Queen Demon review

Aug. 2nd, 2025 10:59 am
marthawells: (Witch King)
[personal profile] marthawells
Woke up to a fantastic review of Queen Demon in the August Locus. Here's an excerpt:


This is a fantastic novel, set in a fascinating world with truly compelling characters. It is shot through with grief, with the reverberations of destruction and the aftermaths of trauma: While the past timeline gives us emotional focus on the characters’ griefs, immediate traumas, and desperate choices, the present makes plain the extent of the Hierarchs’ destruction of the rest of the world, the scars in the landscape, in societies, in the vanishing of entire cultures. New societies have built themselves out of the ruins, in the shadow of what was lost and in its absences. While we see it particularly from Kai’s perspective, understanding his losses and his wounds, his scars and his griefs, and what healing has been possible for him between the past and the present, it’s not unique to Kai, either. Loss with all its jagged edges looms over this fragile recovery. These scars wear not only upon the main characters but upon their allies and opponents, too: Trauma, both personal and generational, is a strongly motivating factor and a weight that influences most of the personal relationships and many of the political interactions that we see.
-- Liz Bourke, Locus August 2025


Queen Demon is the sequel to Witch King, and it will be out in ebook, hardcover, and audiobook (narrated by Eric Mok, on October 7
james_davis_nicoll: (Default)
[personal profile] james_davis_nicoll
Poll #33455 Books Received, July 26 to July 31
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 38


Which of these look interesting?

View Answers

The Laundry Roleplaying Game: Operative’s Handbook by by David F Chapman, Calum Collins, Christopher Colston, Alister Davison, Michael Duxbury, Warren Frey, Gareth Hanrahan, and Elaine Lithgow et al (Q4, 2025)
14 (36.8%)

The Laundry Roleplaying Game: Supervisor’s Guide by Anthony Boyd, Greg Buchanan, David F Chapman, Calum Collins, Christopher Colston, Alister Davison, Michael Duxbury, Warren Frey, Gareth Hanrahan, Derek Johnston, and Elaine Lithgow et al (Q4, 2025)
14 (36.8%)

You do know at least one person in the group needs both books, right?
19 (50.0%)

Some other option (see comments)
2 (5.3%)

Cats!
34 (89.5%)

Books Received, July 26 to July 31

Aug. 2nd, 2025 09:18 am
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[personal profile] james_davis_nicoll


Just two items this week (although maybe two halves of one thing). Both cosmic horror, both part of (or related to) a series.


Books Received, July 26 to July 31

Empath by Hoa Pham

Aug. 1st, 2025 08:49 am
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[personal profile] james_davis_nicoll


Many people spend their lives wondering if there's a point to their existence. Vuong and her clone sisters have a purpose. With a little investigation, they might find out what it is.

Empath by Hoa Pham
james_davis_nicoll: (Default)
[personal profile] james_davis_nicoll


...or at least, sending them away. Sometimes for good.

Five Books About Sending the Kids to Camp

July 2025 in Review

Jul. 31st, 2025 08:57 am
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[personal profile] james_davis_nicoll


23 works reviewed. 12 by women (52%), 10 by men (43%),1 by non-binary authors (4%), 0 by authors whose gender is unknown (0%), and 11 by POC (48%).

July 2025 in Review

Hypothetically speaking

Jul. 30th, 2025 04:00 pm
james_davis_nicoll: (Default)
[personal profile] james_davis_nicoll
If someone asked for a list of issues with the Reactor site, what would be your top five? Not counting search. Assume search will be mentioned.
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[personal profile] james_davis_nicoll


11 digital issues of The Official BattleTech Magazine from Catalyst Game Labs, Shrapnel.

Bundle of Holding: BattleTech Shrapnel 2
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[personal profile] james_davis_nicoll


One day the General will be victorious. Earth will be his! Humanity will be exterminated!

However, today is the General’s day off.

Mr. Villain’s Day Off, volume 1 by Yuu Morikawa

Heads up for the Pacific

Jul. 29th, 2025 09:28 pm
james_davis_nicoll: (Default)
[personal profile] james_davis_nicoll
8.7 quake in Siberia, tsunami warning across the Pacific.

Online Event

Jul. 29th, 2025 09:00 am
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[personal profile] marthawells
Tomorrow (Wednesday the 30th) Summer of Science Fiction & Fantasy: Martha Wells in conversation with Kate Elliott

July 30 @ 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm PT Register at this link:

https://www.clarionwest.org/event/summer-of-science-fiction-fantasy-martha-wells-in-conversation-with-kate-elliott/

It's free!

