James Nicoll Reviews

Campaigns & Companions: The Complete Role-Playing Guide for Pets edited by Alex de Campi

Grab your dice and pencil, sit your pets down, teach them to play… and immediately regret your choices.

Hilarious collection of Dungeons & Dragons-themed pet jokes by acclaimed comics creators Andi Ewington, Rhianna Pratchett, Calum Alexander Watt and Alex de Campi

What if your pets could play D&D? And what if they were… kind of jerks about it? If there are two things all geeks love, it’s roleplaying games, and their pets. So why not fuse the two? It’s time to grab your dice, dust off that character sheet, and let your cat or dog (or guinea pig, or iguana, or budgie) accompany you on an epic adventure! It’ll be great! …unless your pets are jerks. Written by comics and videogames writers Andi Ewington (Forty-Five45) and Rhianna Pratchett (Tomb Raider), Campaigns & Companions is edited by Alex de Campi (Madi) and beautifully illustrated by Calum Alexander Watt (The Rise of Skywalker). 

A Heart Divided: Legends of the Condor Heroes Vol. 4 by Jin Yong

THE CHINESE ​“LORD OF THE RINGS” — NOW IN ENGLISH FOR THE FIRST TIME.THE SERIES EVERY CHINESE READER HAS BEEN ENJOYING FOR DECADES — 300 MILLION COPIES SOLD.“Jin Yong’s work, in the Chinese-speaking world, has a cultural currency roughly equal to that of ​“Harry Potter” and ​“Star Wars” combined” Nick Frisch, New Yorker“Like every fairy tale you’re ever loved, imbued with jokes and epic grandeur. Prepare to be swept along.” Jamie Buxton, Daily Mail Guo Jing and Lotus have escaped Qiu Qianren’s mountain stronghold on the condors’ backs, but Lotus carries a wound that will surely kill her. Their only hope lies in the healing powers of Duan, the King of the South. Little do they know that to seek an audience with this mysterious figure will place him in mortal danger himself. Meanwhile, many li away on Peach Blossom Island, a plan has been hatched that could tear the two lovers apart for good. And, with Moon Festival approaching, Guo Jing is honour bound to take part in a long-awaited martial contest at the Tower of Mist and Rain in Jiaxing. Yet the greatest threat to their happiness stems from Guo Jing’s past. He is still betrothed to Genghis Khan’s daughter. Rejoining the Mongol army could help him to avenge his father — but it may force him to take the field against the soldiers of his true homeland, splitting his heart and soul in two. Translated from the Chinese by Gigi Chang and Shelly Bryant