Of his many short stories, the two most influential were “The Wendigo” and “The Willows” and for good reason – they evoke the very mix of awe and terror I mentioned above. It is that mix of wonder and terror that made Blackwood one of the most unique of the early 20 th century horror writers. He could also, when he wanted to, make the wonders of earth and the cosmos most terrifying. He had a great love and respect for the outdoors and appeared to have regarded the earth and its mysteries in an almost pantheistic way at times. Blackwood was quite knowledgeable about the many mystic organizations and practices that were popular from the Victorian Age on and used that knowledge prodigiously. He not only wrote some of the best supernatural fiction of the early 20 th century but he wrote it like he “meant it.” It is a cliché to say his fiction did not evoke horror as much as awe, but it is a remarkably accurate description of the power of his writings. Of the traditional British writers of supernatural and ghost tales, I’ve always felt a kinship with Algernon Blackwood.
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