Dave Higgins's Blog, page 76

New Year’s Revolution

It’s the start of another arbitrary division of a time dimension, so there are plenty of posts from people committing to do something or suggesting ways others might have a higher chance of succeeding at achieving that something. And plenty of people asking whether others have made any resolutions and what they are. In the … Continue reading New Year’s Revolution

Yule Be Back

Replete with pine cones and books, I am retreating deep into a cave for the festive season. Reviews and thoughtful posts will return in January. Advertisements

Needs of the Few

Barry angled the mirror around. Satisfied no-one lurked near the door, he slipped into the supermarket. His gut roiled at the stench. They always said, don’t go shopping on an empty stomach; who knew piles of corpses would be even more effective. Mirror preceding him, he crept toward the tinned aisle. A woman in a … Continue reading Needs of the Few

The Portal by Carol Riggs

Mixing an intriguing variation on characters mysteriously transported to another world with an immediately recognisable portrayal of teenage brittleness, Riggs provides a decidedly young adult tale on the border of science-fiction and fantasy. Mari Stratton doesn’t especially like Stephanie, but doesn’t dislike her enough to miss her New Year’s Eve Party. However, what starts as … Continue reading The Portal by Carol Riggs

I’ve Been Thunderstruck

Hark at the pipes on him! Advertisements

Be Mindful of the Present

I’ll die at 8:23 am next Tuesday. Rather precise but true nevertheless. Teenage dreams had given way to boring adulthood. Then I saw this advert “Scared to live? We offer seven days without worry about possible futures.” It was free and I literally had nothing interesting that evening, so I went. Woke up with this … Continue reading Be Mindful of the Present

Fleeting Ink by Miriam Joy

Joy weaves together hymns in praise of feeling rather than deconstructing poetry with evidence that words cannot be other than a structure around anything of actual meaning, elegantly capturing both the power of language to show reality and its failure. This collection contains twenty-nine of Joy’s poems inspired by the concept of writing. The eponymous … Continue reading Fleeting Ink by Miriam Joy

Like a One Legged Man in a Pie Eating Contest

One of the common battle lines in the (not)war for equality, is ‘privilege’: on one side the division of society into equality haves and equality have-nots; on the other the stories of white men who are stuck in a poverty not of their own making. The arguments of both sides can be compelling, yet they … Continue reading Like a One Legged Man in a Pie Eating Contest

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