Introduction by Dirk Strasser
Stephen Higgins has come up with the perfect title for this
long-awaited collection. It Is What It Isn’t is both an unsolv
able puzzle and an antidote for the banal in literature and
life. The title is an offshoot of one of Stephen ‘s most endear
ing traits, the ability to cut through triteness and cliche. One
of his pet hates is the expression “It is what it is”, possibly
the mostmeaningless, self-defeating, vacuous phrase ever ut
tered, an expression that isn’t worth the breath expended on
it.
So, what does Stephen do with this phrase? He turns it
on its head to show the absurdity of words and cliches that
are parroted endlessly. And how apt for a collection of spec
ulative fiction! If there was ever a secret organisation of spec
ulative fiction writers determined to destroy the hegemony
of mundane fiction, It Is What It Isn’t would be their motto.
But even calling what you are about to read a speculative
f
iction collection is missing the mark. Anything Stephen
does creatively can’t be pigeon-holed that easily. You’ll find
short stories, of course , but also the mock(yet somehowalso
wise) advice of the “Soyouwanttobea”seriesthatraninthe
early days of Aurealis magazine. It’s filled with his trademark
sense of humour, which, as with everything about Stephen,
is hard to categorise. You just know it when you simultane
ously laugh out loud and come to a deep insight about what
he has written.