James Nicoll Reviews

And Only Say

The River Has Roots

By Amal El-Mohtar

15 Nov, 2024

**Doing the WFC's Homework**

3 comments

Amal El-Mohtar’s 2025 The River Has Roots is an upcoming historical fantasy novel.

Thistleford borders Faerie. The town’s prosperity is in part built on this proximity. Magic is so terribly useful.

The Hawthorns have long tended the magic willow trees along the River Liss, which flows out of Faerie. They are therefore a family of some significance. To marry either Esther or Ysabel would be financially strategic. How convenient that the girls are so pretty.

It’s less convenient that Esther and Ysabel have minds of their own.

Like I Just Lost The World War

This is How You Lose The Time War

By Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone

11 Jul, 2019

**Miscellaneous Reviews**

3 comments

Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone’s 2019 This is How You Lose the Time War is a standalone SF novel.

Two great powers, technological Agency and biological Garden, are engaged in a long, brutal war for control of reality itself. Not satisfied with shaping a single universe to suit their tastes, both sides covet control of every history of every universe.

Red fights for Agency. Red is very good at their job. Good enough to attract the attention of Garden operative Blue.