James Nicoll Reviews

At the sudden death of her grandfather, Ona’s pain drives her to mystical Luenah — a place of infinite possibilities. There, she discovers she is an Eri, chosen to accomplish a special purpose on earth, and is handed a box in exchange for what she desires the most.

Burdened by her quest, Ona learns that dreams carry a hefty price, and no one is who they seem. As evil looms, she must unmask the villain and save the one she loves, even at the risk of losing everything she holds dear.

Set against the backdrop of two warring towns, The Place Beyond Her Dreams delivers life lessons using a powerful fable. This coming-of-age fantasy takes the reader on the path to self-discovery and demonstrates the transformation one must go through to realize and eventually occupy their purpose. 

A collection of some of the best original science fiction and fantasy short fiction published on Tor.com in 2020.

Includes stories by:
Charlie Jane Anders
G. V. Anderson
Gregory Norman Bossert
Jeremy Packert Burke
Katharine Duckett
Brian Evenson
Carolyn Ives Gilman
Maria Dahvana Headley
Stephen Graham Jones
Justin C. Key
Naomi Kritzer
Rich Larson
Yoon Ha Lee
S. Qiouyi Lu
Usman T. Malik
Melissa Marr
Maureen McHugh
Tamsyn Muir
Sarah Pinsker
C. L. Polk
Matthew Pridham
M. Rickert
Zin E. Rocklyn
Rachel Swirsky
Lavie Tidhar
Carrie Vaughn
Fran Wilde
Claire Wrenwood

She swallowed a star, and the Sisterhood called her the Eater.

Elfreda Raughn will avoid pregnancy if it kills her, and one way or another, it will kill her. Though she’s able to stomach the gruesome day-to-day duties, the reality of preserving the Order’s magical bloodline horrifies her, but the Sisters of Aytrium have sworn to pay a price for the safety of their nation. 

Elfreda wants out, whatever the cost. 

So when a shadowy cabal approaches her with an offer of escape, she leaps at the opportunity. As their spy, she gains access to the highest reaches of the Order, and enters a glittering world of opulent parties, subtle deceptions, and unexpected bloodshed. 

A phantasmagorical indictment of hereditary power, Star Eater takes readers deep into a perilous and uncanny world where even the most powerful women are forced to choose what sacrifices they will make, so that they might have any choice at all. 

Seven ready-to-play adventures for RuneQuest!

Set in the mythic fantasy world of Glorantha, The Pegasus Plateau & Other Stories features seven complete ready-to-play adventures, taking you from ghoul-haunted catacombs, into mystic ruins, across the arid deserts of Prax, and up to the rocky pinnacle of the Pegasus Plateau! 

The Smoking Ruin & Other Stories contains ready-to-play adventures for RuneQuest, taking adventurers across the untamed South Wilds, a region filled with reclusive villagers, ancient ruins, beast folk, troll spirits, undead, wolf-brothers, dinosaurs, monstrous mercenary companies, living trees, surly river spirits, and worse! Inside, you’ll find: The South Wilds, a description of this dangerous, mysterious region The Wild Temple, the secrets of this sacred Beast Man shrine and its inhabitants The Smoking Ruin, a full-length adventure taking adventurers into haunted streets of the Smoking Ruin in search of a lost artifact The Lost Valley, a secluded refuge hotly contested over by its neighbors Urvantan’s Tower, a full-length adventure in which the fate of the Lost Valley is decided The Grove of Green Rock, a serialized adventure taking place over a span of years