Dave Higgins's Blog, page 95
August 3, 2016
This Is Payment Protected, That Is Payment Protected,…
Payment Protection Insurance has been mis-sold; however, I found the level of advertising by claims companies seeking to recover it to be excessive – until I realised the extent of the scandal. PPI is an add-on to payment-in-instalment plans to cover some (or all) payments if you are unable for a (valid) reason, to meet […]
August 1, 2016
A Growing Category
An interesting, both for the environmental message and for the wider message of perspective changing “truth”.
July 29, 2016
Grey Ronin by Matthew S. Cox
Combining a nuanced fusion of Japanese culture and future tech with a strong focus on common humanity, Cox provides a fresh perspective on the Asian-corporate trope common to cyberpunk. This novel is the third in The Awakened series. As such this review might overwrite your surprise buffers in places. Twenty-fifth century Japan is a fusion […]
July 27, 2016
The Friendship of Poets
Do I have friendships focused on poetry? Friendships where I bounce poems back and forth? They all are, or none of them are. I have friends who poet, I have friends who read poetry, I have friends who I met through poetry, but I don’t have friendships that are based around poeting. Partially because, to […]
July 25, 2016
Lovecraft Sin Sangre
One of the biggest issues with visual media based on (or inspired by) Lovecraft’s work is that no combination of prosthetics and CGI really captures indescribable horrors, risking it becoming just another horror tale. Which can be fun, but isn’t the Yog-Sothery I seek of a Mythos tale. Which is why I enjoyed the balance […]
July 22, 2016
The Firemage’s Vengeance by Garrett Robinson
Robinson continues to deliver a mix of political intrigue, engaging characters, and gritty fantasy. This book is the third in the Academy Journals series. This review aims to avoid spoilers of previous volumes where possible, but does contain both explicit references and evidence to support further inferences. With Isra, the rogue mindmage and murderer, apparently […]
July 20, 2016
No Person’s Land
Do black lives matter? Of course they do. But my reaction to the movement of the same name is less definite. Because the movement is less definite. My experiences while living in an area of Bristol with a strong African and Asian presence left me, as someone who doesn’t speak an non-European languages and presents […]
July 18, 2016
The Purpose Isn’t
Adam Savage’s talk on creativity shows both why I create, and why I am most glad my primary creativity is words not objects.
July 15, 2016
Victorian by Jordan Elizabeth
Combining the all-consuming intensity of teenage concerns with the tropes of classic ghost stories, Elizabeth amplifies the tension of each. Outwardly different yet each having their own reason for hiding, Celeste and Weronika volunteer at the local Victorian Fair. At first it seems a haven from their problems; but as the summer progresses, working for […]
July 13, 2016
A Mask Creates Whitespace
For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved the taste of words. Not synaesthecially, not the way I love the taste of a good meal, but the way words feel in the mouth and in the waiting to be spoken. Which isn’t why I started writing poetry. I started writing poetry because I didn’t […]
