VOTIVE OFFERINGS (Sarob Press 2026)

A new title from Sarob is always of interest, and I'm fortunate to have received a review copy from Rob Morgan. 

Superb owl by Paul Lowe

Votive Offerings consists of four stories by - in order of appearance - Mark Valentine, John Howard, Peter Bell, and Colin Insole. It does my old heart good to note that all have contributed to ST down the years. In this review, I will do my best to avoid spoilers. As a minor aside, I don't mind spoilers for books or films, but I know they drive some people bonkers. 

'Roman Masks' by Mark Valentine is set on the English side of the Solway Firth, where a group of art college teachers and students half-playfully immerse themselves in the landscape's pagan past. As always with Valentine's stories, I learned a lot from this one and enjoyed the process. There are some fine scenes, and touches of humour are balanced by a sense of the weird and numinous. Arthur Machen is invoked, and that gives you some idea of the overall mood. The main difference is that awe and mystery prevail, without the horrific ideas that drive some of Machen's most powerful stories.

'Desire Path' by John Howard has a slightly Machenesque feel, too. A retired, solitary man of a bookish turn of mind starts to experience odd flashbacks and dreams. He recalls, in fragmentary fashion, childhood experiences that involve a mysterious figure seen in the distance but never close up. This is connected to his walks across an old industrial town in the Midlands (probably), Gradually, things come together, but at the heart of it all is still a mystery. 

'Figures in a Landscape' by Peter Bell follows an academic into Gwent on a quest for a lost hill figure. This one has a distinctly M.R. Jamesian feel, with its focus on college rivalries, the professional aversion to 'crank' ideas, and a gradual unveiling of an ancient mystery. The tone is quite sprightly, and an intriguing plot is enlivened with Bell's excellent descriptive writing. Hill figures are fascinating in themselves, and this story only adds to their allure. Although, as the denouement reveals, you can get too close to a problem.

'The April Rainers' by Colin Insole stands in marked contrast to Bell's fairly traditional approach. An epigraph from Hardy tells us we are in old Wessex, and the story begins with a depiction of an ancient, evil force that dominated the region during the last glacial epoch. The nameless evil persists, but is repeatedly checked by the titular ancient fellowship, keepers of knowledge and power. There are enough ideas here for a novel, and the depth of lore and imagination is truly impressive. 

Considered overall, the book is a showcase for four different but equally valid approaches to weird fiction. The one is highly recommended for the discerning collector. It rewards careful reading and reaffirms Sarob's status as one of the best small press publishers of supernatural fiction.