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The Damned
Bill and Frances hadn't seen Mabel since her husband died. When she invited Bill and Frances out for some quiet weeks on her palatial estate, the place felt so deeply, spiritually wrong that neither one of them wanted to sleep alone. It was a place that was very, very wrong, a place where nothing came to completion. Perhaps it was haunted. Perhaps it was worse...
The Damned is a horror novella novel by American author Algernon Blackwood. Set against the eerie backdrop of a desolate Canadian wilderness, it follows two friends, Simpson and Roger Mallorey, on a canoe trip. As they navigate treacherous waters, they encounter inexplicable phenomena and a haunting presence.
Blackwood masterfully weaves suspense and mystique, exploring the thin veil between the seen and unseen. The story skillfully builds tension, leaving readers on the edge of their seats, questioning the boundaries of reality. With its atmospheric prose and psychological depth, The Damned is a captivating exploration of the unknown.
The Damned was first published in 1914 as part of the story collection Incredible Adventures.
The Damned is a horror novella novel by American author Algernon Blackwood. Set against the eerie backdrop of a desolate Canadian wilderness, it follows two friends, Simpson and Roger Mallorey, on a canoe trip. As they navigate treacherous waters, they encounter inexplicable phenomena and a haunting presence.
Blackwood masterfully weaves suspense and mystique, exploring the thin veil between the seen and unseen. The story skillfully builds tension, leaving readers on the edge of their seats, questioning the boundaries of reality. With its atmospheric prose and psychological depth, The Damned is a captivating exploration of the unknown.
The Damned was first published in 1914 as part of the story collection Incredible Adventures.
67 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1914
48 people are currently reading
540 people want to read
About the author
Algernon Blackwood
1,345 books1,176 followersAlgernon 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 66 reviews
August 1, 2024
Quoting the book itself sums it up better than I ever could: “There was no climax in the story sense. Nothing ever really happened.” This was an okay read but not my favorite Blackwood.
August 25, 2012
This is one of those books that gets hurt by modern horror writing. The atmosphere is creepy and there is a constant sense of dread throughout. You constantly expect something horrible to happen, and it never really does. A lot of reviewers on this site have used that as a criticism. They say nothing really happens, which was exactly the point of the book, even going so far as being explicitly stated.
The characters do not trust that their feelings are genuine. They want to leave, but they feel foolish being driven out by their own shadows, so to speak. They want something to happen. They crave it, if only so they know that their terror is legitimate.
Modern haunted house stories, which so often would have someone killed by some monster or another within ten pages, could learn something from this novella. Blackwood creates tension, and keeps it there, which little more than atmosphere for 115 pages. How many writers could do the same? Not many.
This book was written in 1914 and is one of the great, original haunted house stories. I highly recommend it for horror literature lovers. Blackwood is a legend within the genre and inspired countless writers, including H.P. Lovecraft and Caitlin Kiernan.
The characters do not trust that their feelings are genuine. They want to leave, but they feel foolish being driven out by their own shadows, so to speak. They want something to happen. They crave it, if only so they know that their terror is legitimate.
Modern haunted house stories, which so often would have someone killed by some monster or another within ten pages, could learn something from this novella. Blackwood creates tension, and keeps it there, which little more than atmosphere for 115 pages. How many writers could do the same? Not many.
This book was written in 1914 and is one of the great, original haunted house stories. I highly recommend it for horror literature lovers. Blackwood is a legend within the genre and inspired countless writers, including H.P. Lovecraft and Caitlin Kiernan.
July 12, 2020
Compared to today's horror stories, The Damned would disappoint you if you wanted and expected things to jump at you.
Bill and Frances are visiting their widowed friend, who has just come back home. Her home, the Towers, seems to have kept her bigoted preacher husband's essence.
Nothing ever happens in the Towers. The thing is, the most frightening thing here is the wait. They constantly expect something, anything really, to make itself known. That lack of action is the actual story and its essence is in its atmosphere.
Bill and Frances are visiting their widowed friend, who has just come back home. Her home, the Towers, seems to have kept her bigoted preacher husband's essence.
Nothing ever happens in the Towers. The thing is, the most frightening thing here is the wait. They constantly expect something, anything really, to make itself known. That lack of action is the actual story and its essence is in its atmosphere.
