Dave Higgins's Blog, page 38

Purple Pyewacket

In an amusing turn of events, this drug information film is trippy enough to give me flashbacks to a past I never took. Fortunately, parody is a drug that strengthens, so if you like cats tune in. If anyone wants me, I’ll be tie-dying my black T-shirts black and watching Una Cat turn cartwheels across … Continue reading Purple Pyewacket

The Trial of Bells and Blood by Stephanie Flint

Flint blends inhuman perspectives on what is just with solid fantasy action, creating an engaging portrayal of divine interest. The novella features characters from Flint’s previous novellas The Cursed Halls of Kalecen and The Scars of Her Past. As such, possible spoilers ahead. Alia couldn’t simply let extremists devastate the city, but with their plan … Continue reading The Trial of Bells and Blood by Stephanie Flint

Is Sorcery Unnatural?

I’ve played a lot of Conan Exiles recently. As I’m playing single player, I have the ability to allow admin commands to be used in game; which raised the question of whether or not I should maintain strict separation between “I am playing the game” and “I am running the program”. After some thought, I … Continue reading Is Sorcery Unnatural?

The Vampire of Blackpool by Catherine Green

Green blends romantic tropes with the fundamental truth that love doesn’t make everyone a saint in real life to create a vampire protagonist who realistically craves the company of some humans without experiencing any qualms at draining others. While this novel is part of Green’s The Redcliffe Series, it barely refers to events from other … Continue reading The Vampire of Blackpool by Catherine Green

I Discovered They Were a Gilman

It is easy to say that the debate on whether one can separate Lovecraft’s work from his beliefs will never be resolved. However, I think the underlying question is still worth asking: because deciding whether or not to read a dead author’s work isn’t the only judgement we make in life. Synchronicity summoned up the … Continue reading I Discovered They Were a Gilman

Cirsova Magazine of Thrilling Adventure and Daring Suspense, Volume 2 #7, ed. P. Alexander

Alexander shows that stories which a focus on action over introspection needn’t be shallow or simplistic, continuing the legacy of classic science-fiction and fantasy pulps. This magazine contains four short stories, the second part of two serialised works, and an extract from a novel. The Aromique Paradigm (Part 2 of 3) by Michael Tierney: Achilles … Continue reading Cirsova Magazine of Thrilling Adventure and Daring Suspense, Volume 2 #7, ed. P. Alexander

Yog-Sothoth Doesn’t Play Ball Games

Commentary on Lovecraftian horror often takes a fixed stance on Lovecraft’s racism (was he a racist; is his work racist; does liking Lovecraft make you a racist) so this video by Athena Productions on whether art can be separated from artist was a pleasant surprise to my nuance-seeking mind. However, I noticed one critical factor … Continue reading Yog-Sothoth Doesn’t Play Ball Games

Creepy Sheen by Rebecca Gransden

Embracing the aesthetic of Eighties US teen and sci-fi movies while also drawing on the darkness beneath the neon, Gransden creates alien perspectives that seem intimately familiar. This collection contains ten works by Gransden, each strongly displaying the tropes and mores of Eighties US culture but seen from odd angles or applied to unexpected situations. … Continue reading Creepy Sheen by Rebecca Gransden

Chromium Plating Marshmallows

A good mashup, whether food, music, or gases, creates a thing greater than the parts; the sublime added to the technical. And perhaps shows an answer authors struggle to tell. The right mix of the right songs for a particular person speaks to them in several ways: the experience of each of the songs alone; … Continue reading Chromium Plating Marshmallows

Blood Loss by Andy Maslen

Maslen mixes modern technology with visceral vampire action to create a gritty horror thriller that feels grounded in the classics of the genre. Caroline Murray is a successful barrister, engaged to a brilliant skin-cancer researcher. So, when Ariane Van Helsing appears on her doorstep claiming her fiancé’s new employer is actually a vampire seeking a … Continue reading Blood Loss by Andy Maslen