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.

Blackwood's private life was almost as odd and mysterious as his tales. A travelling man, he saw a great many places in the world. He was born in Kent, England, 1869. As a young man, he lived in New York and later on settled in Switzerland. Before that he had been moose hunting in Canada, hiking in Italy, France and Spain, and touring in Egypt, Austria and Sweden. After WWI, he found himself back in England. Besides writing, his activities were very diverse. He served as a secret agent in Switzerland at the end of WWI. His interest in the supernatural led him to visiting a spiritualist camp, exploring haunted houses and seeking out gurus like Gurdjieff and Ouspensky in France at a time when they were fashionable amongst the artistic jet set of the day.

His talent as a story teller brought him a devoted audience amongst his nephews and other young relatives. He also wrote a number of children's books. In his later days, Blackwood experienced a renewed interest in his work. In 1934 he made his first radio broadcast and this he took up again in 1941 and onwards when he wrote a number of radio talks and plays. In 1947 he appeared on BBC TV as a story teller and became quite popular. This popularity culminated in 1949 when he received the C.B.E. award at Buckingham Palace. He continued to work, although his health failed him in the following years and a stroke made him a convalescent. He died in 1951.