Five Books About Conversing With Animals
Dec. 16th, 2025 02:12 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
james_davis_nicoll
How great would it be to talk with animals, through magic or technology or… whatever?
Five Books About Conversing With Animals
james_davis_nicollHow great would it be to talk with animals, through magic or technology or… whatever?
Five Books About Conversing With Animals
Fanfic: Worm/The War of the Worlds - The Martian Part IX
Dec. 16th, 2025 12:29 amffuturesContinuing my Worm / War of the Worlds crossover story.
The previous chapters are archived on these sites:
On Twisting the Hellmouth - https://www.tthfanfic.org/story.php?no=33872
On AO3 - https://archiveofourown.org/works/39112812
On Fanfiction.net - https://www.fanfiction.net/s/14083560/1/The-Martian
On Spacebattles Forum - https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/the-martian-worm-the-war-of-the-worlds-au.1034761/
See chapter I for disclaimers.
( IX - Blue Mars )
Comments please before I post to archives.
The previous chapters are archived on these sites:
On Twisting the Hellmouth - https://www.tthfanfic.org/story.php?no=33872
On AO3 - https://archiveofourown.org/works/39112812
On Fanfiction.net - https://www.fanfiction.net/s/14083560/1/The-Martian
On Spacebattles Forum - https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/the-martian-worm-the-war-of-the-worlds-au.1034761/
See chapter I for disclaimers.
( IX - Blue Mars )
Comments please before I post to archives.
Two Traveller Bundles - Exploration and Ancients
Dec. 15th, 2025 07:13 pmffuturesThis is an offer of two bundles for Mongoose Traveller - one is a repeat, the other new (though based on a fairly old adventure).
MONGOOSE TRAVELLER EXPLORATIONS (from Nov 2022)
https://bundleofholding.com/p
TRAVELLER ANCIENTS CAMPAIGN (new)
https://bundleofholding.com/p
The last time Traveller Explorations was on offer I said "OK - Traveller is probably the best-loved SF system out there, and the Mongoose version is VERY popular. You're getting a ton of stuff for your money. Need I say more? Unless you really dislike SF or the setting, or already have everything here, I'd recommend buying them."
I'm less sure about the Ancients Campaign - I was never a huge fan of the original Secrets of the Ancients, the plot was a bit linear and the eventual secret really wasn't incredibly exciting, and while it looks like there are some more plot threads to keep players busy they are definitely still going to need some nudges to keep them on the right track. Not all players LIKE long campaigns, and although this is relatively cheap it might be a good idea to sound people out before buying.
MONGOOSE TRAVELLER EXPLORATIONS (from Nov 2022)
https://bundleofholding.com/p
TRAVELLER ANCIENTS CAMPAIGN (new)
https://bundleofholding.com/p
The last time Traveller Explorations was on offer I said "OK - Traveller is probably the best-loved SF system out there, and the Mongoose version is VERY popular. You're getting a ton of stuff for your money. Need I say more? Unless you really dislike SF or the setting, or already have everything here, I'd recommend buying them."
I'm less sure about the Ancients Campaign - I was never a huge fan of the original Secrets of the Ancients, the plot was a bit linear and the eventual secret really wasn't incredibly exciting, and while it looks like there are some more plot threads to keep players busy they are definitely still going to need some nudges to keep them on the right track. Not all players LIKE long campaigns, and although this is relatively cheap it might be a good idea to sound people out before buying.
Bundle of Holding: Traveller Explorations (from 2022) & Traveller Ancients
Dec. 15th, 2025 02:02 pmjames_davis_nicollThe TRAVELLER 2022 UPDATE corebook, ALIENS guides, sector sourcebooks, and more.
Bundle of Holding: Traveller Explorations (from 2022)
A high-power 800-page adventure for Mongoose Traveller that uncovers the greatest mysteries of Charted Space
Bundle of Holding: Traveller Ancients
Clarke Award Finalists 2025
Dec. 15th, 2025 09:33 amjames_davis_nicoll2025: Scientists are astonished when the largest ever dinosaur fossil trackway does not lead into the House of Lords, Tate Britain breaks with English tradition by returning looted art, and in a shocking break from centuries of Catholic precedent, the new Pope is a Cubs fan.
Bold for have read, italic for intend to read, underline for never heard of it.
Which 2025 Clarke Award Finalists Have You Read?
Annie Bot by Sierra Greer
Extremophile by Ian Green
Private Rites by Julia Armfield
Service Model by Adrian Tchaikovsky
The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley
Thirteen Ways to Kill Lulabelle Rock by Maud Woolf
Poll #33961 Clarke Award Finalists 2025
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 22
Which 2025 Clarke Award Finalists Have You Read?
