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3.95 AVERAGE
3.95 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-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
I absolutely loved Hollow Places by T Kingfisher and she mentioned this book as her inspiration for that novel so I had to check it out.
There are 2 things here that kept me from rating this book higher. One, I read this on my phone from Hoopla and I detest reading on my phone. Second, since this was written in 1907 the prose is of course different and required me to put in a little more effort to read the story. Both of these combined found me rushing through to reach the end of the tale, and I never felt scared or creeped out.
On a positive note, this has a really good atmosphere and I think if I were to reread it in physical format someday I would enjoy it more.
There are 2 things here that kept me from rating this book higher. One, I read this on my phone from Hoopla and I detest reading on my phone. Second, since this was written in 1907 the prose is of course different and required me to put in a little more effort to read the story. Both of these combined found me rushing through to reach the end of the tale, and I never felt scared or creeped out.
On a positive note, this has a really good atmosphere and I think if I were to reread it in physical format someday I would enjoy it more.
mysterious
slow-paced
Did anything actually happen in this book? Maybe, maybe not. Was there a strange feeling throughout the book? Yes. Am I glad I read it? Also yes. Would I recommend it? Probably not.
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Published in 1907 it was an amazing book to read after finishing The Hollow Places (published in 2020). I only wish I’d read The Willows first since the book The Hollow Places is basically an expansion of this novella. Algernon Blackwood, considered to be the most prolific ghost story writer in the history of the genre (according to Wikipedia), has inspired so many authors- from Lovecraft to Tolkien. I’ll be reading one of his other well known novellas soon…. The Wendigo.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Published in 1907 it was an amazing book to read after finishing The Hollow Places (published in 2020). I only wish I’d read The Willows first since the book The Hollow Places is basically an expansion of this novella. Algernon Blackwood, considered to be the most prolific ghost story writer in the history of the genre (according to Wikipedia), has inspired so many authors- from Lovecraft to Tolkien. I’ll be reading one of his other well known novellas soon…. The Wendigo.
An intensely atmospheric story of beautiful ecohorror. Blackwood manages to build tension and hold it throughout and his prose is thankfully not going to convoluted lengths of eldritch monstrosity. The ending feels somewhat anticlimactic, which I can easily live with, though, in a story that's otherwise so well-crafted and delightful.
