Dave Higgins's Blog, page 90

Amber Fang: The Hunted by Arthur Slade

Combining the twists and turns of a spy movie with the particular challenges facing the humane vampire, Slade provides an urban fantasy that will appeal both to fans of both action and moral quandaries. Amber Fang is a vampire. Raised only to eat murderers with no remorse, she divides her time between studying for a … Continue reading Amber Fang: The Hunted by Arthur Slade

The Impact of Politics on Language

If we take the approach that necromancers defile bodies so have forgone their right to be considered people, do those who fight for equality before the law become insuresurrectionists?

Feeling Less Worst

I’m not depressed, and I hope none of you are either; however, if you or someone you know is, this might help.

Windows Into Hell by Curiosity Quills

Mixing traditional symbols and ideas of the afterlife with parodies and fragments of the real world, this anthology provides a solid frame of reference without rendering the afterlife in any way mundane. This anthology contains eleven stories from a variety of authors set in a common universe. Each story follows a recently deceased person as … Continue reading Windows Into Hell by Curiosity Quills

People Are Complex, So Their Issues Are Too

An interesting argument that seeking gender equality, racial equality, &c. can ironically – if the underlying aim of human equality is lost – obscure the issues facing those in more than one disadvantaged group. The same inefficiency of labels applies to privileged groups: a social structure that privileges men doesn’t mean all men are fine; … Continue reading People Are Complex, So Their Issues Are Too

Bat(ttered)man

I’ve recently started playing Batman: Arkham Asylum. Overall, it’s a great fun game but there’s one niggle: saved games – or rather the lack thereof. When playing computer games with character options, I always gravitate toward stealth and cunning over charging around and brute force. However, I play for relaxation not to hone my keyboard … Continue reading Bat(ttered)man

Distant Horizon by Stephanie Flint & Isaac Flint

Displaying – yet not sagging under the weight of – the tropes of both superhero and young adult fiction, this novel is likely to appeal to a broad range of dystopian readers. Half a century ago, plague decimated the world’s population. After a period of struggle, the survivors united to form the Community, a global … Continue reading Distant Horizon by Stephanie Flint & Isaac Flint

Mellow Wandering

I can’t remember ever disliking jazz as sound in the background, and I certainly enjoyed Alan Plater’s Biederbeck Trilogy. However, ‘St James’ Infirmary’ is the first jazz song I can remember actually loving. So I’ve always had a soft spot for it. And this blues version really doesn’t disappoint. I hope your days have unexpected … Continue reading Mellow Wandering

A Display of Character

One of the major parts of the Dragons & Magic world that Simon and I created is that everyone has numerical characteristics assigned at birth that define their abilities. One of my fans emailed me after finishing Origin to say they’d spent some time afterwards pondering what their parents might have chosen if they had … Continue reading A Display of Character

Cast No Shadows by Curiosity Quills

Twenty-six authors provide their spin on one of the oldest stories known to humankind: the ghost story This anthology contains 36 stories of various lengths and styles. With an area as old as the ghost story, it is perhaps unsurprising that none of these stories breaks new ground. However, each author puts their own detail … Continue reading Cast No Shadows by Curiosity Quills