Dave Higgins's Blog, page 54

Advent Ghosts: Naughty or Nice

A joyous Yule or other festivals of choice to everyone. As in previous years, I am participating in Loren Eaton’s Advent Ghosts 100-word scary story project. This year, I endeavour to shed light on the true magic of Christmas: Naughty or Nice He yanked the last girl from his sack and ripped his claws across … Continue reading Advent Ghosts: Naughty or Nice

Of Myth and Shadow by Matthew S. Cox

Cox combines accessible characters and sweeping plots to create epic fantasy that has breadth and depth without feeling dense. The Kingdom of Aegaan has been at peace for decades. However, a growing number of towns and villages along one border report attacks by small bands of elves. For Anrael, a half-elf, this is just one … Continue reading Of Myth and Shadow by Matthew S. Cox

Twelve Rules for Life in an Uncaring Cosmos

Originally posted on Davetopia:
All who bear the burden of unholy knowledge know that Yog-Sothoth, the gate and the key, is perceived in congruence, and that the reasoned half of the mind is our protection from horrific truths. Thus, when I encountered a headline about a forthcoming Lovecraftian project and read the producer not as…

The Gryphon and the Mountain Bear by Stephanie Flint

Flint redresses a classic confidence trick in fantastical raiments to create a short story that is likely to appeal to fans of both cunning ploys and mystical worlds. After a card player cheats Nuaka, she uses her shapeshifting magic to steal a treasure map from his room and heads straight for the ruins. Her expedition … Continue reading The Gryphon and the Mountain Bear by Stephanie Flint

Green Shoots of Knowledge

With only a few days to go until the General Election, representatives of some parties are doubling down on the message that they are speaking for the nation. They might genuinely believe they are, but Parliament, the organisation they seek to be part of, isn’t one person speaking for everyone, it’s many representatives discussing perspectives … Continue reading Green Shoots of Knowledge

Bad Dreams and Broken Hearts: The Case Files of Erik Rugar by Misha Burnett

Burnett fuses the possibility of weird fiction with the solidity of crime noir to create a collection that is both a gritty detective story and a baroque urban fantasy. Dracoheim is a human city, but abuts the Realms of Nightmare. Ancient treaties and modern laws define the appropriate uses of magic, mysticism, and migration. Mostly … Continue reading Bad Dreams and Broken Hearts: The Case Files of Erik Rugar by Misha Burnett

Me Against Him, Him and Me Against the World

Many authors—perhaps joking, perhaps not—have commented that their characters have a life of their own, and from a certain perspective they aren’t wrong; but no amount of characters working against their author can equal the tendency of the standard party of player characters to not stay together. Perhaps the answer is to rely on the … Continue reading Me Against Him, Him and Me Against the World

A Vampire’s Guide to Surviving Holidays by Matthew S. Cox

Continuing his exploration of how a vampire might balance their new life and their old, Cox demonstrates that sometimes a vampire hunter backed by technology and magic can be less of a challenge to handle than that one relative who always spoils family gatherings. This novel is the eighth in Cox’s Vampire Innocent series. Probable … Continue reading A Vampire’s Guide to Surviving Holidays by Matthew S. Cox

Renku with the Void

I start playing in a Legend of the Five Rings game on Wednesday. As the game is set in fantasy Japan, I was—(un)suprisingly—inspired to haiku. However, rather than a single verse, I challenged myself to create an entire cycle inspired by part of the world; which went well enough it I want to share it … Continue reading Renku with the Void

Cirsova: Heroic Fantasy and Science Fiction Magazine, Volume 1, Issue 5, ed. P. Alexander

Alexander gathers a series of tales that suggest what might happen if people of violence and cunning rather than book-learning faced Lovecraftian threats. This edition contains eight short stories, one novelette, and one poem, The majority of the prose works are set in the Eldritch Earth, an alternate prehistoric era that blends classic swords-and-sorcery with … Continue reading Cirsova: Heroic Fantasy and Science Fiction Magazine, Volume 1, Issue 5, ed. P. Alexander