The Wendigo [novella]

The classic horror story of The Wendigo by Algernon Blackwood effortlessly creates an atmosphere of terror and dread. The location of the great wilderness of Canada adds to the dark atmosphere with it’s close, dark trees and strange sounds.

The story follows some Scottish hunters and their guides as they hunt for moose. Not finding any they decide to split into two groups with a couple of them heading northwest into an area that has been the source of some strange rumors. The author excels in building the atmosphere with vivid descriptions of the deep, dark forest and the sounds that you hear in the dark when sitting around a fire or sleeping in a tent. The author is far more conscious of keeping the Wendigo’s appearance concealed, show more just describing enough of the creature to ensure we realize a monster has entered the story. The guide is taken and then returned totally transformed from the terror that he went through.

I found the Wendigo to be appropriately creepy and spooky and while the Indigenous people say that The true Wendigo is the call of the wild personified, I thought the author was excellent at conveying his supernatural story in evocative and atmospheric writing. show less

This novella is available for free on Project Gutenberg.

I only downloaded this story because I had the misfortune to read a bad graphic novel adaptation of it by Nicolás Lepka called Wendigo. I was curious to see if the problem lay with the source material or the adapter, and it seems to be Lepka.

This version is a mediocre horror story that relies more on atmosphere than in-your-face horror as the presence of the monstrous Wendigo is more felt than seen. Lepka, meanwhile, turns it into a literal monster story with the Wendigo appearing on page after page flitting about.

If you are tempted to try one or the other, I'd go with this one, but keep in mind it is steeped in racism against Black and Indigenous people. That's more unpleasant show more than any of its intended horrors. show less

(1910) A hunting party that ventures into forbidden territory has a run-in with a creature out of legend. This horror classic has some very well-done elements. I like how the 'rough' talk of the huntsmen and their guides is contrasted with the lovely and evocative descriptions of nature. Blackwood does an excellent job of conjuring up the vastness and mystery of the untamed North American wilderness. Unfortunately, it does contain a few racial slurs and depictions which, while they may serve to contribute to the setting of the story, are quite jarring to a modern reader. There are also elements of the 'horrific' in this story that came off as... well, just a bit silly. But overall, the juxtaposition of small blustering (but strangely show more vulnerable) men against the unknown is quite effective. It does indeed evoke "savage and formidable potencies lurking behind the souls of men, not evil perhaps in themselves, yet instinctively hostile to humanity as it exists..." show less

Review from Badelynge
A Dr. Cathcart and his nephew Simpson go hunting for moose in the Canadian wilderness, accompanied by two Canadian guides and a native American cook.
On the surface this classic horror story by Algernon Blackwood revisits the sort of set-up that worked so well in The Willows. There are other similarities but they feel quite different; the other worldly eeriness of the Willows is quite different than the overall tone in The Wendigo. The first half of The Wendigo is very powerful, with the characters having their differing world views challenged by the perilous vastness of the natural world. The focus at this stage is more on Simpson as he sets out with Defago, one of the guides, to explore 50 Island Water in search of show more those elusive moose. These are the most powerful scenes as he contemplates the wild space about him and Defago starts to be broken down by his own superstitious knowledge. Blackwood characterises Simpson as being a 'student of divinity' counterpointing Cathcart's rationalistic adherence to science and the bulwarks of civilisation. Blackwood also describes one of the guides as being 'nearest primitive conditions' by which I believe he means that he (Hank) is the most in-tune with nature. It's a challenging and atmospheric read that pitches human instinct against rationalism, superstition against science and the awe of nature against the human social constructs of civilisation. The weakest part of the story is The Wendigo itself or more accurately Blackwood's choice to focus so strongly on one of the more absurd elements of the legend. I'm talking about the flaming feet. It's still a great story full of Blackwood's beautiful contemplative descriptive prose. It's not quite in the same weird horror league as The Willows but then again, what is. show less

Este es un buen cuento de misterio, másque una historia terrorífica. Con una impresionante narrativa Blackwood nos presenta al Wendigo, una criatura mitológica norteamericana.

Sin que se nos presente propiamente a esta criatura, ni explícitamente se hable de lo que esta hace se logra que temamos por nuestros protagonistas, incluso siendo que desde el principio tengas una idea muy acertada de lo que va a pasar, temiendo y dudando de su capacidadpara soportar el temor hacia un depredador que llega anunciándose, pero no por ello da oportunidad de huida, sino que más bien va acorralando a su presay la deja sin salida alguna.

Cuando comienzan a hablar de su ataque y de las consecuencias del mismo es un deleite, no sólo por los show more sentimientos de la víctima, sino por la frustración del observador, cuando a eso se suma la descripción del bosque, con sus sombras y sonidos, el sentimiento final es de alerta para el lector. show less

Pretty good for a tale written over 100 years ago. Basically a creepy campfire tale. One feels a growing sense of dread from early on. Good atmospherics and not too predictable.

The Wendigo is creepy in a way only Victorian stories can be. It is a short story, but an intense one. It did not take me long to read this story but it stayed in my head long after I finished, leaving me with a vague sense of unease and dread for the remainder of the night. I will be keeping this book in my collection and I recommend that horror fans read it if they can.