Customer Reviews

The Wendigo (Dodo Press)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"The Wendigo" is widely regarded as one of Blackwoods best stories and is among the best and scariest stories ever written. "A Psychical Invasion", also by Blackwood, comes a close second. Anyone who has ever been out in the woods alone, particularly at night, will instantly be transported to that time and place by "The Wendigo". This one is not to be read before bedtime. All of Blackwood's stories, including the less scary or supernatural ones, are the best in English literature. The writing is exquisitely beautiful yet easy to read, evoking images and moods like nothing else I have ever read. If you've never read Algernon Blackwood, you have missed out on a profound and intense experience.
I can also recommend the recently published biography by Mike Ashley(not sure if I remembered his name right). It is interesting and well-researched.

Precisely the story not to sit around the campfire and read aloud, which is what makes it so perfect for just that. This is one of the greatest creepy, lost in the scary woods stories ever written. If there is one drawback, it is that it is too short. It would have been much better served at two to three times its length. It ends, and you just wish there was more.

This one takes a bit to really get going, but pay serious attention to the sly hints and subtle precursors that Blackwood seeds among the first 50+ pages' because you'll need them to understand later events in this truly scary story. Living in the northern woods of the Great Empire of Montana, the legend of the Wendigo is pretty well-known, and often told on Indian reservations and dude ranches to scare the "outlanders." This is a legend that originated in north Canada by the Ojibwa tribe and made its way first to the Maine north woods, and on further west. In these modern times, somebody acting crazy is still referred to as having "seen the Wendigo."

Deep, uninhabited forrests still unknown and untouched by the chain saw. Two hunters, their guides, and a legend-come-to-life where they are beyond help; isolated in the total and mysterious depth and eternal silence of the ageless backwoods. Although this story was written in 1910, Stephen King, a dweller of north Maine, cites it as a work that influenced him by its "creepiness." It gets creepier page by page - no guts and gore, but eerie with its strange progression. If you're an outdoorsman/woman, this tale will have you looking not around your shoulder, but over your head in great uneasiness.

Buy this one - or you'll be said to have "seen the Wendigo!"

Thanks for reading,

Vienna
Great Empire of Montana
Rocky Mountain Way Freelance Writing

My first impression and/or experience of a "Wendigo" was reading a Marvel comic, as a child, when The Incredible Hulk and Wolverine fought Wendigo. Wendigo, in the comic, was depicted as a huge and wooly beast. It had white fur, fangs and almost resembled a Sasquatch. This portrayal stuck with me so firmly that when Marvel (finally) issued their action figure Wendigo, adulthood couldn't keep me away.

However the legend of a Wendigo goes much deeper than a comic book. A Wendigo is a creature whom lives in Native American mythology. This creature, rather wicked spirit has the capability to possess humans. The possession was founded in cannibalism. Recently, there have been different takes on this creature, from books, movies, TV shows and as noted formerly, comic books.

While many of these more recent modes of media have taken some liberties with the Wendigo legend, this classic novella by Algernon Blackwood is right on point. This story is eerie, haunting and just straight up bizarre. In addition, the tale is only about 35 pages long so boredom isn't much of a factor.

The plot is rather simple, four men head into the northern Canadian timberland to hunt some moose. Two of these men are guides, Defago and Hank, and the other two are an uncle (Dr. Cathcart) and his nephew (Simpson). After setting up camp, the guides take their "client" and spilt up in order to chase their game. Simpson (the nephew) and his guide Defago are the focus for the majority of the story.

While Simpson and Defago are out hunting for moose they encounter some disturbing and creepy factors surrounding the myth of the wendigo. The tension between the characters and unfolding of events is actually what makes this story so spooky. It really puts a twist on the traditional "campfire tale".

The imagery and metaphors utilized by author Algernon Blackwood really allow for this insidious story to shine. At the same time, Blackwood provides many details while leaving much to the imagination, like walking in a dark tunnel with a flashlight, sure everything is present but one is only able to see bits and pieces.

This edition is a reproduction of an older copy. It was scanned and reprinted in order to keep cost down. The only trouble I had with this version is that there weren't any breaks in the paragraphs. This associated by the small font made it challenging to read. As a matter of fact, I found myself rereading certain sections two or three times because of these elements. Nevertheless, the price of this book is under five dollars and the quality of this surreal journey is worth the printing reproduction. This is essential reading for the horror fan; it will make a person think twice about that next camping trip.....

What a great story! I recently discovered this author and I am thoroughly impressed. The isolation and enormity of the big north woods reaches out and grabs you from the pages of this book. Blackwood draws you in and scares the stuffing out of you with his wonderfully visceral descriptions and the haunting line "Oh, oh! This fiery height! Oh, oh! My feet of fire! My burning feet of fire!". I am NEVER going camping again.

I just wanted to add my praise for this story. It is one of the few Blackwood stories I've read and I found it to be excellent. If you are a fan of Lovecraft or W.H. Hodgeson, then you should read this story. It is literate, frightening and charming all at once.

This is a review for the free Kindle version.

A good psychological thriller. What really happened in the forest? Especially once the tracks are covered by snow.

The Wendigo is very short, but it does a good job of taking you into a primeval forest, knowing that there is something out there. And you really don't want to find it. And the poor guide, ugh.

Considering how quick a read it is, I would suggest that anyone with a Kindle give it a shot. You only have a small amount of time that you will be out.

The review by Nick Estes is for a different edition from another publisher, not the Copper Penny Press edition, ISBN 978-0-6151-8322-0, released in February 2008.

This wasn't a bad little book. It just didn't jazz me like I'd hoped it would. I did like the ending, but getting there seemed a little long for such a short read.

A wonderful tale, yet I purchased this hoping it included other Algernon stories as well. Be forwarned: this is only "The Wendigo," and it is typeset as if for the sight-impaired. An esthetically awful choice to accompany the opening of each section with an enormous roman numeral and capital letter ruins the otherwise brilliant story. A modest, well thought "intro" to the nine sections would have made this bearable to look at. The publisher was obviously trying to fill up space.