James Nicoll Reviews

The Lighthouse at the Edge of the World by J.R. Dawson (July 2025)

The Lighthouse at the Edge of the World is a powerful and poignant contemporary Queer fantasy perfect for fans of Hadestown and Under the Whispering Door

At the edge of Chicago, nestled on the shores of Lake Michigan, there is a waystation for the dead. Every night, the newly-departed travel through the city to the Station, guided by its lighthouse. There, they reckon with their lives, before stepping aboard a boat to go beyond.

Nera has spent decades watching her father — the ferryman of the dead — sail across the lake, each night just like the last.

But tonight, something is wrong.

The Station’s lighthouse has started to flicker out. The terrifying, ghostly Haunts have multiplied in the city. And now a person — a living person — has found her way onto the boat.

Her name is Charlie. She followed a song. And she is searching for someone she lost. 

Mayra by Nicky Gonzalez (July 2025)

A twisty gothic debut about two former best friends reconnecting at a secluded house deep in the swamplands of Florida 

It’s been years since Ingrid has heard from her childhood best friend, Mayra, a fearless rebel who fled their hometown of Hialeah, a Cuban neighborhood just west of Miami, for college in the Northeast. But when Mayra calls out of the blue to invite Ingrid to a weekend getaway at a house in the Everglades, she impulsively accepts.

From the moment Ingrid sets out for the house, danger looms: The directions are difficult, she’s out of reach of cell service, and as she drives deeper into the Everglades, the wet maw of the swamp threatens to swallow her whole. But once Ingrid arrives, Mayra is, in many ways, just as she remembers — with her sharp tongue and effortless, seductive beauty, still thumbing her nose at the world.

Before they can fully settle into the familiar intimacy of each other’s company, their reunion is spoiled by the reemergence of past disagreements and the unexpected presence of Mayra’s new boyfriend, Benji. The trio spend their hours eating lavish meals and exploring the labyrinthine house, which holds as much mystery and danger as the swamp itself. Indoors and on the grounds, time itself seems to expand, and Ingrid begins to lose a sense of the outside world, and herself.

Against this disquieting setting, where lizards dart in and out of porches and alligators peek up from dark waters, Gonzalez weaves a propulsive, unforgettable story about the dizzying power of early friendship and the lengths we’ll go to earn love and acceptance — even at the risk of losing ourselves entirely. 

The Rider, The Ride, The Rich Man’s Wife by Premee Mohamed (August 2024)

Lucas is dismayed when his brother Kit is chosen to take part in the Hunt: a chase that takes place every seven years and acts as a sacrifice to the Rider and his Wife, ensuring a plentiful harvest, at least that year. Determined to save his brother, all he has left, Lucas hatches a plan to save Kit and accompany him in his struggle to survive — setting the scene for a race through a post-apocalyptic landscape filled with more danger than either boy could ever imagine. The Rider, The Ride, The Rich Man’s Wife is a thrilling, post-apocalyptic chase, marrying Fairy Tale, Western and Adventure. Hang on tight! 

Oracle of Helinthia by MJ Pankey (May 2025)

The heir to Helinthia’s throne has been found, and the gods of Olympus will be heard.

Smoke rises from the massacred village of Tyldan, spreading fear through Golpathia, the last bastion of resistance against Anax Charixes. Two new oracles come forward — a sign of the gods’ return to Helinthia. But divine motives remain unclear, and whispers of doom take root.

At Dargos’ urging, Gadnor is elevated to strategos and thrust into a bitter rivalry between Golpathia’s leaders. When Princess Lithaneva warns of a plot to crush the rebellion, Gadnor knows it may be his only chance to prove himself. But Gonivein’s new vision reveals a harrowing future — one that will come to pass even if he succeeds.

As war looms, Kelric discovers the anax’ spies have infiltrated his city, putting Gonivein and Dargos at risk. Forluna fears it is only a matter of time before they strike a fatal blow to the rebellion. Meanwhile, Lithaneva’s cunning catches the eye of one whose reputation for subversion is legendary — even among Olympians.

The fate of the isle rests on their shoulders. Will the bonds of love and friendship endure in the face of overwhelming darkness?

Oracle of Helinthia is the second installment in the Epic of Helinthia series. An original Greek myth of warring gods and the mortals who must find a way to end the conflict before it destroys their world. 

