The Human Chord by Algernon Blackwood

Book Review

Pauline Morgan

Writers, particularly of science fiction, try to keep up with new ideas and research the areas that they intend to use in their work. The same applies to authors of the past as well. The problem with scientific developments is that they can be superseded almost before the book is published. In this novel, Blackwood takes the idea of resonance and that everything has its own vibration. While quantum physicists may well agree with this, the way Blackwood understood it is not quite the same as current beliefs.

            As a piece of magical lore, and used by many writers of fantasy, there is a belief that everything has a true name. Anyone who knows the true name of something has power over it. In The Human Chord Blackwood combines the two ideas.

            The principal character is Robert Spinrobin. As a child, he had a total belief in the power of names. As he matured, he became a drifter, moving from job to job until he saw an advertisement for someone with a tenor voice and a knowledge of Hebrew. As a result, he travels to an isolated area of Wales to meet the retired Reverend Skale.to be his ‘secretarial assistant’. As part of the household are the housekeeper, Mrs Maule, and her niece, Miriam. It is Skale’s belief that the right combination of sounds can invoke the true name of God. It is a dangerous project as one slip can be disastrous.

            Each of the four characters has a different vocal range – bass, tenor, alto and soprano. Skale is merciless in rehearsing them to produce a chant in Hebrew. He has a special room prepared in which he initially intends to capture a segment of the name for further study before moving on to the next and eventually building up the whole. In the meantime, Miriam and Spinrobin have fallen in love. This relationship is to colour their actions as the novel moves towards a climax.

            A factor that influenced Blackwood’s development of this novel was his involvement with the Theosophical Society and the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. This is a beautifully written book, even if many of the ideas and attitudes expressed within in may be outdated to modern readers, it is still worth reading.