Bundle of Holding: Cornucopia 2025
Nov. 24th, 2025 01:59 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
james_davis_nicoll
Bundle of Holding's 13th annual feast of top-quality tabletop roleplaying game ebooks.
Bundle of Holding: Cornucopia 2025
james_davis_nicollBundle of Holding's 13th annual feast of top-quality tabletop roleplaying game ebooks.
Bundle of Holding: Cornucopia 2025
Clarke Award Finalists 2023
Nov. 24th, 2025 09:19 amjames_davis_nicoll2023: King Charles III is the most unpopular British King in the last 60-odd years, Health Secretary Matt Hancock and Cabinet Secretary Simon Case’s comic routine is poorly received, and Sunak’s government ushers in a golden age of soaring STD rates.
Bold for have read, italic for intend to read, underline for never heard of it.
Which 2023 Clarke Award Finalists Have You Read?
Venomous Lumpsucker by Ned Beauman
Metronome by Tom Watson
Plutoshine by Lucy Kissick
The Anomaly (translation of L'anomalie) by Hervé Le Tellier
The Coral Bones by E. J. Swift
The Red Scholar's Wake by Aliette de Bodard
Poll #33874 Clarke Award Finalists 2023
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 18
Which 2023 Clarke Award Finalists Have You Read?
View Answers
Venomous Lumpsucker by Ned Beauman
4 (22.2%)
Metronome by Tom Watson
0 (0.0%)
Plutoshine by Lucy Kissick
1 (5.6%)
The Anomaly (translation of L'anomalie) by Hervé Le Tellier
0 (0.0%)
The Coral Bones by E. J. Swift
0 (0.0%)
The Red Scholar's Wake by Aliette de Bodard
15 (83.3%)
Bold for have read, italic for intend to read, underline for never heard of it.
Which 2023 Clarke Award Finalists Have You Read?
Venomous Lumpsucker by Ned Beauman
Metronome by Tom Watson
Plutoshine by Lucy Kissick
The Anomaly (translation of L'anomalie) by Hervé Le Tellier
The Coral Bones by E. J. Swift
The Red Scholar's Wake by Aliette de Bodard
The Coming Golden Age of Used Books
Nov. 24th, 2025 08:51 amjames_davis_nicoll
Just as the Great Fire of Rome was a boon for the building trade, so too will a modern catastrophe be a boon for used book stores.
The Coming Golden Age of Used Books
Benefits by Zoë Fairbairns
Nov. 23rd, 2025 09:19 amjames_davis_nicoll
Mother's Benefits become the means by which British governments provide British women with the same benevolent management Britain once provided to India, Ireland, and Africa.
Benefits by Zoë Fairbairns
Books Received, November 15 to November 21, 2025
Nov. 22nd, 2025 09:13 amjames_davis_nicoll
Three books new to me. All are fantasies, two are series.
Books Received, November 15 to November 21, 2025
Poll #33866 Books Received, November 15 to November 21, 2025
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 45
Which of these upcoming books look interesting?
View Answers
Mother of Death and Dawn by Carissa Broadbent (March 2026)
4 (8.9%)
Tides of Fortune by Lauryn Hamilton Murray (June 2026)
1 (2.2%)
Everybody’s Perfect by Jo Walton (June 2026)
34 (75.6%)
Some other option (see comments)
0 (0.0%)
Cats!
31 (68.9%)
If I ever found myself in possession of a vast fortune
Nov. 21st, 2025 10:56 pmjames_davis_nicollI would definitely found an SF magazine.
Most mags struggle with handling submissions but I had a moment of insight: all I need to do is tell writers to send me _good_ stories. Their crap, they can submit elsewhere. Bang! Workload down by 99%.
Most mags struggle with handling submissions but I had a moment of insight: all I need to do is tell writers to send me _good_ stories. Their crap, they can submit elsewhere. Bang! Workload down by 99%.
The Door on the Sea (The Raven and the Eagle, volume 1) by Caskey Russell
Nov. 21st, 2025 09:10 amjames_davis_nicoll
A young scholar and his diverse companions are dispatched on an intelligence-gathering mission deep into enemy territory.
The Door on the Sea (The Raven and the Eagle, volume 1) by Caskey Russell
podcast friday
Nov. 21st, 2025 06:54 amsabotabby This has been a great week for podcasts, which I'm sure will spill into next week as I'm still catching up. And in particular I'm on a pre-modern history kick. So what's more fun than adding dragons to that? Wizards & Spaceships' "How To Write a Kickass Fantasy Battle ft. Suzannah Rowntree" looks at the myths and truths behind medieval warfare and how you can apply those to fantasy writing. Inspired by the research she had to do for her own novels, which are historical fantasy, and Russia's war on Ukraine, Suzannah wrote an accessible guide to writing battles for those of us who will probably never set foot in a war zone. She talks about who gets it right, who gets it wrong, and why you shouldn't leave your comfy castle during a siege.
