard Shankles and a much older one. My favorite part of the book is Blanchard's relationship with his mentally ill mother who is chillingly depicted in certain scenes, one of which left me unable to sleep the night I read it. The inside look at the band's music and adventures unfolds along the way, and keeps the story moving. I look forward to this author's next book.
November 25, 2019
Another good one
Raymond Atkins has become one of my favorite authors. Southern writers have a special way, and he’s among them. His novels are all different and self-contained. I live in the general area he writes about, so it’s also fun to catch local cultural references. (It took me a long time to finish because I had to set it aside for a while.)
Raymond Atkins has become one of my favorite authors. Southern writers have a special way, and he’s among them. His novels are all different and self-contained. I live in the general area he writes about, so it’s also fun to catch local cultural references. (It took me a long time to finish because I had to set it aside for a while.)
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September 11, 2023Blanchard Shankles is a character who could've only be created by Ray Atkins. His name just sounds like the kind of dude who's been playing in a band since the 70s, the kind of dude who would stop at a Bible Outlet in the hopes of finding a Bible with a misprint like "Thou shalt commit adultery."
I'd have to think on it a little more, but I'd wager this has to be Atkins's most ambitious novel yet. Shankles's life is put together using songs he would've played as an organizing principle. His life has been a set list, reflecting all of the joy and sorrow one would expect from life and all of the hardship and dogged perseverance one would expect from a professional musician. As if that weren't enough, Atkins has also gone into the mind of Shankles and his best bud and songwriting partner Covey to create original songs.
Often, I role my eyes at song lyrics in books. I wanted to hear these played. They have the same clever word play of Atkins's prose only distilled into song form. I think some soul has put those lyrics to music, but I could only find a Ray Atkins who does rap. Gotta say his beats were pretty catchy, too.
Anyhoo, reading any story by Atkins will elicit chuckles from his wry and often ingenious turns of phrase, and
P.S. Ways I know this is southern fiction:
Crazy mama �
hound dog �
Bible Outlet that was a Porn shop until someone came to Jesus �
A tip of the hat.
I'd have to think on it a little more, but I'd wager this has to be Atkins's most ambitious novel yet. Shankles's life is put together using songs he would've played as an organizing principle. His life has been a set list, reflecting all of the joy and sorrow one would expect from life and all of the hardship and dogged perseverance one would expect from a professional musician. As if that weren't enough, Atkins has also gone into the mind of Shankles and his best bud and songwriting partner Covey to create original songs.
Often, I role my eyes at song lyrics in books. I wanted to hear these played. They have the same clever word play of Atkins's prose only distilled into song form. I think some soul has put those lyrics to music, but I could only find a Ray Atkins who does rap. Gotta say his beats were pretty catchy, too.
Anyhoo, reading any story by Atkins will elicit chuckles from his wry and often ingenious turns of phrase, and
P.S. Ways I know this is southern fiction:
Crazy mama �
hound dog �
Bible Outlet that was a Porn shop until someone came to Jesus �
A tip of the hat.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
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