James Nicoll Reviews

Home > Blog

Blog Posts

Books Received, November 14 — November 20

21 Nov, 2020

0 comments

On April 25, 1986, the worst nuclear reactor accident in history occurred in Chernobyl. Until now, all of the books published in English focused on the facts, names, and data. Voices from Chernobyl presents first-hand accounts of what happened to the people of Belarus and the fear, anger, and uncertainty that they lived through. In order to give a voice to their experiences, Svetlana Alexievich – a journalist by trade – interviewed hundreds of people who had been affected by the meltdown. From innocent citizens to firefighters to those called in to clean up the disaster, Voices from Chernobyl is a crucial document of what happened and how people reacted to it. Alexievich presents these interviews in monologue form, giving readers a harrowing inside view into the minds of the affected people untempered by government spin, accusations, or judgements, leaving the reader with just the life-shattering pain of living through such an event and its aftermath. 

Read more ➤

Books Received, November 7 ‑November 13

14 Nov, 2020

0 comments

Wine-Dark Deep Book Three: The Odyssey 

Flung beyond the solar system and adrift around an unknown star, the crew of the spaceship Ulysses must use their wits, skill, and luck to determine their location in the galaxy if they ever hope to find their way home. 

A ruined solar system awaits them. A seemingly derelict space station hovers over a green moon, waiting to be explored. A living spacecraft powered by starlight approaches from a planet strewn with ancient ruins. And amidst it all, an inscrutable and menacing presence has awakened. 

They know now that they’re not alone.
But to be remembered …
… they must survive. 

Read more ➤

Books Received, October 31 — November 6

7 Nov, 2020

0 comments

Everything I knew about the Were was wrong“

A Were of no fixed form, a Random, able to Turn into any warm-blooded creature it sees… a young Random whose failure to Turn forces him into taking his destiny into his own hands and becoming full Lycan in the name of pride and fury, learning things he never thought were possible… a true Shifter, the wild card, Turning into anything he chooses at will… thrown together in a tale of vision, drama, tragedy, and transcendence — in a world in which none of them are safe…

Read more ➤

Books Received, October 24 — October 30

31 Oct, 2020

0 comments

It takes an AI to catch an AI in Chaos on CatNet, the follow-up to Naomi Kritzer’s award-winning near future YA thriller.When a mysterious entity starts hacking into social networks and chat rooms to instigate paranoia and violence in the real world, it’s up to Steph and her new friend, Nell, to find a way to stop it — with the help of their benevolent AI friend, CheshireCat.

Read more ➤

Books Received, October 17 — October 23

24 Oct, 2020

0 comments

Have a shot of concentrated joy, with fourteen stories of women in love… and their adorable magical pets! 

All proceeds from the collection will be donated to OutRight Action International, which fights for the rights of LGBTQIA people worldwide. 

In this enchanting collection, a flying cat transports love letters, a fox-dog and a pair of watercats help two lonely women launch a post-apocalyptic cat cafe, a baby griffin brings unexpected love to a runaway troll woman, and much, much more!

Includes all-new stories from Yoon Ha Lee, Pamela Dean, Zoe Chant, and more of your favorite authors.

Deep Spring Farm,” by Romana Clifton. Can Melanie and a friendly ghost dog help a beautiful farmer protect her lettuce from spirits that stomp in the night?

Lucky Day,” by Yoon Ha Lee. Which is harder, hiding a crush on the gorgeous woman in your role-playing game group, or hiding the unicorn figurine that just came to life?

Beach Dirt on Bare Feet,” by Louise Long. It’s hard to trust humans when you’re a selkie, especially when a beachside ice cream date could lead to so much more.

Cute as Hell,” by Caia Winter. You’d think two vampires would be a match for an adorable hellhound puppy, and yet…

Watercat Cafe,” by Rachel Manija Brown. Ruthie intends to open the first cat cafe in her post-apocalyptic world, but the mysterious, wounded stranger she rescues could doom her dream – or save it.

How to Get a Girlfriend (When You’re a Terrifying Monster),” by Marie Cardno. Trillin has no corporeal form, no mortal cultists ready to tear reality asunder in her name, and no girlfriend. It’s tough being an eldritch entity.

Pawprints in the Snow,” by Zoe Chant. A lost cat leaves a path to love for a lonely snow leopard shifter.

