The Rift by Walter Jon Williams
Feb. 24th, 2026 09:15 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
james_davis_nicoll
The New Madrid Fault teaches a memorable lesson about the transience of things.
The Rift by Walter Jon Williams
james_davis_nicollThe New Madrid Fault teaches a memorable lesson about the transience of things.
The Rift by Walter Jon Williams
Bundle of Holding: Mists of Akuma
Feb. 23rd, 2026 02:10 pmjames_davis_nicoll
A bundle for Mists of Akuma, the tabletop roleplaying campaign setting of Eastern fantasy noir steampunk from Storm Bunny Studios for Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition.
Bundle of Holding: Mists of Akuma
A Brief Survey of Canadian Political Thrillers
Feb. 23rd, 2026 10:02 amjames_davis_nicoll
You may be surprised to learn that "Canadian thriller" is not an oxymoron.
A Brief Survey of Canadian Political Thrillers
Dance the Eagle to Sleep by Marge Piercy
Feb. 22nd, 2026 09:33 amjames_davis_nicoll
Can America's well-financed, highly-experienced, heavily-armed war machine hope to prevail against a numerically insignificant, poorly-armed, American teen movement?
Dance the Eagle to Sleep by Marge Piercy
Books Received, February 14 — February 20
Feb. 21st, 2026 09:02 amjames_davis_nicoll
Seven books new to me. four fantasy, one horror, one ostensibly non-fiction, and one romance. Three are series. Yeah, there does seem to be a shortage of science fiction.
I had a bunch of stuff come in just after the cut-off time for these. Next week will look very different.
Books Received, February 14 — February 20
Poll #34247 Books Received, February 14 — February 20
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 44
Which of these look interesting?
View Answers
I Want You to Be Happy by Jem Calder (May 2026)
3 (6.8%)
In the Realm of the Last Man: A Memoir by Francis Fukuyama (September 2026)
5 (11.4%)
A Divided Duty: An October Daye Novel by Seanan McGuire (September 2026)
14 (31.8%)
Wickhills by Premee Mohamed (September 2026)
17 (38.6%)
Hallowed Bones: A Sons of Salem Novel by Lucy Smoke (October 2026)
2 (4.5%)
Falling for a Villainous Vampire by Charlotte Stein (October 2026)
6 (13.6%)
I Am the Monster Under the Bed: A Novel by Emily Zinnikas (September 2026)
14 (31.8%)
Some other option (see comments)
0 (0.0%)
Cats!
37 (84.1%)
The Friend Zone Experiment by Zen Cho
Feb. 20th, 2026 09:10 amjames_davis_nicoll
A successful businesswoman has the opportunity of a lifetime offered to her, only to have an old friend greatly complicate matters.
The Friend Zone Experiment by Zen Cho
All Regulations Are Written in Blood
Feb. 19th, 2026 12:10 pmjames_davis_nicollTTRPG campaign idea.
PCs are field agents in charge of finding and dealing with arcane occupational safety violations. That six-sided summoning pentagram? Flagged. That storeroom where the universal solvent is next to the lemonade? Flagged.
That deadly-trap-filled dungeon abandoned by its creator when the maintenance fees got too high? Red tagged.
This isn't the same as my recent FabUlt campaign. That was about discouraging the worst excesses in a world run by oligarch mages and there weren't really regulations. This would be set in a regulatory state, and would be more an exploration of normalization of deviance.
PCs are field agents in charge of finding and dealing with arcane occupational safety violations. That six-sided summoning pentagram? Flagged. That storeroom where the universal solvent is next to the lemonade? Flagged.
That deadly-trap-filled dungeon abandoned by its creator when the maintenance fees got too high? Red tagged.
This isn't the same as my recent FabUlt campaign. That was about discouraging the worst excesses in a world run by oligarch mages and there weren't really regulations. This would be set in a regulatory state, and would be more an exploration of normalization of deviance.
Slow Gods by Claire North
Feb. 19th, 2026 08:52 amjames_davis_nicoll
Against the gleefully hypocritical, exploitative Shine, the very gods themselves contend in vain.
Slow Gods by Claire North
Bundle of Holding: Wolves Upon the Coast
Feb. 18th, 2026 02:57 pmjames_davis_nicoll
The Wolves Upon the Coast Grand Campaign, a bare-bones old-school tabletop roleplaying game by designer Luke Gearing.
Bundle of Holding: Wolves Upon the Coast
One Way to Immunize Yourself Against Pseudoscience and Other Nonsense
Feb. 18th, 2026 10:10 amjames_davis_nicoll
Classic SF was chock-full of dubious ideas; Martin Gardner supplied the antidote.
