Showing results for "Algernon Blackwood" in Occult

Described by H P Lovecraft as 'the one absolute and unquestioned master of weird atmosphere', Algernon Blackwood (CBE) was the acclaimed and prolific author of numerous ghost stories and horror tales. Throughout his lifetime, he wrote 14 novels, several children's books, a number of plays, and over 200 short stories. This anthology opens with a selection of stories featuring his most influential character, occult detective Dr John Silence.

First published in 1917 by Alfred A. Knopf, this collection of Algernon Blackwood's short stories includes some of his most beloved classics.

Step into a world where the natural and supernatural become entangled in eerie harmony. “The Haunted Silence” is a spellbinding anthology of Algernon Blackwood's most haunting and atmospheric stories. From remote forests to shadowy rivers, Blackwood explores the unseen forces that linger just beyond our understanding.

Algernon Blackwood was born on 14th March 1869 in Shooter’s Hill, South East London, to a religious middle-class family. His mother was a widowed Duchess and his father was a Post Office administrator. Blackwood was interested in the paranormal and the supernatural at an early age, and had a thirst for anything on Buddhism, other Oriental philosophies, mysticism and occultism. In his writings the weaving of the supernatural into his various works, from ghost stories and children’s stories to plays and long novels is clearly seen.

Deep in the remote Canadian wilderness, a group of moose hunters make their way further into the woods. Rumors of a terrifying human-like monster that lurks in the forest are dismissed as mere “superstitions.” But, as their isolation becomes more apparent, they begin to smell something foul and feel shadows creeping in on them like slow death. After having “seen the Wendigo”, how long will they be able to survive?

Representing the dark underbelly of Romanticism and beyond, these stories reach the shadowy corners of the human soul as seen through the writings of some of the most prominent authors of the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Anthony Breddle, un aviatore in licenza per malattia, si reca nella casa del fratello maggiore nel Galles. Nelle vicinanze della dimora c'è un'oscura valle misteriosa chiamata la Valle del Capro, in cui si dice che vivano dei mostri. L'intrepido pilota decide di andare a dare un'occhiata di persona. I classici dell’orrore, riediti in chiave moderna e raccontati con musiche e suoni.

The unifying factor of this collection is that, without exception, every author included here was in some way or another involved with or interested in the occult. In some cases, they were members of an occult organization, such as the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, the Theosophical Society, or similar such groups. Others simply had a strong personal interest in the subject matter or practiced some form of the esoteric sciences in private.

When the driver refused to deliver Shorthouse to the door of the rundown mansion because he was afraid, Shorthouse realised the secret-shrouded contract he was carrying was the centre of a very strange mission. His boss had demanded secrecy and warned him of the danger involved with the visit he was to make. Now he was stuck here, miles from the nearest help with night approaching.

Today we have ghosts that haunted our ancestors, as well as our own modern revenants, and there appears to be no earthly use trying to banish or exorcise them by such a simple strategy as refusing to believe in them. Since man knows that whether or not he has seen a ghost, presently he will become one, and thus he has become fascinated with the subject. Therefore he creates ghosts, not merely in his own image, but according to his dreams of power.

This collection contains a mixture of stories about ghosts and contacts from spirits, some by celebrated authors, together with essays on psychical research. As Joseph French notes in the preface, even for the skeptic, tales of ghostly activity retain a distinct fascination. The widespread interest in psychic phenomena in the early twentieth century proved to be a significant stimulus to literary production.