Algernon Blackwood

Selected with an introd. by E. F. Bleiler.

Best ghost stories of Algernon Blackwood.

Colleen

I don't think I've ever read anything by Algernon Blackwood before, but I thoroughly enjoyed reading this collection of ghost stories.

To start with, he has one of the coolest names ever, especially for a ghost story writer. I thought at first that it must be a pen name, but it was apparently his real name.

This was a collection of assorted ghost stories. In a forward written by Blackwood for a previous edition, he makes the distinction that these are ghost stories not horror stories. There are no masked psychos or chopped up bodies. Instead, these stories focus on the supernatural or at least the unexplained. One thing I really enjoyed was that the characters often go through spooky situations in a realistic way; they find themselves in an eerie situation and proceed to attempt to rationalize everything they see and hear all the while becoming increasingly frightened. None of the stories were too bizarre, and it was easy to follow along on the adventures. Many of these stories were at least partially inspired by events experienced by Blackwood during his extensive travels throughout Europe and North America. His writing style also adapted depending on the setting. The diction used in the contemporary New York setting for "Max Hensig" was distinctive from that used in the Black Forest setting of "Secret Worship."

His descriptions were amazing. Written with an effortless prose, I had no trouble picturing each scene whether it was a medieval town in France or the Canadian wilderness. Take, for instance, this quote from "The Glamour of the Snow:"

“Like a forest rose the huge peaks above the slumbering village, measuring the night and heavens. They beckoned him. And something born of the snowy desolation, born of the midnight and silent grandeur, born of the great listening hollows of the night, something that lay 'twixt terror and wonder, dropped from the vast wintry spaces down into his heart-- and called him. Very softly, unrecorded in any word or thought his brain could compass, it laid its spell upon him. Fingers of snow brushed the surface of his heart. The power and quiet majesty of the winter's night appalled him....” 

There is a certain timelessness to Blackwood's work. These stories were written over a century ago, but they did not feel dated the way many older works do. I also thoroughly enjoyed his diverse vocabulary, which included words such as fecundity, dishabille, and serried. I get a similar feeling when reading most older works. I am not sure if I am simply drawn to those particular works that feature more diverse vocabulary or if the standard for writing was simply higher in those days.

I liked "The Glamour of the Snow" the best and "Ancient Sorceries" the least mainly because that piece seemed a little drawn out and the "cat-like" analogy was over-used. Overall, I really enjoyed this collection of stories. I can definitely see how much Blackwood influenced the genre.

I will end with one more quote:

"'It is, alas, chiefly the evil emotions that are able to leave their photographs upon surrounding scenes and objects,' the other added, 'and who ever heard of a place haunted by a noble deed, or of beautiful and lovely ghosts revisiting the glimpses of the moon? It is unfortunate. But the wicked passions of men's hearts alone seem strong enough to leave pictures that persist; the good are ever too lukewarm.'"

Best ghost stories of Algernon Blackwood. Selected with an introd. by E. F. Bleiler.

Reviews