Dave Higgins's Blog, page 73

Toxic Egotism

I’m fortunate enough not to have any allergies or intolerances that might kill me. However, that doesn’t mean they aren’t just someone else’s problem. I read an article yesterday that complained about “no food please” rules for school events: the thesis was that children without allergies shouldn’t have to have another pencil instead of some … Continue reading Toxic Egotism

Dead Jack and the Pandemonium Device by James Aquilone

Blending the tropes of an Everyman hero walking the mean streets with a world where the average is the only thing that isn’t present, Aquilone creates a narrative that offers much to both fans of detective fiction and humorous horror. Dead Jack is Pandemonium’s best (only) zombie P.I. Mostly, he keeps the mindless hunger for … Continue reading Dead Jack and the Pandemonium Device by James Aquilone

My Client Didn’t Do It, He Had Good Reason to Do It, and He Doesn’t Deserve to Be Punished

Earlier this morning, there was a thread in one of my social media digests about trespassing to save a pet. As is common on the internet, the conversation shifted back and forth, becoming more complex and diffuse as opinions on the reasonableness of certain behaviours mixed with opinions on their legality, and with opinions on … Continue reading My Client Didn’t Do It, He Had Good Reason to Do It, and He Doesn’t Deserve to Be Punished

The Redeemed by Matthew S. Cox

Cox mixes fast-paced action and nuanced characters with a plausible future dystopia to create a tale that will appeal to fans of wasteland mayhem and future history alike. This novel is the second in the Roadhouse Chronicles series. So, that dust cloud on the horizon is probably spoilers. Having saved the woman he loves and … Continue reading The Redeemed by Matthew S. Cox

Falls the Shadow

Found this an interesting introduction to one theory of how the mind forms our response to a situation. Ironically for something that talks about prior experience causing flawed assumptions, my initial disagreement was due to Feldman Barrett using certain terms differently from how I would without defining them first. She divides experience into “feelings”, which … Continue reading Falls the Shadow

Operation Hail Storm by Brett Arquette

Arquette mixes a realistic evolution from current technologies with fast-paced covert action to create a dramatic thriller free from campness. Marshall Hail had it all: a loving family, a Nobel Prize for Physics, and a billion-dollar business built off the back of his invention. Until his family were killed in “the Five”, one of five … Continue reading Operation Hail Storm by Brett Arquette

Embracing Improvement

Following each new story of a famous person feeling harassed or a person feeling harassed by a famous person*, a new wave of claims that the calls for improvement will make it next to impossible for people to have physical contact with each other. Fortunately, it is not only possible but relatively easy to both … Continue reading Embracing Improvement

The Girl Without Magic by Megan O’Russell

O’Russell mixes an intriguing magical economy with a character-driven plot, producing fantasy that is both fresh and familiar. Maggie Trent died in a battle against sorcerous evil—or at least she thought she did. Instead, she awakens trapped in the Siren’s Realm, a world between worlds where any wish can be fulfilled, but at the cost … Continue reading The Girl Without Magic by Megan O’Russell

ImmerseOrDie Might Be Too Mellow

One of the accusations levelled at ImmerseOrDie is that Jeff, Bryce, or I look for reasons to fail a book, that readers don’t judge books the way we do. I’ve never been inside Bryce’s head, but I feel a deep joy when a book makes it to the line; and we’re not alone in noticing … Continue reading ImmerseOrDie Might Be Too Mellow

Heir Ascendant by Matthew S. Cox

Wiring a series of nuanced characters into a binary of polished privilege and clunky grunge, Cox builds cyberpunk that connects on an emotional and aesthetic level. Society is divided between those rich enough to live in comfortable complexes, and those too poor to escape the ruins of World War III. Maya Oman, the daughter of … Continue reading Heir Ascendant by Matthew S. Cox