A review by ed_moore
The Bowmen by Arthur Machen

dark hopeful fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

“There comes a moment in a storm at sea when people say to one another, “It is at its worst; it can blow no harder,” and then there is a blast tab times more fierce than any before it. So it was in these British trenches” 

Arthur Machen’s ‘The Bowmen’ is a short story about a group of English soldiers during the First World War facing certain death at hands of German bombardment. They call upon the spirit of St George to gain courage and turn around the last stand, playing on supernatural elements and themes of patriotism. It was a curious story, with absolutely no room for character development and strange plot devices, and a peculiar angle to war which is both patriotic and alike to propaganda yet also critical of it. Overall however it wasn’t a particularly notable text and likely extremely forgettable if not for me logging it now.