Dave Higgins's Blog, page 55

Caterwinning

This struck me as a slightly different take on Lovecraftian audio books: a female narrator reading in modern voice. One of the biggest barriers to immersion I experience listening to audio versions of Lovecraft stories is Vincent-Pricing; while I love the performances of Vincent Price and can see the similarity in archaisms, the slightly over-the-top … Continue reading Caterwinning

Harlem Smoke by James Champagne

Champagne blends psychogeography and philosophy with pop culture and torture-porn to create a post-modern collage of Lovecraftian dissonance. Nearly a decade ago, Isaac Grimalkin (under the name of the Reznorian pseudo-group ‘Dunwich Posse’) released “Harlem Smoke”, a Lovecraftian horrorcore hip-hop album. Abandoning his burgeoning music career when murderers and suicides cited his work as “inspiration” … Continue reading Harlem Smoke by James Champagne

…With More Feeling!

Thoughts on double-plus good writing are double-plus good. This morning, I discovered some notes I’d made years ago, which included this quote from Cliff Seal: “No one has ever been offended by proper grammar or proper sentence structure. No one has ever emailed you to say I really wish you would use six more exclamation … Continue reading …With More Feeling!

Emma and the Weeping Spirit by Matthew S. Cox

Cox reframes the classic haunted house trope for middle grade readers without sacrificing the complexities and uncertainties of spectral visitations. This is the fifth book in Cox’s Tales of Widowswood series. Potential spoilers for previous volumes lurk past this point. When a harpy attack drives ten-year-old Emma deep into unknown forest, her experiences help her … Continue reading Emma and the Weeping Spirit by Matthew S. Cox

Edge Cases

I came across this video earlier today—ironically, not while doing research for the Legend of the Five Rings game I’ve just started. There’s a pleasing combination of athleticism and humour from both combatants. However, one thing did seem very wrong; wrong enough for what appeared otherwise to be a great short film that I spent … Continue reading Edge Cases

Janna of Castle Ambrose by Jordan Elizabeth

Elizabeth riffs on the classic image of the monster in the lake to create an accessible fantasy tale about the difference between the clarity of stories and the reality of life. As the daughter of the Earl’s butler, Janna had a happy life at Castle Ambrose playing with the Earl’s children—until a conquering army sacked … Continue reading Janna of Castle Ambrose by Jordan Elizabeth

Casey Douglass: Dark Ambient Review: Hastur

Those of you who’ve read Bloody Red Nose will already be familiar with Casey Douglass. However, what you might not have gathered from his deliciously distilled tale is that he shares my taste for Yog-Sothothery. So, it seemed a public service to ease you into the new arbitrary time division by mentioning his review of … Continue reading Casey Douglass: Dark Ambient Review: Hastur

First Stone by Gary Ballard

Ballard fuses the viscerality of serial killer investigation with the mentality of Lovecraftian cosmology to create a gestalt that captures the shattering of mind and body without becoming tedious rubbery spatterpunk or abstract statements of indescribability. Forensic psychologist Jack Carter awakens in a mental hospital suffering from amnesia and prime suspect in his wife’s disappearance. … Continue reading First Stone by Gary Ballard

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