James Nicoll Reviews

Darcie Little Badger’s 2024 Sheine Lende is modern fantasy novel. Sheine Lende is a prequel to her 2020 Elatsoe.

Shane and her mother Lorenza Solé may not be formally credentialled, but they are both experienced at search and rescue. Not only do mother and daughter bring exemplary skills to the task, but the Lipan Apache pair possess certain magical assets. Thus, one of the dogs that accompany the pair is a ghost.

Shane will need all the advantages she can muster.

Read more ➤

Darcie Little Badger’s 2021 A Snake Falls to Earth is a contemporary fantasy.

Nina’s great-great-grandmother Rosita dies at an advanced age, leaving Rosita’s grieving descendants with questions that the ancient Lipan Apache woman can no longer answer. For example, how is it that Rosita turns out to have been at least 150 years old, if not older? Modern medicine is good, but not that good. 

Rosita was a rare survivor of Texas’ campaign of Lipan genocide¹. Her descendants are therefore cautious of any involvement with officialdom and don’t investigate this anomaly in any way that would attract official attention. 

Nina thinks there might be an answer in the Lipan lore that Rosita shared before dying. Surely a little private investigation won’t attract unwelcome attention. But it does.

Read more ➤

Darcie Little Badger’s 2020 Elatsoe is a young adult contemporary fantasy novel. Elatsoe has been nominated for both the Lodestar Award and the Norton Award. 

Kirby was dead to begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that. But Elatsoe — Ellie to her friends — can summon the dead back from the other side. Dead that include her beloved dog, Kirby. 

Read more ➤