Jimbo Paperback – June 18, 2017

Gorgeously written tale of a child’s initiation into next stage of life, of self-sacrificing love, of facing the guardian of the threshold and escaping the prison of one’s own making. It is more than a little reminiscent of George MacDonald latter, more esoteric novels though I’d say that it is definitely more accessible, more instantly enjoyable than, say, MacDonald’s “Lilith”.This is not, mainly, a horror novel: it is filled with disconcerting dream-imagery and has its share of horror-inducing moments, but there is as much, if not more, warmth and beauty in here, and the tale is ultimately a positive one. Like his contemporary, Machen, Blackwood is cursed by being remembered primarily as a horror writer when that constitutes only a limited portion of what he did.I can, to a point, agree with those who wrote that this novel would‘ve benefited greatly from the removal of some extraneous fat (this is more of less tue of all of Blackwood‘s novels that I’ve read), but his prose – beautiful, energetic and playful – makes up for it. One never feels like one is wasting time when reading Blackwood in this mode – right up from the nostalgic descriptions in the opening chapters, filled with child‘s animistic view of the surrounding world, you can feel the joy he felt in the very act of writing.

An interesting dream world for a little boy. Quite the adventure after his accident before his recovery from unconsciousness at home.

for young readers. may be frightening to preschoolers though tame compared to lovecraft or stoker. gave up half way through but it had me going for awhile. worth poking around but is too repetitive to spend more time.

I value Algernon Blackwood stories - he has written some of the scariest, creepiest, deeply disturbing horror stories I have ever read. This, alas, was not one of them.Instead, it was something different. It was well done, in that it allowed my imagination to run along with Jimbo, making me ALMOST remember my childhood in a visceral way, only to have it dissolve like sugar in hot water...but that is the draw (for me) about this author's writing. I get glimpses of "something" deep in my psyche which only he can trigger with his haunting poetic way with words.I must mention, Lord Dunsany is a master of revealing glimpses of things past, drawing scenes in my mind that I never knew existed. I am sure Algernon Blackwood was a fan of his.So, for that, I'm good with this story. But I certainly like his true horror tales much more!

Very descriptive storytelling by this author: especially entertaining if you have ever wanted to be a bird or to fly. Takes you on a journey inside the mind of an unconscious boy who is trying make heads or tails of his internal journey and transitional healing. Blackwood carries us back into the see-saw perspective of a child who wants to have grown-up feelings, but who doesn't have the capability yet, making the psychological landscape hard to navigate. The book also pulls at the heartstrings as the child has made a connection that he doesn't want to leave.

What a lovely story. Kind of old fashioned in writing style, but that added to its charm. It was beautifully written and quite captivating.It wasn't a long story and the ending was satisfying.I can't really tell you much as I don't want to give the story away. Suffice to say it's a fantasy that I believe has been around a long while. I'm so glad I got hold of a copy.

This is a gorgeously written short novel first published in 1909. It's a dark fantasy about an imaginative youngster who is severely injured and, while lost in unconsciousness, finds himself imprisoned by a dark monster and surrounded by the very strange and creepy Frightened Children. Highly recommended if you like dark, gothic fiction. I could certainly see something like this adapted for film by Tim Burton, although I daresay he would be quite tasked with capturing some of the beautiful scenery described in this novel.