James Nicoll Reviews

[Every once in a while Tor turns a piece down. Enjoy an example of such a piece written despite advice that it was probably a bad idea]

As one scans the shelves for new fantasy and science fiction to read, there is an absence. An absence usually overlooked, as absence is not as obvious as presence. The peculiar void that occasions this essay? The lack of authors surnamed Smith.

Now, at first glance this may seem inexplicable. Smith is said to be a common surname. However, while being an online pundit keeps me too busy to do even the most rudimentary research (not even a quick click on ISFDB), pure reason unsullied by mere factual evidence (or even the ability to bent over slightly to look at lower bookshelves) hints at reasons why SF author Smiths might be uncommon¹.

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Of Charms, Ghosts and Grievances by Aliette de Bodard

From the author of the critically acclaimed Dominion of the Fallen trilogy comes a sparkling new romantic adventure full of kissing, sarcasm and stabbing. 

It was supposed to be a holiday, with nothing more challenging than babysitting, navigating familial politics and arguing about the proper way to brew tea. 

But when dragon prince Thuan and his ruthless husband Asmodeus find a corpse in a ruined shrine and a hungry ghost who is the only witness to the crime, their holiday goes from restful to high-pressure. Someone is trying to silence the ghost and everyone involved. Asmodeus wants revenge for the murder; Thuan would like everyone, including Asmodeus, to stay alive.

Chased by bloodthirsty paper charms and struggling to protect their family, Thuan and Asmodeus are going to need all the allies they can — and, as the cracks in their relationship widen, they’ll have to face the scariest challenge of all: how to bring together their two vastly different ideas of their future… 

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One Foot in the Fade by Luke Elliot Arnold

Welcome back to the streets of Sunder City, a darkly imagined world perfect for readers of Ben Aaronovitch and Jim Butcher. AN ANGEL FALLS IN SUNDER CITY… In a city that lost its magic, an angel falls in a downtown street. His wings are feathered, whole — undeniably magical — the man clearly flew, because he left one hell of a mess when he plummeted into the sidewalk. But what sent him up? What brought him down? And will the answers help Fetch bring the magic back for good? Working alongside necromancers, genies, and shadowy secret societies, through the wildest forests and dingiest dive bars, this case will leave its mark on Fetch’s body, his soul, and the fate of the world. 

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A Prayer for the Crown-Shy by Becky Chambers

A Prayer for the Crown-Shy is a story of kindness and love from one of the foremost practitioners of hopeful SF.After touring the rural areas of Panga, Sibling Dex (a Tea Monk of some renown) and Mosscap (a robot sent on a quest to determine what humanity really needs) turn their attention to the villages and cities of the little moon they call home.They hope to find the answers they seek, while making new friends, learning new concepts, and experiencing the entropic nature of the universe.Becky Chambers’s new series continues to ask: in a world where people have what they want, does having more even matter? 

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January 2022

21 works reviewed. 11 by women (52% ), 10 by men (48%), 0 by a non-binary author (0%), 0 by authors whose genders are unknown (0%), and by 8 POC (38%).

Year to Date

21 works reviewed. 11 by women (52% ), 10 by men (48%), 0 by a non-binary author (0%), 0 by authors whose genders are unknown (0%), and by 8 POC (38%).

Grand Total to Date

2029 works reviewed. 1135 by women (56%), 850 by men (42%), 26 by non-binary authors (1%), 18 by authors whose gender is unknown (1%), 582.75 by POC (29%).

Off to a great start on my resolve to read more non-binary authors, not having managed to find space for even one in January.

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The Stardust Thief by Chelsea Abdullah

Inspired by stories from One Thousand and One Nights, The Stardust Thief weaves the gripping tale of a legendary smuggler, a cowardly prince, and a dangerous quest across the desert to find a legendary, magical lamp.

Neither here nor there, but long ago…

Loulie al-Nazari is the Midnight Merchant: a criminal who, with the help of her jinn bodyguard, hunts and sells illegal magic. When she saves the life of a cowardly prince, she draws the attention of his powerful father, the sultan, who blackmails her into finding an ancient lamp that has the power to revive the barren land — at the cost of sacrificing all jinn.

With no choice but to obey or be executed, Loulie journeys with the sultan’s oldest son to find the artifact. Aided by her bodyguard, who has secrets of his own, they must survive ghoul attacks, outwit a vengeful jinn queen, and confront a malicious killer from Loulie’s past. And, in a world where story is reality and illusion is truth, Loulie will discover that everything — her enemy, her magic, even her own past — is not what it seems, and she must decide who she will become in this new reality. 

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What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher

From T. Kingfisher, the award-winning author of The Twisted Ones, comes What Moves the Dead, a gripping and atmospheric retelling of Edgar Allan Poe’s classic ​“The Fall of the House of Usher.“When Alex Easton, a retired soldier, receives word that their childhood friend Madeline Usher is dying, they race to the ancestral home of the Ushers in the remote countryside of Ruritania.What they find there is a nightmare of fungal growths and possessed wildlife, surrounding a dark, pulsing lake. Madeline sleepwalks and speaks in strange voices at night, and her brother Roderick is consumed with a mysterious malady of the nerves.Aided by a redoubtable British mycologist and a baffled American doctor, Alex must unravel the secret of the House of Usher before it consumes them all. 

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(1÷5) Nominations for the 2022 Hugo Awards, Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Book, and Astounding Award for Best New Writer are now open and will remain open until 11:59 pm Pacific Daylight Time (UTC‑7) on March 15, 2022! pic.twitter.com/Ay4s9tGC5I

— Chicago Worldcon (@chicagoworldcon) January 16, 2022

To reprise my previous post on the matter: 

James Nicoll Reviews falls under Best Fan Writer, as do my Dreamwidth and USENET posts. 2021’s Hugo Award data revealed that I was just five votes away from being a finalist again. So close! I hope my 2021 reviews were slightly more appealing than 2020’s. 

My 90 or so 2021 Tor essays fall under Best Related. 

Young People Read Old SFF (now in its 5^th year and busily working its way through old Hugo finalists) is a fanzine. 

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The Bladed Faith by David Dalglish

A usurped prince prepares to take up the mantel of a deadly assassin and reclaim his kingdom, his people, and his slain gods in this epic fantasy from a USA Today bestselling author.Cyrus was only twelve years old when his gods were slain, his country invaded, and his parents — the king and queen — beheaded in front of him. Held prisoner in the invader’s court for years, Cyrus is suddenly given a chance to escape and claim his revenge when a mysterious group of revolutionaries comes looking for a figurehead. They need a hero to strike fear into the hearts of the imperial and to inspire and unite the people. They need someone to take up the skull mask and swords and to become the legendary ​“Vagrant” — an unparalleled hero and assassin of otherworldly skill. But all is not as it seems. Creating the illusion of a hero is the work of many, and Cyrus will soon discover the true price of his vengeance. 

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Sweep of Stars by Maurice Broaddus

Maurice Broaddus’s Sweep of Stars is the first in a trilogy that explores the end of an empire. Epic in scope and intimate in voice, it follows members of the Muungano empire – a far-reaching coalition of city-states that stretches from O.E. (original earth) to Titan – as it faces an escalating series of threats.“The past, the present, and the future often collide with each other.” —Stacia Chikeke, research captain of the star vessel CipherWhat happens when a peaceful utopia has to gear up for war? New leaders rise up vying to be the voice of the people. Scientists discover truths that could rock the foundations of the empire. Soldiers uncover a terrible secret and an alien plot against their alliance. Everyone must sacrifice for the love of their dream. 

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