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Algernon Blackwood

S. T. Joshi

The Complete John Silence Stories (Dover Horror Classics) Paperback – November 2, 2011

by Algernon Blackwood (Author), S. T. Joshi (Editor, Introduction)

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One of the former British writers of supernatural tales in the twentieth century, Algernon Blackwood (1869–1951) wrote stories in which the slow accumulation of telling details produced a foreboding atmosphere of almost unendurable tension. Blackwood's literary renown began in 1908 with the publication of a highly successful collection of stories, John Silence — Physician Extraordinary, featuring a "psychic doctor."
This volume contains all five of the John Silence stories from the 1908 edition plus one additional tale. Edited and with an informative introduction by S. T. Joshi, noted occult fiction authority, the stories include "A Psychical Invasion," in which Silence is summoned to a house apparently haunted by former tenants. In "Ancient Sorceries," he encounters a man who tells of strange experiences in a small French town; and in "Secret Worship," an ill-starred character is rescued from spiritual and perhaps physical death. "The Nemesis of Fire," "The Camp of the God," and "A Victim of Higher Space" conclude this collection of spellbinding tales, which will delight any devotee of "weird" literature.

Print length

272 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Dover Publications
Publication date

November 2, 2011
Dimensions

5.51 x 0.58 x 8.5 inches
ISBN-10

0486299422
ISBN-13

978-0486299426
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Algernon Blackwood (1869-1951) maintained a lifelong fascination with the occult and spiritualism. In addition to writing 10 books of short stories and 14 novels, he served as a British secret agent during World War I and received a knighthood in 1949.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Dover Publications; First Edition (November 2, 2011)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 272 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0486299422
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0486299426
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 8.8 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.51 x 0.58 x 8.5 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #558,387 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,771 in Psychic Mysteries
- #3,228 in Ghost Mysteries
- #5,638 in Traditional Detective Mysteries (Books)

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45 ratings

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RDB

A nice complete reading copy for the Occult Detective fan.

Reviewed in the United States on September 11, 2019

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Occult Detective readers may disagree on who the best early Occult Detectives were, but Blackwood's John Silence is among the best. I reread these tales every now and then and it is nice to have all of the stories in one place to make reading easier. It seems that the Complete stories are now available from several sources but at one time it was not easy to find the sixth story from this collection that was not included in the original First Edition book.

3 people found this helpful

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A psychical detective

Reviewed in the United States on April 16, 2004

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S. T. Joshi, who edited and introduced these short stories by Algernon Blackwood rightfully classifies them as 'weird fiction' rather than ghost stories. Blackwood was a pantheist and a member of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, eventually branching out into Buddhism and Rosicrucianism, and his stories reveal a deep, mystical appreciation of Nature, with a capital 'N.' The author was an avid camper and spent many happy summers in the backwoods of Canada communing with his incomprehensible, dangerous, and beautiful mistress.
Nature serves as his haunted domain in some of the John Silence stories, most notably "The Camp of the Dog," and also in two of his most anthologized stories, "The Willows" and "The Wendigo."
You will need to equip yourself with two reading gears in the John Silence stories (not the author's best work by any means): a leisurely course through his descriptions of nature and the awesome terror of his hauntings; and a fast forward through the mystical, occult blah-blah whereby John Silence tries to explain away the terror and awe.
John Silence serves as both a psychiatrist and an exorcist in these stories, and the hapless, bumbling narrators are always falling about in awe of his occult powers. However, the good physician is a bit schizophrenic about the occult. In this book's first story, "A Psychical Invasion" a potential client tries to explain why she has come to him:
"Your sympathetic heart and your knowledge of occultism---"
"Oh, please--that dreadful word!" he [Dr. Silence] interrupted, holding up a finger with a gesture of impatience."
And yet John Silence is always reading minds, performing magical rites, and defending ordinary mortals against the powers of Darkness.
All of these stories will send a chill down your spine, as long as you skip lightly past the mystical, rather pompous blather of the main character:
"A Psychical Invasion"--A young author who takes a mind-expanding drug accidentally puts himself in touch with an ancient evil. John Silence and his cat and his collie spend a night in the author's haunted house on Putney Heath and are attacked by dreadful, occult forces.
"Ancient Sorceries"--A masterful portrait of a shy misogynist who escapes from a noisy trainload of English tourists, only to find himself in a very strange, sleepy little French village. As the narrator is leaving the train, a Frenchman leans out and mutters a half-understood warning that ends in: "á cause du sommeil et á cause des chats." Beware of sleep and cats. Blackwood slowly builds a powerful, eerie atmosphere around the narrator as he tries to decide whether to escape, or to stay forever in the mysterious village.
"The Nemesis of Fire"--This story has some genuinely frightening moments as fire elementals and an ancient Egyptian curse haunt a peaceful, English countryside. Blood is drunk, faces are blasted to ruin, and you'll need to employ your fast-forward gear through quite a few explanatory paragraphs.
"Secret Worship"--As dusk falls in the hills of the Black Forest, a silk merchant revisits the school where he spent his childhood with the Moravian Brothers (just as the author did). Lots of atmosphere and a slow build to a terrifying climax: "And then the room filled and trembled with sounds that...were the failing voices of others who had preceded him in a long series down the years." Blackwood is not very specific in his descriptions of the Other World. His glancing images and sounds leave much to the reader's horrified imagination.
"The Camp of the Dog"--A jolly campout on an island in the Baltic Sea slowly turns terrifying as a mysterious canine dogs the footsteps (sorry) of a young woman.
"A Victim of Higher Space"--A mathematician learns how to peer into the higher dimensions of space-time and is horrified by what he discovers.

