The Science Behind Torchships
Don't expect them any time soon.
https://reactormag.com/the-science-behind-torchships/
#ReacTor
Remote
James Davis Nicoll
@jdnicoll@wandering.shop
mastodon 4.7.3Essays @ http://tor.com. Ursacki winner. 6x Hugo finalist. Editor, 6x Aurora-nominated Young People Read Old SFF. CSFFA Hall of Fame nominee. Perennial Darwin Award nominee.
1559 Followers
1138 Following
31 Posts
Joined November 27, 2022
Boosted by @cstross@wandering.shop
Dan Simmons (April 4, 1948 – February 21, 2026)
Noted author, bigot Dan Simmons reported dead of stroke.
Use of Weapons by Iain M. Banks
What transformed Cheradenine Zakalwe into the superlative Special Circumstances asset he is today?
The Secret Of The Old Clock (Nancy Drew, volume 1) by Mildred Wirt Benson
16-year-old Nancy Drew resolves to find a missing will in a bid to deny the distastefully nouveau riche Tophams the elevated status to which they aspire.
https://jamesdavisnicoll.com/review/professor-confidence
#bookstodon
The Praxis (Dread Empire's Fall, volume 1) by Walter Jon Williams
The Shaa conquered the universe. Soon, there will be no Shaa. Who will take their place?
Is Science Fiction Better Off Without Torchships?
It's a case of limitations leading to more interesting plots and settings...
https://reactormag.com/is-science-fiction-better-off-without-torchships/
#ReacTor
The Player of Games by Iain M. Banks
A gaming adept is used as a weapon against a malevolent empire.
https://jamesdavisnicoll.com/review/burning-it-down
#bookstodon
Green City Wars by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Down these mean streets a raccoon must go who is not himself mean, who is neither tarnished nor afraid.
https://jamesdavisnicoll.com/review/light
#bookstodon
Platform Decay (Murderbot, volume 8) by Martha Wells
Once again, the need to rescue friends distracts Murderbot from its shows.
https://jamesdavisnicoll.com/review/all-my-empathys-a-disaster
#bookstodon
Darksight Dare (Penric & Desdemona, volume 16) by Lois McMaster Bujold
Can two intractable problems could be mutual solutions?
https://jamesdavisnicoll.com/review/locked-inside-my-memory
#bookstodon
Boosted by @cstross@wandering.shop
Night of the Living Cat, volume 1 by Hawkman & Mecha-Roots
Humanity faces its final threat: the common house cat!
https://jamesdavisnicoll.com/review/the-very-next-day
A novel approach to proton-boron 11 fusion.
p+B11 is aneutronic (although the side-reactions aren't) and B11 is comparatively abundant in the Earth's crust.
Unquenchable Fire (Unquenchable Fire, volume 1) by Rachel Pollack
Chosen One Jennifer Mazdan would prefer to let destiny's call go through to voice mail.
Bundle of Holding: Downcrawl-Skycrawl
Downcrawl and Skycrawl, twin toolkits from designer Aaron A. Reed that help you create spontaneous tabletop roleplaying adventures in the Deep, Deep Down and the Azure Etern.
The Queen of Air and Darkness and Other Stories by Poul Anderson
How much of the universe does *science as we know it* open to us?
https://jamesdavisnicoll.com/review/by-klonos-superalloy-slide-rule
#bookstodon
A reminder to Canadian citizens and permanent residents: you have but a day to vote on the Aurora Awards!
I am but one of the eligible candidates. Each of us is as Canadian as possible under the circumstances. More information below.
A Long and Speaking Silence (Singing Hills, volume 7) by Nghi Vo
A novice cleric is caught up in a refugee crisis.
April 2026 in Review
22 works reviewed. 12 by women (55%), 10 by men (45%), 0 by non-binary authors (0%), 0 by authors whose gender is unknown (0%), and 9 by POC (41%), one of which was my 1000th work by a POC. Also, I was nominated for two awards.
Dragon Sword And Wind Child (Tales of the Magatama, volume 1) by Noriko Ogiwara (Translated by Cathy Hirano)
Saya's infatuation with Prince Tsukishiro is but another move in a long-running struggle on whose outcome existence itself depends.
This Insubstantial Pageant by Kate Story
Desperate passengers and crew escape their ailing starship, only to find an angry, vengeful oligarch waiting to greet them.
https://jamesdavisnicoll.com/review/forbidden-planet
#bookstodon
Bundle of Holding: Traveller JTAS (from 2024)
The first 12 volumes of the Journal of the Travellers' Aid Society, the guides for the Traveller tabletop science fiction roleplaying game from Mongoose Publishing.
Bundle of Holding: Traveller Mercenaries (from 2023)
The third Traveller bundle for this week, the Traveller Mercenaries Bundle, features soldier-for-hire supplements and adventures for the 2020 2nd Edition Traveller SF TTRPG game line from Mongoose Publishing.
A Mirror For Observers by Edgar Pangborn
Aliens contend over the fate of a remarkable boy.
The Killing Spell by Shay Kauwe
Kea must solve a murder to save her community.
Witch Hat Atelier, volume 14 by Kamome Shirahama
Coco and chums have an innovative cure for the monster currently rampaging through town... an innovative cure from which a diligent cop is determined to protect society.
May 2026 Patreon Boost
James Nicoll Reviews offers readers reviews of a wide variety of works, as well as the opportunity to point out typos and broken links five days out of seven!
You can help fund James Nicoll Reviews in several ways.
Bundle of Holding: Traveller Great Rift (2022)
The Traveller Great Rift Bundle features void-spanning campaign sets for the Second Edition Traveller tabletop roleplaying game line from Mongoose Publishing.
https://bundleofholding.com/presents/2026GreatRift
#BundleOfHolding
Bundle of Holding: Traveller Imperial Navy (New)
The second of five Traveller bundles this week; tour the Third Imperium space fleet in Traveller, the tabletop science fiction roleplaying game from Mongoose Publishing.
https://bundleofholding.com/presents/ImperialNavy
#BundleOfHolding
Bundle of Holding: Traveller Update (from 2024)
The first of five Traveller bundles this week; rulebooks and ship sourcebooks for the Second Edition Traveller tabletop science fiction roleplaying game line from Mongoose Publishing.
Books Received, April 18 — April 24
Four books new to me. Three fantasy, one horror (maybe?) and at least one is part of a series.
https://jamesdavisnicoll.com/post/books-received-april-18-april-24-2
Bundle of Holding: Voidrunner's Codex
The complete Voidrunner's Codex Full Digital Box Set, the spacefaring expansion from EN Publishing for the Level Up! tabletop roleplaying game and Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition.