Dave Higgins's Blog, page 56

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

A House Without Windows Has No Light

Paul A Kramer’s talk below comes from the perspective of the US Immigration debate; however, with Boris Johnson proposing a strict points-based immigration system for the United Kingdom, Kramer’s insight resonated with me. You will be unsurprised that, as an artist myself, I am uncomfortable with reducing any human being to a single measure of … Continue reading A House Without Windows Has No Light

Disparaged Vampire Cat by Tyrolin Puxty

Puxty blends madcap events with visceral threats to create a tale that is both urban fantasy and a pastiche of it at the same time. This novel is the second in the Colt Harper series. So you have only yourself to blame if you spoil the first book by reading on. After an enforced stint … Continue reading Disparaged Vampire Cat by Tyrolin Puxty

Anent The Most Lively Fuzziness

Last night, while attempting to pet Jasper as he demanded without having my arm closer than he allowed it, I was struck with a great revelation: Lovecraft’s portrayal of the Elder Things as five-sided, pseudo-vegetable, barrels concealed their true forms. Both Jasper and Una frequently demand fusses while simultaneously complaining should I move my body … Continue reading Anent The Most Lively Fuzziness