James Nicoll Reviews

‘Swashbuckling awesomeness … a definite winner’ John Gwynne, author of MaliceA brilliantly imagined saga of honour, glory and warfare, Call of the Bone Ships is the captivating epic fantasy sequel to RJ Barker’s The Bone Ships.Dragons have returned to the Hundred Isles. But their return heralds only war and destruction. When a horde of dying slaves are discovered in the bowels of a ship, Shipwife Meas and the crew of the Tide Child find themselves drawn into a vicious plot that will leave them questioning their loyalties and fighting for their lives. 

Bastard’s Eve is a night of celebration for most residents in the canal city of Lodi — but not for sorcerer Learned Penric and his Temple demon Desdemona, who find themselves caught up in the affairs of a shiplost madman, a dangerous ascendant demon, and a very unexpected saint of the fifth god.

This novella falls between ​“Penric’s Fox” and ​“Penric’s Mission” in the internal chronology of the Penric & Desdemona tales. 

A Caribbean-inspired fantasy about ​“power, privilege and survival,” King of the Rising is the searing conclusion to the Islands of Blood and Storm series which began with Queen of the Conquered. *(K. S. Villoso)*
A revolution has swept through the islands of Hans Lollik and former slave Loren Jannik has been chosen to lead the survivors in a bid to free the islands forever.

But the rebels are running out of food, weapons and options. And as the Fjern inch closer to reclaiming Hans Lollik with every battle, Loren is faced with a choice that could shift the course of the revolution in their favor-or doom it to failure.

Islands of Blood and Storm Queen of the Conquered King of the Rising

The princess is dead, and the drums of war beat again. The imperial schemes that took her life have reignited tensions with her native Khir, and left her lady-in-waiting, Komor Yala, alone among the treachery of a foreign court. As the Emperor lies upon his deathbed, the palace is more dangerous than ever before-for there are six princes, and only one throne. To survive, and get to the bottom of who ordered her princess dead, Yala will have to rely on some unlikely allies, like the sardonic third prince out of the line of succession, the war-hardened general who sacked her homeland but now asks for her hand, or the surprise visitor from her past who may hold all the answers. But there’s a danger greater than any of them have imagined on the horizon. In the distance, the hordes of Tabrak are rising. New perils appear on every border as the palace is beset by threats both within and without. The entire empire is at stake and only one man may be able to save it-if Yala can reach him in time”– 

Two planets are on the brink of war in Memoria, the thrilling second book in an action-packed space opera trilogy, The Nova Vita Protocol.The Kaiser Family helped the Nova Vita system avoid a catastrophic multi-planet war, one that the Kaisers might have accidentally caused in the first place. In their wake, two planets have been left devastated by ancient alien technology.

Now, the Kaisers try to settle into their new lives as tenuous citizens of the serene water planet, Nibiru, but Scorpia Kaiser can never stay still. So, she takes another shady job. One that gives her a ship where spaceborn like her belong.

But while Scorpia is always moving forward, Corvus can’t seem to leave his life as a soldier behind. Every planet in the system is vying to strip his razed home planet Titan of its remaining resources, and tensions are high. The Kaisers will need to discover the truth behind what happened on Gaia and Titan, or Corvus will be forced again to fight in an unwinnable war — and this time, all of Nova Vita is at stake. The Nova Vita Protocol: FortunaMemoria 

Warfare, myth and magic collide in Legacy of Steel, the spectacular sequel to Matthew Ward’s acclaimed fantasy debut Legacy of Ash.

A year has passed since an unlikely alliance saved the Tressian Republic from fire and darkness, at great cost. Thousands perished, and Viktor Akadra — the Republic’s champion — has disappeared.

While the ruling council struggles to mend old wounds, other factions sense opportunity. The insidious Parliament of Crows schemes in the shadows, while to the east the Hadari Emperor gathers his armies. As turmoil spreads across the Republic, its ripples are felt in the realms of the divine.

War is coming … and this time the gods themselves will take sides.

The Legacy TrilogyLegacy of AshLegacy of Steel

The second novel in an action-packed epic fantasy series set in a world with dragon-fuelled magic, where master con artist Ardor Benn must infiltrate a centuries old secret organisation to find a missing royal heir.

Ardor Benn saved civilisation from imminent destruction, but his efforts brought war to the kingdom. It is believed that the rightful rulers have all been assassinated. However, a young heir might have survived. An ancient organisation known as The Realm is behind the chaos, working from the shadows. Under the anonymity of masks, information is distributed sparingly. Ard’s been hired to infiltrate them, but he’s got competition from an old friend. One who’s set to prove she’s better than the self-proclaimed ​‘Ruse Artist Extraordinaire.’

If Ard can’t find the heir, then his world may again approach ruin. Stopping the complete and utter collapse of civilisation is quickly becoming Ard’s speciality.

Praise for The Thousand Deaths of Ardor Benn:‘I cannot recommend this book highly enough. It is easily the best fantasy-heist book I have read in years!’ A Fantastical Librarian on The Thousand Deaths of Ardor Benn’A cracking introduction to a new fantasy world that demands further exploration’ SFX’A fun, terrific read I heartily recommend’ David Dalglish, author of A Dance of Cloaks’If you enjoy The Lies of Locke Lamora … then I can confidently predict that The Thousand Deaths of Ardor Benn is the book for you … Highly recommended’ The Eloquent Page’The plot and world of this book are one of a kind … a very impressive debut’ The Quill to Live’From start to finish this is an amazing read’ The Book Plank 

The final book in an action-packed epic fantasy series set in a world with dragon-fueled magic where master con artist Ardor Benn takes a job to steal a living dragon.
Ardor Benn has taken his lies to a new level, infiltrating high society so he can steal a priceless resource. But now that he’s on the inside, he finds himself poring through ancient texts, searching for answers to his deepest questions. He discovers something is coming. Something world-ending.
Now, an old enemy is extorting him for one last job. Steal a live dragon. He doesn’t know how, and he doesn’t know why. But he’s got a feeling that it’s a job he has to take. Only problem is, Ard’s running short on time and shorter on lies. And his personal ambitions are alienating all of his allies.
With no one else to rely on, he’ll have to trust the one person nobody else does: himself.
Kingdom of Grit: The Thousand Deaths of Ardor Benn The Shattered Realm of Ardor Benn The Last Lies of Ardor Benn *

In order to reclaim her throne and save her people, an ousted queen must join forces with a young warrior in the second book of this“relentlessly gripping, brilliant” epic fantasy series from a breakout author (James Islington).
Tau and his Queen, desperate to delay the impending attack on the capital by the indigenous people of Xidda, craft a dangerous plan. If Tau succeeds, the Queen will have the time she needs to assemble her forces and launch an all out assault on her own capital city, where her sister is being propped up as the ​‘true’ Queen of the Omehi.
If the city can be taken, if Tsiora can reclaim her throne, and if she can reunite her people then the Omehi have a chance to survive the onslaught.
The Burning The Rage of Dragons The Fires of Vengeance