Review: The Willows by Algernon Blackwood

This short story by Algernon Blackwood (how amazing is that name???) was written in 1907 and is considered (apparently) to be one of, if not THE, finest examples of early modern horror.

What’s it about?

Two (nameless) friends are on holiday, canoeing down the Danube river. They make camp on a small island in the middle of the river, and things get weird. The wind howls, constantly. The low willows on the island move. Bizarre whirling funnels appear in the sky. A stranger paddles by, calling out to them, looking terrified. A body appears in the water, but might only be an otter.

Then their food disappears, a paddle is lost, and the canoe is damaged. They’re forced to stay another night on the island. More noises, more visions. The friend becomes scared and tries to sacrifice himself to the river / spirits / Others. The narrator saves him and they find another body / otter in the river. A replacement sacrifice?

So… that’s it? No nightmare monsters, no gory violence, no body-horror, no tentacles? Just camping? Yep.

(I mean, the ghost-funnels are sort of nightmare monsters, but they aren’t like wolfmen or godzillas or Howie Mandel.)

What’s the big deal?

This is a simple story that is all about mood and feelings. If you’ve ever been camping, if you’ve ever been alone out in nature, especially at night, then you can relate to the imagery and sensations in this story. The mood is entirely built on the noises that you can’t identify, and how your mind strains to make explanations for them. It’s all about the shadowy movements in the dark that you can’t quite see, and how your mind races to account for them. And fails. It’s about being a modern, rational, mature person confronting a situation you don’t and can’t understand, and slowly (or not so slowly) giving in to your primal fears, lizard-brain interpretations, and mythologizing the unknown. 

The narrator keeps saying that his fears are ridiculous, and he doesn’t dare share them with his friend because he doesn’t want his calm sensible Swedish companion to think he’s a fanciful coward. Who ever does? But then the Swede admits that he’s freaking out too, and that’s even worse, having your fears confirmed by your rock, your stalwart friend. That’s when you know, down in your gut, down in the marrow… that you are not in control. You are not safe.

This story is all about the inexplicable slide from normal to abnormal, transitioning from a small world that you not only understand but a world that you are the master of, to a vast and incomprehensible universe of beings and powers that don’t even acknowledge your existence, let alone your humanity. It’s about how poorly our minds cope with the strange and the new, and how quickly our unstable emotions slosh in to replace firm reason.

It’s pretty great. 

Recommended?

Definitely. It’s short and quick, and very evocative.

Obviously, if you want a big ugly monster, some ultra-violence, and witty banter, then look elsewhere.

Where is it?

Read / download free from Project Gutenburg: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/11438

Listen on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QN_bbDrW7_M

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Inspiration

This weekend I was reading an adventure / RPG setting called The Stygian Library by Emmy Allen. It’s a really great piece, a procedurally generated library full of strange rooms and strange beings, where you can search for arcane knowledge, and possibly mutate, die, or just never return. It’s a follow-up to her Gardens of Ynn, an Alice-in-Wonderland style setting, which is also pretty dope. And while reading The Stygian Library, I had a breakthrough.

Oddly enough, the breakthrough had nothing to do with mysterious robed librarians or Extraordinary Books chained to desks. The breakthrough was a totally unrelated idea that will be the kernel of my own next Dungeon Age adventure.

I guess I should just go ahead and say the idea, I don’t want to sound all coy and precious about my precious new idea. So here it is: manipulative psychic babies.

Yeah, there’s more to it, but that was the linchpin that made the whole thing come together.

Anyway, that weird flash of — let’s just call it like it is — Inspiration calls me back to my first adventure, Saving Saxham. That one got pretty decent reviews right out of the gate, and I think that’s mostly because it came from a fully formed idea in my head, all at once. I didn’t “design” it so much as “suddenly realize” it by accident. (Spoilers: It’s about reverse zombies!) Which makes me wonder if good ideas are more likely to fall out of the ether than bubble up out of impassioned research and careful planning… I don’t know.

How often do your best ideas just show up out of nowhere?

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Introducing: The Elf Saga series

Okay, so, the Elf Saga series isn’t exactly new, per se, but I thought I’d give you the run-down, for the sake of the blog. Because the blog wants to help. Good blog-y.

So. Elf Saga. What is it?

It’s epic fantasy! A team of warrior elf princesses from all around the world join forces to stop the dragon apocalypse from devastating the planet. They battle bizarre and powerful monsters, transform into celestial avatars, and then confront their parents about their personal issues!

Oof, that sounded a bit Sailor Moon-y. Which is somewhat accurate, I guess, but not really. It’s more like Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

It’s funny fantasy! Seriously, writing comedy is so much harder then writing anything else, and I wouldn’t claim that Elf Saga was funny, except that a bunch of the reviews on Amazon say it’s funny. They say things like, “the humor actually made me laugh out loud” and “The group of elf girls are hilarious”. So you should take their word for it, because they’re totally not on the take. At all. I don’t even know them. For reals.

Let’s run down the books!

Elf Saga Doomsday

Elf Saga Doomsday

When the gray knight Jenavelle learns that the world is about to end, she joins a group of warrior women from distant lands to restore the balance of nature before the Dragon Solstice can begin. But when Jena discovers that she was stolen as a baby from a cult of dragon-worshipers, things start to turn… strange.

