John Silence: 5 cases

John Silence

by Algernon Blackwood

Algernon Blackwood's John Silence is a masterful compilation of supernatural tales that explore the mysterious and uncanny. Blackwood's literary style is characterized by a unique blend of horror, the supernatural, and the psychological, creating an atmosphere of tension and unease that grips readers from the first page to the last. Set in the early 20th century, these stories provide a glimpse into a world where the boundaries between the natural and the supernatural blur, leaving readers questioning the nature of reality and the unseen forces that shape our lives. Each story is a carefully crafted masterpiece of suspense and intrigue, showcasing Blackwood's unparalleled skill as a storyteller.

Algernon Blackwood was a prolific writer of supernatural fiction, known for his ability to evoke a sense of dread and wonder in his readers. His fascination with the unknown and the unexplained led him to explore themes of the supernatural, the occult, and the subconscious mind in his works. Through his John Silence stories, Blackwood invites readers to confront their deepest fears and contemplate the mysteries of the universe.

Contents:
- A Psychical Invasion
- Ancient Sorceries
- Secret Worship
- The Camp of the Dog
- The Nemesis of Fire.

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Occult Detective, Mystery

390 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 1947

About the author

Algernon Henry Blackwood (1869–1951) was an English broadcasting narrator, journalist, novelist and short story writer, and among the most prolific ghost story writers in the history of the genre. The literary critic S. T. Joshi stated, "His work is more consistently meritorious than any weird writer's except Dunsany's" and that his short story collection Incredible Adventures (1914) "may be the premier weird collection of this or any other century".

Blackwood was born in Shooter's Hill (today part of south-east London, but then part of northwest Kent) and educated at Wellington College. His father was a Post Office administrator who, according to Peter Penzoldt, "though not devoid of genuine good-heartedness, had appallingly narrow religious ideas." Blackwood had a varied career, farming in Canada, operating a hotel, as a newspaper reporter in New York City, and, throughout his adult life, an occasional essayist for various periodicals. In his late thirties, he moved back to England and started to write stories of the supernatural. He was very successful, writing at least ten original collections of short stories and eventually appearing on both radio and television to tell them. He also wrote fourteen novels, several children's books, and a number of plays, most of which were produced but not published. He was an avid lover of nature and the outdoors, and many of his stories reflect this.

H.P. Lovecraft wrote of Blackwood: "He is the one absolute and unquestioned master of weird atmosphere." His powerful story "The Willows," which effectively describes another dimension impinging upon our own, was reckoned by Lovecraft to be not only "foremost of all" Blackwood's tales but the best "weird tale" of all time.

Among his thirty-odd books, Blackwood wrote a series of stories and short novels published as John Silence, Physician Extraordinary (1908), which featured a "psychic detective" who combined the skills of a Sherlock Holmes and a psychic medium. Blackwood also wrote light fantasy and juvenile books.

Reviews

[ᴥ Irena ᴥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

I've read the edition from Gutenberg with five cases. I have no idea why it took me this long to read it. Usually it's something boring, but in this case it is like the book wanted me to take my time, pay attention and enjoy.
I did. I loved the stories and Dr. John Silent.
Each case has different problem. There are no repetitions. Paranormal element and Dr. John Silent are all they have in common. One of the stories (most of it) Haruki Murakami used in his 1Q84. The cases range from demonic presences to ghosts to werewolves and some surprises.

CASE I - A Psychical Invasion
CASE II - Ancient Sorceries
CASE III - The Nemesis of Fire
CASE IV - Secret Worship
CASE V - The Camp of the Dog

[Perry Lake · Rating 5 out of 5]

While the John Silence stories might be the victim of the writing style of the Edwardian era, the character of John Silence is not. As a hero he is admirable. He uses his brain and his psychic abilities, not his fists and not a gun.

I can't help but compare "Ancient Sorceries" to HP Lovecraft's "Shadow Over Innsmouth". As Lovecraft was a fan of Blackwood's, I have no doubt that "Innsmouth" was a redo or updating of "Sorceries". It's all there, the realization that the town is filled with cultists in animal form, the nocturnal rituals, even the escape. But Lovecraft wisely realized that seafood is scarier than cats!

But don't think the John Silence stories are in need of improvement. They are unique in the annals of weird fiction. The doctor will be back.

[Monica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tra ignoto e realtà
Blackwood si conferma uno dei migliori nel creare atmosfere suggestive, con la sua capacità di far sembrare tutto leggermente "carico", come se dietro la normalità ci fosse sempre qualcos'altro pronto ad emergere. Non forza mai l'effetto, non punta a chissà che colpo di scena: semplicemente costruisce un clima che ti accompagna per tutto il racconto.

