The Camp of the Dog

A jolly campout on an island in the Baltic Sea slowly turns terrifying as a mysterious canine follows the footsteps of a young woman. In 1906-07, Algernon Blackwood wrote a short story cycle telling of the adventures of psychic detective/ghostbuster John Silence, a sort of Sherlock Holmes meets H. P. Lovecraft meets Hermann Hesse. Algernon Blackwood (1869-1951) was a prolific fantasy and horror writer whose total production consists of more than 200 short stories, 12 novels, a couple of plays, an autobiography and even some poetry. Over 50 distinct book editions of his works have been published in the US and UK, counting the reprint collections. Today, his books are mostly out of print, but he is far from forgotten. His style of writing is very intense emotionally, and holds a strong fascination for the reader. The supernatural element is carefully woven into the plot which often turns the ordinary and familiar into something mysterious and awesome. Many of his tales take place outdoors in some magnificent setting of nature, like the wilderness of Canada, the swamplands of the Danube river or the Black Forest in Germany. Nature spirits, haunted houses, the spirits of the dead and other ancient sorceries all abound in his strange tales.