James Nicoll Reviews

The Fall of Babel by Josiah Bancroft

The incredible final book in the word of mouth phenomenon fantasy series that began with Senlin Ascends. ​“The ​“Books of Babel” are something you hope to see perhaps once a decade — future classics, which may be remembered long after the series concludes.” (Los Angeles Times) As Marat’s siege engine bores through the Tower, erupting inside ringdoms and leaving chaos in its wake, Senlin can do nothing but observe the mayhem from inside the belly of the beast. Caught in a charade, Senlin desperately tries to sabotage the rampaging Hod King, even as Marat’s objective grows increasingly clear. The leader of the zealots is bound for the Sphinx’s lair and the unimaginable power it contains. In the city under glass at the Tower’s summit, Adam discovers a utopia where everyone inexplicably knows the details of his past. As Adam unravels the mystery of his fame, he soon discovers the crowning ringdom conceals a much darker secret. Aboard the State of Art, Edith and her crew adjust to the reality that Voleta has awoken from death changed. She seems to share more in common with the Red Hand now than her former self. While Edith wars for the soul of the young woman, a greater crisis looms: They will have to face Marat on unequal footing and with Senlin caught in the crossfire. And when the Bridge of Babel is finally opened, and the Brick Layer’s true ambition revealed, neither they nor the Tower will ever be the same again. 

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The Beholden by Cassandra Rose Clarke

Orphaned as young women, Celestia and Izara De Malena find themselves land rich but destitute, with only a failing rainforest acreage, Celestia’s perfect manners, and Izara’s nascent magic to their aristocratic names. With the last of their money running out, they enact a dangerous plan — using a spell she doesn’t fully understand, Izara summons the Lady of the Seraphine and demands a favor: a husband for Celestia, one rich enough to enable the De Malena sisters to keep their land. But a favor from the river goddess always comes at a cost … Now, five years later, rumors of war and disease are spreading, Celestia’s husband has been called away on a secret mission for the Emperor, and the Lady of the Seraphine is back to collect her due. Izara will be forced to leave the academy where she has been studying to become a mage; Celestia will be pulled from her now-flourishing farm while newly pregnant with her first child. Together, they must repay their debt to the Lady — embarking on a mission that will put them on a collision course with Celestia’s husband, the Emperor, and a god even more powerful than the Lady of the Seraphine. Gorgeous, compelling, and utterly captivating, The Beholden follows Celestia and Izara as they journey from the lush rainforest to a frozen desert on an impossible quest to find a god who doesn’t want to be found and prevent the end of the world. 

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A perk of having bought into Fria Ligan’s Twilight 2000 project was a discount on other Fria Ligan games. Consequently, I picked up a number of their core rule sets¹, of which Coriolis was one. 

Coriolis is an SFRPG, apparently inspired by the Arabian Nights. The game mechanics are similar enough to FL’s Alien that having read one gives a huge boost to learning this version of the rules. It’s a game of comparatively low-powered, fragile people in a setting filled with intrigue and forgotten mysteries which if examined correctly will reduce one’s PC to pink mist.

As one would expect from FL, the rulebook is an impressive-looking tome. The illustrations are a giant step up from what was considered acceptable when I got into RPGs 40 years ago. My only gripe²would be that white print on a black background is hard for me to read. 

1: And discovered DHL’s delightful habit of charging exorbitant administration fees for paying small amounts of duty. 

2: Plus DHL’s delightful habit of charging exorbitant administration fees for paying small amounts of duty. 

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The Wisdom of Crowds by Joe Abercrombie

Some say that to change the world you must first burn it down. Now that belief will be tested in the crucible of revolution: the Breakers and Burners have seized the levers of power, the smoke of riots has replaced the smog of industry, and all must submit to the wisdom of crowds.

With nothing left to lose, Citizen Brock is determined to become a new hero for the new age, while Citizeness Savine must turn her talents from profit to survival before she can claw her way to redemption. Orso will find that when the world is turned upside down, no one is lower than a monarch. And in the bloody North, Rikke and her fragile Protectorate are running out of allies … while Black Calder gathers his forces and plots his vengeance.

The banks have fallen, the sun of the Union has been torn down, and in the darkness behind the scenes, the threads of the Weaver’s ruthless plan are slowly being drawn together …

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July 2021

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

Year to Date

150 works reviewed. 82.5 by women (55%), 61.5 by men (41%), 3 by non-binary authors (2%), 3 by authors whose gender is unknown (2%), and 61 by POC (41%).

Grand Total to Date

1898 works reviewed. 1065 by women (56%), 791 by men (42%), 24 by non-binary authors (1%), 18 by authors whose genders are unknown (1%), and 540.75 by POC (28%).

