Delphi Collected Works of Algernon Blackwood (Illustrated) (Series Five Book 5) Kindle Edition

Algernon Blackwood's writings reflect a mixed bag of whimsical, esoteric, fantastic, psychic, occult, and supernatural stories that typically provide subtle, haunting glimpses beneath the surface of normalcy to reveal the unseen, shadowy worlds of nature and the hidden realms of the invisible world around us. Plot is often minimal or at least subservient to carefully-crafted, deliberately-developed atmosphere and mood; this causes the reader to gradually experience an uneasy sense that something -- one is never sure quite what -- is somehow amiss and off-kilter. This subtlety sets Blackwood apart from more overt writers of the arcane, but it also subjects him to the criticism (not without merit) that he is excessively wordy and takes a long time to tell stories that frequently go nowhere. Indeed, Blackwood often ends his fey excursions into the occult without providing satisfactory denouements (though there are seldom very many plot complications to resolve anyway). Attempting to describe the undescribable to create atmosphere, Blackwood uses the less precise, more open-ended language of metaphor. Metaphor is well-suited to the eerie sense-of-insecurity and foreboding Blackwell chooses to impart to readers of his tales, but it can only be extended so far before one yearns for stronger and more concrete plot elements to accompany it; Blackwood frequently stretches that limit.

Thus, Blackwood's stories, being somewhat atypical and idiosyncratic, probably won't appeal equally to everyone. Moreover, Blackwood is not Poe; he is not Machen; he is not Lovecraft. Some readers will recognize his uniqueness and will appreciate him for it, but I strongly suspect others, seeking another Poe or another Machen or another Lovecraft, will likely be disappointed by the stylistic differences. Indeed, I must admit to having a love-hate relationship with Blackwood; some of his work that I have previously read I greatly enjoyed, but there was much that did not particularly appeal to me. Nevertheless, this Delphi set provides some stories I have not hitherto read, and I am looking forward to reading them.

Most of Blackwood's works are in the public domain and may be obtained as free ebooks from various online sources and from the Kindle Store. But those readers who especially appreciate and enjoy Blackwood's particular brand of fantasy and horror will want to consider this handsome Delphi bundle as a handy way to immediately, and in a single download, get all his works that are currently available. Furthermore, this low-priced Delphi edition is nicely formatted and particularly well-organized with an active TOC to provide convenient access to everything within it. It's the best Blackwood collection presently in the Kindle Store, though 3 other Blackwood sets are at least worth noting for those who may prefer wider line-spacing, no illustrations, and a lower ($.99) price (but fewer works); those are offered by e-artnow, Karpathos, and Wildside (in 2 Blackwood "Megapacks").

Very pleased to see all of this very over looked author's work is now available as a single e book.

I first remember reading Algernon Blackwood's "The Strange Adventure of a Private Secretary in New York,” when it appeared as part of the "Pan Book of Horror stories" in the sixties/seventies. Since then I've avidly searched for his work in print and on the Internet.

He really deserves to be ranked alongside the great Gothic horror story writers of the past such as Bram Stoker and Edgar Allan Poe.

I strongly recommend this collection.

Delphi has improved the TOC by grouping stories by the collections in which they were originally released. This is much better than a simple alphabetic dump of all stories together. I find that I am gradually replacing collected works originally released as Mobi by Delphi editions.

Typos appear now and then, but for money and inclusiveness, this Delphi is great.