BLOTS

From Reedsy Discovery & Night Terror Novels

https://reedsy.com/discovery/book/blots-t-kulp#review

“I rub my eyes again

the world now a deeper mud

colorless except for

the dead gold hues

and bright halos that engulf everything

in blinding sunshine.”

– T. Kulp, “Reflections”

✒️I received an e-Book of this story via Reedsy Discovery in exchange for a fair review!✒️

It’s been a while since I last reviewed a book provided via Reedsy Discovery, so I wanted to kick this year’s reviews off with an offering from there. I stumbled upon BLOTS and, being unable to resist a good horror anthology and intrigued by the inkblots concept, decided to dive straight in. In this collection, author T. Kulp offers a selection of nine stories of varying lengths and subjects, ranging from classic ghostly tales through to fairy tale twists and unknowable monstrosities, delivering each with a poetic flair and crisp, no-nonsense language.

In this book, he examines themes of guilt, feelings of being trapped, bullying, and much more besides, through some intriguing setups and original concepts. The opening piece for instance, “Reflections”, follows a glass artist haunted by the ghosts of the past—but are the entities plaguing Ed real, or merely manifestations of his grief? The book starts out strong with a compelling and superbly written examination of guilt and the way it can physically manifest in someone’s life. In the end, whether the ghosts of this story are real or imagined is largely left up to the reader; this theme of the narratives being open for interpretation continues throughout the book—it is in fact the thing that links them together, and serves to explain the choice of title—like the inkblots on a Rorschach test, different people will see different things within these pages, and take away their own individual readings.

There’s a strong streak of H.P. Lovecraft running through several of the stories, particularly in the cosmic/folk horror blend, “The Wisp”, which explores small-town traditions and eldritch beings, and in both “Old Jack” and “Signature”, which both concern ancient tomes, arcane knowledge, and the inevitable fallout from meddling with such things. The story “In the Painting” is very clearly inspired by Lovecraft’s classic story “Pickman’s Model” too, and similarities can be found throughout. Kulp draws inspiration from Lovecraft’s works, which often dealt with similar subjects and plots, then injects his own twist and original ideas. Edgar Allan Poe’s influence can also be felt in the more gothic-styled stories, but while Kulp’s inspirations are worn plain to see, he manages to craft stories that feel entirely his own.

Of the nine stories, six of them are written in verse; a stylistic choice that might not appeal to every reader, but one which I felt was employed very effectively for the most part—Kulp often has a fittingly poetic way of writing and his vivid, descriptive language makes for a very engaging read. At the end of each story, Kulp also chooses to provide a brief note outlining the story’s inspirations, development, and realisation, which I always enjoy seeing and reading in an anthology. These “behind-the-scenes” excerpts offer a nice insight into the author’s creative process and provides the reader with a fun little peek behind the curtain, enriching the book overall.

All in all, this was a strong selection and one which marks Kulp as a writer to watch in the future as his writing ventures continue. It’s always nice finding a new genre voice—especially one with such flair in his writing—and I’ll be keeping an eye out for Kulp’s future forays into the horror genre: I’d be especially eager to check out the proposed prequel/sequel to the narrative and characters of “Signature” if Kulp does choose to expand upon it.

VERDICT: An inventive and unusual collection of horror-themed stories with engaging scenarios and wonderfully colourful prose. With elements of cosmic, folk, and gothic horror laced through the stories, BLOTS offers plenty of variety and is sure to offer a little something to appeal to all fans of the genre.

It’s avery strong ⭐⭐⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ from this reviewer. I also want to say a humongous thank you to both Reedsy Discovery and the author T. Kulp for providing a copy and giving me the chance to read and review it.