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Noor by Nnedi Okorafor

From Africanfuturist luminary Okorafor comes a new science fiction novel of intense action and thoughtful rumination on biotechnology, destiny, and humanity in a near-future Nigeria. Anwuli Okwudili prefers to be called AO. To her, these initials have always stood for Artificial Organism. AO has never really felt…natural, and that’s putting it lightly. Her parents spent most of the days before she was born praying for her peaceful passing because even in-utero she was wrong. But she lived. Then came the car accident years later that disabled her even further. Yet instead of viewing her strange body the way the world views it, as freakish, unnatural, even the work of the devil, AO embraces all that she is: A woman with a ton of major and necessary body augmentations. And then one day she goes to her local market and everything goes wrong. Once on the run, she meets a Fulani herdsman named DNA and the race against time across the deserts of Northern Nigeria begins. In a world where all things are streamed, everyone is watching the reckoning of the murderess and the terrorist and the saga of the wicked woman and mad man unfold. This fast-paced, relentless journey of tribe, destiny, body, and the wonderland of technology revels in the fact that the future sometimes isn’t so predictable. Expect the unaccepted. 

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Deepnight Revelation Core Set

A grand 20 year campaign into deep space, commanding the exploration cruiser Deepnight Revelation.

The Deepnight Entity

It was alive when the stars were young. It saw the birth of galaxies, and it will see the death of the universe. It is growth and destruction; menace and saviour. It retreated into a prison of its own making, and there it waits. An exploration ship found the clues, and was destroyed. A researcher touched its mind, and was driven insane. What is it? We must know.

Deepnight Revelation

Deepnight Revelation, a former navy cruiser. Outfitted for the most stupendous mission in human history; a one-ship expedition along the Great Rift to the edge of the Spiral Arm. Deepnight Revelation will explore the uncharted systems along its path; contact unknown species and weather unpredictable dangers. At last we will stand before the gates to the Entity’s prison and demand entry. We will confront the Deepnight Entity and seek answers.

One Ship, Many Stories

There is a place for any Traveller aboard Deepnight Revelation; scientists and explorers, pilots and engineers, diplomats and rogues. There are mysteries to be unravelled, enemies to battle, and situations that require… unconventional… talents. The Travellers can take on any role they please, from humble research assistants to the mission’s commanders. The decisions they make will shape the course of the expedition – and perhaps the history of entire species.

Deepnight Revelation. A voyage beyond everything we know.

Contains:

Book 1: Deepnight Legacy, the introductory adventure that sets the scene.
Book 2: Campaign Guide, outlining the entire voyage and regions of space travelled.
Book 3: Referee’s Handbook, containing all the rules you need to know to run this epic campaign.
Book 4: Terminus Point, the incredible grand finale that will take your Travellers where no Traveller has gone before…

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The science fiction RPG Traveller is, of course, one of the most venerable role-playing games. As I mention here, it’s the game that got me hooked on roleplaying as a hobby. I have a respectable Traveller library. It is mainly Classic Traveller, although Mongoose Games’ version is well represented. Despite that, I’ve gotten to play surprisingly little Traveller over the years.

But on Wednesday, I should receive my copy of an intriguing Traveller campaign in whose kickstarter I took part. Perhaps that will be enough to inspire me to finally either run or take part in a Traveller campaign once more! 

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Campaigns & Companions: The Complete Role-Playing Guide for Pets edited by Alex de Campi

Grab your dice and pencil, sit your pets down, teach them to play… and immediately regret your choices.

Hilarious collection of Dungeons & Dragons-themed pet jokes by acclaimed comics creators Andi Ewington, Rhianna Pratchett, Calum Alexander Watt and Alex de Campi

What if your pets could play D&D? And what if they were… kind of jerks about it? If there are two things all geeks love, it’s roleplaying games, and their pets. So why not fuse the two? It’s time to grab your dice, dust off that character sheet, and let your cat or dog (or guinea pig, or iguana, or budgie) accompany you on an epic adventure! It’ll be great! …unless your pets are jerks. Written by comics and videogames writers Andi Ewington (Forty-Five45) and Rhianna Pratchett (Tomb Raider), Campaigns & Companions is edited by Alex de Campi (Madi) and beautifully illustrated by Calum Alexander Watt (The Rise of Skywalker). 

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To quote from the Kickstarter:

Capitalites is a slice-of-life, coming-of-age tabletop roleplaying game about young adults living in the big city as they try to find out who they are and get their shit together. Explore real-world themes like ambition, sex, family, and friendships and the sacrifices you make in order to grow up as you navigate an excitingly mundane world of gentrified hipster cafes, skyscraper office blocks, penthouse parties, and late-night drinks at the local bar-and-bistro. 

Capitalites is part of the Our Shores: An RPGSEA Compilation Kickstarter project. I’m astonishingly badly read in non-North American RPGs and this could be an interesting introduction to South East Asian roleplaying games. Granted, thrilling adventures in retirement complex selection might be a more age-appropriate choice¹ but thanks to innumerably decades invested in roleplaying an assortment of characters, I am sure I can carry off playing a young adult. Despite the firecracker noises from my joints every time I move. 

1: Traveller is on my list of games I would like to play again some day. 

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