James Nicoll Reviews

The Outcast Mage by Annabel Campbell (January 2025)

In this glittering debut fantasy, a mage bereft of her powers must find out if she is destined to save the world or destroy it. Perfect for fans of Andrea Stewart, James Islington, and Samantha Shannon.

In the glass city of Amoria, magic is everything. And Naila, student at the city’s legendary academy, is running out of time to prove she can control hers. If she fails, she’ll be forced into exile, relegated to a life of persecution with the other magicless hollows. Or worse, be consumed by her own power. 

When a tragic incident further threatens her place at the Academy, Naila is saved by Haelius Akana, the most powerful living mage. Finding Naila a kindred spirit, Haelius stakes his position at the Academy on teaching her to harness her abilities. But Haelius has many enemies, and they would love nothing more than to see Naila fail. Trapped in the deadly schemes of Amoria’s elite, Naila must dig deep to discover the truth of her powers or watch the city she loves descend into civil war.

For there is violence brewing on the wind, and greater powers at work. Ones who could use her powers for good… or destroy everything she’s ever known.

Game On! edited by Stephen Kotowych & Tony Pi (July 2023)

What if future criminals played games of skill for their freedom? Would spellcasters dare use magic to skew chance in their favor? What if aliens judged us based on the games we play? Can a dying woman literally cheat Death?

Games are about more than winning and losing. They’re about risk and reward, strategy and blind fortune, our need to win and our fear of being outplayed. And when magic and science infuse a game, the stakes can be of cosmic importance. Each move could decide life or death. Are you ready to play?

In this anthology, seventeen of today’s leading fantasy and science fiction authors explore the role games play in worlds both seen and unseen. Join Aliette de Bodard, Jennifer R Povey, Ed Greenwood, Cory Swanson, David Hankins, Cat Rambo, Wulf Moon, Jo Miles, James Alan Gardner, Karen Aria Lin, Mike Rimar, Eric Choi, Tris Lawrence, Mark Silcox, Melissa Yi, Michael Picco, and Sean Williams as they share with us games played for unimaginable stakes.

The board is set, the cards are dealt — now it’s GAME ON! 

Year’s Best Canadian Fantasy and Science Fiction: Volume Two edited by Stephen Kotowych (October 2024)

The Aurora Award-winning series returns with a new volume!

Venture into extraordinary realms of imagination with the essential collection of the year’s best Canadian fantasy and science fiction.

Discover the magic woven by more than three dozen of Canada’s most celebrated authors and rising stars in fantasy and science fiction, including Cory Doctorow, Amal El-Mohtar, Nalo Hopkinson, Rich Larson, Premee Mohamed, and Kelly Robson, amongst others.

From alien worlds to magical realms, these stories explore the
wonderous, the contemporary, the futuristic, and what it means to be human — all through the unique lens of Canadian speculative fiction.

Curated by award-winning author and anthologist Stephen Kotowych and selected from top markets like Asimov’s, Augur, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Clarkesworld, F&SF, Fantasy Magazine, On Spec, PodCastle, and Tor.com, prepare to be captivated, challenged, and utterly transported by the very best fantastical fiction written by Canadians today.

Featuring stories and poems that were winners and finalists for the Aurora Award, BSFA Award, Nebula Award, Locus Award, Shirley Jackson Award, Prix Solaris, World Fantasy Award, the Rhysling Award, and many more.

Ryuutama : Natural Fantasy Roleplay by Atsuhiro Okadam translated by Andy Kitowski and Matt Sanchez (June 2015)

Ryuutama is an RPG developed in Japan by designer Atsuhiro Okada. It is set in a world where the ​“NPCs” of the village – the bakers, farmers, shopkeepers and healers – set off on a wonderful adventure exploring a fantasy world together. Some people colloquially call it ​“Hayao Miyazaki’s Oregon Trail”, because of its heartwarming (in Japanese ​“honobono”) feel of family anime, and its focus on traveling and wonder over combat and treasure.

The characters are travelers in a world without classical fantasy wizards and warriors. Instead, the characters are minstrels, merchants, healers, hunters, artisans, farmers and nobles who decide (or were fated) to leave their towns and explore the world. Using a light rules system based on polyhedral dice where the randomness in results leads to more story development, Ryuutama provides a framework for travel-focused stories fun for adults and enjoyable for all ages.