The Animals in That Country by Laura Jean McKay
Nov. 20th, 2025 09:09 amjames_davis_nicoll
A park guide's life is upended by a pandemic and her charming, idiot son.
The Animals in That Country by Laura Jean McKay
Watching The Adventures of Superman
Nov. 19th, 2025 06:37 pmjames_davis_nicoll"Could it be that (Superman) hides behind the darkest disguise of all? Could it be that he is a woman?"
"(...) What made you ask that?"
"Because he has compassion. He aids people in trouble. He helps the weak. "
It is possible the bad guy in The Secret of Superman has issues.
"(...) What made you ask that?"
"Because he has compassion. He aids people in trouble. He helps the weak. "
It is possible the bad guy in The Secret of Superman has issues.
Bundle of Holding: Yeld 2E
Nov. 19th, 2025 01:59 pmjames_davis_nicoll
This new Yeld 2E Bundle presents the 2024 Second Edition of The Magical Land of Yeld, the all-ages tabletop fantasy roleplaying game from Atarashi Games about young heroes (called Friends) finding their way home.
Bundle of Holding: Yeld 2E
james_davis_nicoll
Civilization has crashed, humanity may be virtually extinct, but library books must be returned to their proper facility!
The Color of the End: Mission in the Apocalypse, volume 2 by Haruo Iwamune (Translated by John Neal)
Reading Wednesday
Nov. 19th, 2025 06:44 amsabotabbyJust finished: Kalivas! Or, Another Tempest by Nick Mamatas. This was excellent—basically what I said last week, then it gets super weird at the end (much like Girls Against God did, except that unlike that one, I enjoyed the more narratively straightforward first three quarters of the book). I'm not educated enough to know if there are other authors besides, say, Silvia Federici, who really explore Prospero-as-colonizer, but I do think Nick might be the only one to tie that to a cyberpunk future, in particular our cyberpunk present where dystopia is driven primarily by billionaires' fear of death and fantasies of immortality. Which is to say there's a lot going on in this little book and you should check it out.
Currently reading: To Leave a Warrior Behind: The Life and Stories of Charles R. Saunders, the Man Who Rewrote Fantasy by Jon Tattrie. You ever read a bio of someone you've never heard of? It's an interesting experience. It's kind of shameful that I hadn't heard of Charles R. Saunders until his induction into the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame this year, but that's kind of the point—he died broke and unknown and was buried in an unmarked grave before his friends and fans figured out where he was and crowdfunded a memorial. He was a Black author and journalist from the US who fled the draft and eventually settled in Halifax, and he pioneered the genre of sword and soul, which is Conan-inspired stories set in fantasy Africa. Again. Hadn't heard of it. Tattrie worked with and was friends with Saunders (he was one of the aforementioned crowdfunders) so Saunders' life story is interwoven with Tattrie's investigation into what happened to him and why. He also gets a big assist from Charles de Lint (!!) who kept all of the many letters that Saunders wrote to him. I am reading this for podcast-related reasons but I'm genuinely fascinated by this story and will probably check out Saunders' novels based on this if I can find them.
Currently reading: To Leave a Warrior Behind: The Life and Stories of Charles R. Saunders, the Man Who Rewrote Fantasy by Jon Tattrie. You ever read a bio of someone you've never heard of? It's an interesting experience. It's kind of shameful that I hadn't heard of Charles R. Saunders until his induction into the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame this year, but that's kind of the point—he died broke and unknown and was buried in an unmarked grave before his friends and fans figured out where he was and crowdfunded a memorial. He was a Black author and journalist from the US who fled the draft and eventually settled in Halifax, and he pioneered the genre of sword and soul, which is Conan-inspired stories set in fantasy Africa. Again. Hadn't heard of it. Tattrie worked with and was friends with Saunders (he was one of the aforementioned crowdfunders) so Saunders' life story is interwoven with Tattrie's investigation into what happened to him and why. He also gets a big assist from Charles de Lint (!!) who kept all of the many letters that Saunders wrote to him. I am reading this for podcast-related reasons but I'm genuinely fascinated by this story and will probably check out Saunders' novels based on this if I can find them.
No election
Nov. 17th, 2025 10:54 pmjames_davis_nicollNot over this budget, anyway.
It boggles me that Canada had to endure 13 days of ambiguity about the budget vote. What next, an election cycle that lasts five whole weeks? The suspense would be palpable.
It boggles me that Canada had to endure 13 days of ambiguity about the budget vote. What next, an election cycle that lasts five whole weeks? The suspense would be palpable.
