James Nicoll Reviews

William Sloane’s 1937 To Walk the Night¹ is a stand-alone cosmic horror novel.

Berkeley ​“Bark” Jones visits Dr. Lister, the man who was effectively Bark’s father. Bark has two grim tasks: to deliver to Lister the ashes of Lister’s son Jerry, and to explain to the doctor the events leading up to Jerry’s suicide.

It began with a burning astronomer.

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2025‘s Vanya and the Wild Hunt is the first volume of Sangu Mandanna’s middle-grade magical-school contemporary fantasy series.

Aside from her ADHD and her parent’s curious reticence about their past, Vanya is an unremarkable Anglo-Indian British schoolgirl.

Well, there is the matter of the rare books in her parents’ bookstore talking to her. And the books’ frustratingly vague prognostications, which Vanya discounts. And the horrifying monster who breaks into the family home.

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Alfred Bester’s 1980 Golem¹⁰⁰ is a stand-alone near-future science fiction novel.

In the vast, overpopulated, resourced-strapped squalid megalopolis of tomorrow known as the Northeast Corridor, eight bored rich women — the ​“beeladies” — entertain themselves with innocent Satanism. What possible harm could come from dabbling in forces beyond their pampered ken?

Subadar Adida Ind’dni, confronted with a series of grotesque murders, might be able offer insight into the matter.

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1995’s Pet Shop of Horrors, Volume One is the first tankōbon of Matsuri Akino’s horror manga series. Pet Shop of Horrors was first serialized in Ohzora Publishing’s Apple Mystery, then in Bunkasha’s Horror M; it ran from 1994 to 1998. The most recent English-language edition is 2025.

Pet shops can be found throughout Los Angeles, but those craving truly exotic pets seek out the mysterious Count D’s Chinatown establishment. Or, if they have any sense of self-preservation, they stay well away.

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1988’s House of Shards is the second volume in Walter Jon Williams’ Drake Maijstral comedic SF series.

Silverside Station enjoys a splendid view of a star being consumed by its companion black hole. Silverside specializes in lavish luxury. Silverside offers society’s best and brightest the chance to socialize with each other under the watchful gaze of the media.

Silverside offers Allowed Burglar¹ Drake Maijstral the opportunity to steal the famed Eltdown Shard… if Drake can bypass one or two impediments.

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H. M. Hoover’s 1977 The Delikon is a stand-alone young adult science fiction novel.

Humanity ventured to the stars in quest of what they assumed to be their great destiny. The alien Delikon, having taken humanity’s measure, swiftly conquered the short-lived upstarts¹. As humans were clearly incapable of moderating their own behavior, the Delikon constructed a capital city on Earth, Kalidor, from which they set about shaping humans to conform to civilized standards.

A very long time later, the rigid caste system appears eternal.

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Cassandra Khaw’s 2025 The Library at Hellebore is a just-barely-upcoming (July 22, 2025) horror novel.

Magic has reappeared¹. Across the world, very special people manifest very special abilities. Not all of the very special people choose to use their powers in a socially acceptable way.

Take Alessa Li, for example, who when we meet her has just murdered her adorable roommate, Joanna.

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1997’s In The Garden of Iden is the first volume in Kage Baker’s Company series.

Dr. Zeus, Inc (also known as the Company) is perhaps the greatest benefactor the human race has ever known… or at least it is the greatest benefactor the Company has ever known. The Company owes its success to two discoveries: time travel and immortality.

Thanks to the first, 16^th century Spaniard Mendoza was a beneficiary of the second.

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2024’s Magus of the Library, Volume Eight is the eighth tankōbon in Mitsu Izumi’s secondary-universe fantasy manga series (Toshokan no Daimajutsushi in the original Japanese). Magus has been serialized in Good! Afternoon since November 2017. The English translation of Volume Seven appeared in 2025.

Volume Eight begins with the heartening tale of how, when the continent was faced by an existential threat, the warring nations and their great magi united to defeat the threat. 

This is but a prelude to a crisis in which unity is very much absent, unsurprising as the inspirational tale related above is revealed to be a well-meant lie. 

Note: series protagonist Theo is present, but the plot is much less Theo-centric than in previous volumes.

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Renan Bernardo’s Disgraced Return of The Kap’s Needle is a collection of hard SF stories. All share a setting.

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