James Nicoll Reviews

Reactor sometimes passes on articles. This one, for example, would have been a moderation nightmare.

Series are great! Writers have the security of knowing there is a market for the installment on which they are working, publishers can confidently predict sales, and readers have the comfort of knowing there is more of what they liked on the way. Therefore, certain traditions have arisen to better support series. 

Here are five.

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You too can be one of the legions of James Nicoll Review supporters, financing my slow but steady advance towards review aleph null! With review three thousand in my rear view mirror, a countable infinity can’t possibly be all that far away!

(I majored in poly-sci econ, not mathematics)

Your options are: 

• Send money via Paypal for the pure joy of giving me money. 
• Commission a specific review^..
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• Bundles of non-sequential fifty dollar bills, briefcases of bearer bonds or ingots of gold, platinum, or eka-thorium.

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Dreamland by Olivie Blake (August 2026)

The headlines are calling it the ​“summer of exsanguination” in LA — girls are being murdered, the Santa Ana winds are blowing a strange energy into the city, and all signs point to fire season. 

More pressing for Anya Morris, though, is the drudgery of living at home, working part time at the family store, and contending with her mother’s disdain for the acting career Anya knows she’s destined for but that feels more impossible by the day. It’s in this suffocating late summer heat that Anya receives a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, an invitation to work for the de Witt family, one of LA’s most influential film dynasties. Soon, she’s spending her days and nights at their strange villa high in the Hollywood hills, where she meets Jude, a recluse who is both the family’s heir apparent and its most closely guarded secret. 

There’s a magnetism to Jude that Anya cannot resist, despite warning signs that scream like sirens in the night. Because the villa holds generations of bloodstained history, and an occult family curse may even live within its walls — or within Jude himself. In this city, everyone cuts a deal with the devil. When Anya comes face to face with a devil of her own, she’ll learn just how far she’s willing to go to get everything she’s ever wanted. 

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James Nicoll Reviews saw its 3000^th review on the 17^th, which got me to a career total of 8071 or thereabouts, of which three are listed on ISFDB. 

October 2025

23 works reviewed. 12.5 by women (54%), 10 by men (43%), 0.5 by non-binary authors (2%), 0 by authors whose gender is unknown (0%), and 10.5 by POC (46%).

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Abyss by Nicholas Binge (May 2026)

Severance meets Lovecraft in this surreal tale of white collar drudgery. 

And you thought your boss was evil!Joe always had potential, but he doesn’t expect much, and he hopes that his new job as an admin assistant won’t expect much of him. But when he enters the offices of Ponos — a company he’s never heard of and knows nothing about — he discovers that potential is exactly what they want from him. 

A story about the evils of A.I. in the workplace and the inhuman beings that rely on it. Abyss adds a new level of meaning to ​‘wage slave’. 

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Boys With Sharp Teeth by Jenni Howell (July 2026)

We Were Liars meets The Raven Boys in this NYT bestselling warped reimagining of The Picture of Dorian Gray about dark revenge, twisted desire, and the sinister secrets lurking behind the walls of an elite boarding school.

Seventeen-year-old Marin James has always lived in the shadow of the exclusive Huntsworth Academy. And when her cousin is found dead on school property, Marin knows exactly who’s to blame: Adrian Hargraves and Henry Wu, the enigmatic yet dangerously alluring leaders of the school’s social elite.

Seeking justice, Marin poses as a student and infiltrates Huntsworth, only to find herself drawn to her new life — and to the two broken boys she once vowed to destroy.

When Marin uncovers an otherworldly secret the boys are hiding within Huntsworth’s ivied gates, the lines between right and wrong, love and hate, and nightmare and reality begin to crumble — and nothing is as it seems.

Welcome to Huntsworth Academy. 

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The Seed of Destruction by Rick Campbell (July 2026)

In the depths of a mountain fortress, the fate of two warring Houses rests on the fragments of a powerful gem that destroy all who touch them.

Domus Praesidium, a soaring citadel etched into the mountainside, stands as the final bastion of the Nexus House, home to the prescients who have guided humanity from the shadows for millennia. Three decades after their ancient nemesis was defeated and supposedly vanquished, the Corvad House emerges from hiding with an overwhelming force led by a new ruthless princeps. His mission: eradicate every living Nexus.

After a Corvad-commanded fleet obliterates Domus Praesidium’s energy shields and Corvad forces assault the mountain stronghold’s defenses, Jon McCarthy, Elena Kapadia, and Lara Anderson — the mysterious Nexus with no timeline — race to reclaim the sixth and final fragment of the Krystalis, hoping to reforge the powerful gem shattered at the dawn of the House War three millennia ago. A gem according to Legend that only O’Lorun, the mother of humanity, has wielded without being incinerated.

As Corvad forces penetrate deep into Domus Praesidium, the Nexus House’s only chance rests on Lara’s ability to reforge the deadly Krystalis and harness its power. But as she attempts the supposedly impossible task, her latent talents emerge along with disturbing truths about her past — revelations and powers that will either lead the Nexus House to victory — or its complete destruction.

The Seed of Destruction, Rick Campbell’s explosive conclusion to the Nexus House-Colonial Fleet saga is an adrenaline-fueled novel that will enthrall fans of Dune and Leviathan Wakes. 

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Children of Fallen Gods by Carissa Broadbent (December 2025)

No war can be fought with clean hands. Not even the ones waged for the right reasons. Not even the ones you win. 

Tisaanah bargained away her own freedom to save those she left behind in slavery. Now, bound by her blood pact, she must fight the Orders’ war — and Max is determined to protect her at all costs. 

But when a betrayal tears apart Ara, Max and Tisaanah are pushed into an even bloodier conflict. Tisaanah must gamble with Reshaye’s power to claim an impossible victory. And Max, forced into leadership, must confront everything he hoped to forget: his past, and his own mysterious magic. 

All the while, darker forces loom — far darker, even, than the Orders’ secrets. 

As Tisaanah and Max are ensnared in a web of ancient magic and twisted secrets, one question remains: what are they willing to sacrifice for victory? For power? For love? 

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How is it October already? That implies winter is almost here. This seems very unsound. I think we need about three more months of drought-free summer and three fewer months of gray, soggy winter. What was wrong with the Paleocene – Eocene thermal maximum?

If you too need a distraction from the impending winter, consider joining the legions of James Nicoll Review supporters! 

• Send money via Paypal for the pure joy of giving me money. 
• Commission a specific review^..
• Join my Patreon here.

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All in all, a quiet month, although I have this annoying feeling there’s some news I should mention. In any case, I am on track for review 3000 in about two weeks. Go me. 

September 2025

21 works reviewed. 11 by women (52%), 9 by men (43%), 1 by non-binary authors (5%), 0 by authors whose gender is unknown (0%), and 8 by POC (38%).

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