fridgepunk

Am I just noticing it, or is there a real surge in current fsf that takes religion seriously as part of its plotting, characterization, and worldbuilding?

Jason Pargin, There Are No Giant Crabs in This Novel: A Novel of Giant Crabs: ( existential horror )

Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre:( reader, I reread it )

Francis Spufford, Nonesuch: ( WWII fantasy )

Ann Leckie, Radiant Star: ( revolution has consequences )
Alexis Hall, Hell’s Heart: ( sapphic Moby Dick ... in ... spaaaace )

Peter Watts, Fold Catastrophes: ( cyborg futures )

Naomi Kritzer, Obstetrix: ( reproductive horror )

Chuck Tingle, Fabulous Bodies: ( nope )

John Wiswell, The Dragon Has Some Complaints:( one dragon, several heads )

Adrian Tchaikovsky, Green City Wars: ( uplift noir )

Caitlyn Paxson, A Widow’s Charm: ( fantasy romance with some door-slamming farce )

Allie Therin, Edge of Mercy: ( empaths in love )

M.A. Carrick, The Eye of The Leviathan:( faeries and the Inquisition )

james_davis_nicoll

Whether they owe money, their souls, or their futures, these characters are in desperate straits...

Five SFF Works About Trying to Escape Massive Debt

james_davis_nicoll

Can two adorable Gen Z homicidal sociopaths learn to adult together?

Baby Assassins (Baby Assassins, volume 1) by Yugo Sakamoto

slacktivist_feed

Posted by Fred Clark

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/slacktivist/2026/07/07/a-national-emergency/

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/slacktivist/?p=73924

How many? Too many. How often? Too often.

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/slacktivist/2026/07/07/a-national-emergency/

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/slacktivist/?p=73924

james_davis_nicoll

The current Skeleton Crew ruleboo plus a Legion of adventures.

Bundle of Holding: Vast Grimm

james_davis_nicoll

The Company will surely triumph over the Union upstarts, just as soon as R&D solves a few minor, pilot-killing, bugs in their cutting-edge systems.

Hellburner (Devil to the Belt, volume 2) by C J Cherryh

slacktivist_feed

Posted by Fred Clark

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/slacktivist/2026/07/06/how-pentecost-thrives/

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/slacktivist/?p=74852

The Flushing Remonstrance lives on as "super diversity." Plus: Religious forgeries, David Barton's lies, and a footnote on footnotes.

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/slacktivist/2026/07/06/how-pentecost-thrives/

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/slacktivist/?p=74852

james_davis_nicoll

Random generators from Kent David Kelly for tabletop fantasy roleplaying games such as OSRIC (based on the 1979 First Edition of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons) and other fantasy retroclones.

Bundle of Holding: Oldskull Generators

james_davis_nicoll

A small British town falls victim to an insidious invasion.

The Midwich Cuckoos by John Wyndham

slacktivist_feed

Posted by Fred Clark

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/slacktivist/2026/07/05/sunday-reading-50/

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/slacktivist/?p=74843

"Must I argue that a system thus marked with blood, and stained with pollution, is wrong? No I will not. I have better employment for my time and strength."

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/slacktivist/2026/07/05/sunday-reading-50/

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/slacktivist/?p=74843

selenak

Current Mood: chipper
Current Location: Bad Wiessee

Finally got to watch this, which turns out to have been worth all the hype. Also, good for Sandra Hüller getting/continuing her international career!

( How many American high school teachers are thwarted scientific geniuses anyway? )

selenak

Current Mood: chipper
Current Location: Bad Wiessee

I would say "happy 250th anniversary of tax dodging" except the Orange One has even ruined the tax dodging jokes, so, onto tv:

Star City 1.07: In which the devil you know turns out to be better than the devil you don't, sort, kinda?

( Spoilers introduce the new regime )

james_davis_nicoll

Petanj needs an Investigator. What Petanj gets is a well-meaning academic.

The Potency of Ungovernable Impulses (Investigations of Mossa and Pleiti, volume 3) by Malka Older

james_davis_nicoll

Phineas Kidd wants her own starship. Phineas Kidd does not have her own starship. Phineas Kidd will have to steal a starship... from a god.

Grist to the Cannon (Kidd Commander, volume 1) By Aria Bell

slacktivist_feed

Posted by Fred Clark

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/slacktivist/2026/07/01/neither-picks-my-pocket-nor-breaks-my-leg/

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/slacktivist/?p=74678

A new poll finds that most Americans prefer to live in a country that includes a wide variety of religious believers. Most people, in other words, are both nicer and smarter than Christian nationalists.

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/slacktivist/2026/07/01/neither-picks-my-pocket-nor-breaks-my-leg/

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/slacktivist/?p=74678

tobiasbuckell_feed

Posted by Tobias Buckell

https://tobiasbuckell.com/the-elephants-song-a-new-short-story-for-patreon-supporters/

https://tobiasbuckell.com/?p=19168

https://tobiasbuckell.com/the-elephants-song-a-new-short-story-for-patreon-supporters/

https://tobiasbuckell.com/?p=19168

james_davis_nicoll

Turns out 175 points of dynamite-related damage is more than enough to kill even a _fourteen_ hit point character. Who knew?

Call of Cthulhu was fun but as my low-san character Daniel went catatonic every time something weird happens, I am looking forward to playing someone useful 24/7. Thus, the 13th Age, 2E Forgeborn Paladin of Pleasure Cabochon.

( Read more... )

james_davis_nicoll

James Nicoll Reviews is the only speculative fiction reviewing site that promises reviews that are 100% gluten-free! You too can help fund James Nicoll Reviews!

August 2026 Patreon Post

james_davis_nicoll

What holiday horrors await Ganta and Isaki in this, a tankōbon in which absolutely nothing terrible happens?

Insomniacs After School, volume 10 by Makoto Ojiro

james_davis_nicoll

Many books were read and I won an entirely unexpected award.

June 2026 in Review

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Reading

Fiction

Five SFF Works About Trying to Escape Massive Debt

Baby Assassins (Baby Assassins, volume 1) by Yugo Sakamoto

A national emergency

Bundle of Holding: Vast Grimm

Hellburner (Devil to the Belt, volume 2) by C J Cherryh

How Pentecost thrives

Bundle of Holding: Oldskull Generators

The Midwich Cuckoos by John Wyndham

Sunday reading

Project Hail Mary (Film Review)

Star City 1.07

The Potency of Ungovernable Impulses (Investigations of Mossa and Pleiti, volume 3) by Malka Older

Grist to the Cannon (Kidd Commander, volume 1) By Aria Bell

Neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg

The Elephant’s Song – a new short story for Patreon supporters

So, all of our Call of Cthulhu characters died

July 2026 Patreon Post

Insomniacs After School, volume 10 by Makoto Ojiro

June 2026 in Review

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