Roarings from Further Out: Four Weird Novellas by Algernon Blackwood

Paperback / softback

Main Details

Title Roarings from Further Out: Four Weird Novellas by Algernon Blackwood
Authors and Contributors      Edited by Xavier Aldana Reyes
By (author) Algernon Blackwood
SeriesBritish Library Tales of the Weird
Physical Properties
Format:Paperback / softback
Pages:320
Dimensions(mm): Height 190,Width 130
Category/GenreClassic fiction (pre c 1945)
Classic horror and ghost stories
ISBN/Barcode 9780712353052
ClassificationsDewey:823.912
Audience
General

Publishing Details

Publisher British Library Publishing
Imprint British Library Publishing
Publication Date 3 October 2019
Publication Country United Kingdom

Description

The reputation of early-twentieth century British writer Algernon Blackwood currently resides with his two novellas `The Willows' (1907) and `The Wendigo' (1910), and with good reason. They are perfectly crafted horror tales that convey feelings of mystical otherness; they hint at the possibility that there are forces which lie beyond the confines of our everyday understanding of the world and which may, given the right circumstances, manifest to humans. In `The Willows', `unearthly' creatures are responsible for arousing `some dim ancestral sense of terror more profoundly disturbing than anything' the protagonists have ever known. In `The Wendigo', fear of the titular monster from Native American folklore is used to create a discombobulating atmosphere of dread. In both novellas, as in many other of Blackwood's fictions, wild landscapes (a desolate island, a labyrinthine forest) act as more than enhancing backdrops to the action - they become essential elements to the generation of anxiety and metaphysical awe. Both stories have become staples of the weird literary tradition, of which Blackwood was undoubtedly a modern master. Blackwood's slow and measured prose, deeply psychological and descriptive, grants his fiction an intrinsic cumulative effect. It both builds up to potent climaxes and brilliantly chronicles the aftermath of horrific encounters. His poignant narrative pace, sparse use of action and marked interest in how the mind filters perceptions, rather than on objective physical descriptions, makes Blackwood truly unique. Only a handful of other stories in horror fiction manage to conjure up the type of uncanny ambience found in `The Willows' and `The Wendigo'. This is why they are included in this collection.

Author Biography

Algernon Blackwood (1869-1951) was a prolific English writer of short stories and novels, as well as a consistent contributor to radio and early television. His regular appearances reading his weird fiction and ghost stories for these platforms earned him the popular epithet of `The Ghost Man'.