Books Received, July 12 — July 19
Jul. 19th, 2025 08:53 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
james_davis_nicoll
Four works new to me. three novels, one TTRPG supplement. Two appear to be fantasy, one SF, and one is a mystery (by an author famous for their fantasy). Two appear to be stand-alone and two are series.
Books Received, July 12 — July 19
Poll #33375 Books Received, July 12 — July 19
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 38
Which of these look interesting?
View Answers
The Bloody and the Damned by Becca Coffindaffer (April 2026)
12 (31.6%)
Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay: Sea Wardens of Cothique by Dave Allen, Dominic McDowall, Michael Duxbury, Jude Hornborg, Naomi Hunter, Steven Lewis, Simon Wileman, et al (4th Quarter, 2025)
1 (2.6%)
Boy, With Accidental Dinosaur by Ian McDonald (February 2026)
18 (47.4%)
Enola Holmes and the Clanging Coffin by Nancy Springer (February 2026)
11 (28.9%)
Some other option (see comments)
0 (0.0%)
Cats!
27 (71.1%)
Checking in on Our Old Friend, Barnard’s Star
Jul. 18th, 2025 10:03 amjames_davis_nicoll
In case you've been waiting for an update for the last seven years...
Checking in on Our Old Friend, Barnard’s Star
Club Contango (Tracerverse, volume 2) by Eliane Boey
Jul. 18th, 2025 09:05 amjames_davis_nicoll
Terrible life choices gave Connie Lam a mountain of debt. The most recent poor decision left her as the lead suspect in a murder case.
Club Contango (Tracerverse, volume 2) by Eliane Boey
Young People Read Old Nebula Finalists: Red As Blood by Tanith Lee
Jul. 17th, 2025 09:32 amjames_davis_nicoll
The Young People react to Tanith Lee's retelling of a classic fairy tale.
Young People Read Old Nebula Finalists: Red As Blood by Tanith Lee
Unwillingly to Earth by Pauline Ashwell
Jul. 17th, 2025 08:55 amjames_davis_nicoll
A teenager's social engineering skills are harnessed for good.
Unwillingly to Earth by Pauline Ashwell
Another Fantasy Bundle - Battlezoo
Jul. 17th, 2025 06:12 amffuturesThis is an offer for the Battlezoo Bundle, featuring Fifth Edition monsters and monster hunters from Roll for Combat. This offer helps Roll for Combat as it deals with the creditors of bankrupt Diamond Comic Distributors, who have seized many publishers' unsold stock.
https://bundleofholding.com/p
This isn't really my sort of thing, since I don't play any relevant system, but it does suggest an often overlooked twist on fantasy monsters for anyone who needs it - hunting them down for potions ingredients and magical raw materials, rather than killing them to get past them and find treasure. Of course this probably pushes the species towards extinction, but maybe someone will write up a gamekeeper / conservation organization for this, or something like PETA or the RSPCA working to see monsters killed humanely...
https://bundleofholding.com/p
This isn't really my sort of thing, since I don't play any relevant system, but it does suggest an often overlooked twist on fantasy monsters for anyone who needs it - hunting them down for potions ingredients and magical raw materials, rather than killing them to get past them and find treasure. Of course this probably pushes the species towards extinction, but maybe someone will write up a gamekeeper / conservation organization for this, or something like PETA or the RSPCA working to see monsters killed humanely...
Bundle of Holding: Battlezoo
Jul. 16th, 2025 02:17 pmjames_davis_nicollThe Battlezoo Bundle presents the Battlezoo line of monsters and monster hunters from Roll for Combat for D&D 5E and compatible tabletop roleplaying systems, compiled from winning designs from the annual RPG Superstars competition.
Bundle of Holding: Battlezoo
Red Sword by Bora Chung (Translated by Anton Hur)
Jul. 16th, 2025 08:57 amjames_davis_nicoll
The only fate more glorious than dying for the uncaring empire is dying over and over for the uncaring empire.
Red Sword by Bora Chung (Translated by Anton Hur)
A Maze of Stars by John Brunner
Jul. 15th, 2025 09:07 amjames_davis_nicoll
An intelligent ship crisscrosses space-time to track the progress of the colonies it established
A Maze of Stars by John Brunner
Why Do I Love Charts? Let Me Count the Ways.
Jul. 14th, 2025 02:14 pmjames_davis_nicoll
Charts hold back chaos, and we should sing their praises!
Why Do I Love Charts? Let Me Count the Ways.
Bundle of Holding: Hearts of Wulin
Jul. 14th, 2025 02:08 pmjames_davis_nicoll
This new Hearts of Wulin Bundle presents Hearts of Wulin, the tabletop roleplaying game of Chinese wuxia action melodrama from Age of Ravens Games.
Bundle of Holding: Hearts of Wulin
Another Games Bundle - Hearts of Wulin
Jul. 14th, 2025 06:32 pmffuturesThis is an offer of Hearts of Wulin, featuring "the Apocalypse Engine game of Chinese wuxia melodrama."
https://bundleofholding.com/presents/HeartsOfWulin
The main game material was in a previous bundle, this bundle adds three new supplements, including one for running detective mysteries in the style of Judge Dee etc. The whole lot is very cheap, and for once I don't think it's going to be worth cherry-picking if you're even slightly interested. I should probably add that I know very little about wuxia as a genre - there may be other games out there that handle it better.
https://bundleofholding.com/presents/HeartsOfWulin
The main game material was in a previous bundle, this bundle adds three new supplements, including one for running detective mysteries in the style of Judge Dee etc. The whole lot is very cheap, and for once I don't think it's going to be worth cherry-picking if you're even slightly interested. I should probably add that I know very little about wuxia as a genre - there may be other games out there that handle it better.
Clarke Award Finalists 2005
Jul. 14th, 2025 10:27 amjames_davis_nicoll2005: The Ulster Volunteer Force struggles to grasp the meaning of the term “ceasefire”, Britain is astonished by the unlikely coincidence that every known WWI veteran is over 100 years of age, and in what some experts hope is a sign Britain has begun to emerge from chaos after the retreat of the Roman Empire, Dr Who is revived.
Bold for have read, italic for intend to read,, underline for never heard of it.
Which 2005 Clarke Award Finalists Have You Read?
Iron Council by China Miéville
Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
Market Forces by Richard Morgan
River of Gods by Ian McDonald
The System of the World by Neal Stephenson
The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
Poll #33355 Clarke Award Finalists 2005
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 44
Which 2005 Clarke Award Finalists Have You Read?
View Answers
Iron Council by China Miéville
16 (36.4%)
Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
13 (29.5%)
Market Forces by Richard Morgan
8 (18.2%)
River of Gods by Ian McDonald
12 (27.3%)
The System of the World by Neal Stephenson
20 (45.5%)
The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
15 (34.1%)
Bold for have read, italic for intend to read,, underline for never heard of it.
Which 2005 Clarke Award Finalists Have You Read?
Iron Council by China Miéville
Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
Market Forces by Richard Morgan
River of Gods by Ian McDonald
The System of the World by Neal Stephenson
The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger