james_davis_nicoll: (Default)
james_davis_nicoll ([personal profile] james_davis_nicoll) wrote2025-09-04 10:12 am
Entry tags:
james_davis_nicoll: (Default)
james_davis_nicoll ([personal profile] james_davis_nicoll) wrote2025-09-04 09:01 am
Entry tags:

Queen Demon (The Rising World, volume by Martha Wells



The malevolent Hierarchs are dead. The only way to learn about them is archaeology. The only thing worse than archaeologists not finding the relics of evil sorcerers is finding relics of evil sorcerers.

Queen Demon (The Rising World, volume by Martha Wells
james_davis_nicoll: (Default)
james_davis_nicoll ([personal profile] james_davis_nicoll) wrote2025-09-03 10:23 am

Good news

Both of Premee's cats have been found and returned.
james_davis_nicoll: (Default)
james_davis_nicoll ([personal profile] james_davis_nicoll) wrote2025-09-02 06:31 am
Entry tags:

Sunfall by C J Cherryh



The ancient sun is cooling but human drama persists.


Sunfall by C J Cherryh
james_davis_nicoll: (Default)
james_davis_nicoll ([personal profile] james_davis_nicoll) wrote2025-09-01 02:09 pm
Entry tags:

Bundle of Holding: Fragged Empire 2E



The 2024 revised edition of Fragged Empire: fifteen thousand years in the future, humanity has gone extinct, but eight engineered species rule the wonders that remain.

Bundle of Holding: Fragged Empire 2E
james_davis_nicoll: (Default)
james_davis_nicoll ([personal profile] james_davis_nicoll) wrote2025-09-01 01:36 pm

September 2025 Patreon Boost



Like Sisyphus' rock, September has returned!

September 2025 Patreon Boost
james_davis_nicoll: (Default)
james_davis_nicoll ([personal profile] james_davis_nicoll) wrote2025-08-31 09:05 pm
Entry tags:

Clarke Award Finalists 2012

I will be too busy to post tomorrow.

2012: O2 offers free wifi to multitudes, which I only now realize may be have been referenced in Kingsman, researchers determine that despite a century having passed, the Titanic remains at the bottom of the Atlantic, and in a glorious celebration of the effectiveness of the modern British educational system, doctors warn Britons not to drink liquid nitrogen.

Poll #33559 Clarke Award Finalists 2012
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 47


Which 2012 Clarke Award Finalists Have You Read?

View Answers

The Testament of Jessie Lamb by Jane Rogers
0 (0.0%)

Embassytown by China Miéville
22 (46.8%)

Hull Zero Three by Greg Bear
6 (12.8%)

Rule 34 by Charles Stross
34 (72.3%)

The Postmortal by Drew Magary
1 (2.1%)

The Waters Rising by Sheri S. Tepper
7 (14.9%)



Bold for have read, italic for intend to read, underline for never heard of it.


Which 2012 Clarke Award Finalists Have You Read?
The Testament of Jessie Lamb by Jane Rogers
Embassytown by China Miéville
Hull Zero Three by Greg Bear
Rule 34 by Charles Stross

The Postmortal by Drew Magary
The Waters Rising by Sheri S. Tepper
andrewducker: (obey the penguin)
andrewducker ([personal profile] andrewducker) wrote2025-08-31 10:14 pm

Life with two kids: A matter of probability

The kids take it in turn doing a variety of things, so that we don't have arguments every single night over who gets to choose teethbrushing things, who gets to be first to get put into pyjamas, who gets to check inside the parcel box when we get home, who gets to choose who gets out of the bath first, etc. This month, Sophia has odd numbered days and Gideon has even numbered days. Except that they swapped yesterday and today so that Gideon could have his birthday.

Except...that a few months ago we used the app Chwazi, where everyone puts their finger on the screen and then it picks someone (to be first player in a game, for instance). And Gideon loved it. So last weekend when I asked who should get out of the bath first he said "We'll play the finger game." - and I asked him if he'd be sad if he didn't win, and he said no, and then he and Sophia played it, and he lost, and I had to wash the hair of a sobbing child, who kept saying "I thought I would win!"

So this weekend, I asked him who was getting out of the bath first, and he said "Finger game!" and I said "Do you remember how sad you were?" and he said "Very sad!" and I said "So you should just choose." and he said "I have a plan, this time the person who loses will go first." And, of course, he won. And so, again, I had to wash the hair of a crying child who thought he'd found a way to beat probability.

All of which is to say that if you want to beat people at games of chance then I recommend 5-year-olds, who are both terrible at understanding it, and completely fail to learn from that.
james_davis_nicoll: (Default)
james_davis_nicoll ([personal profile] james_davis_nicoll) wrote2025-08-31 09:31 am
Entry tags:

August 2025 in Review



I didn't win any awards in August but I did review 22 more works. James Nicoll Reviews is now 34 reviews away from its 3000th review.

August 2025 in Review
james_davis_nicoll: (Default)
james_davis_nicoll ([personal profile] james_davis_nicoll) wrote2025-08-31 09:08 am

Always the Black Knight by Lee Hoffman



Marooned on a backwater planet, a down-on-his-luck actor sets out to transform his new home. Will he survive success?

Always the Black Knight by Lee Hoffman
james_davis_nicoll: (Default)
james_davis_nicoll ([personal profile] james_davis_nicoll) wrote2025-08-30 12:53 pm
Entry tags:
james_davis_nicoll: (Default)
james_davis_nicoll ([personal profile] james_davis_nicoll) wrote2025-08-30 09:39 am

Cats

Poll #33552 I knew I forgot something
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 74


Cats?

View Answers

Cats!
51 (68.9%)

Cats!
45 (60.8%)

Cats!
53 (71.6%)

Cats!
52 (70.3%)

Cats!
53 (71.6%)

james_davis_nicoll: (Default)
james_davis_nicoll ([personal profile] james_davis_nicoll) wrote2025-08-30 09:01 am
Entry tags:

Books Received, August 23 — August 30



Six works new to me. Three fantasy, three SF, four are series (at least in a sense) and the other two appear to be stand-alone. Lots of TTRPG material.

Books Received, August 23 — August 30

Poll #33551 Books Received, August 23 — August 30
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 31


Which of these look interesting?

View Answers

Victoriana by Alex Cahill et al (Q1 2026)
6 (19.4%)

Victoriana Menagerie by Alex Cahill et al (Q1 2026)
5 (16.1%)

The Subtle Art of Folding Space by John Chu (April 2026)
23 (74.2%)

Ship of Spells by H. Leighton Dickson (November 2025)
10 (32.3%)

Warhammer 40,000 Roleplay: Imperium Maledictum, Voll Adventures by Lisa Farrell et al (Q1, 2026)
2 (6.5%)

Coriolis: The Great Dark by Kosta Kostulas et al (August 2025)
13 (41.9%)

james_davis_nicoll: (Default)
james_davis_nicoll ([personal profile] james_davis_nicoll) wrote2025-08-29 08:56 am

Saltcrop by Yume Kitasei



Two sisters quest up a climate-change-and-blight ravaged coast and across the seas to find their missing sister.


Saltcrop by Yume Kitasei