The Willows Algernon Blackwood 9781482598216 Books
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"The Willows" is one of Algernon Blackwood's best known short stories. American horror author H.P. Lovecraft considered it to be the finest supernatural tale in English literature. "The Willows" is an example of early modern horror and is connected within the literary tradition of weird fiction.
The Willows Algernon Blackwood 9781482598216 Books
Published in the early 1900s as part of a collection of stories, H.P. Lovecraft felt that Algernon Blackwood’s The Willows was simply the greatest tale of the supernatural in English literature. It is a novella, and has a bare minimum of dialog between the narrator and his good friend, the Swede. It lacks the blood and gore and violence so endemic of horror today, and yet despite what some would consider handicaps, The Willows is one of the most atmospheric books in the genre you will ever read. I had heard of this author but never read him, now I can’t imagine not reading some of his other work, and very soon.The tale begins with two men on a canoe trip down the Danube. Their destination barely comes into play in this most elegantly written masterpiece of sustained atmosphere. The farther they get along the rising river as a storm approaches, they each begin to realize something is wrong. In these remote wilds, an eerie foreboding sets in that the protagonist conveys to the reader in elegant prose. The willows along the river manifest strange movements, independent of the fierce winds assaulting the small island where he and the Swede have camped for the night. The howls are sounds outside of humanity, and the protagonist fights the feeling that they have somehow stumbled into a border between the known world, and one which is unaware of them — as yet.
This is so fabulous it is difficult to give readers a sense of how good it is. Nor do I want to give away some of the surprises or the ending. While the Swede is painted as practical and perhaps not as bright as his companion at first, eventually their roles become reversed. The narrator discovers the Swede has accepted the supernatural circumstances they’ve found themselves in, and knows they must not be discovered, lest they become a sacrifice. Truly a tale of the supernatural, and the boundary between this world and another, you’ll probably never read anything else like The Willows. I would not say that The Willows is scary, nor does it contain any shocking moments, rather it is a quiet and meticulously crafted tale of being alone and isolated, cut off from the rest of the world, and finding something in the darkness, in the surroundings, that is alive.
I can’t recommend this highly enough. I suspect many modern readers might not enjoy it, but those who love great writing and a memorable tale will. A masterpiece.
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The Willows Algernon Blackwood 9781482598216 Books Reviews
"The whole experience whose verge we touched was unknown to humanity at all. It was a new order of experience, and in the true sense of the word, unearthly"
Although little remembered today, Algernon Blackwood was an influence on many great writers of horror stories, including H.P. Lovecraft. First published in 1907, "The Willows" is one of his best works. It is a story that begins slowly and builds into a sense of disorientation and fear few authors have matched. Compared to "The Willows, "The Blair Witch Project" was like a description of a stroll through Central Park. Things such as killer Sharks, ghosts, witches, werewolves or vampires all have some basis in earthly reality. However, the experiences of the characters in "The Willows" are truly disorienting and terrifying, because they have absolutely no foundation in anything of this world. They have no idea what it is that is confronting them, or what is going to happen to them. Be warned do not read this truly frightening story on a dark and stormy night.
I first started reading this story at night with no light but the screen of my tablet. It was so deeply disturbing that I had to stop reading but couldn't erase it from my mind to sleep. I was halfway through but I couldn't erase it even though I had to complete it to ease my mind. I returned to it three days later in daylight, hoping that the ending would resolve my fears. All that I learned was that much of the story was written by me and there is no limit to the fear that is in your mind already and no way of knowing for sure if it is based on reality or not. Good luck.
So, you're cruising around the freebies and you've found this book. "Algernon Blackwood" sounds vaguely familiar, and the reviewers certainly are raving about his status as a creepy-horror master. Worth a try? You bet; and an unexpected treat awaits if you like elegant, slow building classic horror.
Blackwood didn't create entire worlds of eldritch horror, like Lovecraft and his Mythos. He didn't have the gorgeously unhinged feel of Poe at his maddest. But, Blackwood wrote beautifully and evocatively and it is the slow transition from the mundane and bucolic to the horrible that is so gripping in his work. Here's a quote from the point in this story at which the narrator's happy little canoeing adventure on the Danube starts to change its nature. We have just entered the Danube's "Willow marshes" area
"Altogether it was an impressive scene, with its utter loneliness, its bizarre suggestion; and as I gazed, long and curiously, a singular emotion began to stir somewhere in the depths of me. Midway in my delight of the wild beauty, there crept, unbidden and unexplained, a curious feeling of disquietude, almost of alarm."
The writing is elegant and somewhat formal, but not awkward or mawkish or overdone. It is, in a way, "civilized", and it is in the gradual deterioration of any sense of order or normalcy that Blackwood's command of terror and horror is found.
So, a brief, impressive, entertaining and just generally satisfying read for a stormy night. I would encourage you, oh freebie browser, to give it a try. (Note. This downloads nicely, even on older s. It is well formatted, with adjustable font size and all of the other bells and whistles.)
Published in the early 1900s as part of a collection of stories, H.P. Lovecraft felt that Algernon Blackwood’s The Willows was simply the greatest tale of the supernatural in English literature. It is a novella, and has a bare minimum of dialog between the narrator and his good friend, the Swede. It lacks the blood and gore and violence so endemic of horror today, and yet despite what some would consider handicaps, The Willows is one of the most atmospheric books in the genre you will ever read. I had heard of this author but never read him, now I can’t imagine not reading some of his other work, and very soon.
The tale begins with two men on a canoe trip down the Danube. Their destination barely comes into play in this most elegantly written masterpiece of sustained atmosphere. The farther they get along the rising river as a storm approaches, they each begin to realize something is wrong. In these remote wilds, an eerie foreboding sets in that the protagonist conveys to the reader in elegant prose. The willows along the river manifest strange movements, independent of the fierce winds assaulting the small island where he and the Swede have camped for the night. The howls are sounds outside of humanity, and the protagonist fights the feeling that they have somehow stumbled into a border between the known world, and one which is unaware of them — as yet.
This is so fabulous it is difficult to give readers a sense of how good it is. Nor do I want to give away some of the surprises or the ending. While the Swede is painted as practical and perhaps not as bright as his companion at first, eventually their roles become reversed. The narrator discovers the Swede has accepted the supernatural circumstances they’ve found themselves in, and knows they must not be discovered, lest they become a sacrifice. Truly a tale of the supernatural, and the boundary between this world and another, you’ll probably never read anything else like The Willows. I would not say that The Willows is scary, nor does it contain any shocking moments, rather it is a quiet and meticulously crafted tale of being alone and isolated, cut off from the rest of the world, and finding something in the darkness, in the surroundings, that is alive.
I can’t recommend this highly enough. I suspect many modern readers might not enjoy it, but those who love great writing and a memorable tale will. A masterpiece.
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