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A review by obsidian_blue
The Willows by Algernon Blackwood
4.0
Maybe it says something about me, but the older classic horror novels I am always shocked at how quaint they seem in comparison to works like "It." "It" gave me nightmares for weeks on end as a kid, this book, though scary in tone, is more mental than anything, your brain can turn what the unnamed narrator is describing into something worse.
The main plot of "The Willows" is about two long time friends who are taking a canoe trip down the Danube River. We have the narrator and his friend called "The Swede."
Though both have been out in nature it seems based on previous comments, they come across a place that ends up unnerving them both. They start to fear the wind, the rising river, the willows, and anything else that seems like it is staring and mocking them.
They eventually come across a man who seems to try to warn them away from where they end up camping, but since the narrator is doing what he can to try to laugh off his increasing fears, they both camp and witness something terrible.
I thought this was quite good and liked the writing. I think the main reason why I couldn't give it five stars though was that I wanted more menace. I thought they got off quite easily in the end (have i mentioned that I am way too blood thirsty?) and that I wanted it pushed a bit more.
I did like the surprise at the end though when both men realize that what they thought they saw when they first landed (no spoilers) was something else entirely.
This is only 60 pages, so it won't take a lot of your time to read. I mentioned in my update this would be a perfect story told by flashlight or candle light. You want this read during a thunderstorm or a night you lose the power. I think if I could read it then, I would have be more afraid than what I was.
The main plot of "The Willows" is about two long time friends who are taking a canoe trip down the Danube River. We have the narrator and his friend called "The Swede."
Though both have been out in nature it seems based on previous comments, they come across a place that ends up unnerving them both. They start to fear the wind, the rising river, the willows, and anything else that seems like it is staring and mocking them.
They eventually come across a man who seems to try to warn them away from where they end up camping, but since the narrator is doing what he can to try to laugh off his increasing fears, they both camp and witness something terrible.
I thought this was quite good and liked the writing. I think the main reason why I couldn't give it five stars though was that I wanted more menace. I thought they got off quite easily in the end (have i mentioned that I am way too blood thirsty?) and that I wanted it pushed a bit more.
I did like the surprise at the end though when both men realize that what they thought they saw when they first landed (no spoilers) was something else entirely.
This is only 60 pages, so it won't take a lot of your time to read. I mentioned in my update this would be a perfect story told by flashlight or candle light. You want this read during a thunderstorm or a night you lose the power. I think if I could read it then, I would have be more afraid than what I was.