February 19, 2014
I have found a new author to love. An excellent ghost story...
January 25, 2013
A great haunted house story along the lines of Turn of the Screw and the Haunting of Hill House. This is my first time reading Algernon Bloackwood, and I hope his other works as as subtle and well-written.
July 7, 2011
This story held me captivate from beginning to end. The struggle of beliefs and fears seemed very real to me.
November 22, 2020
Different from your typical ghost stories; the creepiness is in the anticipation.
November 9, 2019
In this episode, I review the gothic ghost story "The Damned" by Algernon Blackwood.
Also, I touch on exactly what a residual haunting is.
https://youtu.be/nN6_11kAM4k
Also, I touch on exactly what a residual haunting is.
https://youtu.be/nN6_11kAM4k
January 16, 2021
I had high expectations...
No spoilers. 3 stars. I've been on an Algernon Blackwood kick lately since discovering some of his excellent horror stories...
... This, unfortunately, isn't one of them...
THE DAMNED is a haunted mansion-like tale that uses so much out-dated English that at times you must reread passages several times...
... and still you may not understand much of what you're reading...
... Bill and Frances are siblings living together in London. They receive an invitation to come stay at a widowed friend's mansion in the countryside...
Frances accepts and leaves Bill behind for a relaxing time with the widowed Mabel but within two weeks she sends for her brother...
... Frances is frightened in the big old house and cannot sleep there...
Bill soon joins the women, planning to do some research in Mabel's vast library but he too is overcome by...
... a frightening sense of dread about the house and its occupants...
There are some stories that are really past their prime mostly due to out-dated language... and this is one of them. I found it easier to read the KJV Bible than to muddle through this very short story which took me waaaaay too long to finally finish reading.
I believe that reading should be relaxing and pleasurable so if I find myself working too hard at it and dread picking up the book that I'm reading, chances are others will also.
BTW the illustrations were great. They were the best part of the novella. Ah well... my expectations for the story were too high.
THE WILLOWS by this author is an excellent horror choice for a chilling and thrilling read.
No spoilers. 3 stars. I've been on an Algernon Blackwood kick lately since discovering some of his excellent horror stories...
... This, unfortunately, isn't one of them...
THE DAMNED is a haunted mansion-like tale that uses so much out-dated English that at times you must reread passages several times...
... and still you may not understand much of what you're reading...
... Bill and Frances are siblings living together in London. They receive an invitation to come stay at a widowed friend's mansion in the countryside...
Frances accepts and leaves Bill behind for a relaxing time with the widowed Mabel but within two weeks she sends for her brother...
... Frances is frightened in the big old house and cannot sleep there...
Bill soon joins the women, planning to do some research in Mabel's vast library but he too is overcome by...
... a frightening sense of dread about the house and its occupants...
There are some stories that are really past their prime mostly due to out-dated language... and this is one of them. I found it easier to read the KJV Bible than to muddle through this very short story which took me waaaaay too long to finally finish reading.
I believe that reading should be relaxing and pleasurable so if I find myself working too hard at it and dread picking up the book that I'm reading, chances are others will also.
BTW the illustrations were great. They were the best part of the novella. Ah well... my expectations for the story were too high.
THE WILLOWS by this author is an excellent horror choice for a chilling and thrilling read.
July 17, 2023
3.5⭐
A brother and sister, Bill and Frances are invited to stay with Mrs. Franklyn, a wealthy widow friend of Frances's at her foreboding country estate called The Towers. It is soon discovered by both brother and sister that the house is intolerable to their artistic natures leaving them feeling quite unsettled. Mrs. Franklyn who is also aware of this feeling is using them as sensory organs to discover what is wrong with the house to aid her in her mission to set the house straight. The house seems to be impregnated with a horrible presence, a dark Shadowy frightening atmosphere of oppression. Strange noises, as of great gates closing, are heard at night. The answer seems to lie in the fact that a succession of intolerant hellfire and brimstone religious fanatics with many contrary influences at work and mutually destructive of one another, impregnated the house and grounds with their terrible, impure concepts of hell, the latest being Mr. Franklyn the deceased husband of their hostess, Mrs. Franklyn.
