Dave Higgins's Blog, page 100
April 8, 2016
The Goat Children by Jordan Elizabeth
Mixing the mundane irrationality of dementia with hints of underlying mystical reason, Elizabeth creates a tale that will resonate not only with teenagers feeling the burden of adulthood descend but also with anyone who has wished there were something more than biology behind the incoherence of a friend or relative. When Keziah was young her […]
April 6, 2016
Turn-About Isn’t Fair Play
Someone pointed me at this video as a great demonstration that minorities can’t be racist. Unsurprisingly, I find it instead supports a middle ground: minorities can be racist, but have fewer opportunities both to be unregenerately prejudiced and to be prejudiced at all. Rahman’s satire of Western history is both accurate and amusing; and he […]
April 4, 2016
Kardash NeuFlesh ARS3000 – The Curve You Deserve!
Are you worried that you’re behind the curve? Do you feel flat when you see the latest ultrarad fashions? Has working that second job as a messenger left you with that tight-and-toned natural look? Then you need the ARS3000 Glutal Upgrade from Kardash NeuFlesh AG! Gomi in the Denbu to the max by night! Corporate […]
April 1, 2016
Crooks and Straights by Masha du Toit
Combining themes of fear-of-the-other and generational conflict with a portrayal of Cape Town fine enough to leave a hint of the spice blend in the take-away, du Toit offers accessible urban fantasy free from the clichés of the US and Europe. Freed from apartheid, South Africa also became a haven for magical beings and practices […]
March 30, 2016
I’m Thinking About Thinking About…
As frequent readers will know, I post quite a few philosophical, social, or political pieces; and those are only outlet for my perspectives and musings. Unsurprisingly, I am sometimes accused of over-thinking these issues. However, this is patently inaccurate: I over-think everything. For example, earlier this month I purchased a different brand of oats. The […]
March 23, 2016
The Look of a Winner
This video of a man pretending to be a woman on a dating app has popped up across my social media streams today. The “barrage of sexist messages” point makes itself; but what did surprise me was how many people commented on whether or not he looks like a woman; and if so whether that […]
March 21, 2016
ImmerseOrDie Index Improvements
As long-time readers will know, as well as reviewing here every Friday, I’m one of the reviewers for ImmerseOrDie. So, I’m sharing Jeff’s announcement about the new search function there: The IOD index page is now super-charged. With over 300 posted reviews, finding the one you’re looking for was getting a bit dense. But that’s […]
March 18, 2016
My Delicate Destruction by Jillian Ashe
Dividing the narrative between risk-taking and devotion to family, Ashe paints an accessible portrait of a teenager unconsciously choosing danger as a rejection of the loss of control cancer brings. Katerina Anderson splits her time between racing cars and trying to give her twin brother, Kris, a pleasant last years as a rare form of […]
March 16, 2016
Money For New Thoughts
The comments thread on Monday’s post about paying people to write has revealed an interesting commonality: without controls anyone would sign up. So, I thought I’d post my response as a separate article: that’s what I want. In fact, I want to remove the obstacle of needing even a pretence of using it to compensate […]
March 14, 2016
Is Selling Books Unethical?
As small business owners, many author-publishers will be familiar with the idea of giving away a sample (in this case, a book) to draw in customers; and with the arguments for and against. However, yesterday, I encountered the apparently radical suggestion that all books should be free. A suggestion that I find myself supporting. Usually […]
