Two Men In A Boat
Well to be pedantic, a canoe. It may start out jolly, but for sure it’s far from light-hearted
I read a whole slew of books around the witching end of October, but never got round to reviewing. As the nights are still long and dark, this chilling, genuinely creepy long short story or short novella by Algernon Blackwood should still make a reader shiver, starting nervously as winter winds rustle the branches against the windows
This story opens cheerfully enough. A couple of friends, boating enthusiasts, embark on a canoe trip down the Danube, and all in blissful, balmy weather
Starting out, hugely appreciative of their friendship, the delight in healthy exercise in the open air, the two friends absolutely appreciate the solitude and connection with the natural world which takes so many of us out into walking, running, swimming, or climbing ‘in nature’ What happy endorphins we feel, rushing through us :
Racing along at twelve kilometres an hour soon took us well into Hungary, and the muddy waters – sure sign of flood – sent us aground on many a shingle bed, and twisted us like a cork in many a sudden belching whirlpool…and then the canoe, leaping like a spirited horse, flew at top speed…We entered the land of desolation on wings, and in less than half an hour there was neither boat not fishing-hut nor red roof, nor any single sign of human civilisation within sight
Who has NOT delighted in feeling they are alone, or perhaps with a similarly adventurous companion, out in ‘the natural world’, feeling alive and unconstrained by cities, rules, regulations, civilisations?
And who has not, perhaps, had a sense that a world without (seemingly) other humans, might not be an alien one, perhaps, if not indifferent to us, then having a darker intent
I gazed across the waste of wild waters; I watched the whispering willows; I heard the ceaseless beating of the tireless wind, and, one and all, each in its own way, stirred in me this sensation of a strange distress. But the willows especially; forever they went on chattering and talking amongst themselves, laughing a little, shrilly crying out, sometimes sighing- but what it was they made so much to do about belonged to the secret life of the great plain they inhabited. And it was utterly alien to the world I knew, or to that of the wild yet kindly elements. They made me think of a host of beings from another plane of life, another evolution altogether, perhaps, all discussing a mystery known only to themselves
Algernon Blackwood is utterly brilliant at the inch by inch turning up of terror and horror. There is nothing overdone here, nor is too much debunked by explanation. Instead, he taps into something quite animal and primeval. We might be able to laugh off ancient fear and awe of the wild, safe within crowded cities, but it lurks, oh how it lurks, for anyone with a modicum of imagination.
Wiki Commons – Is There Anybody There…There..There?
And I must confess, for some days after reading this magnificent tale I felt a little 
uneasy, even walking beneath the tame trees in my local park. Might they, just, be plotting…….
And….I was alerted to this excellent ghost, ghouls and things that go bump in the night – even on a summer’s day, gem, by Fiction Fan, and read it as All Hallow’s Eve harrowed. Here is the link to her enticing review
The Willows Amazon UK
The Willows Amazon USA
Blackwood is exceptional at creating suspense without actual concrete villains. It’s really cool. I loved The Willows, but I definitely prefer The Wendigo personally. Either way, authors like Algernon Blackwood don’t really exist now-a-days. Everything is about action in modern horror, not suspense. I totally loved your review and I’m glad you enjoyed this short story. It’s one of my favorites!
I am determined to read more Blackwood, based on The Willows. And I think you are right about the endless action in modern horror, compared to that much more difficult mastery – suspense. It reminds me in a book by Truffaut, an hommage to Hitchcock, series of interviews with Hitchcock, who was dismissive about how some film-makers had replaced the craft of suspense with the cheapness of shock.
I loved the delicate seeping way suspense built in this to an every nerve on edge terror
Thank you for pointing me towards The Wendigo – terrifying and terrifyingly good
Great review, and so glad it shivered your spine! And thank you for the linky! I think it was the image of the willows clapping their little hands that did it for me – I’ve never trusted the Great Outdoors and now I know I was right! Much better to stay inside with a cup of hot chocolate… and no houseplants!
I totally agree about the use of suspense in older horror stories. When I started reading them for the blog, I really intended to mix old and new, but I so rarely found a new story that grabbed me in the way some of the older ones do that it’s ended up being mostly classic stories.They were also much better at mixing humour with horror – not in this one though!
Another linky for another recc, arriving at a blog near you, in a couple of days…….
Ooh, I’m on a roll…
Ooooh, I’ve never read Blackwood but this sounds fabulous (and very scary). I prefer implied horror to actual bloody horror so this could be for me! 🙂
It’s wonderful, Karen, subtly getting ever more scary and weird, but with no crassness (unlike some trends in the old zombie, vampire, werewolf screamfest stuff) This is a crafted writer, and I want to read more. I am glad I read it before my recent kittens gained access to the outside – one of them is obsessed with bringing in dead leaves – I have had a month of 10 or more a day. Had I been reading The Willows during all that I might have convinced myself the leaves were coming in of their own volition!
This sounds really creepy. Willows are my favourite tree, I’m scared to read it lest it ruins them for me…
Oh dear, Madame Bibi – I’m not sure. They are lovely whispery trees aren’t they? I must admit though, I was more visualising riverbank rushes, than willows, so perhaps you could hold that thought……..
Following FF’s review I downloaded a book of Blackwood’s Complete Works, I’ve now put The Willows up as my next read. I’m in the midst of long hot days but a bit of shivering suspense never goes amiss.
Set the alarm for the middle of the night and scare yourself!
The quality of Blackwood’s writing really does draw you into his story world; so when unsettling fantastical elements arise they do integrate all too easily into the reality of the story world. I’m (unfortunately?) not easily scared but I found this story very atmospheric and compelling. The ending, wonderfully I think, provided no relief at all from the elicited deep sense of unease….
I’ve just finished The Wendigo, which another commenter recommended, and It is even scarier, and leaves the reader with even more unease. I can see I’m going to read more Blackwood – what a marvellous last name for a writer exploring, indeed, the darker aspects of indifference to puny man, in the vastness of the forests.