As if the Sun Came to Shine,” by Damkianna. An injured baby griffin catalyzes the relationship between a lovely changeling and a troll woman in hiding.

Uncontrolled Variable,” by Sara Joiner. It’s hard to investigate magical seagrass when your mischievous teleporting cat keeps becoming part of the data.

That Magic Touch,” by Hailey Thorne. Vanessa’s ex-BFF wants to tear a hole in reality, and it’s going to take all of Vanessa’s magic – and the help of a gorgeous Demi-Fae with a sword, not to mention a telepathic dog – to stop her.

Memories of Magic,” by Elva Birch. An emergency vet gets an unexpected visit from a Christmas elf (not really) with a living plastic toy pegasus (really!)

A Dog’s Chance,” by Celia Lake. Magician Anna keeps crossing paths with the mysterious dog-walking Una while investigating a case of magical hedgehogs on Hampstead Heath.

Five Quests and the Oracle,” by Pamela Dean. A new Liavek novelette. Dri’s first acting role in a children’s play is complicated by her obstreperous cat, a pair of menacing wizards, and another first-time actress who wants to do more together than just practice their lines.

The Mating Call of the Teleporting Warbler,” by Aster Glenn Gray. A winged cat flies love letters back and forth between a professor and a naturalist studying teleporting warblers. 

Read more ➤

Books Received, October 10 — October 16

17 Oct, 2020

0 comments

Swashbuckling awesomeness … a definite winner’ John Gwynne, author of MaliceA brilliantly imagined saga of honour, glory and warfare, Call of the Bone Ships is the captivating epic fantasy sequel to RJ Barker’s The Bone Ships.Dragons have returned to the Hundred Isles. But their return heralds only war and destruction. When a horde of dying slaves are discovered in the bowels of a ship, Shipwife Meas and the crew of the Tide Child find themselves drawn into a vicious plot that will leave them questioning their loyalties and fighting for their lives. 

Read more ➤

Books Received, October 3 — October 9

10 Oct, 2020

0 comments

The Mask of Mirrors is the unmissable start to the Rook & Rose trilogy, a darkly magical fantasy adventure in which a con artist returns to the city that betrayed her, determined to have her revenge – only to find that her fate might be to save it.

This is your past, the good and the ill of it, and that which is neither… Arenza Lenskaya is a liar and a thief, a pattern-reader and a daughter of no clan. Raised in the slums of Nadezra, she fled that world to save her sister.

This is your present, the good and the ill of it, and that which is neither… Renata Viraudax is a con artist recently arrived in Nadezra. She has one goal: to trick her way into a noble house and secure her fortune.

This is your future, the good and the ill of it, and that which is neither… As corrupt nightmare magic begins to weave its way through the city of dreams, the poisonous feuds of its aristocrats and the shadowy dangers of its impoverished underbelly become tangled — with Ren at their heart. And if she cannot sort the truth from the lies, it will mean the destruction of all her worlds.

Read more ➤

Books Received, September 26 — October 2

3 Oct, 2020

0 comments

Cate Glass’s A Summoning of Demons marks the thrilling conclusion for the Chimera team, a ragtag crew who use their forbidden magic for the good of the kingdom.Catagna has been shaken to its core. The philosophists insist that a disastrous earthquake has been caused by an ancient monster imprisoned below the earth, who can only be freed with magic. In every street and market, the people of Catagna are railing against magic-users with a greater ferocity than ever before, and magic hunters are everywhere. Meanwhile, Romy has been dreaming. Every night, her dreams are increasingly vivid and disturbing. Every day, she struggles to understand the purpose of the Chimera’s most recent assignment from the Shadow Lord. As Romy and the others attempt to carry out their mission, they find themselves plunged into a mystery of corruption and murder, myth and magic, and a terrifying truth: the philosophists may have been right all along

Read more ➤

September 2020 in Review

30 Sep, 2020

0 comments

September 2020

20 books read. 9.5 by women (48%), 9.5 by men (48%), 1 by a non-binary author (5%), and 9 works by POC (45%)

Year to Date

189 books read. 101 by women (53%), 77.5 by men (41%), 7 by non-binary authors (4%), 3.5 by unknown (2%), and 75.5 by POC (40%)

Charts below cut

Read more ➤