James Nicoll Reviews

Cairo, 1912: The case started as a simple one for the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities — handling a possessed tram car.

Soon, however, Agent Hamed Nasr and his new partner Agent Onsi Youssef are exposed to a new side of Cairo stirring with suffragettes, secret societies, and sentient automatons in a race against time to protect the city from an encroaching danger that crosses the line between the magical and the mundane.

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2018 Nebula Awards Nominees (and reviews)

Via File 770, the 2018 Nebula Awards Nominees!

A full list is after the cut. If I reviewed them, there is a link to the review.

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Books Received, February 9 — 15

While winter snows keep the Witch Lord Ruven’s invading armies at bay, Lady Amalia Cornaro and the fire warlock Zaira attempt to change the fate of mages in the Raverran Empire forever, earning the enmity of those in power who will do anything to keep all magic under tight imperial control. But in the season of the Serene City’s great masquerade, Ruven executes a devastating surprise strike at the heart of the Empire — and at everything Amalia holds most dear.

To stand a chance of defeating Ruven, Amalia and Zaira must face their worst nightmares, expose their deepest secrets, and unleash Zaira’s most devastating fire.

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Books Received, February 2 — 8

Thousands of years ago, the city of Athanor was set adrift in time and space by alchemists, called “the Curious Men”. Ever since, it has accumulated cultures, citizens and species into a vast, unmappable metropolis.

Isten and her gang of half-starved political exiles live off petty crime and gangland warfare in Athanor’s seediest alleys. Though they dream of returning home to lead a glorious revolution, Isten’s downward spiral drags them into a mire of addiction and violence. Isten must find a way to save the exiles and herself if they are ever to build a better, fairer world for the people of their distant homeland.

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January 2019 in review

January

20 books read. 10.75 by women (54%), 9.25 by men (46%).

Works by POC: 9.75 (49%)

Year to Date

See above. And now, the beginning of my long slog up the meaningless table.

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Seen in email

Speaking of Amazon, an interesting phenomenon (and kudos to you): for several of the books on your “100 books to read in 2019” list, the Amazon listings of what “Customers Also Viewed” are largely or entirely made up of *other* books from your list. You singlehandedly transformed Amazon viewing data for a number of them. (Including, at least, The Fortunate Fall, A Voice out of Ramah, and Sibyl Sue Blue. Probably many others, too.)

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