James Nicoll Reviews

After her escape pod is found drifting through debris nearly two decades after the end of the Redelki Wars, Melin is woken from cryosleep to find a galaxy where she no longer belongs. The galaxy has moved on from the horrors she experienced, the experiences that transformed her into a hero while she slept, but she hasn’t.

Alone, broken in mind and body, Melin is slowly pulled to the planet of her ancestors. She just wants a fresh start. A chance to end the dreams plaguing her sleep. A chance for answers. For new beginnings. For a life lived in oblivion where no one knows her name or what she did.

But Satura is a planet at war. And there are no fresh starts for heroes.

When magical creatures storm the gates of Londheim and claim it for themselves, Devin, a warrior priest, must decide who the true monsters are in the final book of the USA Today bestselling author’s epic fantasy trilogy.

Monsters have retaken the capital city of Londheim and claimed it for themselves. Humanity, fearful of being pushed out for good, has reacted with violence and destruction, and peace between the two races seems all but impossible. Devin will need to bring all his skills to bear in order to find a solution. But the greatest threat to humanity’s safety may well be closer than he expects. Because his sister is the most powerful priestess the world has ever seen … and she’s fighting for the monsters.

The fate of all races, human and magical, rests in their hands, and the only person standing in their way is each other. 

A genre-defying, continent-spanning saga of Korean myth, scientific discovery, and the abiding love that binds even the most broken of families. Elsa Park is a particle physicist at the top of her game, stationed at a neutrino observatory in the Antarctic, confident she’s put enough distance between her ambitions and the family ghosts she’s run from all her life. But it isn’t long before her childhood imaginary friend — an achingly familiar, spectral woman in the snow — comes to claim her at last. Years ago, Elsa’s now-catatonic mother had warned her that the women of their line were doomed to repeat the narrative lives of their ancestors from Korean myth and legend. But beyond these ghosts, Elsa also faces a more earthly fate: the mental illness and generational trauma that run in her immigrant family, a sickness no less ravenous than the ancestral curse hunting her. When her mother breaks her decade-long silence and tragedy strikes, Elsa must return to her childhood home in California. There, among family wrestling with their own demons, she unravels the secrets hidden in the handwritten pages of her mother’s dark stories: of women’s desire and fury; of magic suppressed, stolen, or punished; of the hunger for vengeance. From Sparks Fellow, Tin House alumna, and Harvard graduate Angela Mi Young Hur, Folklorn is a wondrous and necessary exploration of the myths we inherit and those we fashion for ourselves. 

A legendary serial killer stalks the streets of a fantastical city in The Helm of Midnight, the stunning first novel in a new trilogy from acclaimed author Marina Lostetter.

In a daring and deadly heist, thieves have made away with an artifact of terrible power―the death mask of Louis Charbon. Made by a master craftsman, it is imbued with the spirit of a monster from history, a serial murderer who terrorized the city with a series of gruesome murders. 

Now Charbon is loose once more, killing from beyond the grave. But these murders are different from before, not simply random but the work of a deliberate mind probing for answers to a sinister question. 

It is up to Krona Hirvath and her fellow Regulators to enter the mind of madness to stop this insatiable killer while facing the terrible truths left in his wake. *

War rages as one empire falls and another rises in its place in the action-packed sequel to Devin Madson’s bold epic fantasy, We Ride the Storm.
​“An exciting new author in fantasy.” — Mark Lawrence, author of Red Sister
There is no calm after the storm.
In Kisia’s conquered north, former empress Miko Ts’ai is more determined than ever to save her empire. Yet, as her hunt for allies grows increasingly desperate, she may learn too late that power lies not in names but in people.
Dishiva e’Jaroven is fiercely loyal to the new Levanti emperor. Only he can lead them, but his next choice will challenge everything she wants to believe about her people’s future.
Abandoned by his Second Swords, Rah e’Torin must learn to survive without a herd. But honor dictates he bring his warriors home‑a path that could be his salvation or lead to his destruction.
And sold to the Witchdoctor, Cassandra Marius’ desperate search for a cure ties her fate inextricably to Empress Hana and her true nature could condemn them both.
We Lie with Death is the thrilling continuation of a bold and brutal epic fantasy series, perfect for readers of Mark Lawrence, John Gwynne and Brian Staveley.
Praise for The Reborn Empire:
​“Imaginative world building, a pace that builds perfectly to a heart-pounding finale and captivating characters. Highly recommended.” — John Gwynne, author of The Faithful and the Fallen
​“A complex tale of war, politics, and lust for power.” — The Guardian
The Reborn Empire We Ride the Storm We Lie with Death
For more from Devin Madson, check out:
The Vengeance Trilogy The Blood of Whisperers The Gods of Vice The Grave at Storm’s End

William Gibson is frequently described as one of the most influential writers of the past few decades, yet his body of work has only been studied partially and without full recognition of its implications for literature and culture beyond science fiction. It is high time for a book that explores the significance and wide-ranging impact of Gibson’s fiction.

In the 1970s and 80s, Gibson, the ​“Godfather of Cyberpunk,” rejuvenated science fiction. In groundbreaking works such as Neuromancer, which changed science fiction as we knew it, Gibson provided us with a language and imaginary through which it became possible to make sense of the newly emerging world of globalization and the digital and media age. Ever since, Gibson’s reformulation of science fiction has provided us not just with radically innovative visions of the future but indeed with trenchant analyses of our historical present and of the emergence and exhaustion of possible futures.

Contributors:

Maria Alberto, Andrew M. Butler, Amy J. Elias, Christian Haines, Kylie Korsnack, Mathias Nilges, Malka Older, Aron Pease, Lisa Swanstrom, Takayuki Tatsumi, Sherryl Vint, Phillip E. Wegner, Roger Whitson, Charles Yu

Penned by Zzabur, the Sorcerer Supreme himself, The Red Book of Magic is the indispensable source for expanded Rune and spirit magic. It’s an essential expansion to the RuneQuest experience for players and Gamemasters alike. 

When the trade caravan Driwna Marghoster was hired to protect is attacked, she discovers a dead body hidden inside a barrel. Born of the powerful but elusive Oskoro people, the body is a rare and priceless find, the centre of a tragic tale and the key to a larger mystery…For when Driwna investigates who the body was meant for, she will find a trail of deceit and corruption which could bring down a kingdom, and an evil more powerful than she can imagine.From the author of the critically acclaimed Snakewood and The Winter Road comes a gritty and epic standalone adventure that’s perfect for fans of Mark Lawrence, Joe Abercrombie and Andrzej Sapkowski’s the Witcher. 

HAIL BRISTOL: FORMER PRISONER, EMPRESS OF INDRANA, THE GALAXY’S ONLY HOPE.When Hail finally confronts the Farian gods, the last thing she expects to discover is that they’re part of the Hiervet, an alien race who once spread war throughout the galaxy long before humanity’s ancestors crawled out of the sludge of Earth’s oceans. The discovery carries with it dire news: the Hiervet are coming, eager to take revenge on those who escaped and they don’t care who gets caught in the crossfire.The fate of the galaxy is on the line and Hail will have to make one final gamble to leverage chaos into peace.Praise for the Farian War trilogy:‘An exciting dose of space opera and political intrigue peppered with hard choices. Highly recommended.‘Booklist’Action and emotion-packed, folding political tension, personal relationships, and trauma into a vivid space opera that does not pull any punches.’ Library Journal ​‘A rare balance of action … tension, and quiet moments, keeping pages turning while deepening the portraits of Hail and the friends and foes around her.’ Publishers Weekly’Perfectly executed … Science fiction with brains, and a buckload of heart.’ The Eloquent Page