Dave Higgins's Blog, page 37

A Sprained Ankle of a Deal

After going into extra time, COP26 has produced a result. A result that has been cast as great or terrible by different sources. I’m still pondering the nuances but my immediate impression is that it’s as good as falling from a second-storey window and spraining one’s ankle. Imagine falling from the window, that hollow sensation … Continue reading A Sprained Ankle of a Deal

Wormking by Sebastian Leyendecker

Leyendecker fuses visceral cosmic horror with the tropes of Cold War espionage thrillers, raising questions of whether the right thing is sometime also the immoral thing. After helping defeat the creature in the sewers, Simon has been accepted into the Nocturne Society as Brockmann’s official partner; so, when Brockmann spots hints that a parasitic creature … Continue reading Wormking by Sebastian Leyendecker

Pear Chutney

While the variable weather earlier this year delayed it, we have another stonking pear crop this year. Unfortunately, I’ve also been slightly ill so today has been the first day I’ve been healthy enough to chutney-ficate and my head is still slightly muzzy. So, rather than a inflict incoherent rambling on you, a reprise of … Continue reading Pear Chutney

WICKERPEDIA, ed. Kristin Garth & Nick Morrissey

Mixing perspectives on the power of belief, both good and bad, to shape lives with attempts to capture the experience of believing, the Garth and Morrissey create an experience as filled with poetry, awe, and horror as the films that inspired it. This anthology features twenty poems, five flash fictions, three articles, and two pieces … Continue reading WICKERPEDIA, ed. Kristin Garth & Nick Morrissey

Modem Prometheus: #HuntingParty

My friend Neil Murton—who it has never been confirmed is a hat possessed by a magpie steering a stolen body—wrote the script for the inaugural episode of the Modem Prometheus podcast. Twenty-one minutes of urban folk horror, ancient British legend painted on a canvas of Sinclair’s city-as-ritual.

Vegas Valkyries by Cynthia Vespia

Vespia mixes aspects of Norse mythology with a modern Las Vegas, creating an urban fantasy tale that will appeal to readers who enjoy a fresh take on well-known tropes. This novel is the second in Vespia’s Vegas Vendettas series. Reading beyond this point is gambling on spoilers for the first book. When Sigr, Kava, and … Continue reading Vegas Valkyries by Cynthia Vespia

Green Joy

The Green Party Conference was last weekend, marked—among other things—by the first speech of Carla Denyer and Adrian Ramsey as new Co-leaders of the Party. As the last forever years show, pretty speeches don’t necessarily result in progress, but I found this one inspiring. I love the clear enthusiasm to learn the lessons of the … Continue reading Green Joy

There are No Monsters by Sebastian Leyendecker

Leyendecker blends the griminess and struggle of realistic espionage stories or noir with a hidden world of supernatural otherness, creating a novel that is both gritty thriller and cosmic horror. Decades ago, the Nocturne Society told Brockmann to stand down, their mission of destroying the monsters that used to plague humanity complete; however, when a … Continue reading There are No Monsters by Sebastian Leyendecker

A Chain of Infinite Length Can Still Be Cut

Today is Anti-Slavery Day in the United Kingdom, a day that is not—as one might hope—a celebration of our victory over the scourge of oppressive servitude but a solemn reminder that slavery remains a close part even of the modern Western world. How you might best oppose slavery will vary depending on where you live … Continue reading A Chain of Infinite Length Can Still Be Cut

Good Cop by Jim Alexander

Alexander weaves the gritty hunt for a brutal killer with portrayals of everyday selfishness and cruelty, creating a thriller that shows the trauma of facing humanity’s darker side without excusing the imperfection of the investigators. This novel is the sequel to GoodCopBadCop. Spoilers ahead. When Detective Inspector Brian Fisher leapt from a tower block onto … Continue reading Good Cop by Jim Alexander