James Nicoll Reviews

Just Like Home by Sarah Gailey

Just Like Home is a darkly gothic thriller from nationally bestselling author Sarah Gailey, perfect for fans of Netflix’s The Haunting of Hill House as well as HBO’s true crime masterpiece I’ll Be Gone in the Dark.“Come home.” Vera’s mother called and Vera obeyed. In spite of their long estrangement, in spite of the memories — she’s come back to the home of a serial killer. Back to face the love she had for her father and the bodies he buried there, beneath the house he’d built for his family.Coming home is hard enough for Vera, and to make things worse, she and her mother aren’t alone. A parasitic artist has moved into the guest house out back and is slowly stripping Vera’s childhood for spare parts. He insists that he isn’t the one leaving notes around the house in her father’s handwriting… but who else could it possibly be?There are secrets yet undiscovered in the foundations of the notorious Crowder House. Vera must face them and find out for herself just how deep the rot goes. 

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A Sh*tload of Crazy Powers by Jackson Ford

Telekinetic government operative Teagan Frost is back in a new fast and furious adventure that will blow your tiny mind. Teagan Frost has enough sh*t to deal with, between her job as a telekinetic government operative and a certain pair of siblings who have returned from the dead to wreak havoc with their powers. But little does she know, things are about to get even more crazy … Teagan might have survived the flash flood of the century, but now she’s trapped in a hotel by a bunch of gun-toting maniacs. And to make matters worse, her powers have mysteriously disappeared. Faced with certain death at every turn, Teagan will need to use every resource she has to stop a plot that could destroy Los Angeles — maybe even the entire world. 

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The Grief of Stones by Katherine Addison

In The Grief of Stones, Katherine Addison returns to the world of The Goblin Emperor with a direct sequel to The Witness For The Dead…Celehar’s life as the Witness for the Dead of Amalo grows less isolated as his circle of friends grows larger. He has been given an apprentice to teach, and he has stumbled over a scandal of the city — the foundling girls. Orphans with no family to claim them and no funds to buy an apprenticeship. Foundling boys go to the Prelacies; foundling girls are sold into service, or worse.At once touching and shattering, Celehar’s witnessing for one of these girls will lead him into the depths of his own losses. The love of his friends will lead him out again.At the Publisher’s request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

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February 2022

20 works reviewed. 12 by women (60%), 8 by men *40%), 0 by a non-binary author (0%), 0 by authors whose genders are unknown (0%), and 7 by POC (33%).

Year to Date

41 works reviewed. 23 by women (56% ), 18 by men (44%), 0 by a non-binary author (0%), 0 by authors whose genders are unknown (0%), and by 15 POC (37%).

Grand Total to Date

2049 works reviewed. 1147 by women (56%), 858 by men (42%), 26 by non-binary authors (1%), 18 by authors whose gender is unknown (1%), 589.75 by POC (29%).

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[Every once in a while Tor turns a piece down. Enjoy an example of such a piece written despite advice that it was probably a bad idea]

As one scans the shelves for new fantasy and science fiction to read, there is an absence. An absence usually overlooked, as absence is not as obvious as presence. The peculiar void that occasions this essay? The lack of authors surnamed Smith.

Now, at first glance this may seem inexplicable. Smith is said to be a common surname. However, while being an online pundit keeps me too busy to do even the most rudimentary research (not even a quick click on ISFDB), pure reason unsullied by mere factual evidence (or even the ability to bent over slightly to look at lower bookshelves) hints at reasons why SF author Smiths might be uncommon¹.

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Of Charms, Ghosts and Grievances by Aliette de Bodard

From the author of the critically acclaimed Dominion of the Fallen trilogy comes a sparkling new romantic adventure full of kissing, sarcasm and stabbing. 

It was supposed to be a holiday, with nothing more challenging than babysitting, navigating familial politics and arguing about the proper way to brew tea. 

But when dragon prince Thuan and his ruthless husband Asmodeus find a corpse in a ruined shrine and a hungry ghost who is the only witness to the crime, their holiday goes from restful to high-pressure. Someone is trying to silence the ghost and everyone involved. Asmodeus wants revenge for the murder; Thuan would like everyone, including Asmodeus, to stay alive.

Chased by bloodthirsty paper charms and struggling to protect their family, Thuan and Asmodeus are going to need all the allies they can — and, as the cracks in their relationship widen, they’ll have to face the scariest challenge of all: how to bring together their two vastly different ideas of their future… 

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One Foot in the Fade by Luke Elliot Arnold

Welcome back to the streets of Sunder City, a darkly imagined world perfect for readers of Ben Aaronovitch and Jim Butcher. AN ANGEL FALLS IN SUNDER CITY… In a city that lost its magic, an angel falls in a downtown street. His wings are feathered, whole — undeniably magical — the man clearly flew, because he left one hell of a mess when he plummeted into the sidewalk. But what sent him up? What brought him down? And will the answers help Fetch bring the magic back for good? Working alongside necromancers, genies, and shadowy secret societies, through the wildest forests and dingiest dive bars, this case will leave its mark on Fetch’s body, his soul, and the fate of the world. 

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A Prayer for the Crown-Shy by Becky Chambers

A Prayer for the Crown-Shy is a story of kindness and love from one of the foremost practitioners of hopeful SF.After touring the rural areas of Panga, Sibling Dex (a Tea Monk of some renown) and Mosscap (a robot sent on a quest to determine what humanity really needs) turn their attention to the villages and cities of the little moon they call home.They hope to find the answers they seek, while making new friends, learning new concepts, and experiencing the entropic nature of the universe.Becky Chambers’s new series continues to ask: in a world where people have what they want, does having more even matter? 

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January 2022

21 works reviewed. 11 by women (52% ), 10 by men (48%), 0 by a non-binary author (0%), 0 by authors whose genders are unknown (0%), and by 8 POC (38%).

Year to Date

21 works reviewed. 11 by women (52% ), 10 by men (48%), 0 by a non-binary author (0%), 0 by authors whose genders are unknown (0%), and by 8 POC (38%).

Grand Total to Date

2029 works reviewed. 1135 by women (56%), 850 by men (42%), 26 by non-binary authors (1%), 18 by authors whose gender is unknown (1%), 582.75 by POC (29%).

Off to a great start on my resolve to read more non-binary authors, not having managed to find space for even one in January.

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The Stardust Thief by Chelsea Abdullah

Inspired by stories from One Thousand and One Nights, The Stardust Thief weaves the gripping tale of a legendary smuggler, a cowardly prince, and a dangerous quest across the desert to find a legendary, magical lamp.

Neither here nor there, but long ago…

Loulie al-Nazari is the Midnight Merchant: a criminal who, with the help of her jinn bodyguard, hunts and sells illegal magic. When she saves the life of a cowardly prince, she draws the attention of his powerful father, the sultan, who blackmails her into finding an ancient lamp that has the power to revive the barren land — at the cost of sacrificing all jinn.

With no choice but to obey or be executed, Loulie journeys with the sultan’s oldest son to find the artifact. Aided by her bodyguard, who has secrets of his own, they must survive ghoul attacks, outwit a vengeful jinn queen, and confront a malicious killer from Loulie’s past. And, in a world where story is reality and illusion is truth, Loulie will discover that everything — her enemy, her magic, even her own past — is not what it seems, and she must decide who she will become in this new reality. 

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