23 people found this helpful

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S. Shields

The Doctor is in!

Reviewed in the United States on November 3, 2013

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As a long time fan of the writings of Dion Fortune, particularly her book "The Secrets of Doctor Taverner", I was thrilled to "discover" Algernon Blackwood. This book is a collection of sublime stories that feature a compassionate doctor able to heal people whose suffering is due to an unusual psychic cause. Dark forces have no power against the skills of this doctor! Each story is beautifully written and contains enough plot and subtle meaning to appeal to fans of suspense as well as seekers of the rare and mystical.

One person found this helpful

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Mark Ray

Complete John Silence

Reviewed in the United States on December 27, 2012

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Blackwood is a master of the weird and scary and his Occult Detective's assistant recounts several of the Doctor's cases.
Witchcraft, Lycanthropy, Evil ghosts bent on murder, Even a malevolent entity associated with a mummy both entertain and scare us.
Blackwood was a practising Rosicrucian just as I am and this philosophy is manifest in those tales.

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John W. Ziats

These stories are awesome. They were recommended by a librarian friend of ...

Reviewed in the United States on October 5, 2017

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These stories are awesome. They were recommended by a librarian friend of mine.
They are between science fiction and Sherlock Holmes.
Hard to believe they were written over 100 years ago.

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Night-Gaunt

Algernon Blackwood's Psychic Doctor

Reviewed in the United States on February 17, 2014

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My first time getting a copy and am anxiously reading them.

The copy I got was like new. Well worth the money I paid.

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David Chamberlain

Classic Blackwood

Reviewed in the United States on April 20, 2014

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A bit slow at times for the 21st century but wonderfully written! Clever, articulate,and delightful! Don't miss this one - it's a treasure!

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Nya

Wonderful product!

Reviewed in the United States on November 14, 2013

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This product is in great condition! The price is right and the delivery time was perfect! I'm sure my boyfriend will love it just as much as i do ;) Thank you so much!

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S. Bentley

Why have I not heard of this before?

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 13, 2008

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The John Silence Stories are, a bit like Carnacki, about taking a Sherlock Holmes pathology to ghost stories. Reluctant paranormal investigator Dr. Silence (brilliant name) is really a sceptic. Although he is aware of the supernatural, he will look for a natural explanation to the various hauntings and visitations that take place. Mainly this will involve looking into the personal lives of those who are being haunted to look for triggers.

Clearly Blackwood was inspired not only by the likes of M R James and Conan Doyle but also by Freud and the then new science of psychotherapy. The carefully tying of the supernatural maelstroms to the personal maelstroms of the characters make these chillers all the more chilling.

Brilliantly imaginative, Blackwood's work deserves to be better known and this collection is well worth your money!

5 people found this helpful

Serendipity

Great Christmas gift.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 30, 2019

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Was a Christmas gift, for a friend who's getting back into reading & she loves it.

Kindle Customer

a good dip into world of of

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 17, 2015

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a good dip into world of of horror

Miguel Angel Guerrero Prado

Un esr

Reviewed in Spain on July 18, 2020

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Cuentos que han envejecido muy mal. Las premisas "paranormales" en que se basan pretenden ser casi científicas y no pasan de espiritistas; el desarrollo de la trama es lento, torpe y pesado; la conclusión de cada cuento cae en lo chapucero. Una tremenda decepción.

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川流桃桜

ブラックウッドの代表作

Reviewed in Japan on January 11, 2003

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心霊探偵の代名詞、ジョン・サイレンスのシリーズは、以前日本でも国書刊行会と角川書店から翻訳が出ていたので、御存じの方もいらっしゃるかと思います。この本に収められているのは、順番こそ違いますがその邦訳と内容は同じで、サイレンス博士が登場する六作品が完全収録されています。
サイレンス博士ものはバラバラに収録されることが結構多いのですが、取り敢えずこの本一冊を手許に置いておけばファンの方はOKです。
編者のS.T.ヨシによる短い導入が付いています。

3 people found this helpful

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