James Nicoll Reviews

Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, Fifth Edition by Dave Allen, Declan Aylward, Eoin Burke, Michael Congreve, TS Luikart, Dominic McDowall, Andres Montelongo, Pádraig Murphy, Clive Oldfield, Russell Thurman, Simon Wileman, et al (Spring 2027)

“A Grim World of Perilous Adventure”
Oh, for Sigmar’s sake! Don’t pretend you’re going to walk on by. We both know you can’t stay away. So ready your sword, clean your pistol, and watch out for that dog — he might be small, but he’s unreasonably vicious. 

Adventure across a realm of brutal violence, corrupting magic, monstrous foes, and desperate heroes, where fortune can turn on a single roll of the dice. Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay Fifth Edition builds on the award-winning ruleset, refining the experience while capturing everything that makes Warhammer Fantasy legendary. Gather your party, choose your path, and prepare to face the grim and perilous reality of the World of Legend.

The Empire’s great cities stand as beacons of civilisation amid thick forests and a threatening wilderness. Its people face dangers from beyond their walls, from Beastmen and Goblins in the wilds to criminals, corrupt institutions, and insidious cults within. Chaos is never far away, and those who venture into the wider world soon discover that survival is rarely guaranteed. 

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The Heretics by Joe Abercrombie (May 2027)

Return to the raucous world of New York Times bestseller The Devils in the bloody, action-packed sequel, The Heretics.

This hardcover edition features four-color illustrated endpapers, foil case stamp, and illustrated map and family tree.

When saints turn away, devils must do god’s work…

Mother Beckert, disgraced Inquisitor, has one chance at redemption. To root heresy from the crumbling city of Zeitz, even if she must use heretics to do it.

The venomously ambitious Hugo von Klotz is sixth in line to inherit the city, and a church-sanctioned witch hunt might be just the thing to clear away his jealous rivals. 

But the Chapel of the Holy Expediency – including an insatiable werewolf, a depressed necromancer, and a beggar afflicted by visions – is a cure that might prove worse than the disease, and the rot at the heart of Zeitz goes deeper than anyone could suspect…

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James Nicoll Reviews is an Aurora and Hugo Award-adjacent random walk through l’anglospheric speculative fiction. You can be part of this by funding James Nicoll Reviews. Options include

• Donations via Paypal or etransfer.
• Commissioning a specific review^..
• Joining my Patreon here.
• Promising your first born to the Fair Folk in return for the site’s prosperity. 

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September seemed very, very long this year so why didn’t I get more done? Even preparing this seemed to take forever.

22 works reviewed. 13 by women (59%), 9 by men (41%), 0 by non-binary authors (0%), 0 by authors whose gender is unknown (0%), and 10 by POC (45%).

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Hide and Seek by Erin Ampersand (February 2027)

The third book in Erin Ampersand’s unputdownable LitRPG series in which everyone on Earth is forced to take part in a worldwide survival competition — everyone, including Meghan Moretti and her three lovably chaotic kids. 

Meghan has learned that protecting her kids also means making sure they’re ready to stand on their own when needed. That’s always been part of her parenting philosophy, but applying it to letting a six-year-old get up close and personal with vicious monsters? Questionable! Certainly not easy. 

Meghan doesn’t have a choice. She’s got to be an expert apocalypse parent while also stabilizing her area, finding a way to handle with the mysterious new Titans, and dealing with the other nasty twists her alien tormentors have planned.

It’s more than she bargained for, but she’s not giving up! 

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Queen of Foxes by Jennifer Estep (March 2027)

HER ENEMIES TOOK EVERYTHING.

IT’S TIME TO STEAL IT ALL BACK.

Rinley Renard isn’t just a master thief — she’s also the sole survivor of a political coup that nearly destroyed Feronia. When the opportunity to steal a priceless sword brings Rinley back to the scene of the massacre, it’s a chance to exact her revenge — even if it means masquerading as a guard in the enemy stronghold, where she’s still a hunted fugitive.

Prince Zoren Dreiko may be the empire’s most powerful Dread Knight, but he has his own reasons for quelling the latest Feronian rebellion. Capturing the masked outlaw stirring unrest might finally free Zoren of his father’s traitorous legacy, and keep the vicious empress he serves from taking his head.

Trapped in a brutal cat-and-mouse game, Rinley and Zoren’s forbidden attraction blurs the line between duty and desire. When victory for one will doom the other, both are faced with an impossible choice between love and loyalty.

Experience Sherwood Forest like never before in this sizzling Robin Hood-inspired romantasy from New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Estep. 

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August’s reviews may well bring James Nicoll Reviews within measurable distance of aleph null posts. If you’d like to fund my progress towards a countable infinity of reviews, consider the following options:

• Donations via Paypal or etransfer.
• Commissioning a specific review^..
• Joining my Patreon here.
• Delivering the only existing map to the fabled eight treasures of the Sasanian king Khosrow II.

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I did not win an Aurora. However, my gamemaster was inducted into the CSFFA Hall of Fame. How many gaming groups can claim that?

I write these up as early as a week before the end of the month. The Hugo ceremony will happen between the time of composition and the post going live. Please read whichever response is appropriate and ignore the other.

FINALLY, MY INEVITABLE HUGO TRIUMPH! AH HA HA HA! ALL SHALL LOVE ME AND DESPAIR.

_{ah well it was an honour to be nominated and to have for the baker’s dozenth time the chance to be gracious in defeat.} 

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Devouring Gods by Jedediah Berry (March 2027)

Award-winning author Jedediah Berry and bespoke barbarian Gotchimus return in Devouring Gods, an action-packed sword & sorcery heist. To steal their prize from the goddess of keys, Gotch’s crew face battle-nuns, drunken gentry, and giant frogs in evening wear.

They’re off to steal a wizard!

The noble families of Inwardly have gathered for the social event of the season. Hosted by the captive goddess Culavu and her devoted warrior nuns, the Festival of Keys offers the rich and powerful a chance to dine on choice morsels and amuse themselves with age-old sorceries. And this year’s special guest is a spectacle like no other: Gotchimus, the great barbarian, the wizard slayer.

While his hosts debauch themselves, Gotchimus has bigger plans. Trapped in Culavu’s prison realm is a wizard possessing knowledge he and his allies need. To free him, the barbarian will have to outwit the nobles, protect his own dark secret, and turn the party of the year into the heist of the century.

And somehow he has to pull it all off without killing the wizard. 

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The Astronaut Among the Flowers and Other Stories by P.A. Cornell (August 2026)

This debut collection by Nebula-nominated author P.A. Cornell brings together twenty-one tales of fantasy and science fiction that run the gamut from lighthearted to dark. The stories examine our connections to each other, to technology, to the world that surrounds us, and even to ourselves. Journey through circumstances that defy explanation, and explore events yet to come, that have come before, or that exist outside of time altogether. Included are Cornell’s acclaimed story ​“Once Upon a Time at The Oakmont,” as well as the award-winning ​“Splits,” and two brand new works published here for the first time. 

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