James Nicoll Reviews

Mutant Year Zero: Ad Astra by Jens Alm et al (February 2024)

Ad Astra is a thrilling campaign module for Mutant: Year Zero that takes the player characters from the devastated surface of Earth into orbit, out into the solar system, and perhaps further still. Ad Astra can be played stand-alone or as a direct continuation of the Path to Eden campaign in the Mutant: Year Zero core rulebook.

The book also includes rules for playing Mutant: Year Zero in space and an overview of the solar system with ideas for further adventures.

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Good news! Fig, the cat above, about whom I was so pessimistic last month, rallied, survived surgery, survived the recovery – barely noticed his cone of shame – and was pronounced back to full health.

James Nicoll Reviews is supported by spontaneous donations, review commissions and Patreon subscribers. If you would like to commission a review, please see my guidelines. My Patreon is here. Spontaneous donations can be done via my Paypal.

Thanks to a commission, I have an idea for an exciting new review project. More on that when I get to the novel that inspired me. 

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A new year! A new header image!

January 2024

22 works reviewed. 13 by women (59%), 9 by men (36%), 0 by a non-binary author (0%), 0 by authors whose gender is unknown (0%), and 9 by POC (41%).

2024 to Date

22 works reviewed. 13 by women (59%), 9 by men (36%), 0 by a 
non-binary author (0%), 0 by authors whose gender is unknown (0%), and 9 by POC (41%).

Grand Total to Date

2551 works reviewed. 1425 by women (56%), 1064 by men (42%), 40 by non-binary authors (2%), 22 by authors whose gender is unknown (1%), and 780.75 by POC (30%).

Government Types January 2024

Total 22, Not Applicable 3 (14%), Unclear 1 (5%), Anarchy 1 (5%), Pure democracy 0 (0%), Representative democracy 9 (41%), Oligarchy 7 (32%), Autocracy 1 (5%).

Government Type 2024 TD

Total 22, Not Applicable 3 (14%), Unclear 1 (5%), Anarchy 1 (5%),
Pure democracy 0 (0%), Representative democracy 9 (41%), Oligarchy 7 (32%), Autocracy 1 (5%).

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It belatedly occurs to me I should post this here as well. Which 1968 Nebula finalists have you read? I’ve bolded the ones I’ve read.

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Rakesfall by Vajra Chandrasekera (June 2024) 

Rakesfall is a groundbreaking, standalone science fiction epic about two souls bound together from here until the ends of time, from the author of The Saint of Bright DoorsSome stories take more than one lifetime to tell. There are wrongs that echo through the ages, friendships that outpace the claws of death, loves that leave their mark on civilization, and promises that nothing can break. This is one such story. 

Annelid and Leveret met as children in the middle of the Sri Lankan civil war. They found each other in a torn-up nation, peering through propaganda to grasp a deeper truth. And in a demon-haunted wood, another act of violence linked them and propelled their souls on a journey throughout the ages. No world can hold them, no life can bind them, and they’ll never leave each other behind. But their journey will not be easy. In every lifetime, oppressors narrow the walls of possibility, shaping reality to fit their own needs. And behind the walls of history, the witches of the red web swear that every throne will fall. 

Tracing two souls through endless lifetimes, Rakesfall is a virtuosic exploration of what stories can be. As Annelid and Leveret reincarnate ever deeper into the future, they will chase the edge of human possibility, in a dark science fiction epic unlike anything you’ve read before. 

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A Letter to the Luminous Deep by Sylvie Cathrall (April 2024)

A beautiful discovery outside the window of her underwater home prompts the reclusive E. to begin a correspondence with renowned scholar Henerey Clel. The letters they share are filled with passion, at first for their mutual interests, and then, inevitably, for each other. Together, they uncover a mystery from the unknown depths, destined to transform the underwater world they both equally fear and love. But by no mere coincidence, a seaquake destroys E.‘s home, and she and Henerey vanish. A year later, E.‘s sister Sophy, and Henerey’s brother Vyerin, are left to solve the mystery, piecing together the letters, sketches and field notes left behind — and learn what their siblings’ disappearance might mean for life as they know it. Inspired, immersive, and full of heart, this charming epistolary tale is an adventure into the depths of a magical sea and the limits of the imagination from a marvelous debut voice. 

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Bubblegumshoe by Emily Care Boss, Kenneth Hite, and Lisa Steele (2016)

Someone stole my kid brother’s bike…

Someone sabotaged the pep rally…

Someone destroyed the Homecoming queen’s reputation…

The world is full of mysteries. It’s up to your group of intrepid teen sleuths to solve them. In Bubblegumshoe, players step into the shoes of high-schoolers solving mysteries in a modern American small town. Discover clues, solve problems, and throw down with enemies in this streamlined RPG based on the GUMSHOE system.

In this stand-alone game, you’ll find:

• Rules to create your Sleuth’s web of relationships and make the most of GUMSHOE’s resource-management
• A simple setting system designed for large scale town creation all the way down to scene locations, plus extensive information on Drewsbury, a ready-to-go setting
• A variety of short mystery starters, including a full introductory mystery: Hey! That’s My Bike!
• Extensive support to help GMs create their own mysteries using pre-established characters and settings
• Rules for social Throwdowns as well as physical altercations to reflect the drama of high school noir
• A slimmed-down list of investigative abilities vs GUMSHOE’s default to make for faster decision making

Bubblegumshoe. The secrets will out.

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The Apothecary Diaries: Volume 9 by Natsu Hyuuga (October 2023)

Maomao has effectively become Jinshi’s personal physician, but she’s just a simple apothecary. If she’s going to give him proper medical treatment, she’ll need more than her meager surgical skills. When she turns to her father for help, he says he’ll only teach her if she can pass a test he sets for her. Even if she succeeds at his mysterious request, however, the truth behind the practice of surgery at court may be more than she cares to know. And only once she has the knowledge she needs will she be able to accompany Jinshi on what could be his most dangerous journey yet. 

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(stolen from Andrew Wheeler… from back in 2006)

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Another year is upon us and with it the obligatory awards eligibility posts. I am never really sure into which categories my works fall. Here are my best guesses.

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