Blurred: Peter Fugazzotto
Reviewed By Simon Paul Wilson
My introduction to cosmic horror was with The Call of Cthulhu RPG, back when I was a teen. I’d never heard of Lovecraft before, and had no idea what a Deep One was.
That RPG blew me away. Who knew that losing your sanity could be so much fun?
Needless to say, I’ve been a fan of this genre ever since.
‘Blurred’ is a cosmic horror novella about a photographer called Phil Waterston, a man plagued by bad luck and someone who is about to see some very weird stuff indeed…
Phil is a previous Pulitzer Prize winner, but the poor guy hasn’t taken a decent photo in a long time. He now makes a living taking photos of drunken B List celebs.
The story really starts when Phil witnesses a car accident, involving a celebrity named Tyler Z. Instead of helping the guy, Phil is happy to take a dramatic photo, in the hope of reclaiming some of his past success.
Sadly, this doesn’t come to pass. Phil’s photography skills no longer seem to cut the mustard.
It is not long after when Phil is given the opportunity to travel to La Plata, to take the first-ever photo of a Latin American drug lord.
A man known as El Diablo.
The journey to meet El Diablo is when things turn real weird for Phil, and the world around him begins to descend into madness.
While I did enjoy this novella, I felt it hard to feel any sympathy for Phil. The man sees some pretty horrific visions, and when the cosmic horror really does kick in, things go very bleak very quick.
However, this is a man who chooses to take a job in Kabul while is wife is terminally ill with cancer. Yep, this guy sure messed up there!
When he finally realises that his past actions are why everything is going to hell, it is sadly too late and there’s no turning back.
Blurred is a quick read and one I found very interesting. As the story progresses, the cosmic horror increases. I especially enjoyed the last quarter of the book, when things got super surreal and dark.
However, there is something that happens towards the end which left me confused.
There is a scene where Phil snatches a knife from a table. It’s a nice and grisly scene, by the way! Then, a little later, we return to this area with its table and find ‘the knife still plunged in the top.’ Like I said, this puzzled me somewhat.
Aside from that one gripe, I thought this was a nice slice of cosmic horror.
If you are after a quick read, filled with visions of sanity-draining terror, then this could be for you.
I’d certainly be interested in checking out more of this authors work.
Blurred
Horror is in the eye of the beholder.Beneath the veneer of our world, darkness roils, kept at bay by a thin veil. Murderers, evil, and tentacled beings loom in the shadows. Every once in a while that veil tears…
Phil Waterston, former Pulitzer Prize winner, has not taken a great photo in years. Unless you count shots of drunk celebrities and car crashes. So when he’s asked to shoot an elusive Latin American drug lord, he jumps at the chance to capture the first ever photo of El Diablo.
But capturing that photo will come with a price. And his quest will become a living nightmare as his crippling guilt about his dead wife and visions of a tentacled monster erode his sanity.
Will Phil shoot the elusive drug lord, or will his demons consume him? Buy Blurred today and be dragged into a terrifying vortex of cosmic horror.
You can buy Blurred from Amazon UK & Amazon US
Simon Paul Wilson
Simon Paul Wilson is a U.K. based writer of horror and science fiction.
He is currently writing a cyberpunk horror trilogy, the first of which is GhostCityGirl and was published by Not A Pipe publishing in 2020.
Click this link for more info: Ghost City Girl
There now follows a list of writers who have influenced his reading tastes and writing style:
James Herbert. Stephen King, Shaun Hutson, Clive Barker, China Mieville, Haruki Murakami, Carlton Mellick III, Brian Keene, and Adam Nevill.
Simon lives somewhere in the middle of England with his wonderful family. He likes to listen to post-rock and progressive rock at loud volumes. He also plays a mean air bass.
Follow him on Twitter: @spwzen
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