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3.95 AVERAGE
3.95 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The Willows speaks to me on such a personal level, validating and solidifying my own uneasiness with invisible forces in the wilderness. Blackwood's narrative is accessible and eloquent, and while the majority of the tension in this story is purely psychological, I couldn't stop turning pages. I'm not sure how I got away with never reading anything by Algernon Blackwood before this, but he may have just landed on my short list of favorite authors.
The menacing suspense! The vibrant atmosphere! The psychological thrill! This was phenomenal, and I can't believe I hadn't read this yet.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
This is joining Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery," Lenora Carrington's "White Rabbits," and Clive Barker's "In the Hills, the Cities" as the one of the most unsettling short stories I've ever read. I wouldn't necessarily say it scared me, but I'm going to be thinking about it for a very, very long time.
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I see why Lovecraft considered this man an influence to his own writing! The "multi-dimensional beings" angle just screamed Lovecraft.
As a work of horror, I must confess this didn't really do it for me; but I was raised in the era of TERRIFYING movie special effects, so there is that. I'm sure this was quite frightening before television; it certainly builds slowly, gradually suspenseful in its unfolding.
As a work of horror, I must confess this didn't really do it for me; but I was raised in the era of TERRIFYING movie special effects, so there is that. I'm sure this was quite frightening before television; it certainly builds slowly, gradually suspenseful in its unfolding.
I picked up this book because I saw that it has inspired T. Kingfisher's [b:The Hollow Places|50892288|The Hollow Places|T. Kingfisher|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1600022295l/50892288._SY75_.jpg|75788139]. It's a quick read - very atmospheric and creepy. The pressure builds up masterfully and the sense of otherworldly is palpable, but the ending is very abrupt. I'm all of ambiguous endings but this gave me nothing at all.
For a story written 115-years ago I found this impressively timeless, the language was somewhat of a giveaway but for the rest it was a tense and creepy read. Enjoyable is you like vague, unexplained horrors.
I wanted to read it after loving The Hollow Places by T Kingfisher which was inspired by it.
I wanted to read it after loving The Hollow Places by T Kingfisher which was inspired by it.