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james_davis_nicoll) wrote2025-07-05 09:01 am
james_davis_nicoll) wrote2025-07-05 09:01 amEntry tags:
Books Received, June 28 — July 4
Four works new to me. One is SF, two fantasy, and the magazine (which I have not yet looked inside) likely both. Two of the novels are series novels, one does not seem to me.
Books Received, June 28 — July 4
Poll #33326 Books Received, June 28 — July 4
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 28
Which of these look interesting?
View Answers
FIYAH No. 35: Black Isekai published by FIYAH Literary Magazine (July 2025)
14 (50.0%)
Aces Full edited by George R. R. Martin (November 2025)
1 (3.6%)
Only Spell Deep by Ava Morgyn (March 2026)
4 (14.3%)
The Damned by Harper L. Woods (October 2025)
1 (3.6%)
Some other option (see comments)
0 (0.0%)
Cats!
23 (82.1%)
james_davis_nicoll (james_davis_nicoll) wrote2025-07-04 08:58 am
james_davis_nicoll) wrote2025-07-04 08:58 amEntry tags:
The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Ninety years after her grandmother's family was stalked by a witch, international student Minerva Contrera's studies land her in a similar position.
The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
kevin_standlee (kevin_standlee) wrote2025-07-03 11:27 pm
kevin_standlee) wrote2025-07-03 11:27 pm
Entry tags:
On to Westercon
I got away from home at 5:30, but immediately had to stop for fuel because I forgot to refuel last night. I also stopped in Reno to grab a breakfast sandwich, Donner Summit for the rest area, Colfax for coffee and a restroom, Lodi Junction to refuel, Livermore for coffee, and Fremont to buy Kayla some nail polish remover because she forgot to pack some, before getting to the Marriott about 1:30 PM. That's really good time for me. I managed to miss Reno and Sacramento's rush hours, and when I reached the Bay Area, I was going against the holiday get-away traffic.
( Moving In )
I am not sure if I'll post much about the convention while it's going on. Friday in particular is super-busy, with the Preliminary WSFS Business Meeting online at 9 AM, and the Opening Ceremony of BayCon/Westercon at 1 PM, followed by Site Selection opening at 2:30 PM. Furthermore, I personally am not going to be around the convention. I've delegated everything to Kayla. And I'm clearly not going to get enough sleep, which is bad.
( Moving In )
I am not sure if I'll post much about the convention while it's going on. Friday in particular is super-busy, with the Preliminary WSFS Business Meeting online at 9 AM, and the Opening Ceremony of BayCon/Westercon at 1 PM, followed by Site Selection opening at 2:30 PM. Furthermore, I personally am not going to be around the convention. I've delegated everything to Kayla. And I'm clearly not going to get enough sleep, which is bad.
james_davis_nicoll (james_davis_nicoll) wrote2025-07-03 10:34 pm
james_davis_nicoll) wrote2025-07-03 10:34 pmEvery time I run something
I embrace new tools. In Fabula Ultima, for example, the order in which characters go in combat varies. I found it hard to keep track of who'd gone, so I went out and got poker chips and little round labels. Now, I can just toss the chips representing characters into a bowl once they've gone. Order!
OK, except it turns out I can't tell blue from green under the ceiling light in the room where I DM and the names on the labels need to be bigger.
OK, except it turns out I can't tell blue from green under the ceiling light in the room where I DM and the names on the labels need to be bigger.
mdlbear (mdlbear) wrote2025-07-03 05:51 pm
mdlbear) wrote2025-07-03 05:51 pm
Entry tags:
Thankful Thursday
Today I am thankful for...
- Rain, and a change in the weather. Hot weather is part of why I'm glad I left San Jose. But there are still a lot of things I miss.
- Spreadable blue cheese. Gazpacho in hot weather. A fridge with a working ice maker.
- Pipes (in the Unix sense),
bash, andgrep. Honorable mentions tolocate,column, andunits. - Cuddly cats.
james_davis_nicoll (james_davis_nicoll) wrote2025-07-03 08:56 am
james_davis_nicoll) wrote2025-07-03 08:56 amEntry tags:
Blight (Sleep of Reason, volume 2) by Rachel A. Rosen
Director of the nation formerly known as Canada Quinn Atherton is determined to deliver much mass murder as it takes to achieve peace, order, good government. Why do so many ingrates object?
