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Title: The Willows
Author: Algernon Blackwood
Narrator: Phil Chenevert
Format: Unabridged
Length: 2 hrs and 19 mins
Language: English
Release date: 06-20-14
Publisher: Spoken Realms
Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 4 votes
Genres: Fiction, Short Stories & Anthologies
Publisher's Summary:
"The Willows" is one of Algernon Blackwood's best-known short stories. American horror author H.P. Lovecraft considered it to be the finest supernatural tale in English literature. "The Willows" is an example of early modern horror and is connected within the literary tradition of weird fiction.
Members Reviews:
A Seriously Scary and Disturbing Story
"The whole experience whose verge we touched was unknown to humanity at all. It was a new order of experience, and in the true sense of the word, unearthly"
Although little remembered today, Algernon Blackwood was an influence on many great writers of horror stories, including H.P. Lovecraft. First published in 1907, "The Willows" is one of his best works. It is a story that begins slowly and builds into a sense of disorientation and fear few authors have matched. Compared to "The Willows, "The Blair Witch Project" was like a description of a stroll through Central Park. Things such as killer Sharks, ghosts, witches, werewolves or vampires all have some basis in earthly reality. However, the experiences of the characters in "The Willows" are truly disorienting and terrifying, because they have absolutely no foundation in anything of this world. They have no idea what it is that is confronting them, or what is going to happen to them. Be warned: do not read this truly frightening story on a dark and stormy night.
A wonderful tale of suspense
This novella could have been just another overwritten old-timey story, but once you realize that the florid prose serves a definite purpose to create a character of the environment, the story takes on a creepy, foreboding tone that is perfect. The story never makes clear whether the two campers' experiences are natural or supernatural, lending another layer of suspense. No wonder this story remains a classic -- a wonderful Halloween tale.
Where It All Began
This story is the true source of ALL Cthulhu Mythos stories, and one of the great horror stories.
After re-reading it 12/5/16:
Finished my re-read of The Willows and I did enjoy it. It was nice to see where so many of the themes and concepts of the Cthulhu Mythos originated. That said, I must admit, it seemed less intense this time around. But that's probably just because I'd read it before and knew what was going to happen next.
I think the story will be most impressive for someone who has experienced being off in the woods, far from any sign of human habitation, preferably lost. The woods just have a feel of their own when you are inside them.
The Willows will give you the willies
I knew little to nothing about "The Willows" prior to reading except that it was "weird", and maybe that made this read such a powerful experience. A convincing and effective horror tale will have a sense of the unexplainable and incomprehensible, almost consuming you, the reader, as much as it does its characters. "The Willows" accomplishes this. The prose is so lyrical, the narrative so smooth, and the building terror so effective and well-paced that it makes for an entertaining and creepy tale. What Blackwood does is quite uncanny; he takes a minimalist premise, one that we've seen in film or read about in literature countless times-- the idea of people going out alone into a godforsaken, secluded place-- and builds it to a level of horror masterpiece.
