James Nicoll Reviews

The land is in turmoil. Mages are hunted by men and gods alike. Even their own kind betray each other in the name of safety and protection. 

With their last refuge fallen, two young mages must conspire against a god to show the world that their abilities aren’t a curse; they are the only way to ensure lasting peace. Under the threat of anti-magic fanatics, Wren struggles to find her place as a leader and to keep her people safe as they build a new home. While Danoph searches for answers on a spiritual journey, determined to find out who he really is and where he came from in an effort to calm the coming storm. 

Their world has turned against them, yet only they can save the world. 

Rhett Walker is looking for peace, the memories of all he’s lost haunting his dreams. And now the Shadow tugs him West, back to where his journey began. 

With the lawless Rangers on his heels and monster attacks surging, Rhett is surrounded on all sides. This time it’s not all about horses and land. This time, it feels personal. Because the newest monster on the horizon just may be wearing the face of someone from Rhett’s past. 

To save the Durango territory, Rhett must accept the Shadow’s call and fulfill his destiny. 

Aranthur is a promising young mage. His talents compel him to attend University to develop his abilities further. But the world is not safe for a mage, and after a confrontation leaves him no choice but to display his skill with a blade, Aranthur is instructed to train under a renowned Master of Swords. 

During his intensive training he begins to question the bloody life he’s chosen. And while studying under the Master, Aranthur is conscripted to the City Militia. Soon after, he finds himself thrown into the middle of a political revolt that will impact everyone he’s come to know. 

To protect his friends, Arnathur will be forced to decide if he can truly follow the Master of Swords into a life of violence and cold-hearted commitment to the blade. 

Liz Kendall wouldn’t hurt a fly. Even when times get tough, she’s devoted to bringing up her two kids in a loving home. 

But there’s another side to Liz — one that’s dark and malicious. She will do anything to get her way, no matter how extreme. 

And when this other side of her takes control, the consequences are devastating. 

Kellen’s life as an outlaw spellslinger is about to get a lot worse. 

In Gitabria, a miraculous discovery draws spies from all over the continent willing to kill to get their hands on it. Swept up in the race for power, Kellen is forced to join the pursuit. But the invention holds a dark secret-one that could spark a war. 

The perfect society One Gov engineered from Earth’s ashes is beginning to crumble. As social unrest and dissatisfaction spread throughout the tri-system, One Gov struggles to maintain order, and a single misstep could see civilization spiraling into chaos. 

During this dark time, Felicia Sevigny is eager to use her card-reading ability and new position with One Gov to help restore peace. But she soon learns that the game of politics is a dangerous one, and being married to Alexei Petriv, head of the Tsarist Consortium and One Gov’s biggest rival, is not necessarily a hand in her favor. 

When members of her family begin to disappear, the stakes skyrocket. There are those who would stop at nothing for the chance to exploit Felicia’s luck gene to seize power all over the tri-system. And as the threat of revolution seems imminent, it may be that this time, nothing will be enough to keep Felicia and everyone she loves safe-not even luck. 

Of course the noted Lady Astronaut Elma York would like to go, but there’s a lot riding on whoever the International Aerospace Coalition decides to send on this historic — but potentially very dangerous — mission? Could Elma really leave behind her husband and the chance to start a family to spend several years traveling to Mars? And with the Civil Rights movement taking hold all over Earth, will the astronaut pool ever be allowed to catch up, and will these brave men and women of all races be treated equitably when they get there? This gripping look at the real conflicts behind a fantastical space race will put a new spin on our visions of what might have been.

When Darren’s charge-cart gets knocked off the Earth-to-Mars highway and lost in space forever, he thinks his day can’t get any worse.

When Kelly sees Darren accidentally short-circuit a talking lamppost, and its camera captures her face as it expires, she thinks her day can’t get any worse.

When Pamasonic Teffal, a sentient breadmaker, is sent on a top-secret mission into the depths of the internet and betrayed by her boss, a power-crazed smartphone, she knows this is only the beginning of a day that isn’t going to get any better.

Join Darren, Kelly and Pam as they take their down-to-earth humour on a high-concept adventure from the shining skyscrapers of Singulopolis to the sewers of the Dolestar Discovery, and find out what happens when a person puts down their mop and bucket and says No.

In a remote village surrounded by vast forests on the border of Moldova and Ukraine, sisters Liba and Laya have been raised on the honeyed scent of their Mami’s babka and the low rumble of their Tati’s prayers. But when a troupe of mysterious men arrives, Laya falls under their spell-despite their mother’s warning to be wary of strangers. And this is not the only danger lurking in the woods. 

As dark forces close in on their village, Liba and Laya discover a family secret passed down through generations. Faced with a magical heritage they never knew existed, the sisters realize the old fairy tales are true…and could save them all. 

It is thirty years from now, and we have colonized the moon. 

American Fred Fredericks is making his first trip, his purpose to install a communications system for China’s Lunar Science Foundation. But hours after his arrival he witnesses a murder and is forced into hiding. 

It is also the first visit for celebrity travel reporter Ta Shu. He has contacts and influence, but he too will find that the moon can be a perilous place for any traveler. 

Finally, there is Chan Qi. She is the daughter of the Minister of Finance, and without doubt a person of interest to those in power. She is on the moon for reasons of her own, but when she attempts to return to China, in secret, the events that unfold will change everything — on the moon, and on Earth. 

Amityville baywoman Ellie West fishes by day and bootlegs moonshine by night. It’s dangerous work under Prohibition — independent operators like her are despised by federal agents and mobsters alike — but Ellie’s brother was accepted to college and Ellie’s desperate to see him go. So desperate that when wealthy strangers ask her to procure libations for an extravagant party Ellie sells them everything she has, including some booze she acquired under unusual circumstances.

What Ellie doesn’t know is that this booze is special. Distilled from foul mushrooms by a cult of diabolists, those who drink it see terrible things — like the destruction of Long Island in fire and flood. The cult is masquerading as a church promising salvation through temperance and a return to ​“the good old days,” so it’s hard for Ellie to take a stand against them, especially when her father joins, but Ellie loves Long Island, and she loves her family, and she’ll do whatever it takes to ensure neither is torn apart.

Hail Bristol, infamous galactic gunrunner and former runaway princess, never expected to inherit the throne of Indrana. But after avenging the murder of her entire family and cleansing the Empire of usurpers in a bloody civil war, the former outlaw must fulfill her duties to her people. Hail retires her gun and throws herself into the rebuilding of her Empire. 

Her hard-won peace is short-lived. When Indrana’s closest ally asks Hail to intervene in an interstellar military crisis, she embarks on the highest stakes diplomatic mission the Empire has ever faced. Caught between two alien civilizations at each other’s throats, she must uncover each side’s true intentions before all of humanity becomes collateral damage in a full-blown galactic war. 

Newly and uneasily allied, two tribes from different worlds set off across the Ocean of Grass. Their mission is to fulfill a prophecy and take Ottar the Moaner west of west, to save mankind. 

In their way are the denizens of the Badlands, the most terrifying and powerful collection of murderers and monsters the world has ever seen.