Description

Ancient Sorceries by Algernon Blackwood

Hardcover – Pushkin Press – Sep 2022 – 253 pages

Lauded as one of our greatest storytellers, and inspiring generations of writers from H.P. Lovecraft to Tolkien to Stephen King, Algernon Blackwood left a legacy as one of Britain’s greatest conjurors of weird and supernatural stories. Blackwood’s inimitable style puts readers right in the middle of the story, with visceral and nature-inspired fear that lies just beyond the real, often in the form of a nameless dread.

This beautifully produced edition, with a stunning cover and thoughtful design and layout to ensure the most enjoyable reading experience, features four of his most unnervingly curious tales:

• Ancient Sorceries—a traveller stops in a remote French hill town and soon finds himself unable to leave; there is something strangely feline about the inhabitants, he notices, and they all seem to be watching him very closely…
• The Listener—a lodging house guest feels himself observed by a malevolent presence. Soon it transpires his room’s previous occupant is watching him from beyond the grave, and is envious of the very flesh on his bones.
• The Sea Fit—an old retired ship’s captain’s ravings build to a terrifying climax, as he offers himself up as a sacrifice to the cruel gods of the sea.
• The Willows—two friends on a canoeing trip spend a terrifying night on a lonely willow-covered island, haunted by the strange trees and sinister shapes in the water.