Blight(Sleep of Reason, volume 2) by Rachel A. Rosen
james_davis_nicoll (james_davis_nicoll) wrote2025-07-02 11:51 pm
james_davis_nicoll) wrote2025-07-02 11:51 pmMy alt-Mummy film
The inspiration being the 1999 Mummy movie is not without problematic elements.
Imagine an Egyptian film company wanting to make a movie about idiots waking a horror in Canada that only the Egyptian lead can resolve.
( Read more... )
Imagine an Egyptian film company wanting to make a movie about idiots waking a horror in Canada that only the Egyptian lead can resolve.
( Read more... )
kevin_standlee (kevin_standlee) wrote2025-07-02 06:18 pm
kevin_standlee) wrote2025-07-02 06:18 pm
Entry tags:
Packing for Westercon
Because I'm driving to Westercon instead of flying, I can be more expansive in my packing and don't have to fit everything into one (or at most two) bags. That's both good and bad. The good part is not having to work so hard packing. The bad part is carrying way too much stuff. But I guess it's sort of good practice for Worldcon. I sprung for first class for the flight to Seattle, so I get two checked bags, and based on what I've been packing for Westercon, I think I'll need it. Mind you, I won't be taking an extra Banker's Box of Westercon gear with me to Seattle, which will help.
Tomorrow's plan is for me to get away from Fernley as early as possible. I typically am up around 3 or 3:30 AM on Thursdays anyway, so if I can make an early start, I should be able to get to the hotel and get moved in fairly early. I'm I'm lucky, I won't get tangled up in any of the commute-time traffic, save possibly the morning Sacramento commute. Wish me luck!
Tomorrow's plan is for me to get away from Fernley as early as possible. I typically am up around 3 or 3:30 AM on Thursdays anyway, so if I can make an early start, I should be able to get to the hotel and get moved in fairly early. I'm I'm lucky, I won't get tangled up in any of the commute-time traffic, save possibly the morning Sacramento commute. Wish me luck!
james_davis_nicoll (james_davis_nicoll) wrote2025-07-02 02:46 pm
james_davis_nicoll) wrote2025-07-02 02:46 pmEntry tags:
Bundle of Holding: The Dark Eye MEGA (from 2023)
The June 2023 Dark Eye Megabundle featuring the English-language edition from Ulisses Spiele of the leading German tabletop roleplaying game of heroic fantasy, The Dark Eye.
Bundle of Holding: The Dark Eye MEGA (from 2023)
ffutures (ffutures) wrote2025-07-02 07:09 pm
ffutures) wrote2025-07-02 07:09 pmAnother Repeat Bundle - The Dark Eye
This is a repeat of a 2023 bundle offering material for one of the oldest fantasy RPGs - The Dark Eye, a German system from from Ulisses Spiele, which has been in print since 1984 and has a ton of support material. This offer covers the 2016 English translation of the system, and is aimed at newcomers to the system. Some of it has been in previous bundles:
https://bundleofholding.com/presents/2025DarkEye
In 2023 (and on at least one previous occasion) I said "I'm not hugely into fantasy RPGs, I played way too many in the eighties and sort of lost the plot, but this looks pretty good, the art is excellent, and you get a huge amount for your money. And some things look like some actual thought has gone into them - for example, most of the depictions of women show them wearing sensible clothes for adventuring, with the balance of the sexes roughly even. The rules look comprehensible, though a little more complicated than I like, and (I repeat) you get a hell of a lot for your money. Recommended!
I wonder if there has ever been a German version of this offer - it might be interesting for linguists etc. or (of course) for German gamers, but since these bundles are organised by Americans I won't hold my breath waiting...
I don't see any reason to change any of this - it's not a system I particularly want to use, but it's very good value, and well worth a look if you're into fantasy RPGs. My main caveat considering that it has been in bundles several times is that it may be worth checking how much of it you already own, and whether it would be cheaper just to buy the bits you don't have and will actually use. Incidentally, the current offer explicitly states that no German versions are included.
https://bundleofholding.com/presents/2025DarkEye
In 2023 (and on at least one previous occasion) I said "I'm not hugely into fantasy RPGs, I played way too many in the eighties and sort of lost the plot, but this looks pretty good, the art is excellent, and you get a huge amount for your money. And some things look like some actual thought has gone into them - for example, most of the depictions of women show them wearing sensible clothes for adventuring, with the balance of the sexes roughly even. The rules look comprehensible, though a little more complicated than I like, and (I repeat) you get a hell of a lot for your money. Recommended!
