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3.95 AVERAGE
3.95 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
Algernon Blackwood’s ‘The Willows’ was rated as the best tale of the supernatural by the renowned American Horror writer HP Lovecraft. And that’s how I came to learn about the work of this remarkable writer.
Algernon Blackwood had an extraordinary life. An Englishman, in his young adulthood, he had travelled to Canada and then the United States in search of work. He had been a farmer, a hotel manager, a newspaper reporter, a model and a violin teacher. In his late thirties, he decided to move back to his native England, and embarked on a writing career. This was in the early part of the twentieth century. Soon, he had established himself as one of the finest writers of psychological horror and weird fiction.
Two of his most famous pieces are ‘The Wendigo’ – a long short story of chilling horror about a moose-hunting trip along Northern Ontario; and ‘The Willows’, the novella - the topic of this piece.
The protagonist and his friend, only referred to as ‘the Swede’, are adventurers, canoeing down the river Danube right from its origin at the Black Forest, to the Black sea where it drains into. For the more curious of you, this is more than 3000 kilometers. While canoeing downstream somewhere between Vienna and Budapest, they encounter ‘a region of singular loneliness and desolation’, an area of dense willow-bushes. They are reluctant to break their journey there, but the weather conditions and the behavior of the waters force them to take shelter on a small island. They decide to set their tent in that island, and to resume their journey in the next couple of days, once the storm has subsided and the river has become gentler.
What follows is a study of nature, the natural and the supernatural, and how it consumes the minds and perhaps the flesh of the two hardy, practical adventurers. The Danube has a life of its own, forcing the adventurers to halt their journey. The wind has a life of its own, howling its otherworldly scream as it blows through the willows. And then there are the Willows.
This is a difficult piece to write about, not because I am fearful that I will leave out spoilers and that will disrupt your experience, but because Algernon Blackwood is an absolute master at creating an eerie, surreptitious kind of supernatural. I had finished reading this story perhaps a couple of weeks back, but the chill that ran through my spine while thinking about it, was real. The goosebumps that I am having right now are real. And here’s the thing – there is no blood. There is no gore. Heck, there is hardly any dialogue. There is just this all-encompassing envelop of atmospheric, impending terror.
And this story was written perhaps a hundred years back. It is about humans and nature, as all Algernon Blackwood stories are. It will never get old. And that’s perhaps not a comforting thought.
__________________________________________
First reviewed at The New Indian Express
Algernon Blackwood had an extraordinary life. An Englishman, in his young adulthood, he had travelled to Canada and then the United States in search of work. He had been a farmer, a hotel manager, a newspaper reporter, a model and a violin teacher. In his late thirties, he decided to move back to his native England, and embarked on a writing career. This was in the early part of the twentieth century. Soon, he had established himself as one of the finest writers of psychological horror and weird fiction.
Two of his most famous pieces are ‘The Wendigo’ – a long short story of chilling horror about a moose-hunting trip along Northern Ontario; and ‘The Willows’, the novella - the topic of this piece.
The protagonist and his friend, only referred to as ‘the Swede’, are adventurers, canoeing down the river Danube right from its origin at the Black Forest, to the Black sea where it drains into. For the more curious of you, this is more than 3000 kilometers. While canoeing downstream somewhere between Vienna and Budapest, they encounter ‘a region of singular loneliness and desolation’, an area of dense willow-bushes. They are reluctant to break their journey there, but the weather conditions and the behavior of the waters force them to take shelter on a small island. They decide to set their tent in that island, and to resume their journey in the next couple of days, once the storm has subsided and the river has become gentler.
What follows is a study of nature, the natural and the supernatural, and how it consumes the minds and perhaps the flesh of the two hardy, practical adventurers. The Danube has a life of its own, forcing the adventurers to halt their journey. The wind has a life of its own, howling its otherworldly scream as it blows through the willows. And then there are the Willows.
This is a difficult piece to write about, not because I am fearful that I will leave out spoilers and that will disrupt your experience, but because Algernon Blackwood is an absolute master at creating an eerie, surreptitious kind of supernatural. I had finished reading this story perhaps a couple of weeks back, but the chill that ran through my spine while thinking about it, was real. The goosebumps that I am having right now are real. And here’s the thing – there is no blood. There is no gore. Heck, there is hardly any dialogue. There is just this all-encompassing envelop of atmospheric, impending terror.
