Dave Higgins's Blog, page 75

Death of a Drone

Karl connected the repeater and stepped back. Fifteen seconds later, the window exploded. His breathing spiked as tiny drones swarmed through the hole. Pushing down images of neat holes in foreheads, he sent a message to all his contacts calling the President ugly. The swarm drifted randomly as his contacts responded. He was right: no … Continue reading Death of a Drone

The Faceless Stratagem by Robert Scott-Norton

Scott-Norton fuses conspiracy thrillers with gritty science-fiction to create a tale that will appeal to fans of both equally. This novel is the second in the Tombs series. Readers proceeding beyond this point risk knowledge infection. With the cosmic rift above Jodrell Bank closed by Max Harding, the alien invasion seems defeated. However, Alice Linwood … Continue reading The Faceless Stratagem by Robert Scott-Norton

Not Letting the Dice Decide

While sexual harassment in roleplaying games isn’t front page news in the same way that the rags and tatters of Hollywood pretence are, it happens. And, unlike the real world, it can sometimes seek to excuse itself by relying on not having happened in reality. However, I don’t think something is automatically acceptable just because … Continue reading Not Letting the Dice Decide

Beating the Pain

The steel felt good beneath his hands, each blow echoing like a confirmation of existence. Knowledge had built the world around him, and given him the tools to understand what he felt and why. But knowledge wasn’t a tap in the barrel of his chest to drain away the adrenaline poisoning his taste and spasming … Continue reading Beating the Pain

Nascent Shadow by Matthew S. Cox

Balancing the ubiquity of magic with a solid core of the mundane and sweeping cosmology with a plausible focus on small concerns, Cox creates an urban fantasy world where the mystical is fully integrated into society without losing the hint of otherness. Despite killing a child molester at ten and surviving her home burning down … Continue reading Nascent Shadow by Matthew S. Cox

The Cost of Being Seen

While the web might have started out as excited amateurs building their little corner then sharing it with others, it’s now also home to large companies and content professionals. Which has made recouping the cost of running sites and creating the pages on them a major driver of “normal” website structure. The usual models are … Continue reading The Cost of Being Seen

Twelve Hours to Midnight

Andrea glanced at the email. The Doomsday Clock had gone back yet another hour. Barely news. Maybe before the weather. How did it go…? DC station recorded street interviews on Christmas wishes. Cue cute Asian girl saying all she wanted was her daddy not to get ‘sploded. Sheer coincidence the next show was a documentary … Continue reading Twelve Hours to Midnight

Writing as a Team Sport by Kevin J. Anderson

Anderson mixes his thoughts on why collaborations work, or don’t, with anecdotes from the many collaborations he has undertaken, creating a book that shows the reader the potential complexities of partnering with other authors without becoming dry or depressing. This book provides advice and insight on co-authoring fiction, covering reasons to consider collaborating, choosing a … Continue reading Writing as a Team Sport by Kevin J. Anderson

Thoughts and Prayers

This captures my visceral reaction to the inertia in gun control legislation. And, for those seeking my more reasoned thoughts: Prayer is a dialogue with a moral authority about improvement. Thought is a process of analysing and reasoning rather than blindly following instincts and emotions. So, true thoughts and prayers in response to an atrocity … Continue reading Thoughts and Prayers

Impersonating Oneself

Aurelius strode gracefully. Halloween was the perfect time of the year; men almost stood out more if they didn’t wear make-up or ape horrors. A time to hunt without the fear his appearance might reveal him. And even a few days after costume parties let him hide in sight. Tonight it ended though. Tomorrow the … Continue reading Impersonating Oneself