The Horror Babble reading of The Willows is the most exquisite narration I’ve ever heard, and it brought me back to my childhood when just listening to a story was a great pleasure.
It's 50 years since I first read this story, recommended by my English teacher at school, and it's a deeply haunting tale. I love that people are still talking about it and appreciating its subtle horror. Thank you for uploading and sharing your thoughts.
Yes! Just finished recording some more King in Yellow videos and I pop on to youtube and find this! More Weird fiction content for spooky season and more Literally Books content!
I’m really excited about your Chambers videos. I’ve got one video I’m editing and probably one more to record in the near future for short fiction. I’m 1/3 through Brown’s “Wieland”, and, though I doubt I’ll finish it very soon, it should be on the near horizon.
Chambers mostly wrote popular romance novels. (I have one of them -- King in Yellow is listed among the romance titles.at the front of the book. I wonder how his loyal female fans reacted when they read what the title suggests is a historical romance.)
Will definitely check this out thanks :) btw have you read any Walter de la Mare? Recently read a collection of "spooky" shorts by him, apparently Lovecraft held him in high regard also. Be interested to hear your take!
love the willows - you should do ‘adrift on the haunted seas’ short story collection by william hope hodgson. basically the sea faring version of early weird fiction. i love that book. 🎉
House on the Borderland enthralled me when I read it in junior high school. I actually convinced my civics teacher to read "A Voice in the Night" to the class.
I have to say that what Lovecraft says about "the Willows" is nonsense. Just like it is nonsense that his own best story is the "The colour out of space". Though not outright terrible, it is not even close to high second tier Lovecraft stories like "Dexter Ward"", "The Rats in the Walls", "Haunter" or "Whisperer", to say nothing of unsurpassable masterpieces like "Mountains of madness", "Innsmouth" or "Chtulu". Even some ghostwritten Lovecraft tales like "Out of the Aeons" and "The Mound" rate equal to very high second tier, and beat just about everything from anyone else. The only weird tale I know of to approach the level of Lovecraft in my view is Hogdson's "The Nightland", and it is a good thing it is older and such a huge epic, as otherwise I would think it was inspired by Lovecraft. A lack of precision and originality in the situations is what hurts many of the other stories. In "Mountains" Lovecraft even gives measurements of his creatures... In Nightland the dimensions of the redoubt are given. Hardly any of these stories go into such details. Would a real narrator ignore this?
The Horror Babble reading of The Willows is the most exquisite narration I’ve ever heard, and it brought me back to my childhood when just listening to a story was a great pleasure.
Thanks for the recommendation, so I'll give The Willows a listen.
It's 50 years since I first read this story, recommended by my English teacher at school, and it's a deeply haunting tale. I love that people are still talking about it and appreciating its subtle horror. Thank you for uploading and sharing your thoughts.
Yes! Just finished recording some more King in Yellow videos and I pop on to youtube and find this! More Weird fiction content for spooky season and more Literally Books content!
I’m really excited about your Chambers videos. I’ve got one video I’m editing and probably one more to record in the near future for short fiction.
I’m 1/3 through Brown’s “Wieland”, and, though I doubt I’ll finish it very soon, it should be on the near horizon.
Chambers mostly wrote popular romance novels. (I have one of them -- King in Yellow is listed among the romance titles.at the front of the book. I wonder how his loyal female fans reacted when they read what the title suggests is a historical romance.)
Will have a look!!
If you can get Blackwoods collection 'Ancient Sorceries' you WONT be disappointed. Not a bad book in that one
Will definitely check this out thanks :) btw have you read any Walter de la Mare? Recently read a collection of "spooky" shorts by him, apparently Lovecraft held him in high regard also. Be interested to hear your take!
😮 I’m not sure I have read anything by Walter de la Mare.
The little bit of poking around I did makes his stories sound really interesting. Thanks!
love the willows - you should do ‘adrift on the haunted seas’ short story collection by william hope hodgson. basically the sea faring version of early weird fiction. i love that book. 🎉
You must be reading my mind. Hodgson is great stuff and I have the nightshade press nautical collection that I’ve only ever dipped my toe in…
House on the Borderland enthralled me when I read it in junior high school. I actually convinced my civics teacher to read "A Voice in the Night" to the class.
This video was a train wreck... I'll wait for the revision
I have to say that what Lovecraft says about "the Willows" is nonsense. Just like it is nonsense that his own best story is the "The colour out of space". Though not outright terrible, it is not even close to high second tier Lovecraft stories like "Dexter Ward"", "The Rats in the Walls", "Haunter" or "Whisperer", to say nothing of unsurpassable masterpieces like "Mountains of madness", "Innsmouth" or "Chtulu". Even some ghostwritten Lovecraft tales like "Out of the Aeons" and "The Mound" rate equal to very high second tier, and beat just about everything from anyone else. The only weird tale I know of to approach the level of Lovecraft in my view is Hogdson's "The Nightland", and it is a good thing it is older and such a huge epic, as otherwise I would think it was inspired by Lovecraft. A lack of precision and originality in the situations is what hurts many of the other stories. In "Mountains" Lovecraft even gives measurements of his creatures... In Nightland the dimensions of the redoubt are given. Hardly any of these stories go into such details. Would a real narrator ignore this?
You needed a small script for this video, you ramble all over the place during the first part.
Algernon Blackwood wasn't an English writer, he was Welsh
Welsh?? No. A deliberate miscorrection there from you, I suspect, young Damien. Grow up and stop being silly.