Angel Station by Walter Jon Williams

Jul. 29th, 2025 08:54 am
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[personal profile] james_davis_nicoll


Two orphans try to make a living in an unforgiving universe.

Angel Station by Walter Jon Williams
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English-language ebooks of Apocalisse and Inferno, the Acheron Games campaign settings based on the Book of Revelation and the Divine Comedy for Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition and compatible systems.

Bundle of Holding: Apocalisse & Inferno

Clarke Award Finalists 2007

Jul. 28th, 2025 09:36 am
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[personal profile] james_davis_nicoll
2007: The Blair government is rocked by rumours of Tory-style corruption, Matty Hull’s killers escape justice and are free to kill again, while the global financial markets to which the UK belongs are absolutely secure and in no way headed for a shocking correction.


Poll #33435 Clarke Award Finalists 2007
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 14


Which 2007 Clarke Award Finalists Have You Read?

View Answers

Nova Swing by M. John Harrison
9 (64.3%)

End of the World Blues by Jon Courtenay Grimwood
3 (21.4%)

Gradisil by Adam Roberts
3 (21.4%)

Hav by Jan Morris
7 (50.0%)

Oh Pure and Radiant Heart by Lydia Millet
0 (0.0%)

Streaking by Brian Stableford
0 (0.0%)



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

Which 2007 Clarke Award Finalists Have You Read?
Nova Swing by M. John Harrison
End of the World Blues by Jon Courtenay Grimwood
Gradisil by Adam Roberts

Hav by Jan Morris
Oh Pure and Radiant Heart by Lydia Millet
Streaking by Brian Stableford
james_davis_nicoll: (Default)
[personal profile] james_davis_nicoll
The quoted material below is quoted material.

I wrote in 2022 that the election system used by WSFS should be changed. At present, the rules for electing the Mark Protection Committee, the body charged with ensuring that the intellectual property of WSFS is protected, are set out in Standing Rule 6.2:

Voting shall be by written preferential ballot with write-in votes allowed. Votes for write-in candidates who do not submit written consent to nomination to the Presiding Officer before the close of balloting shall be ignored. The ballot shall list each nominee’s name. The first seat filled shall be by normal preferential ballot procedures as defined in Section 6.4 of the WSFS Constitution. There shall be no run-off candidate. After a seat is filled, votes for the elected member shall be eliminated before conducting the next ballot. This procedure shall continue until all seats are filled. In the event of a first-place tie for any seat, the tie shall be broken unless all tied candidates can be elected simultaneously. Should there be any partial-term vacancies on the committee, the partial-term seat(s) shall be filled after the full-term seats have been filled.

I warned that this carries the risk that a single faction with roughly half of the total votes could win every single seat and squeeze out other viewpoints.

My warning has come dramatically true.

Books Received, July 19 to July 25

Jul. 26th, 2025 09:13 am
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[personal profile] james_davis_nicoll


Eight works new to me. Mostly novels but there are two tabletop roleplaying rule books in there. Four are fantasies (including the ttrpgs), one seems to be horror, one non-fiction, and two are SF. Four could be said to be series books and other four appear to be stand-alone.

Books Received, July 19 to July 25


Poll #33429 Books Received, July 19 to July 25
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 58


Which of these look interesting?

View Answers

Stone and Sky by Ben Aaronovitch (July 2025)
35 (60.3%)

The Adventure of the Demonic Ox by Lois McMaster Bujold (July 2025)
34 (58.6%)

They Call Her Regret by Channelle Desamours (February 2026)
4 (6.9%)

Sky on Fire by E. K. Johnston (July 2025)
15 (25.9%)

The Rainseekers by Matthew Kressel (February 2026)
10 (17.2%)

Warhammer: the Old World Roleplaying Game, Gamemaster’s Guide by Dominic McDowall and Pádraig Murphy et al (Q1 2026)
4 (6.9%)

Warhammer: the Old World Roleplaying Game, Player’s Guideby Dominic McDowall and Pádraig Murphy et al (Q1 2026)
4 (6.9%)

Starlost Unauthorized by D G Valdron (October 2024)
18 (31.0%)

Some other option (see comments)
0 (0.0%)

Cats!
37 (63.8%)

July 2025

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