A brother and sister, Bill and Frances are invited to stay with Mrs. Franklyn, a wealthy widow friend of Frances's at her foreboding country estate called The Towers. It is soon discovered by both brother and sister that the house is intolerable to their artistic natures leaving them feeling quite unsettled. Mrs. Franklyn who is also aware of this feeling is using them as sensory organs to discover what is wrong with the house to aid her in her mission to set the house straight. The house seems to be impregnated with a horrible presence, a dark Shadowy frightening atmosphere of oppression. Strange noises, as of great gates closing, are heard at night. The answer seems to lie in the fact that a succession of intolerant hellfire and brimstone religious fanatics with many contrary influences at work and mutually destructive of one another, impregnated the house and grounds with their terrible, impure concepts of hell, the latest being Mr. Franklyn the deceased husband of their hostess, Mrs. Franklyn.
July 13, 2012
This gave me the s$&ts mainly because of the perpetual rise to climax that grew on you the entire story whilst getting steadily creepier
June 28, 2020
3 Stars.
The longest story in my AB collection book, and honestly it could've cut a lot of chaff.
I honestly don't know how to write this review without spoiling the content of the story, because otherwise it would be "Man goes to Hotel, he's a dude that writes stories."
Content wise, it's very early Christian commentary and shows it's age VERY clearly at points.
While I do feel that my revisiting of things I read when I was younger has given me new perspectives, this had been a reminder that sometimes the young brain wasn't delusional and something that was boring to a 14 year old is solidly alright if not a little slow.
The greatest thing in the piece however is now I will strive to find what matches the term "Goblin Garden" in my own life, because that's a genuinely weird descriptor and I love it.
The longest story in my AB collection book, and honestly it could've cut a lot of chaff.
I honestly don't know how to write this review without spoiling the content of the story, because otherwise it would be "Man goes to Hotel, he's a dude that writes stories."
Content wise, it's very early Christian commentary and shows it's age VERY clearly at points.
While I do feel that my revisiting of things I read when I was younger has given me new perspectives, this had been a reminder that sometimes the young brain wasn't delusional and something that was boring to a 14 year old is solidly alright if not a little slow.
The greatest thing in the piece however is now I will strive to find what matches the term "Goblin Garden" in my own life, because that's a genuinely weird descriptor and I love it.
September 30, 2024
3.5. I enjoyed the tension of wondering whether the house was indeed haunted or if it was all in our narrator's head - now it's finished I find myself thinking back to certain episodes and wondering how much I can trust the version that was portrayed. Our narrator is deeply sexist and the digs he makes about his sister pile up throughout the text, but in a way that is very deliberately done and I loved the glimpses you get of the real person she is as the story progresses. Perhaps a little anticlimactic but I did enjoy this!
September 6, 2024
A brilliant and engrossing anti-horror novella, intellectually deconstructing gothic ghost story tropes with a lush exploration of anticipation and emotional projection.
May 1, 2018
I'm giving this three stars, mainly for the quality of the writing. The plot was a little confused, mainly I suspect because the philosophical underpinnings of the premise are too antiquated for modern readers. Well, for me, anyway. A brother and sister go to stay with the sister's newly widowed friend in her country mansion. He writes, she paints. The widow was married to a hellfire preacher--not the snake-wrangling American kind, but the very English, Victorian, temperance no-fun kind. His spirit quashed his wife's and appears to linger in the house. He espoused damnation for all mankind except his select few saved congregation. There's something in the house, both brother and sister sense it, but it never comes to anything--the missed sneeze syndrome. The nothingness is oppressive and terrifying.
The sense of wrongness is layered. Other tyrannical sects apparently owned the house--from Druids (well, not the house, obviously, the land it stands on), to Romans, to the Catholic inquisition--and all these joy-killers have sucked the life out of the place.
The solution eventually comes by selling the house to...well, this is where I lost the plot a little. I'm assuming the author created a scientific, atheist, rationalist solution. Benign atheist buys the house, all the terrible superstition and supernatural occurrences desist. Sam Harris would enjoy this.
As I say, the writing is terrific if you like nineteenth century literature. This is about as horrific as finding out you've run out of milk when you want a cup of tea (less so, actually), but I do recommend it for those who like their horror extremely gentle, just a little bit creepy. Pour yourself some red wine, light the fire and curl up with a good story that takes no more than an evening to read.
