February 2010

  • A Haunted Island

    By akgoemans on 2/26/10 2:00am
    Add Comment


    A Haunted IslandA Haunted IslandI have read a few of Algernon Blackwood's short stories and I must say, so far, I have enjoyed them. Unfortunately almost every writer has a story that does not live up to the reader's expectations. Well, I recently came across one such story by Blackwood. A Haunted Island was the name of the story and it was part of a collection of short horror stories.

    The story in question starts with the same format as The Empty House. Thus, you have a main protagonist who finds himself in a secluded, scary-looking spot. There is build-up of suspense and then the main character faces up to something horrific. That's all good and well. Such concepts won't sound cliché he tackles the imagery rather well. And Blackwood, as demonstrated by The Empty House, has a flair for creating a tense atmosphere.

    Read more >

  • Monos and Daimonos

    By akgoemans on 2/25/10 4:37am
    Add Comment

    Monos and DaimonosMonos and Daimonos
    The horror story I read most recently was Monos and Daimonos by Edward Bulwer Lytton. I was hoping for an 'attacked by tentacled monster' type of tale and ended up with something completely different. Not that I am complaining; at least it is better than that atrocious story I read last week (looking at you, Mr Blackwood).

    Monos and Daimonos is a weird little story about a recluse. Well, it's this young man who is brought up, away from the bustling crowds, on an isolated island. He doesn't give much details about the spot except to paint it as a somewhat bleak location. Oh and he is with his father, a man who is not exactly chummy with him. In fact, it looks like they didn't like each other, which admittedly was more so from the father's side than the son's.

    Read more >

  • The Empty House

    By akgoemans on 2/4/10 7:54am
    Add Comment

    Empty HouseEmpty House
    One of my friends, who is also a fan of the horror genre, recommended checking out Algernon Blackwood's works. I've not read any of his works thus far but was assured that his works would delight a true fan of the genre. I bet my friend probably intended for me to check out one of his more famous novels but, for now, I managed to find a collection of short stories containing a number of his works. So far, so good. That's how I ended up reading The Empty House.

    I came across this particular story in the short story collection called The Empty House and Other Ghost Stories. Since it is quite an old collection, it is hard to find the print versions of this book.

    Read more >