Six Wild Crowns by Holly Race (June 2025)

NO KING CAN RULE THEM ALL.

From a major new voice in epic fantasy, Six Wild Crowns is a breathtaking epic fantasy of dragons, courtly intrigue, sapphic yearning, and the wives of Henry VIII as you’ve never seen them before. 

As tradition has it, the king of Elben must marry six queens and magically bind each of them to one of the island’s palaces or the kingdom will fall.

Clever, ambitious Boleyn is determined to be her beloved Henry’s favorite queen. She relishes the games at court and the political rivalries with his other wives. Seymour is the opposite — originally sent to Boleyn’s court as a reluctant spy and assassin, she ends up catching Henry’s eye and is forced into a loveless marriage with the king.

But when the two queens become the unlikeliest of things — friends and allies — the balance of power begins to shift. Together, they uncover a dark and deadly truth at the heart of the island’s magic. Boleyn and Seymour’s only hope of survival rests on uniting all six of the rival queens — but Henry will never let that happen. 

Space Brooms! by A.G. Rodriguez (March 2025)

A fun, sci-fi romp where custodian – or space broom – Johnny Gomez teams up with smugglers and is thrust into an unforgettable adventure. Great read for fans of Stringers by Chris Panatier.

Everyone aboard Kilgore Station is living their best life. Everyone except for Johnny Gomez. 

While humans, the augmented, and aliens of all shapes and sizes enjoy exotic cuisine on the dining deck, or gamble away their credits on the entertainment deck, Johnny is elbow-deep in oily, black, alien excrement. A ​‘space broom’ custodian for the entire station. 

This was obviously not the life Johnny dreamt of. Ten years ago, he travelled to Kilgore, the farthest space station in our solar system, in search of fortune like everyone else. Some people are just luckier than others.

Yet his meaningless, uneventful existence is immediately turned upside down when he happens upon a tiny glass data-chit, hidden amongst the alien poop he must clean up. Unbeknownst to him, every nefarious creature in the solar system will soon be after him to claim it for their own.

With the help of his augmented roommate, a pair of smugglers and a mysterious and beautiful stranger, Johnny fights off thugs and sails as fast as possible to earth’s moon, Luna, in effort to sell the chit to the Obinna Crime Syndicate. But with assassins and mobsters on their tail, the trip is anything but a cakewalk. And Luna itself proves to be nothing like a safe haven, when Johnny’s painful past finally catches up to him… 

Pearl City by Julia Vee & Ken Bebelle (July 2025)

Blade.

Butcher.

Thief.

Worldbreaker.

Emiko Soong has been called many things. But Worldbreaker is the worst.

She unmasked the General and returned to San Francisco where her power is greatest. But the city, once her sanctuary from Jiaren intrigues, turns into her living nightmare. Clan wars erupt and Emiko’s life becomes a treacherous quicksand of friend and foe. Unsure of who to trust, Emiko finds herself more alone than ever.

When an ancient power rips through the Realm to land in her city, the General will stop at nothing to take it for his own. Emiko must face her past, present, and future, as she races to stop the General.

Is Emiko’s fate written to be the destroyer of worlds, or can she chart a new course to save her family?

Hammajang Luck by Makana Yamamoto (January 2025)

Ocean’s 8 meets Blade Runner in this trail-blazing debut science fiction novel and swashbuckling love letter to Hawai’i about being forced to find a new home and striving to build a better one — unmissable for fans of Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir and Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo. 

Edie is done with crime. Eight years behind bars changes a person — costs them too much time with too many of the people who need them most. 

And it’s all Angel’s fault. She sold Edie out in what should have been the greatest moment of their lives. Instead, Edie was shipped off to the icy prison planet spinning far below the soaring skybridges and neon catacombs of Kepler space station — of home — to spend the best part of a decade alone. 

But then a chance for early parole appears out of nowhere and Edie steps into the pallid sunlight to find none other than Angel waiting — and she has an offer. 

One last job. One last deal. One last target. The trillionaire tech god they failed to bring down last time. There’s just one thing Edie needs to do — trust Angel again — which also happens to be the last thing Edie wants to do. What could possibly go all hammajang about this plan?