Dark Toys and Consumer Goods

This collection is a timely warning of the consequences of over-indulgence in consumerism. The writer paints a bleak picture of a society obsessed with possessions - or, more importantly, with the need to acquire more.

What makes these stories so chilling is that the characters are all instantly recognisable as facets of our own natures, with behavioural patterns and thought-processes which are horribly familiar. The settings, too, strike chords - who won't recognise the hi-tech Shopping Mall, the computer emporium, the car accessory showroom? They're all here, often terrifyingly personified. Staig cleverly plays on our need to be frightened, but gives us none of the safety nets of less compulsive fiction. A wonderful resource for KS4 and an unflatteringly truthful exposition of what may be coming.