jimtbari

Two Americans set out for Venus. Only one returned. Where is the missing man? Evans knows but Evans is not a reliable witness.

Beyond Apollo by Barry N. Malzberg

james_davis_nicoll

A book I'm thinking of having play an important role in the campaign is Heinrich and Moritz Tod's Morally Uplifting Tales for the Edification of Recalcitrant Children, the Tods being the Old World analog of the Brothers Grimm. Uplifting Tales is an important cultural artifact and also the sort of book you'd read to kids at bed time if you wanted them to cry themselves to sleep.

james_davis_nicoll

The Sidewise Award for Alternate History is looking for new judges to join the award committee.

This is the first time in the 30 year history of the award that they've made an open call for awards judges.

Apply here.

james_davis_nicoll

Not every gamer finds joy in wildly complicated, esoteric, hard-to-learn rules...

Five User-Friendly Rulesets for Tabletop Roleplaying Games

james_davis_nicoll

Watch on YouTube

Hosted by Mark Leslie Lefebvre and Liz May Anderson.

Sunday August 10 at 5 PM: Livestream broadcast of the 2025 Aurora Awards, Canada’s annual English-language Science Fiction and Fantasy Awards.

james_davis_nicoll

Righteous characters pursue great justice in this wuxia TTRPG.

Hearts of Wulin by Joyce Ch'ng & Lowell Francis

james_davis_nicoll

More details later but it seems the group is essentially Don Quixote in the form of a Brettonian knight's bastard who has completely bought into chivalric ideals despite the fact no true knight considers him worthy to have such ideals, and an assortment of hangers-on who see him as a meal ticket.

Which is to say, the group is centred on someone who will seek out adventure.

james_davis_nicoll

Based on the photometry and orbital properties, the planet candidate could have a temperature of 225 K, a radius of 1-1.1 and a mass between 90-150 , consistent with RV limits.

james_davis_nicoll

Climate change provides a tribal leader a pretext to dispatch his least favourite tribe members on an ill-fated expedition from which none will return.

The Integral Trees (Integral Trees, volume 1) by Larry Niven

james_davis_nicoll

Manga tech startup Orange Inc. (not to be confused with the animation studio Orange) raised ¥2.92 billion (~$19.5 million) in 2024 to enable a capacity for Japanese-to-English “localization” of up to 500 manga volumes per month via its app emaqi. Among its investors? Shogakukan, publisher of the manga magazine Shonen Sunday, which recently launched NOVELOUS, a light novel reader app powered by AI translations. Shogakukan is also a co-owner of VIZ Media, which has recently come under fire.

james_davis_nicoll

james_davis_nicoll

Fight With Spirit, the sports drama tabletop roleplaying game from Storybrewers Roleplaying (Good Society).

Bundle of Holding: Fight With Spirit

james_davis_nicoll

With her brother/husband Seti off crushing Egypt's enemies, future Pharaoh Hatshepsut expands her power at home by freeing slaves, alienating priests, and inconveniencing a homicidal concubine. Results are mixed.

Blue Eye of Horus, volume 2 by Chie Inudou

james_davis_nicoll

In which the bill for an audacious gambit in the previous volume is presented.

The Tree of Swords and Jewels (Ealdwood, volume 2) by C J Cherryh

james_davis_nicoll

All nine episodes of Star Cops.

james_davis_nicoll

THE EXPANSE RPG and MODERN AGE corebooks + many supplements

Bundle of Holding: The Expanse & Modern AGE (from 2020)

james_davis_nicoll

Living as I do in Ontario, a province run for and by assholes, the Civic Holiday is an "optional" holiday that employers may either observe or spend beating their employees with a stick no thicker than Andre the Giant's thumb.

james_davis_nicoll

2008: Norovirus is a smash hit with three million-plus Britons, an avoidable market collapse relieves boredom, and Boris Johnson’s election as mayor of London surely is not a harbinger of dark days to come.

Poll #33463 Clarke Award Finalists 2008

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 23

View Respondents

Which 2008 Clarke Award Finalists Have You Read?

View Answers

Black Man by Richard Morgan
10 (43.5%)

The Carhullan Army by Sarah Hall
7 (30.4%)

The Execution Channel by Ken MacLeod
10 (43.5%)

The H-Bomb Girl by Stephen Baxter
0 (0.0%)

The Raw Shark Texts by Steven Hall
4 (17.4%)

The Red Men by Matthew De Abaitua
1 (4.3%)

Bold for have read, italic for intend to read, underline for never heard of it.

Which 2008 Clarke Award Finalists Have You Read?
Black Man by Richard Morgan
The Carhullan Army by Sarah Hall
The Execution Channel by Ken MacLeod
The H-Bomb Girl by Stephen Baxter
The Raw Shark Texts by Steven Hall
The Red Men by Matthew De Abaitua

james_davis_nicoll

Holmes and Dracula team up to save London.

The Holmes-Dracula File (Dracula Chronicles, volume 2) by Fred Saberhagen

james_davis_nicoll

Poll #33455 Books Received, July 26 to July 31

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 51

View Respondents

Which of these look interesting?

View Answers

The Laundry Roleplaying Game: Operative’s Handbook by by David F Chapman, Calum Collins, Christopher Colston, Alister Davison, Michael Duxbury, Warren Frey, Gareth Hanrahan, and Elaine Lithgow et al (Q4, 2025)
22 (43.1%)

The Laundry Roleplaying Game: Supervisor’s Guide by Anthony Boyd, Greg Buchanan, David F Chapman, Calum Collins, Christopher Colston, Alister Davison, Michael Duxbury, Warren Frey, Gareth Hanrahan, Derek Johnston, and Elaine Lithgow et al (Q4, 2025)
22 (43.1%)

You do know at least one person in the group needs both books, right?
26 (51.0%)

Some other option (see comments)
2 (3.9%)

Cats!
45 (88.2%)

Reading

Beyond Apollo by Barry N. Malzberg

I don't think any of my Old World players frequent DW

Sidewise Award Announcement

Five User-Friendly Rulesets for Tabletop Roleplaying Games

Aurora Award Livestream

Hearts of Wulin by Joyce Ch'ng & Lowell Francis

The Old World Character Generation

! Seen in email

The Integral Trees (Integral Trees, volume 1) by Larry Niven

I guess I have to stop reviewing current and upcoming Viz manga

(no subject)

Bundle of Holding: Fight With Spirit

Blue Eye of Horus, volume 2 by Chie Inudou

The Tree of Swords and Jewels (Ealdwood, volume 2) by C J Cherryh

Discovered while looking for something else

Bundle of Holding: The Expanse & Modern AGE (from 2020) T

Happy Civil Holiday!

Clarke Award Finalists 2008

The Holmes-Dracula File (Dracula Chronicles, volume 2) by Fred Saberhagen

Books Received, July 26 to July 31 belated poll

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April 2009

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