In questa raccolta però siamo lontanucci dalle atmosfere inquietanti che si respirano ne "I salici". Qui abbiamo a che fare con il dottor Silence, un medico atipico che investiga l'occulto con l'intento di mettere ordine nell'irrazionale, di interpretare e incasellare il sovrannaturale, invece di lasciarlo libero e inspiegabile. E questo dà un taglio un pò diverso, dove l'ignoto non rimane incomprensibile e ostile ma diventa un territorio da esplorare e capire.

Il racconto che mi è piaciuto di più è "Un'invasione psichica", forse anche perchè è quello che si avvicina maggiormente alla mia idea di horror (fantasmi & co.); "Vecchie stregonerie" invece è quello che mi ha convinto meno, mi è sembrato lento, per non dire un pò noioso.
Per gli amanti del genere, è comunque una raccolta da non perdere.

[Josh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Most entertaining for the connections between Blackwood's stories and later H. P. Lovecraft tales. For example, A Psychical Invasion has the concept of a substance affecting their "vibrations" and allowing them to perceive other worlds, rather similar to From Beyond and Machen's The Great God Pan (1894). Ancient Sorceries has the general narrative flow of The Shadow Over Innsmouth: man goes to town to explore, discovers all the townsfolk are involved in a secret cult, discovers townsfolk are other than human, has to flee for his life. Secret Worship felt very similar to me to The Festival as well, in that a traveler visits a group expecting a warm welcome, is in fact welcomed, gets caught up in that group's celebration only to discover its "hideous import," and then must flee to safety.

I'm not sure how influential Blackwood truly was on Lovecraft, but we do know from Supernatural Horror in Literature that Lovecraft was a fan.

[Nik Maack · Rating 2 out of 5]

Merely okay. Two of the stories have a theme so similar it may as well be the same story. And I found the last story dull to the point where I put the book down and said to myself I'd come back later. Then never did.

The best part about Doctor John Silence is his name. The description of his mystical abilities is vague. It's funny to read these stories and almost see the line from them to the X Files and other types of fiction.

But these are very dated and don't hold up all that well. I did enjoy moments now and then.

Grabbed this from Project Guttenberg because I love old books.

[Jeffrey Powanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

These five stories from 1908 about a humorless paranormal detective named Doctor John Silence haven't aged well. Apparently, British writer Blackwood had five horror stories he wished to publish in a collection, and his publisher suggested that he unite them behind a central character, a "psychical detective." Consequently, John Silence is an afterthought grafted onto the stories, and he doesn't have much to do. Other characters simply describe the supernatural incidents they witnessed. The stories are narrated by a character named Hubbard, but he's a pale imitation of Conan Doyle's Doctor Watson. He adds nothing to the stories, and his relationship with Silence is also left unexplored. However, in two longer stories, “The Nemesis of Fire” and “The Camp of the Dog,” Blackwood achieves a chilling sense of atmosphere.

The five stories feature witches, fire elementals, mummies, werewolves, and Satan worshipers, a diverse lineup. Other horror writers (such as William Hope Hodgson, Seabury Quinn, and Frank Lauria) had more fun with the concept of a paranormal detective, as did the TV shows The Night Stalker, X-Files, Paranormal, and Fringe. But to Blackwood's credit, he got there first.

So far, nothing I’ve read by Blackwood approaches the excellence of his short story “The Willows.” But I’ll keep searching. He wrote over 150 stories and 14 novels, as well as plays and children’s books.

BTW, I downloaded this public domain ebook for free from Project Gutenberg.

[Pat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Uncanny stories with a lot of "scientific" explanations. "The Camp of the Dog" is probably the worst for this, with pages and pages of gibberish about why a creature would appear in a particular circumstance. It was already a story I wasn't fond of, with the nice young man being soooo cruelly ignored by the young woman who apparently just doesn't know her own mind-- Blech.

The better stories are "Psychical Invasion," in which a writer opens the wrong kind of door to the subconscious and Silence uses a dog and a cat to find out what happened; "Ancient Sorceries," in which a mild-mannered man spends time at a mysterious French village; "Secret Worship," in which a man nostalgically visits his old school and finds that things were never what they seemed; and "Nemesis of Fire," with Silence chasing an unseen creature through the woods.

If you can deal with the fiddle-daddle "scientific" explanations, you'll probably enjoy the book more than I did. I like the character; I like "psychic detectives"; I just don't like the foofaw science, which inspires explanations that seem to go on forever.

(And if you read this book and worry about the dog in "Psychical Invasion," don't: the actual climax of the story is its last sentence, which you will find comforting.)

[Michael John Paul McManus · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started reading this book a few months ago and took a break from it to read other books. I'm glad that I returned to it the read the final two stories. Blackwood was a gifted writer and well deserved his nickname 'the ghostman'. The John Silence stories are among his best.