James Nicoll Reviews

An anthology of original stories based on the dark fantasy, role-playing video game series from Bioware. Ancient horrors. Marauding invaders. Powerful mages. And a world that refuses to stay fixed. Welcome to Thedas. From the stoic Grey Wardens to the otherworldly Mortalitasi necromancers, from the proud Dalish elves to the underhanded Antivan Crow assassins, Dragon Age is filled with monsters, magic, and memorable characters making their way through dangerous world whose only constant is change. Dragon Age: Tevinter Nights brings you fifteen tales of adventure, featuring faces new and old, including: ​“Three Trees to Midnight” by Patrick Weekes
​“Down Among the Dead Men” by Sylvia Feketekuty
​“The Horror of Hormak” by John Epler
​“Callback” by Lukas Kristjanson
​“Luck in the Gardens” by Sylvia Feketekuty
​“Hunger” by Brianne Battye
​“Murder by Death Mages” by Caitlin Sullivan Kelly
​“The Streets of Minrathous” by Brianne Battye
​“The Wigmaker” by Courtney Woods
​“Genitivi Dies in the End” by Lukas Kristjanson
​“Herold Had the Plan” by Ryan Cormier
​“An Old Crow’s Old Tricks” by Arone Le Bray
​“Eight Little Talons” by Courtney Woods
​“Half Up Front” by John Epler
​“Dread Wolf Take You” by Patrick Weekes

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One woman will either save an entire continent or completely destroy it in a captivating epic fantasy bursting with intrigue and ambition, questioned loyalties and broken magic

“Guard the tower, ward the stone. Find your answers writ in bone.”

Deep within Gloamingard Castle lies a black tower. Sealed by magic, it guards a dangerous secret that has been contained for thousands of years. 

As Warden, Ryxander knows the warning passed down through generations: nothing must unreal the Door. But one impetuous decision will leave her with blood on her hands – and unleash a threat that could doom the world to fall to darkness.

“Keep your trust through wits or war– nothing must unseal the door.”

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February 2020

20 books read. 12 by women (60%), 7 by men (35%), 1 by a non-binary author (5%), 8 works by POC (40%)

Year to Date

43 books read. 23.5 by women (55%), 17 by men (40%), 2 by non-binary authors (5%), 0.5 by unknown (1%), 17 works by POC (40%)

Charts below cut 

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Women disappear from streets, clubs, and rooftops leaving the police dazed and confused. The mystical Soothsayer Task Force must use their special skills to divine the truth and solve the mystery. 

Detectives Simantov and Bitton, along with their team of mystic agents, try to make sense of the weird crime scenes and even weirder forensic findings. The victims are seemingly unconnected and the only clues to their disappearances are the small objects they leave behind; a whip, a feather, a lock of hair… 

Together with Mazzy’s instincts and Yariv’s stubbornness, they realise that these abductions signal the start of an apocalypse — a war between opposing hosts of angels, the daughters of Lilith and the Nephilim. The battle for access to heaven is underway and humans are caught in the middle. But strong as they may be, angels will always underestimate the power and weight in human free will. 

This is the English translation from the original Hebrew text, translated by Marganit Weinberger-Rotman. 

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Ravaged by environmental disaster, greed, and oppression, our planet is in crisis. The future of humanity hangs in the balance — and one woman can tip it over.

Despite increasing restrictions on the freedoms of women on Earth, Valerie Black is spearheading the first all-female mission to a planet in the Goldilocks Zone, where conditions are just right for human habitation.

It’s humanity’s last hope for survival, and Naomi, Valerie’s surrogate daughter and the ship’s botanist, has been waiting her whole life for an opportunity like this — to step out of Valerie’s shadow and really make a difference.

But when things start going wrong on the ship, Naomi begins to suspect that someone on board is concealing a terrible secret — and realizes time for life on Earth may be running out faster than they feared …

Goldilocks is The Handmaid’s Tale meets The Martian — a bold and thought-provoking new high-concept thriller.

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January 2020

23 books read. 11.5 by women (50%), 10 by men (43%), 1 by a non-binary author (4%), 0.5 by unknown (2%), 9 works by POC (39%)

Year to Date

23 books read. 11.5 by women (50%), 10 by men (43%), 1 by a non-binary author (4%), 0.5 by unknown (2%), 9 works by POC (39%)

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Pleo Tanza is an outcast, even among the struggling masses on Chatoyance, the once-great space colony she calls home. 

When Pleo is unjustly accused of murdering the only daughter of a powerful industrial family, she’s thrown into a desperate race to clear her name. 

After decades of intrigues and treachery, and facing a resurgent threat from a shadowy alien enemy, Chatoyance is ready to explode — and this could be the spark that triggers it.

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The Four DUFF Candidates are:

Richard Auffrey @RichardPF

Shaun Duke @shaunduke

James Davis Nicoll @jamesdnicoll

Erin Underwood @ErinUnderwood

The official ballot along with the candidate platforms: https://t.co/yyiOVm1wKq
Voting will take place until March 27^th, 2020.
2/

— Paul Weimer 📷 (@PrinceJvstin) January 18, 2020

Please consider voting for me.

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The first in the Witchlands series, Truthwitch by Susan Dennard is a brilliantly imagined coming-of-age story perfect for fans of Robin Hobb, Victoria Aveyard and Trudi Canavan. In a continent on the edge of war, two witches hold its fate in their hands. Young witches Safiya and Iseult have a habit of finding trouble. After clashing with a powerful Guildmaster and his ruthless Bloodwitch bodyguard, the friends are forced to flee their home. Safi must avoid capture at all costs as she’s a rare Truthwitch, able to discern truth from lies. Many would kill for her magic, so Safi must keep it hidden — lest she be used in the struggle between empires. And Iseult’s true powers are hidden even from herself. In a chance encounter at Court, Safi meets Prince Merik and makes him a reluctant ally. However, his help may not slow down the Bloodwitch now hot on the girls’ heels. All Safi and Iseult want is their freedom, but danger lies ahead. With war coming, treaties breaking and a magical contagion sweeping the land, the friends will have to fight emperors and mercenaries alike. For some will stop at nothing to get their hands on a Truthwitch. **

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Golden Geek RPG of the Year 2012! Combining high-action dungeon crawling with cutting-edge rules, Dungeon World is a roleplaying game of fantasy adventure. You and your friends will explore a land of magic and danger in the roles of adventurers searching for fame, gold, and glory. 

Dungeon World’s rules are easy to learn and always drive the action forward in unexpected ways. A missed roll is never a dead end- failure introduces new complexities and complications. Life as an adventurer is hard and dangerous but it’s never boring! Designed to be ready for you to hack, remix, and build new content, Dungeon World includes systems for changing everything to suit your group including creating new races, classes, and monsters. To play, you’ll need this rulebook, 3 – 5 players, some polyhedral dice, and 2 – 4 hours. Explore fantasy adventure roleplaying in a whole new way with Dungeon World!

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