The sense of wrongness is layered. Other tyrannical sects apparently owned the house--from Druids (well, not the house, obviously, the land it stands on), to Romans, to the Catholic inquisition--and all these joy-killers have sucked the life out of the place.
The solution eventually comes by selling the house to...well, this is where I lost the plot a little. I'm assuming the author created a scientific, atheist, rationalist solution. Benign atheist buys the house, all the terrible superstition and supernatural occurrences desist. Sam Harris would enjoy this.
As I say, the writing is terrific if you like nineteenth century literature. This is about as horrific as finding out you've run out of milk when you want a cup of tea (less so, actually), but I do recommend it for those who like their horror extremely gentle, just a little bit creepy. Pour yourself some red wine, light the fire and curl up with a good story that takes no more than an evening to read.
May 24, 2025
Helt okej.
November 20, 2021
Pretty dull storytelling. i didn't feel any horror because all there is a build up about something scary but eventually nothing happens till the end. Maybe this was not for me but Two stars because it's still a one time read if you ever want to pass the time.
April 10, 2013
This longer story (or is it a novella?) would be a great exhibit of Blackwood's mastery of nameless dread if one could just ignore the denouement. Like in his better work, such as "The Willows," Blackwood is able to conjure all shades of terror from subtle impressions and details, made all the more intense because of the inability to define it or explain it away. The atmosphere through the middle of the tale is therefore classic Blackwood. The problem arises when an explanation begins to surface and the story becomes more or less an advertisement for the Theosophical Society or what might be termed "New Age" thought today. The society is not mentioned by name but their motto- "There is no religion higher than Truth"- is the motto of the benevolent community that takes custody of the cursed house and exorcises it abruptly through their practice of tolerance and compassion, and their generous faith in universal salvation. You see, the apparent haunting of the house is after all just the psychic residue of lots of mean, intolerant dogmatists of various creeds(Druid, Roman, Jewish, Catholic, Protestant) who have occupied the site throughout history. Some might accuse me of throwing a spoiler into my review by revealing all this, but the neat explanation is really not what makes this story worthwhile- it's a bit like when some editor decides to append a glib moral to a bewildering and surreal fairy tale. For readers unfamiliar with Blackwood's horror fiction, you'd better start with his better work, such as "The Willows" or "The Wendigo."
January 26, 2012
This was alright. The point of the book I think was that horror is not always one that peaks to the point of ultimate terror, but sometimes there are several layers of the haunted area which are fighting for complete control. Yet they cannot have it, and in the end, only the seeming ascension of something that is about to happen occurs, however nothing really happens. I know, sort of confusing isn't it?
The book is about a brother and sister, Bill and Frances who visit a friend of theirs, Mabel(a widow)at her home called the Towers. I gather it was quite the estate with lovely gardens and a large house. However, Mabel's late husband was a very religious man who spoke of damnation all the time and from what I gather is that he scared Mabel into these beliefs, and her fear in these beliefs allowed the supernatural "minerals" buried beneath the soil to come "unearthed" where some occurrences that could not be rendered as normal would come to pass.
Another theme of this book is the power of belief, and how the simple act of believing in something that was fed to you over a period of time could have so much power as to burst forth and scare you. Which sucks, cause sometimes I wonder if ghosts are real and then I freak out at everything -_-
The book is about a brother and sister, Bill and Frances who visit a friend of theirs, Mabel(a widow)at her home called the Towers. I gather it was quite the estate with lovely gardens and a large house. However, Mabel's late husband was a very religious man who spoke of damnation all the time and from what I gather is that he scared Mabel into these beliefs, and her fear in these beliefs allowed the supernatural "minerals" buried beneath the soil to come "unearthed" where some occurrences that could not be rendered as normal would come to pass.
Another theme of this book is the power of belief, and how the simple act of believing in something that was fed to you over a period of time could have so much power as to burst forth and scare you. Which sucks, cause sometimes I wonder if ghosts are real and then I freak out at everything -_-
June 22, 2011
Interesting book by Algernon Blackwood! A brother and sister spend some time with a recently widowed friend. Her deceased husband was a strict fire and brimstone preacher who damned everyone who didn't believe like him to hell. His less strong-willed wife fell under his spell, but now the house seems to be haunted by...a shadow? Goblins? Ghostly pagans? Or many different things at once.
