Reviews

Ancient Sorceries by Algernon Blackwood

jjordanmagic's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

andreasvb's review against another edition

4.0

Jeg har læst netop denne udgave af Ancient Sorceries, der også indeholder tre andre historier: The Listener, The Sea Fit og The Willows, alle af Algernon Blackwood.

Bogen startede virkelig godt ud, for den titulære novelle er sindsygt fed, og virkelig original på en måde der er sjældent set for en historie der er skrevet i starten af 1900-tallet. Det samme gør sig i lidt mindre grad gældende for samlingens tre andre noveller.

Jeg havde hørt om Blackwood før, især når han henvises til som en af Lovecrafts store inspirationskilder. Det kan man sagtens mærke har været tilfældet, især i The Willows, der er en slags studie i netop det sprog som Lovecraft er kendt og berygtet for.

Jeg er meget tilfreds med oplevelsen, og vil gerne læse flere af Blackwoods noveller!

chigangrel's review against another edition

5.0

I got my copy of this from NetGalley and Pushkin Press. Unless they clean up the ebook version, I recommend the pdf or a print copy, otherwise it's unreadable.

I can't believe I've slept on Algernon Blackwood for as long as I have - loving horror as much as I do, especially cosmic and ghost stories, I should have been reading him already! This book includes Ancient Sorceries, The Listener, The Sea Fit, and perhaps Blackwood's most favorite short, The Willows.

All were very good. Blackwood has a way of really bringing the atmosphere, or vibe of a story, to life. I love a storyteller who can elicit a physical reaction in me when reading their work... and while all of these stories succeeded in that regard, it was Ancient Sorceries that really got me. I deeply love The Willows and totally understand why it's so popular, and it definitely a foundational story in the genre of cosmic horror, but Ancient Sorceries just felt so magical and evil. Maybe it's because it's the middle of summer and I read it a sunny, hot day, but I just really, really felt that world.

I'm looking forward to reading more of his stories!! Nightmare fuel for sure.

br4ndon_w4gner's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

alexanderp's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

The Willows has to be one of the best horror/weird stories I've read. Blackwood deserves every reader's attention. Loved it.

everyotherpageorso's review against another edition

mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

thetashc's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.0

A few of the very creepy and atmospheric spooky stories by the prolific author, Algernon Blackwood.

I honestly found most of these hard to get into. I think The Listener was my favourite about the man living in a house haunted by a leper who had died there. I found his stories unsatisfying because there was some tension but nothing that bad actually happened and everyone always survived. 

mistressvulca's review against another edition

3.0

Not scary but has some great ominous, unpredictable, vibes. Didn’t like the story that was the collections namesake but the others were quite fun.

vividynasty's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

gailalison's review against another edition

3.0

From what I understand, these stories were written around a hundred years ago, and it’s pretty obvious when reading them. They were a bit difficult to slog through at times. I definitely enjoyed The Listener the most as it was the most readable and actually quite scary. The first story was probably my least favorite. It was especially difficult to read, and the age difference between the 45 year old main character and his 17 year old “love interest” was pretty gross. I can see why this author would have been considered a master story teller, but his style just isn’t for me.
Thank you to NetGalley and Pushkin Press for providing me access to this eARC for my honest opinion!