And this story was written perhaps a hundred years back. It is about humans and nature, as all Algernon Blackwood stories are. It will never get old. And that’s perhaps not a comforting thought.
__________________________________________
First reviewed at The New Indian Express
I always try to read horror during spooky season but didn’t have a lot of time this year, so I heard this was short and good and read it. I liked it! Psychologically thrilling! I really enjoyed the writing style and it was a good little scary story.
This short story takes place almost entirely in a small island on the middle of the Danube river in the span of two days.
Two longtime friends that periodically take long trips on wild lands decide to camp on an island for the night and are besiege by a strange force that damages their canoe and provisions.
The pair somehow convinces themselves that the culprit are beings from a parallel dimension that demand a sacrifice, and that won’t be able to reach them if they act normally and don’t thing about them.
The whole affair is somewhat forced and even silly at times, as if the protagonist were nothing more than hysterical children.
Lovecraft was inspired by this author, and that influence is shown clear in the style of the narrative.
Two longtime friends that periodically take long trips on wild lands decide to camp on an island for the night and are besiege by a strange force that damages their canoe and provisions.
The pair somehow convinces themselves that the culprit are beings from a parallel dimension that demand a sacrifice, and that won’t be able to reach them if they act normally and don’t thing about them.
The whole affair is somewhat forced and even silly at times, as if the protagonist were nothing more than hysterical children.
Lovecraft was inspired by this author, and that influence is shown clear in the style of the narrative.
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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
This was exceptional! I can't believe it was written in 1907, it pre-dates Lovecraft and this novella is identifiably cosmic horror. I can also see why it is often categorized as folk horror...
"All folk horror is unified by a central theme:
That contemporary society is a crust over something dark, inexplicable, other.
Folk horror, like the old ways, will find you before you find it."
The Swede mentions an ancient power, old gods and ritualistic sacrifice. But the way their existential threat is described also gives me big cosmic vibes.
Anyhoo,
I loved this! Foundational horror
"All folk horror is unified by a central theme:
That contemporary society is a crust over something dark, inexplicable, other.
Folk horror, like the old ways, will find you before you find it."
The Swede mentions an ancient power, old gods and ritualistic sacrifice. But the way their existential threat is described also gives me big cosmic vibes.
Anyhoo,
I loved this! Foundational horror
"The Willows" by Algernon Blackwood is a masterful piece of horror fiction that immerses the reader in a world of eerie mystery and supernatural terror. First published in 1907, this novella continues to captivate readers with its atmospheric prose and spine-tingling suspense.
The story follows two friends, who embark on a canoe trip down the Danube River and find themselves stranded on a remote island covered in willow trees. As they struggle to survive, they become increasingly aware of sinister forces lurking in the shadows, threatening their sanity and their very lives.
Blackwood's descriptive prose is mesmerizing, painting a vivid picture of the eerie landscape and the growing sense of dread that pervades the narrative. The isolation and vulnerability of the protagonists are palpable, as they confront forces beyond their comprehension.
What makes "The Willows" truly chilling is its ability to create a sense of unease and ambiguity that lingers long after the story has ended. Blackwood expertly blurs the lines between the natural and the supernatural, leaving the reader questioning what is real and what is imagined.
In conclusion, "The Willows" is a timeless classic of horror fiction that deserves its reputation as one of the greatest ghost stories ever written. With its atmospheric setting, compelling characters, and relentless sense of dread, this novella is sure to haunt readers long after they have turned the final page.
The story follows two friends, who embark on a canoe trip down the Danube River and find themselves stranded on a remote island covered in willow trees. As they struggle to survive, they become increasingly aware of sinister forces lurking in the shadows, threatening their sanity and their very lives.
Blackwood's descriptive prose is mesmerizing, painting a vivid picture of the eerie landscape and the growing sense of dread that pervades the narrative. The isolation and vulnerability of the protagonists are palpable, as they confront forces beyond their comprehension.
What makes "The Willows" truly chilling is its ability to create a sense of unease and ambiguity that lingers long after the story has ended. Blackwood expertly blurs the lines between the natural and the supernatural, leaving the reader questioning what is real and what is imagined.
In conclusion, "The Willows" is a timeless classic of horror fiction that deserves its reputation as one of the greatest ghost stories ever written. With its atmospheric setting, compelling characters, and relentless sense of dread, this novella is sure to haunt readers long after they have turned the final page.