Dave Higgins's Blog, page 23

Stump and Corpse Meet the Vampire Bride by Ken Preston

Preston grounds the speculative and fantastical in utterly realistic portrayals of human behaviour, creating horror that blends the fear of otherness with a visceral sense of plausibility. This collection features six short stories in a variety of horror sub-genres. ‘Stump and Corpse Meet the Vampire Bride’: When Alderton’s wife was killed in a vampire attack, … Continue reading Stump and Corpse Meet the Vampire Bride by Ken Preston

Season 2, Episode 8: A Tale of Sorrow

SCENE 3 Open on a back alley somewhere in Hyrkania: DR VAL ARRIA The ashes were trampled into the earth, but that’s not the strange part. Look how the blood has become like snow. SERGEANT SUBOTAI Does that look like a trophy rack to you? ARRIA I’d need to do some tests SUBOTAI Can you … Continue reading Season 2, Episode 8: A Tale of Sorrow

From the Ashes by Baileigh Higgins

Higgins continues her portrayal of how groups of emergency service workers might act during a zombie apocalypse with a classic “packs of zombies breach the compound” narrative. Note: while the author is blessed with a spiffing surname we are unrelated by blood or marriage. This novel is the fifth in Higgins’ Heroes of the Apocalypse … Continue reading From the Ashes by Baileigh Higgins

What Strange Creature Bimbles…?

I often find rewards in computer games slightly puzzling, not merely in what they are but when they are received. For the last couple of weeks, I’ve been playing Sable, a game about a young woman undertaking her coming-of-age quest on a world that is a blend of many things from hunter-gatherer to high-tech. The … Continue reading What Strange Creature Bimbles…?

Rayna the Dragonslayer by Cynthia Vespia

Vespia balances adherence to fantasy tropes with fresh details, creating an engaging tale of warriors and dragons that is neither slavish homage nor exercise in moral relativism. Cursed before she was even born and orphaned by dragonfire, Rayna devoted her life to slaying dragons until it seemed there were none left. However, when an elite … Continue reading Rayna the Dragonslayer by Cynthia Vespia

I Speak to Serve

Earlier today I learnt that Betty Boothroyd, Baroness Boothroyd, died yesterday. While I didn’t always agree with every nuance of her politics, neither did I despise them; and I share her belief that politics is about public service and is something that everyone should involve themselves in. Today’s other political news reminds me of a … Continue reading I Speak to Serve

His Black Tongue by Mitchell Lüthi

Lüthi tells four tales of very different people facing threats in very different worlds that are united by a sense of how fragile humanity’s control is in the face of a vast universe. This collection contains two novellas and two short stories, spread across genres but united by a sense of dread. His Black Tongue: … Continue reading His Black Tongue by Mitchell Lüthi

Three “Love Your Pet Day” Tips

To mark Love Your Pet Day 2023, here are my three top tips to show your pets you love them. As many of you will know, I have two thumb-bearers (called Friend Human and Other Friend Human) so my tips are focused on thumb-bearers; however, they can easily be adapted to other pets. (1) Temporal … Continue reading Three “Love Your Pet Day” Tips

Savage Headhunters by J. Manfred Weichsel

Recreating both the format and the blatantly racist stereotypes of 1940’s horror-adventure comics, Weichsel satirises conservative and liberal US extremes alike, offering a world where holding the US to be morally superior and becoming offended on behalf of minorities are equally ridiculous. This is the third volume in Weichsel’s Tales to Make You Vomit series. … Continue reading Savage Headhunters by J. Manfred Weichsel

Shattered Perception

Through the random electrical waves of the internet, a picture of a broken mug turned into a garden entered my stream today. The image had an aspirational text on it of perfect pleasantness; however, I was more interested in the image than that message so I tracked down the original. Freed of the need to … Continue reading Shattered Perception