The Damned vs The Human Chord: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Horror, Fiction
The Damned
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The Damned is a chilling tale of supernatural horror from one of the great masters of horror fiction, Algernon Blackwood.
The Human Chord
“As a boy he constructed so vividly in imagination that he came to believe in the living reality of his creations: for everybody and everything he found names-real names.”
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It was an innocent enough advertisement but curious. "WANTED, by Retired Clergyman, Secretarial Assistant with courage and imagination. Tenor voice and some knowledge of Hebrew essential; single; unworldly. Apply Philip…
Side by side
The verdict
- Readers rate The Damned highest: The Damned 3.9 · The Human Chord 3.5.
- The Damned is the quickest read — about 2 hours vs 4 for The Human Chord.
- The Human Chord has the widest readership — 250 ratings behind its score.
- The Human Chord runs the darker storyline; The Damned stays the lighter read.
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How to choose
Scores by source
| The Damned | The Human Chord | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | — | 3.5 (250) |
| Hardcover | 4.3 (3) | — |
| Apple Books | 4.0 (26) | — |
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Reception
| The Damned | The Human Chord | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 26 | 250 |
| Editions | 106 | 49 |
| Citations | — | 2 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | — |
| Want to read | — | 499 |
| Reading it now | — | 30 |
| Written reviews | — | 45 |
| Wikipedia attention | 188 | — |
| Pages | 110 | 255 |
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Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: The Damned or The Human Chord?
The Damned has the higher combined reader rating across sources (The Damned 3.9/5, The Human Chord 3.5/5).
Which is shorter to read: The Damned or The Human Chord?
The Damned is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: The Damned (110 pages, ≈ 2 h 02 m); The Human Chord (255 pages, ≈ 4 h 43 m).
Which is harder to read: The Damned or The Human Chord?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — The Damned: Moderate; The Human Chord: Challenging.