Ancient Sorceries
by Algernon Blackwood
Pushkin Press Deluxe Edition
I must admit I feel rather
silly reviewing this Pushkin Press “deluxe edition” of Algernon Blackwood short
stories on the basis of the ebook version. So I must clarify at the outset that,
apart from the cover (which I love), my views are not based on the quality of
the physical artefact but on its contents – four of the author’s longish supernatural
short stories.
Blackwood (1869-1951) is widely recognised as one of the pioneers of what we now refer to as “folk horror”. A recurrent theme is the ancient “lay of the land” and how its effects intrude on contemporary life. Another regular trope is an urban dweller moving to a rural context, and being overcome by ancient, pagan or natural forces – possibly a symbol of the inherent struggle between man and beast. The Willows, the last story in this volume, is a clear example. Two friends on a canoeing trip on the Danube end up stranded on an eerie, remote, willow-covered island, an area which seems to be still in thrall of ancient, violent pagan gods. It is a slow-moving story but one which is strong on atmosphere. It is also probably inspired by journeys which Algernon Blackwood himself undertook in his thirties, giving it greater immediacy and personal resonance.
The Sea Fit also features ancient pagan gods, as a retired sea captain invokes, challenges, and is eventually offered as sacrificed to the occult powers of the sea.
The title story, Ancient Sorceries, is one of a series featuring Blackwood’s creation, the supernatural detective John Silence. Silence does very little sleuthing, here, except to draw out a weird story from the narrator, a traveller who stops at a French rural town and finds himself unable to leave, seduced by a mysterious young woman whose past is supernaturally linked to his own. A tale of witchcraft and diablerie, this story also invokes theories of collective and suppressed memories.
The only “odd one out” of the stories featured in the volume is The Listener. It’s less a work of folk horror, than a fairly traditional “haunted house” story but none the worse for that. On the contrary, compared to the other stories, which tend to be somewhat overlong (although admittedly strong in atmosphere), The Listener is more direct and particularly effective.
- 224 pages, Hardcover
- September 6, 2022 by Pushkin Press
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