It's an interesting concept, a house possessed by the strong beliefs of those who lived there before. I imagine Unitarians especially would enjoy coming off well in it! The most interesting thing is the supernatural element, how the narrator becomes aware of "layers" outside the house that each present their own spiritual view forever at war with each other. The haunting doesn't produce dread so much as a frustrated desire for something to happen. Definitely unique!
It's an interesting concept, a house possessed by the strong beliefs of those who lived there before. I imagine Unitarians especially would enjoy coming off well in it! The most interesting thing is the supernatural element, how the narrator becomes aware of "layers" outside the house that each present their own spiritual view forever at war with each other. The haunting doesn't produce dread so much as a frustrated desire for something to happen. Definitely unique!
September 6, 2011
This wasn't bad, but it lacks action. The narrator himself, and I kid you not, mentions several times that "nothing happens" and the lack of things happening is a central aspect of the story. Up until the narrator starts pounding into us that nothing happens there's a hope that the constant buildup of tension will find a released. But no. That doesn't happen. Because nothing actually happens.
This is an atmospheric piece and it is at its best when indulging in the slow and steady construction of atmosphere and tension. I'd recommend it to Gothic horror writers who want to see a pretty good example of how to build atmosphere but I'd warn them off emulating its storytelling and lack of direct conflict.
This is an atmospheric piece and it is at its best when indulging in the slow and steady construction of atmosphere and tension. I'd recommend it to Gothic horror writers who want to see a pretty good example of how to build atmosphere but I'd warn them off emulating its storytelling and lack of direct conflict.
December 17, 2015
I forgot I read this some time ago. This is a really odd novella, but not a bad one. It has a good atmosphere of unease about it, and a subtle creepiness, and is trying to say something about religious intolerance too. A man and his sister go to stay with a widowed friend of hers who was once married to a overly religious man who believed in damnation for nearly all people’s. The house has an aura about it of depression and general unease. Everything seems stunted, undeveloped, yet nothing ever really happens. Then the trio begins to hear a massive sound beneath the earth, as of the gates of hell being slammed shut.
October 26, 2017
"Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows!" Algernon Blackwood beat Walter Gibson to the punch with this meme, albeit nothing actually happened with Blackwood's shadow.
What is terror? Is it a physical calamity the evokes the stultifying, and sometimes maligned emotion? No, it the portentous foreboding that something might or could happen, of something just around the corner-or right behind you, dredged up from the accumulated recesses of your mind. It is the fear of the unknown and the expression of such that the mind tries to form. And that is where Algernon Blackwood takes you in this story.
A distraught woman invites two friends to spend time with her at the towers, a mammoth estate that is too big and too much for her to bear alone. Her late husband made the place his own, in that everything in it and about it was a reflection of him, not her. Gone, but not forgotten, the old maid on the property was there to keep his ghost alive.
The two friends, brother and sister, soon begin to feel the uneasiness of their host. The late fire and brimstone husband had unwittingly tormented his wife and induced a kind of psychosis, that spread like a blanket over the two guests. But, as reiterated numerous times in the book, nothing happened. But that isn't exactly true. Plenty happened, but if you were expecting an action-packed horror story, you will be disappointed.
Without going over the tale top to bottom, the story reads like an allegory, Frances and Bill, the guests, melding into a single mind with Mabel, the host. Frances was half-way between sanity and Mabel's condition, while Bill was the level headed one, although even he felt uncomfortable to the point where he was unable to relax at all.
Bill is the storyteller here, but Blackwood explores the fears of all three characters, a dynamic of one mind unsettled with fears quite possibly adopted in childhood (even alluded to in the story), with the house itself seeming being that part of the mind serving as a prison for that part of the mind that is looking for an escape.
In the end, a casting off of irrational fears and beliefs can work wonders seems to be the message. Unfortunately, many of us never achieve that; we can only assume that it happened here. But we'll never know for sure.
