James Nicoll Reviews

A breathtaking geopolitical epic fantasy, The Monster Baru Cormorant is the sequel to Seth Dickinson’s ​“fascinating tale” ( The Washington Post ), The Traitor Baru Cormorant. Her world was shattered by the Empire of Masks.
For the power to shatter the Masquerade,
She betrayed everyone she loved. The traitor Baru Cormorant is now the cryptarch Agonist — a secret lord of the empire she’s vowed to destroy. Hunted by a mutinous admiral, haunted by the wound which has split her mind in two, Baru leads her dearest foes on an expedition for the secret of immortality. It’s her chance to trigger a war that will consume the Masquerade. But Baru’s heart is broken, and she fears she can no longer tell justice from revenge…or her own desires from the will of the man who remade her.

The Impossible Contract is the second book in K. A. Doore’s high fantasy adventure series the Chronicles of Ghadid, where a determined assassin travels to the heart of the Empire in pursuit of a powerful mark, for fans of Robin Hobb, Sarah J. Maas, and S. A. Chakraborty An assassin’s reputation can mean life or death. This holds especially true for Thana Basbowen, daughter of the legendary Serpent, who rules over Ghadid’s secret clan of assassins. When a top-tier contract drops in her lap — death orders against foreign ambassador Heru Sametket — Thana seizes the opportunity. Yet she may be in over her head. Heru wields blasphemous powers against his enemies, and Thana isn’t the only person after his life: even the undead pursue him, leaving behind a trail of horror. Her mission leads her on a journey to the heart of a power-hungry empire, where dangers lurk around every corner. Her only ally is Mo, a determined healer set to protect Ghadid any way she can. As further occult secrets are unleashed, however, the aftermath of this impossible contract may be more than anyone can handle. 

The first in a ground breaking, action-packed and exciting new science fiction series from the best-selling author of The Quantum Magician.

Life can exist anywhere. And anywhere there is life, there is home. 

In the swirling clouds of Venus, the families of la colonie live on floating plant-like trawlers, salvaging what they can in the fierce acid rain and crackling storms. Outside is dangerous, but humankind’s hold on the planet is fragile and they spend most of their days simply surviving. 

But Venus carries its own secrets, too. In the depths, there is a wind that shouldn’t exist. 

And the House of Styx wants to harness it.

Werewolves travel to other planets to see what effects non-Earth moons have on them. Birds and humans swap bodies. People sell their knowledge of a language to get ahead. An app summons nightmares directly to your home. Mermaid hunting takes a dark turn between ex-lovers. From short stories to book reviews, poetry to translations, S. Qiouyi Lu’s work covers a wide variety of styles, topics, and themes that appeal to fans of speculative fiction. Inhalations is a comprehensive collection of S. Qiouyi Lu’s work first published between 2015 and 2019, many of which are not available online. 

Could this life be their last? The city of Atrine lies in ruins. And now Relos Var has revealed his plan to free the monstrous god, Vol Karoth, the end of the world is closer than ever. To buy time for humanity, Kihrin and his friends need to convince a king to perform an ancient ritual. The power released would imprison the god for an age to come. But this may come at too high a price for the King of the Vane, as the ritual would strip his people of their immortality. As a result, some will do anything to prevent this ritual — including assassinating those championing this solution. Worse, Kihrin must come to terms with a horrifying possibility. It seems his connection to Vol Karoth is growing in strength … but what does it mean? And how can Kihrin hope to save his world, when he might be the greatest threat of all? 

Dark, mournful, and beautiful, Sarah Tolmie’s The Fourth Island is a moving and unforgettable story of life and death on the hidden Irish island of Inis Caillte. Huddled in the sea off the coast of Ireland is a fourth Aran Island, a secret island peopled by the lost, findable only in moments of despair. Whether drowned at sea, trampled by Cromwell’s soldiers, or exiled for clinging to the dead, no outsiders reach the island without giving in to dark emotion. Time and again, The Fourth Island weaves a hypnotic pattern with its prose, presaging doom before walking back through the sweet and sour moments of lives not yet lost. It beautifully melds the certainty of loss with the joys of living, drawing readers under like the tide.