In the years 1910–12, as he continued the incredible productivity he had begun in 1908, Algernon Blackwood wrote some of his most memorable fiction. “The Wendigo” takes its place with “The Willows” at the pinnacle of Blackwood’s achievement as a weird writer in its imperishable portrayal of an enigmatic creature plaguing the hapless members of a camping expedition in Canada. But Blackwood was capable of writing tales of poignant delicacy as well as terror, such as “The Eccentricity of Simon Parnacute” and “The Glamour of the Snow,” with its depiction of a snow elemental.
“The Man Whom the Trees Loved” transforms terror into awe as we learn of a man whose identification with the trees on his property leads him to meld his soul with them. A number of stories taking place in Egypt demonstrate the profound effects of that ancient land upon Blackwood’s imagination; most notable is “Sand,” an expansive novella that captures the massiveness of the Sahara. Shorter stories about clairvoyance, reincarnation, spiritual dread, and other themes close to Blackwood’s heart flesh out this substantial volume.