What is terror? Is it a physical calamity the evokes the stultifying, and sometimes maligned emotion? No, it the portentous foreboding that something might or could happen, of something just around the corner-or right behind you, dredged up from the accumulated recesses of your mind. It is the fear of the unknown and the expression of such that the mind tries to form. And that is where Algernon Blackwood takes you in this story.
A distraught woman invites two friends to spend time with her at the towers, a mammoth estate that is too big and too much for her to bear alone. Her late husband made the place his own, in that everything in it and about it was a reflection of him, not her. Gone, but not forgotten, the old maid on the property was there to keep his ghost alive.
The two friends, brother and sister, soon begin to feel the uneasiness of their host. The late fire and brimstone husband had unwittingly tormented his wife and induced a kind of psychosis, that spread like a blanket over the two guests. But, as reiterated numerous times in the book, nothing happened. But that isn't exactly true. Plenty happened, but if you were expecting an action-packed horror story, you will be disappointed.
Without going over the tale top to bottom, the story reads like an allegory, Frances and Bill, the guests, melding into a single mind with Mabel, the host. Frances was half-way between sanity and Mabel's condition, while Bill was the level headed one, although even he felt uncomfortable to the point where he was unable to relax at all.
Bill is the storyteller here, but Blackwood explores the fears of all three characters, a dynamic of one mind unsettled with fears quite possibly adopted in childhood (even alluded to in the story), with the house itself seeming being that part of the mind serving as a prison for that part of the mind that is looking for an escape.
In the end, a casting off of irrational fears and beliefs can work wonders seems to be the message. Unfortunately, many of us never achieve that; we can only assume that it happened here. But we'll never know for sure.
October 8, 2018
As several other reviews already mention, this is perhaps not a book for modern sensibilities. There is little in the way of action and no neat little bows in which to tie up plot threads.
Instead, there is the exquisite tension of relentlessly building horror that refuses to offer relief, and there are ambiguities that will haunt your thoughts long after you have read the final page.
‘Nothing happened,’ the narrator tells us again and again. Usually such a passive statement, here it often feels as if it should be understood in an active sense. Nothing is happening, and it is happening all around the characters. Meanwhile, something is building in that house, something dreadful, something awful and immense and powerful - and it continues to build and build until the imminence is unbearable, but the storm refuses to break.
It’s like a nightmare. As if you have become trapped inside some ghastly balloon, the skin of which is stretched so taut that it is barely there any longer. It’s about to burst, and you dread the explosion - even as you pray for it to happen, to release you at last - but it doesn’t come. You remain trapped, and each breath you exhale fills the balloon just that tiny bit more, increasing the pressure and the violence of what must surely happen any moment now, and as you exhale another breath the skin stretches just that little bit more …
… and nothing continues to happen.
It’s horrible. Blackwood was a master.
Instead, there is the exquisite tension of relentlessly building horror that refuses to offer relief, and there are ambiguities that will haunt your thoughts long after you have read the final page.
‘Nothing happened,’ the narrator tells us again and again. Usually such a passive statement, here it often feels as if it should be understood in an active sense. Nothing is happening, and it is happening all around the characters. Meanwhile, something is building in that house, something dreadful, something awful and immense and powerful - and it continues to build and build until the imminence is unbearable, but the storm refuses to break.
It’s like a nightmare. As if you have become trapped inside some ghastly balloon, the skin of which is stretched so taut that it is barely there any longer. It’s about to burst, and you dread the explosion - even as you pray for it to happen, to release you at last - but it doesn’t come. You remain trapped, and each breath you exhale fills the balloon just that tiny bit more, increasing the pressure and the violence of what must surely happen any moment now, and as you exhale another breath the skin stretches just that little bit more …
… and nothing continues to happen.
It’s horrible. Blackwood was a master.
July 31, 2023
"Nothing happened."
This is a cheeky novella from Blackwood, and it's funny that I'm reading it right after Northanger Abbey, which had a similar satiric bent.
A bachelor brother and his spinster sister go stay at a supposedly haunted house, occupied by the mopey widow of the firey evangelical man who built the terrible house. There's a creepy housekeeper, mysterious figures on the lawn, billowing curtains, and ominous shadows, sleepwalking heroines, and strange noises.
