James Nicoll Reviews

The Gatekeeper’s Staff by Antoine Bandele

TJ Young has been surrounded by magic his entire life, yet he has never tapped into it… until now.

Fourteen-year-old TJ grew up normal in a secret community of gifted diviners in the heart of modern-day Los Angeles. His powerful sister was ordained to lead his people into a new age of prosperity, but her mysterious death in Nigeria threatens to destroy the very foundations of TJ’s world.

Desperate to pick up where his sister left off and uncover the secrets behind her questionable death, TJ commits himself to unlocking the magical heritage that has always eluded him. So he enrolls in Camp Olosa‑a remedial magic school for the divinely less-than-gifted in the humid swamps of New Orleans.

But little does he know, TJ is destined to cross paths with powerful spirits of old thought lost to time: the orishas.

Body Shocks by Ellen Datlow

[STARRED REVIEW] ​“Hugo Award-winning editor Datlow (Edited By) brings together 29 spine-tingling tales of body horror to terrify even the most seasoned horror reader.” –Publishers Weekly Bestselling editor Ellen Datlow (Lovecraft’s Monsters) presents body horror at its most wide-ranging and shocking best. Discover twenty-nine intricate, twisted tales of the human body, soul, and psyche, as told by storytelling legends including Carmen Maria Machado, Richard Kadrey, Seanan McGuire, Caitlín R. Kiernan, Nathan Ballingrud, Tananarive Due, Cassandra Khaw, Christopher Fowler, and many more. The most terrifying thing that you can possibly imagine is your own body in the hands of a monster. Or worse, in the hands of another human being In this definitive anthology of body horror selected by a World Horror Grandmaster, you’ll find the unthinkable and the shocking: a couture designer preparing for an exquisitely grotesque runway show; a vengeful son seeking the parent who bred him as plasma donor; a celebrity-kink brothel that inflicts plastic surgery on sex workers; and organ-harvesting doctors who dissect a living man without anesthetic. 

Servant Mage by Kate Elliott

They choose their laws to secure their power.

Fellion is a Lamplighter, able to provide illumination through magic. A group of rebel Monarchists free her from indentured servitude and take her on a journey to rescue trapped compatriots from an underground complex of mines. 

Along the way they get caught up in a conspiracy to kill the latest royal child and wipe out the Monarchist movement for good. 

But Fellion has more than just her Lamplighting skills up her sleeve…

We Cry for Blood by Devin Madson

In this bloody epic fantasy, the empire has fallen … but as alliances fracture and hope begins to wane, another powerful empire threatens to rise from the ashes of the old world.Ambition and schemes have left the Kisian Empire in ashes. Empress Miko Ts’ai will have to move fast if she hopes to secure a foothold in its ruins. However, the line between enemies and allies may not be as clear-cut as it first appeared.After failing to win back his Swords, former Captain Rah e’Torin finds shelter among the Levanti deserters. But his presence in the camp threatens to fracture the group, putting him on a collision course with their enigmatic leader.Assassin Cassandra Marius knows Leo Villius’s secret — one that could thwart his ambitions to conquer Kisia. But her time in Empress Hana’s body is running out and each attempt they make to exploit Leo’s weakness may be playing into his plans.And, as Leo’s control over the Levanti emperor grows, Dishiva e’Jaroven is caught in his web. To successfully challenge him, she’ll have to decide how many of her people are worth sacrificing in order to win.We Cry for Blood is the thrilling continuation of a heart-pounding epic fantasy series, perfect for readers of Mark Lawrence, John Gwynne, and Brian Staveley.

Wildwood Whispers by Willa Reece

A heartwarming tale of hope, fate, and folk magic unfolds when a young woman travels to a sleepy southern town in the Appalachian Mountains to bury her best friend. ​“A feast for the senses. Willa Reece has written a magical, romantic tale about our essential connections to nature and to each other.” —Sarah Addison Allen, New York Times bestselling authorAt the age of eleven, Mel Smith’s life found its purpose when she met Sarah Ross. Ten years later, Sarah’s sudden death threatens to break her. To fulfill a final promise to her best friend, Mel travels to an idyllic small town nestled in the Appalachian Mountains. Yet Morgan’s Gap is more than a land of morning mists and deep forest shadows. There are secrets that call to Mel, in the gaze of the gnarled and knowing woman everyone calls Granny, in a salvaged remedy book filled with the magic of simple mountain traditions, and in the connection she feels to the Ross homestead and the wilderness around it.With every taste of sweet honey and tart blackberries, the wildwood twines further into Mel’s broken heart. But a threat lingers in the woods — one that may have something to do with Sarah’s untimely death and that has now set its sight on Mel.The wildwood is whispering. It has secrets to reveal — if you’re willing to listen …

Far From the Light of Heaven by Tade Thompson

Tense and thrilling, Far from the Light of Heaven is an unforgettable vision of humanity’s future in the chilling emptiness of space by Arthur C. Clarke Award winner Tade Thompson. The colony ship Ragtime docks in the Lagos system, having traveled light-years from home to bring thousands of sleeping souls to safety among the stars. Some of the sleepers, however, will never wake. As a profound and sinister mystery unfolds aboard the gigantic vessel, its skeleton crew makes decisions that will have repercussions for all of humanity’s settlements – from the scheming politics on Lagos station to the colony planet of Bloodroot, to other far-flung systems, and indeed Earth itself. 

Legacy of Light by Matthew Ward

For the first time in many years, the Tressian Republic and the Hadari Empire are at peace. But darkness never sleeps. 

In Tregard, Empress Melanna Saranal struggles to protect a throne won at great cost. 

In Tressia, Lord Protector Viktor Droshna seeks to restore all he’s lost through forbidden means.

And as the sins of the past are once more laid bare, every road will lead to war. 

Arch of Bone by Jane Yolen

Continuing the story from where Moby Dick left off, this compelling boyhood adventure, penned by beloved author Jane Yolen (Owl Moon), hearkens to timeless coming of age tales of yore. Lovingly illustrated by Ruth Sanderson, the journey of a boy and his dog comes to life on the page, renewing the joy of a classic tale. ​“The Hans Christian Andersen of America” – Newsweek When a rough sailor called Ishmael turns up on a family’s doorstep, even loyal dog Zeke knows that the news is ruinous. Ishmael comes bearing the tragic tale of the Pequod: the whaling ship that fourteen-year-old Josiah’s father served on as first mate. Ishmael presents himself as the sole survivor of the deadly journey, fatally lead by the vengeful Captain Ahab and his obsession with the legendary white whale, Moby Dick. But Josiah is not so certain his father’s death was that simple. Especially when Ishmael looks so boldly at Josiah’s devout Quaker mother. Josiah is almost of age in Nantucket, and he still cherishes his dream of following in his father’s footsteps. He is yet too young to sign on to a ship’s crew, but he yearns to be at sea. Yet adventure has a way of finding a boy and his dog. The true vision of his father’s death – as well as the difficult tasks of surviving, growing up, and finding his strength – await Josiah, when he and Zeke discover the secrets of the Pequod at the mysterious Arch of Bone.