James Nicoll Reviews

How close would you hold those you love, when the end comes? In a society where self-preservation is as much an art as a science, Norah and Arthur are learning how to co-exist in their new little world. Though they hardly know each other, everything seems to be going perfectly — from the home they’re building together to the ring on Norah’s finger. But survival in this world is a tricky thing, the air is thicker every day and illness creeps fast through the body. And the earth is becoming increasingly hostile to live in. Fortunately, Easton Grove is here for that in the form of a perfect little bundle to take home and harvest. You can live for as long as you keep it — or her — close.

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Katherine Addison returns at last to the world of The Goblin Emperor with this stand-alone sequel.When the young half-goblin emperor Maia sought to learn who had killed his father and half-brothers, he turned to an obscure resident of his Court, a Prelate of Ulis and a Witness for the Dead. Thara Celehar found the truth, though it did him no good to discover it.Now Celehar lives in the city of Amalo, far from the Court though not exactly in exile. He has not escaped from politics, but his position gives him the ability to serve the common people of the city, which is his preference. He lives modestly, but his decency and fundamental honesty will not permit him to live quietly. 

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It’s Eva Thorne’s 200^th birthday.

But it’s not a celebration, more like a funeral. Eva lives in a world where the cure for aging and illness has been discovered and administered to every person on Earth. Only, there’s one big hitch. It turns out that very few people can handle immortality. So on their two hundredth birthday, they have to take a test. If they pass, they get to live forever. But if they fail, they must be euthanized.

Eva’s not an optimist. She’s pretty sure she’s going to fail her Centurial Assessment Test. For starters, almost nobody passes anymore. She’s seen the news stories. But more than that, Eva can tell that she’s already starting to slip mentally. Ever since the Escorts took her husband Owen away for his test and he never came back, she’s been chainsmoking cigarettes (they can’t kill her after all), binge drinking, and waiting for the Escorts to get it over with already.

Who wants to live forever if you have to do it alone?

Here’s the truth―Owen was her husband for over 170 years. He was her soulmate. Her lover. Her goofball best friend. Her partner in crime. Her everything. But on the way to her testing room, Eva glimpses a staffer who resembles her husband. 

Suddenly, she has to find out the truth about what happened to him. Suddenly, she has a reason to live. Did he pass his test? Does he get to live forever? Can Eva join him for this next part of their lives? Or is she destined to fail her test and be euthanized?

Now Eva must escape from the testing facility and find out if her husband passed his test―and what he’s been doing for the past six months. With the Escorts hunting her down, she kidnaps the staffer and drags him to the roof, discovering that it’s Owen―only he can’t remember her because they wiped his memory. When you pass your CAT test, you must leave your old life behind. Eva must now find a way for him to remember their life together or lose him forever to his new immortal existence.

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The maniacal laughter you hear is because I have finally switched my month end stat templates for each month over to the new format I adopted back in February 2020. From now on, all I have to do is add a new column to the existing templates.

I understand that this probably does not seem like a big deal to normal people but it is for me. 

I’ve added a grand total paragraph, which reveals that I am just 4.5 books by women from having reviewed an even thousand books by women. I should put more thought into which book will be book one thousand than I probably will. 

January 2021

22 works reviewed. 12 by women (55%), 9 by men (41%), one by an author whose gender is unknown (5%) and 9 works by POC (41%)

Year to Date

22 works reviewed. 12 by women (55%), 9 by men (41%), one by an author whose gender is unknown (5%) and 9 works by POC (41%)

Grand Total to Date
1770 works reviewed. 994.5 by women (56%), 739.5 by men (42%), 21 by non-binary authors (1%), 15 by gender unknown (1%), 488.75 by POC (28%)

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The year is 1278 B.C. and the Mediterranean Sea is shared among the most powerful civilizations of ancient times. Greeks, Egyptians, and Phoenicians sail from port to port, ready to fight to protect their trade from the ​“Sea People,” marauders who loot and disappear like ghosts. Among them are the fierce Shardan, who come from the ​“Island of Towers,” from fortresses of basalt stone called nuraghes. These rise up all over the Shardan’s land and, since the dawn of time, hide a curse feared by the people of the Mediterranean: the Island is the gateway to the netherworld. The Shardan live as hell-keepers, offering their loot to the Gods who protect their position. Now they are in Egypt, ready to wage war against the pharaohs when a messenger arrives from the netherworld with a warning: the Mamuthone demons have awakened. 

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Nominations for the 2021 Hugo Awards are now open!

As is traditional here at James Nicoll Reviews, I know what potentially Hugo-worthy works I created in the last year but I am not entirely certain into which categories those works fit. Here are my best guesses:

My Tor essays almost certainly fall under Best Related.

James Nicoll Reviews may also be Best Related but I think previous Worldcons counted them towards Best Fan Writer.

My Dreamwidth posts (links to James Nicoll Reviews aside) fall under Best Fan Writer.

Young People site may count as a fanzine. Or, again, best fan writer. 

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For fans of Black Mirror and The Handmaid’s Tale, a mother desperately tries to keep her family together in a society where parenting standards are strictly monitored. The world is suffering an infertility crisis, the last natural birth was over twenty years ago and now the only way to conceive is through a painful fertility treatment. Any children born are strictly monitored, and if you are deemed an unfit parent then your child is extracted. After witnessing so many struggling to conceive – and then keep – their babies, Kit thought she didn’t want children. But then she meets Thomas and they have a baby girl, Mimi. Soon the small mistakes build up and suddenly Kit is faced with the possibility of losing her daughter, and she is forced to ask herself how far she will go to keep her family together. 

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Unwise deals. Blaster fights. High adventure among the stars.
Welcome to the world of Scum and Villainy.

Scum and Villainy is a Forged in the Dark game about a spaceship crew trying to make ends meet under the iron-fisted rule of the Galactic Hegemony.

Work with the members of your crew to thrive despite powerful criminal syndicates, warring noble families, dangerous aliens, and strange mystics. Explore the ruins of lost civilizations for fun and profit. Can your motley crew hold it together long enough to strike it big and insure your fame across the sector?

Scum and Villainy is a stand-alone RPG based on the Forged in the Dark game engine. In this book, you’ll find:

• A clear gameplay structure that puts the focus on the criminal undertakings of the crew. A session of play consists of a job followed by recovery, downtime projects, and advancement.
• Ship ​“character sheets” that allow for XP spends, upgrades, and leveling up alongside your characters.
• Crew advancement opportunities to reflect the change from a ragtag group barely flying in the black to a reputed crew that has built a name across the sector.
• Forged in the Dark tools to help keep the focus on the action of the job rather than the extensive planning needed to make it happen.
• Character and ship types to help create a unique and interesting crew at light speed.

May your ship fly true, and may your blasters never jam.

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At the sudden death of her grandfather, Ona’s pain drives her to mystical Luenah — a place of infinite possibilities. There, she discovers she is an Eri, chosen to accomplish a special purpose on earth, and is handed a box in exchange for what she desires the most.

Burdened by her quest, Ona learns that dreams carry a hefty price, and no one is who they seem. As evil looms, she must unmask the villain and save the one she loves, even at the risk of losing everything she holds dear.

Set against the backdrop of two warring towns, The Place Beyond Her Dreams delivers life lessons using a powerful fable. This coming-of-age fantasy takes the reader on the path to self-discovery and demonstrates the transformation one must go through to realize and eventually occupy their purpose. 

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I can hardly wait to see what the new year brings! 

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