I recommend this if you're a fan of Gothic fiction and also maybe something a bit lighthearted that pokes fun at the genre. Blackwood is a good writer and one of a few who could actually pull this off. Also I lol'd at "goblin layer" to describe a creepy garden.
This is a cheeky novella from Blackwood, and it's funny that I'm reading it right after Northanger Abbey, which had a similar satiric bent.
A bachelor brother and his spinster sister go stay at a supposedly haunted house, occupied by the mopey widow of the firey evangelical man who built the terrible house. There's a creepy housekeeper, mysterious figures on the lawn, billowing curtains, and ominous shadows, sleepwalking heroines, and strange noises.
I recommend this if you're a fan of Gothic fiction and also maybe something a bit lighthearted that pokes fun at the genre. Blackwood is a good writer and one of a few who could actually pull this off. Also I lol'd at "goblin layer" to describe a creepy garden.
December 11, 2025
There are 2 sentences from the book the summarize it perfectly: "If only—the same old cry— something would happen!" and "And, so far as I am aware, the curious history of The Towers ends here too. There was no climax in the story sense. Nothing ever really happened."
Nothing ever happens. While the writing style is more modern than a Henry James ghost story, it retains the theme of late 1800s "horror" where something is supposed to be scary just because a character says they are terrified, despite no terrifying event occuring. There is just a hint of a ghost stort but it is primarily a psychological paranoia story.
The main purpose of the story besides self inflicted paranoia really seems to be to disparage Christianity; it comes across as evangelistic atheism.
Nothing ever happens. While the writing style is more modern than a Henry James ghost story, it retains the theme of late 1800s "horror" where something is supposed to be scary just because a character says they are terrified, despite no terrifying event occuring. There is just a hint of a ghost stort but it is primarily a psychological paranoia story.
The main purpose of the story besides self inflicted paranoia really seems to be to disparage Christianity; it comes across as evangelistic atheism.
July 17, 2019
Not for everyone
This story is "supernatural" in an unusual way. It is an account a house whose long history of various religious fanatics has left an oppressive atmosphere of damnation. The lady who lives there was the wife of a very rich banker espousing the most bigoted type of Victorian revivalism. She has invited her friends (an artistic brother and sister) in the hope that they will help to overcome the dress that the place evokes though they are incapable of resisting. There are no dramatic phenomena or "purple passages" for those who want "blood and thunder" but neither has it the sheer subtle artistry of an Aickman.
This story is "supernatural" in an unusual way. It is an account a house whose long history of various religious fanatics has left an oppressive atmosphere of damnation. The lady who lives there was the wife of a very rich banker espousing the most bigoted type of Victorian revivalism. She has invited her friends (an artistic brother and sister) in the hope that they will help to overcome the dress that the place evokes though they are incapable of resisting. There are no dramatic phenomena or "purple passages" for those who want "blood and thunder" but neither has it the sheer subtle artistry of an Aickman.
December 23, 2021
Wonderful entertaining fantasy listening 🔰😀
Another will written British fantasy thriller adventure in the English countryside by Algemon Blackwood. A sister and bother visit a widow friend of the sisters at her estate and the fun begins. I would recommend this fantasy novel to readers of fantasy. Enjoy the adventure of reading 👓 or 🎶 listening to books 📚 2021
You will find 100 year old British novels very different from today's novels.
Another will written British fantasy thriller adventure in the English countryside by Algemon Blackwood. A sister and bother visit a widow friend of the sisters at her estate and the fun begins. I would recommend this fantasy novel to readers of fantasy. Enjoy the adventure of reading 👓 or 🎶 listening to books 📚 2021
You will find 100 year old British novels very different from today's novels.
October 23, 2024
Algernon Blackwood writes subtle horror. Creepy, building stories. The Damned was fine - I thought it wrapped up too quickly and with a dumping of information. So 4 stars for most of it. 3 for the ending. If you want to give yourself a scare, go camping, make a fire at night and listen to an audio version of The Wendigo. Spoooooky!
March 1, 2021
Fine last few pages if you can tolerate the general gibberish in the name of horror. A short tale but narrated with woeful slowness that makes it sluggish especially if you are a Stephen King fan. Yet the plot is a novel idea for all eras. 3 🌟 because it could have been narrated better than it was.
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