View Answers
Annie Bot by Sierra Greer
1 (4.5%)
Extremophile by Ian Green
0 (0.0%)
Private Rites by Julia Armfield
1 (4.5%)
Service Model by Adrian Tchaikovsky
14 (63.6%)
The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley
14 (63.6%)
Thirteen Ways to Kill Lulabelle Rock by Maud Woolf
0 (0.0%)
Bold for have read, italic for intend to read, underline for never heard of it.
Which 2025 Clarke Award Finalists Have You Read?
Annie Bot by Sierra Greer
Extremophile by Ian Green
Private Rites by Julia Armfield
Service Model by Adrian Tchaikovsky
The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley
Thirteen Ways to Kill Lulabelle Rock by Maud Woolf
200 Significant Science Fiction Books by Women, 1984–2001, by David G. Hartwell
Dec. 14th, 2025 09:05 amjames_davis_nicollI was a bit surprised to come across this as Hartwell wasn't really the go-to editor where women's SF was concerned. An interesting snapshot of SF in a sixteen-year period. The end is the fall of the American republic. Not sure what was significant about 1984.
( Read more... )
( Read more... )
Cold War in a Country Garden (Dilke, volume 1) by Lindsay Gutteridge
Dec. 14th, 2025 08:46 amjames_davis_nicoll
One very small step for a man, one giant leap for Her Majesty's Government.
Cold War in a Country Garden (Dilke, volume 1) by Lindsay Gutteridge
After some digging
Dec. 13th, 2025 07:12 pmjames_davis_nicollI am not aware of any big name authors who got their start with a work published by Baen Books after 2006. If there are recent analogs of Bujold or Weber, I do not know of them.
Huh
Dec. 13th, 2025 09:39 amjames_davis_nicollSo, I asked on Bluesky:
I got three names: Chuck Gannon, Jason Cordova and Mike Kupari. Gannon actually debuted at Baen in 1994 but only two (I think) short pieces, after which there was a long delay until his novels began appearing. I don't know the other two but SF is huge and it's perfectly possible for me to overlook BNAs. Still, granting all three, with LC that makes four... and in 2028, Toni Weisskopf will have been running Baen for as long as Jim Baen did.
This could, of course, be the natural consequence of the Del Monte approach.
[added later]
Aside from Larry Correia, are there any big name Baen authors who debuted at Baen, after Jim Baen's death?
(So, Tim Powers wouldn't count because he debuted not at Baen and also long before JB died)
I got three names: Chuck Gannon, Jason Cordova and Mike Kupari. Gannon actually debuted at Baen in 1994 but only two (I think) short pieces, after which there was a long delay until his novels began appearing. I don't know the other two but SF is huge and it's perfectly possible for me to overlook BNAs. Still, granting all three, with LC that makes four... and in 2028, Toni Weisskopf will have been running Baen for as long as Jim Baen did.
This could, of course, be the natural consequence of the Del Monte approach.
[added later]
Merry Christmas for Poilievre!
Dec. 12th, 2025 01:26 pmjames_davis_nicollI got much better at spelling his name once I realized it contains "lie".
Embattled CPC leader's Christmas card list gets one name shorter.
Embattled CPC leader's Christmas card list gets one name shorter.
Looking Back at the Work of John Varley, 1947-2025
Dec. 12th, 2025 12:12 pmjames_davis_nicoll
Where to start reading — or rereading — Varley's many series and stories.
Looking Back at the Work of John Varley, 1947-2025
The Wayfinder by Adam Johnson
Dec. 12th, 2025 09:03 amjames_davis_nicoll
The visitors might be Bird Island's salvation or simply the next step in its doom.
The Wayfinder by Adam Johnson
Summer of Love (Zhu Wong, volume 1) by Lisa Mason
Dec. 11th, 2025 08:28 amjames_davis_nicoll
A 2567 blueblood travels back to the Summer of Love to save one very special 16-year-old.
Summer of Love (Zhu Wong, volume 1) by Lisa Mason
Another RPG Bundle - Magical Kitties
Dec. 10th, 2025 10:30 pmffuturesThis is a new bundle of role-playing material for the introductory RPG / Story telling game Magical Kitties Save The Day from Atlas Games:
https://bundleofholding.com/presents/MagicalKitties
Atlas Games have published some very good introductory RPGs and story telling games - this one is very much in that genre, with some fun supplements for different settings and styles of play, from film noir to alien invasions. It's never been offered in these bundles before, it's cheap, and it's being run to promote a forthcoming kickstarter for a superhero rules supplement. Better buy it, or Streaky the super-cat will spit hair-balls at you at mach 5...
https://bundleofholding.com/presents/MagicalKitties
Atlas Games have published some very good introductory RPGs and story telling games - this one is very much in that genre, with some fun supplements for different settings and styles of play, from film noir to alien invasions. It's never been offered in these bundles before, it's cheap, and it's being run to promote a forthcoming kickstarter for a superhero rules supplement. Better buy it, or Streaky the super-cat will spit hair-balls at you at mach 5...