I wonder if there has ever been a German version of this offer - it might be interesting for linguists etc. or (of course) for German gamers, but since these bundles are organised by Americans I won't hold my breath waiting...
I don't see any reason to change any of this - it's not a system I particularly want to use, but it's very good value, and well worth a look if you're into fantasy RPGs. My main caveat considering that it has been in bundles several times is that it may be worth checking how much of it you already own, and whether it would be cheaper just to buy the bits you don't have and will actually use. Incidentally, the current offer explicitly states that no German versions are included.
james_davis_nicoll (james_davis_nicoll) wrote2025-07-02 08:52 am
james_davis_nicoll) wrote2025-07-02 08:52 amEntry tags:
Touring After the Apocalypse, volume 5 by Sakae Saito
Youko and Airi meet a new friend and encounter Chekov's Volcano.
Touring After the Apocalypse, volume 5 by Sakae Saito
james_davis_nicoll (james_davis_nicoll) wrote2025-07-01 06:02 pm
james_davis_nicoll) wrote2025-07-01 06:02 pm2025 CSFFA Hall of Fame Inductees
The quotation below is a quotation
Congratulations to the Inductees!
CSFFA (The Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Association) is proud to announce the 2025 CSFFA Hall of Fame inductees.
Clint Budd, fan, convention organizer, modernized CSFFA and created the CSFFA Hall of Fame
Charles R. Saunders, author, journalist, and founder of the “sword and soul” literary genre
Diane L. Walton, editor, mentor, and a founding member of On Spec: The Canadian Magazine of the Fantastic
More information here.
Congratulations to the Inductees!
james_davis_nicoll (james_davis_nicoll) wrote2025-07-01 09:02 am
james_davis_nicoll) wrote2025-07-01 09:02 amThe Dreamstone (Ealdwood, volume 1) by C J Cherryh
Only the brave, the arrogant, the naïve, or the desperate Men trespass in Arafel's Ealdwood. Into which category does the latest visitor fall?
The Dreamstone (Ealdwood, volume 1) by C J Cherryh
james_davis_nicoll (james_davis_nicoll) wrote2025-07-01 08:58 am
james_davis_nicoll) wrote2025-07-01 08:58 amEntry tags:
July 2025 Patreon Boost
Jealous of all the people who support Aurora-finalist James Nicoll Reviews? Want to join them? Here are your options:
July 2025 Patreon Boost
mdlbear (mdlbear) wrote2025-07-01 11:25 am
mdlbear) wrote2025-07-01 11:25 am"Rabbit rabbit rabbit!"
Welcome to July, 2025!
It's worth noting that "happy" is a very rare mood tag these days. The last time I used it was in 2019, after Mom's 99th birthday party.
james_davis_nicoll (james_davis_nicoll) wrote2025-06-30 03:44 pm
james_davis_nicoll) wrote2025-06-30 03:44 pmEntry tags:
Bundle of Holding: Broken Tales
The English-language rulebook and supplements for Broken Tales, the tabletop fantasy roleplaying game of upside-down fairy tales from Italian game publisher The World Anvil Publishing.
Bundle of Holding: Broken Tales
ffutures (ffutures) wrote2025-06-30 07:24 pm
ffutures) wrote2025-06-30 07:24 pmAnother Fantasy Bundle - Broken Tales
This is the Broken Tales Bundle featuring the "FRPG of grim upside-down fairy tales where villains seek redemption" and unfortunately the good guys aren't necessarily good...
https://bundleofholding.com/presents/BrokenTales
I'll be honest, I think that this is one of those ideas that only works well as a one-off scenario or an occasional break from a more normal style of play. Expecting every evil stepmother to be misunderstood and every downtrodden orphan to be a psychopathic killer gets old fast. But it's cheap and should give a few hours of fun if you want to give it a try.
https://bundleofholding.com/presents/BrokenTales
I'll be honest, I think that this is one of those ideas that only works well as a one-off scenario or an occasional break from a more normal style of play. Expecting every evil stepmother to be misunderstood and every downtrodden orphan to be a psychopathic killer gets old fast. But it's cheap and should give a few hours of fun if you want to give it a try.