Tags:
Book: The Human Chord
Year: 1910
Author: Algernon Blackwood
ISBN: 9781587156502
ISBN10: 1587156504
Review:
This is a book that I got the chance to review thanks to Valerie from Independent Publishers Group. She sent over a critic’s copy with this version that is from British Library Tales of the Weird. I knew the name of the author, Algernon Blackwood, but until this point, I had not read any of his works. I was intrigued from the blurb I read as this falls in line with stories that interest me.
Synopsis: When Robert Spinrobin, drifting through life in a daydream, answers a newspaper ad asking for an imaginative tenor with a grasp of ancient languages, he soon finds himself travelling to rural Wales and the home of ex-clergyman, Philip Skale. Here Skale, the housekeeper Mrs. Mawle and her niece, Miriam, have been pursuing a new science, harnessing sound to discover the true names of people – and recording the uncanny phenomena and transformations that this naming ritual brings in the subject.
With possibilities of mind-melding and sublime spiritual awakenings already documented, it is not long before Skale pivots towards a grander master plan to intone a forbidden name beyond the preserve of humanity – while a gathering storm of disastrous cosmic consequences threatens to break…
Now I think that extended synopsis helps to fill in the story for this. Let me break down what I enjoyed about this story. Spinrobin is a guy who can’t seem to find his way in the world. That is something I could connect with. He finds an opportunity and then gets sucked in by Skale. Something interesting there is that he’s like a cult leader. He says and does things that make Spinrobin feel important. He has a place where he belongs. As someone who tried to find that after college, it makes sense. When your confidence is low and you have someone who makes you feel included, it makes sense. The natural charisma that the Skale also makes sense and why it feels in line with a Jim Jones or similar individuals.
There is an interesting concept that is also explored here. I’ve read theories about how if you heard the true voice of God that humans wouldn’t be able to handle it. That explains why angels come to speak to people. There is also something in the Lord of the Rings books about how the human voice cannot say certain names. The grand plan here that Skale is doing is trying to capture this. Having the right pitch, frequency and saying the words correctly, it is a take on a ritual. The stakes are high that if done correctly, you get whatever you desire. The issue is that if you don’t, it is disastrous.
Then going along with this, we have the intriguing idea about humans being infallible. Spinrobin falls in love with Miriam. She is sheltered but she falls for him the longer they’re together. That human connection makes Spinrobin question what they’re doing. It also keeps him around to continue with what Skale wants to do to spend more time with her. This human element adds depth to the story as we see the potential loss of innocence. There’s the descent into madness that we also get with Skale.
The last elements to touch on are that I’m a sucker for cosmic horror. Grounding it with science and religion to explain how things are all interconnected is something else that works for me. We also get aspects of hubris and the perils that come with the corruption of power that I can appreciate. The dangers of playing God and doing unnatural experimentation are something else that I’m a big fan of with the narrative.
This is one that I’d recommend. I rather enjoyed what they were doing here with the surface level story. The underlying elements are also things that I’m a fan of. This version of the novel is one I’d recommend due to the forward by Mike Ashley. He brought up interesting things to help set the stage, as well as background information about Blackwood that helped me deeply appreciate the story as well as make better sense of the characters.
My Rating: 8 out of 10