It’s been a while
Nov. 17th, 2025 03:43 pmelizillaWow, I haven’t posted in ages. What has happened since July?
The mosquito traps worked well. The CO2 didn’t seem to change much. We have put them away until spring.
When we bought the lot behind our house, we agreed to leave it as a pocket wilderness. But I didn’t think that would last, and it didn’t. Steve spent the whole summer cutting things down. So I ordered 400 bulbs for him to plant, and he did. Then I ordered a lot of native wildflower seeds, which are supposed to be spread on frozen ground so they can cold stratify. We will see what we get, next spring.
My dad went on a cruise and came back with a nightmarish wound on his foot. I was afraid he would lose the foot, it was that bad, but it seems to have healed, whew! He has also had other health adventures. A melanoma on his face, and a thyroid nodule that they say is cancerous. Getting old is not for sissies.
Clara had a bladder infection and had to take a course of pills. We got through it and it cleared up. Carmello has become reluctant to spend much time outside, now that the weather is cold, but he still hasn’t visited the litter box in the basement. He hasn’t made any messes indoors, but until he shows he knows where the box is, we have to chase him out a couple times per day.
We had two more freezer-not-closed incidents and lost a lot of food. We got a new fridge. It’s an inverter compressor which should be quieter. And we got a new mattress. And I bought a new mobility scooter that can go over bad ground. My credit card bill is huge and I need to not buy anything more for a while.
The mosquito traps worked well. The CO2 didn’t seem to change much. We have put them away until spring.
When we bought the lot behind our house, we agreed to leave it as a pocket wilderness. But I didn’t think that would last, and it didn’t. Steve spent the whole summer cutting things down. So I ordered 400 bulbs for him to plant, and he did. Then I ordered a lot of native wildflower seeds, which are supposed to be spread on frozen ground so they can cold stratify. We will see what we get, next spring.
My dad went on a cruise and came back with a nightmarish wound on his foot. I was afraid he would lose the foot, it was that bad, but it seems to have healed, whew! He has also had other health adventures. A melanoma on his face, and a thyroid nodule that they say is cancerous. Getting old is not for sissies.
Clara had a bladder infection and had to take a course of pills. We got through it and it cleared up. Carmello has become reluctant to spend much time outside, now that the weather is cold, but he still hasn’t visited the litter box in the basement. He hasn’t made any messes indoors, but until he shows he knows where the box is, we have to chase him out a couple times per day.
We had two more freezer-not-closed incidents and lost a lot of food. We got a new fridge. It’s an inverter compressor which should be quieter. And we got a new mattress. And I bought a new mobility scooter that can go over bad ground. My credit card bill is huge and I need to not buy anything more for a while.
Five Reasons to Leave the House and Go Explore a Used Bookstore
Nov. 17th, 2025 12:22 pmjames_davis_nicoll
The sights, the smells... the savings!!!
Five Reasons to Leave the House and Go Explore a Used Bookstore
Clarke Award Finalists 2022
Nov. 17th, 2025 10:19 amjames_davis_nicoll2022: The British are heartened by Partygate revelations that the Tories celebrated in trust the gatherings barred to the rabble during Covid, the UK teaches the world a thing or two about political stability by going through three Prime Ministers in less than two months, and Queen Elizabeth II escapes the prospect of discovering how exactly the UK would continue its downward political arc.
Bold for have read, italic for intend to read, underline for never heard of it.
Which 2022 Clarke Award Finalists Have You Read?
Deep Wheel Orcadia by Harry Josephine Giles
A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine
A River Called Time by Courttia Newland
Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro
Skyward Inn by Aliya Whiteley
Wergen: The Alien Love War by Mercurio D. Rivera
If I say I did not hear of something, it means that it is new to me. Did I not at least glance at the Clarkes in 2022?
Poll #33843 Clarke Award Finalists 2022
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 36
Which 2022 Clarke Award Finalists Have You Read?
View Answers
Deep Wheel Orcadia by Harry Josephine Giles
0 (0.0%)
A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine
34 (94.4%)
A River Called Time by Courttia Newland
0 (0.0%)
Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro
3 (8.3%)
Skyward Inn by Aliya Whiteley
3 (8.3%)
Wergen: The Alien Love War by Mercurio D. Rivera
2 (5.6%)
Bold for have read, italic for intend to read, underline for never heard of it.
Which 2022 Clarke Award Finalists Have You Read?
Deep Wheel Orcadia by Harry Josephine Giles
A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine
A River Called Time by Courttia Newland
Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro
Skyward Inn by Aliya Whiteley
Wergen: The Alien Love War by Mercurio D. Rivera
If I say I did not hear of something, it means that it is new to me. Did I not at least glance at the Clarkes in 2022?