Explore a world of sword and sorcery that’s as classic as it is funny with JENAVELLE, a knight who just wants to finish the mission and go home, AMINA, a warrior princess with a fondness for romance and swashbuckling pirates, NIYA, a hard-drinking mercenary with an uncommon hatred of faeries, TOMOE, a samurai shaman who is struggling with her recent resurrection, and LOZEN, a beautiful hunter whose hobbies include fine cuisine, high fashion, and excessive violence.

These adventurers have curses to break, corpses to raise, and wars to end. Every shadow hides witches, ghosts, and living nightmares, and each of them must return to her homeland and learn to harness the primal powers of the dragon, unicorn, faerie, kitsune, and jaguar!

Elf Saga Doomsday on Amazon

Elf Saga Bloodlines

Elf Saga Bloodlines

Thirty years ago, an incredible group of elf heroines saved the world from the dragon apocalypse. Now their daughters are on a quest of their own… to save themselves! 

Explore an epic fantasy world that’s as classic as it is bizarre with GENESEE, a dying artist who desperately wants to get rid of her jaguar powers, RAJANI, a healer with a fabulous flying ship and an entourage of faeries, AMARA, a gunslinging princess with a baby on the way, and NAHINA, an expert sailor trying to save her long-dead family.

Together they must embark on a terrifying voyage to a lost city and journey down into dark, forgotten labyrinths to confront ancient horrors in search of the miracles that can keep them alive. 

Elf Saga Bloodlines on Amazon

Elf Saga Peacemaker

Elf Saga Peacemaker

When Winona’s dreams lead her to a mysterious city at the top of the world, she meets the descendants of the Doomsday heroes in a land of ghosts and gunslingers. But with their shaman murdered and their friend possessed by a mad killer, can they still free the city from the curse of the vengeful dead? 

Explore an epic fantasy world that’s as classic as it is bizarre with WINONA, a cursed gunslinger looking to start a new life after years of war, VALINDER, a dashing sky pirate who keeps losing his flying crystal ship, KSENIA, a dragon rider desperate to avenge her lost family, and TSETSEG, an exiled unicorn mistress who is secretly thrilled that she is no longer a princess.

Caught between warring shamans and gunmages, possessed witches and ancient giants, these four must set aside their vendettas and tragic pasts if they want to survive this wild weird western adventure. 

Elf Saga Peacemaker on Amazon

Elf Saga Solarpunk

Elf Saga Solarpunk

When Zaya and her friends learn that the world is dying, they set out to play hero just like their ancestors did. But whole countries lie in ruins, armies of refugees roam the land, toxic storms ravage the earth and sea, and no one is coming to help them. Zaya wants a villain to slay, and Roxy thinks she can fix anything, but Adeja suspects this may be a fight that no one can win…

Explore a world of sword and sorcery that’s as classic as it is bizarre with ZAYA, an apprentice shaman who just wants to fight the undead, ROXY, a one-armed inventor with a healthy fear of dragons, BASTIEN, a romantic drunk who wishes he’d never become a healer in the first place, and ADEJA, a beautiful singer who just inherited the most powerful weapon in the world… and wants nothing to do with it.

Elf Saga Solarpunk on Amazon

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…and we’re back!

Hey everybody, it’s me, your old buddy Joe, and I’m back with an all new blog because I hear blogs are… the hot new thing? Maybe? So this year, forget your grams and other units of measurement, and get back on the blogs! Yeah. I’ve got some big plans for the coming months, but for now, let’s run down the basics.

Elf Saga Doomsday

Hi there, I’m Joe. I write fantasy books. I’ve got a couple dozen out there, so feel free to explore. Some are dark, some are funny. I realize that when you read a fantasy book, you’re probably looking for some escapist fun, and that’s what I want to give you. Big shiny swords and awesome magic and mythic monsters and weird melty dreamscapes, and whatever else I can steal from better writers. So let’s all escape a little.

Together.

(Aw.)

Books! I got some books

  • You want funny epic fantasy, check out Elf Saga.
  • You want alt-history steampunk drama, check out Aetherium.
  • You want dark mysterious angels and demons, check out Angels and Djinn.
  • You want a hip young inventor traveling the world like a magical secret agent, check out Zelda Pryce.

And coming soon… well, I’ll tell you soon.

Grave Titan Harvest

Adventures!

More specifically, adventure modules for the world’s most popular tabletop role playing game (Dungeons and Dragons)! I’ve been playing rpgs forever, and I re-discovered D&D a few years ago, and now I’m writing adventures set in my Dungeon Age world. Hey, Joe, you say, what’s Dungeon Age? Well, I’ll tell ya, it’s that thing I said is coming soon and you’ll find out soon, so hold yer horses. Meanwhile, you can check out the first few of those adventures.

I’ll try to keep blog posts short and punchy (and probably fail, but that’s life). I’ve got neat things coming up, some of which are things I’ll be publishing for you, and some of which are things I want to do together with you. And people like you. So keep an eye out for that.

Later, gators!

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