Blackwood Collection "Ancient Sorceries and Other Weird Stories" Reviewed

I’ve had occasion to read through Ancient Sorceries and Other Weird Stories, a collection of Algernon Blackwood’s short supernatural works out from Penguin. I recommend, alongside several other excellent tales, "The Man Whom the Trees Loved." Aye, it is as weird as its title. Possibly one of his lesser known works (I am admittedly not yet thoroughly acquainted with his fuller canon outside this introductory text), it certainly lives up to the deepest spirit of finely aged weird fiction. Writing in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Blackwood developed his craft from a personal interest in esoteric mystical currents and traditional English settings.

This Penguin edition seems to collect the man’s best short tales, and there is no shortage of Blackwood’s masterful skill at conjuring up eerie atmospheric effects. As a bonus, the book is edited and introduced by pre-eminent weird fiction scholar S.T. Joshi, who provides many helpful references in annotated notes throughout the text. All in all, it is an excellent introduction to Blackwood, whose famous tales "Sand" and the inimitable "The Willlows" are also included. “The Willows” is especially worth a look, since H.P. Lovecraft considered it the greatest weird tale available in his own day. Also notable, the American Indian creature of legendary fame, the Wendigo, also makes an appearance in a story of the same name. It is probably Blackwood’s single tale that has crept into popular culture and enjoys ubiquitous fame today. While Blackwood relies a great deal on earlier writing models and supernatural themes to structure his work, he exhibits abilities similar to Lovecraft’s in conveying his worldview through an entertaining, well written medium. Some of his prime themes include reincarnation, malevolent forces from other worlds, ancient gods, and modern mystic cults like the Esoteric Order of the Golden Dawn; as well as Nature (with a capital N) as a conscious, incomprehensible, and powerful force. While some of these themes can be quite alien and cryptic to the reader uninitiated in classic weird fiction, with a little effort and active reading, it is possible to decipher many of Blackwood’s ideas and still come away with a shiver. Potential learning curve aside, it is definitely worth a read for admirers of the weird, the supernatural, horror fiction, or philosophy.

-Grim Blogger