One Way to Immunize Yourself Against Pseudoscience and Other Nonsense
Ichi the Witch, volume 1 by Osamu NIchi & Shiro Usazaki (Translated by Adrienne Beck)
Feb. 18th, 2026 09:18 amjames_davis_nicoll
Only witches hunt demons, all witches are women, and Uroro cannot be defeated by any woman. Uroro feels entirely safe, right until the world's first male witch defeats him.
Ichi the Witch, volume 1 by Osamu NIchi & Shiro Usazaki (Translated by Adrienne Beck)
FIC: Entrance to the Emporian palace (Tempestuous Tours)
Feb. 17th, 2026 06:21 pmduskpetersonThe Emorian Palace
Entrance to the palace
Do not be offended if you are denied entrance to the Emorian palace. The fact that you have come far enough to be denied that entrance shows that the Emorians' trust in you is high indeed.
The strong manner in which Emor protects its ruler, the Chara, is not evidence that the Chara is weak and frightened. Rather, it is a simple fact that being Chara is the most dangerous job in the Three Lands. Fully four-fifths of the Charas have died before their time, many from assassination. Few Charas live beyond the age of thirty.
(I should explain to any mainlanders who are puzzled at this point that noble peninsulareans have been known to live as long as one hundred years. Even commoner peninsularans often live till they are fifty. If you meet a thirty-year-old, he is not an elder; by peninsularean standards, thirty years old is barely out of one's youth)
Under these circumstances, it is only natural that the Emorians should seek to protect their Chara, giving him the opportunity to live at least long enough to father an heir. By Emorian law, the Chara may not leave his palace, except in wartime. The number of visitors who are allowed past the outer wall of the palace grounds is small. The number of visitors who are allowed past the inner wall of the palace grounds is even smaller. The number of visitors who are allowed inside the palace is very small indeed. And the number of visitors who are allowed inside the East Wing of the palace, where the Chara lives, can be counted without losing your breath.
In practice, this means that the only people who see the Chara are his council, officials from the palace and army, boys who are training to be palace officials, royal messengers, the palace guards, and honored guests, such as ambassadors.
And the servants. Everyone forgets the servants. If you want to see the Chara, I suggest entering into training for high service.
[Translator's note: The perils of living as a Chara can be seen in Empty Dagger Hand.]
The Man Who Came Early by Poul Anderson
Feb. 17th, 2026 09:09 amjames_davis_nicoll
What hope has 10th century Icelandic culture against an armed and moderately educated 20th century American?
The Man Who Came Early by Poul Anderson
Bundle of Holding: Downcrawl-Skycrawl
Feb. 16th, 2026 02:07 pmjames_davis_nicoll
Downcrawl and Skycrawl, twin toolkits from designer Aaron A. Reed that help you create spontaneous tabletop roleplaying adventures in the Deep, Deep Down and the Azure Etern.
Bundle of Holding: Downcrawl-Skycrawl
The Demolished Man by Alfred Bester
Feb. 15th, 2026 07:12 amjames_davis_nicoll
Ben Reich plans a perfect murder in a world where getting away with murder is impossible.
The Demolished Man by Alfred Bester
Books Received, February 7 to February 13
Feb. 14th, 2026 09:10 amjames_davis_nicoll
Nine books new to me: 3 horror, 4 mystery, 1 non-fiction, and 1 science fiction, although I am not sure about the proper categorization of some of those books. Only one is explicitly part of a series.
Books Received, February 7 to February 13
Poll #34218 Books Received, February 7 to February 13
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 42
Which of these look interesting?
View Answers
Dive Bar at the End of the Road by Kelley Armstrong (October 2026)
14 (33.3%)
Tyrant Lizard Queen: The Love, Life, and Terror of Earth’s Greatest Carnivore by Riley Black (October 2026)
18 (42.9%)
Lethal Kiss by Taylor Grothe (October 2026)
7 (16.7%)
Null Entity by Seth Haddon (July 2026)
5 (11.9%)
Our Cut of Salt by Deena Helm (September 2026)
10 (23.8%)
Savvy Summers and the Po’boy Perils by Sandra Jackson-Opoku (July 2026)
8 (19.0%)
Revenge of the Final Girl by Andrea Mosqueda (October 2026)
10 (23.8%)
Lucy Kline, Necromancer by Tom O’Donnell (September 2026)
6 (14.3%)
They Say a Girl Died Here by Sarah Pinborough (August 2026)
7 (16.7%)
Some other option (see comments)
1 (2.4%)
Cats!
33 (78.6%)
Maps Release: Greater Northshore Bike Connector, MEGAMAP 2.0.8
Feb. 13th, 2026 11:48 pmsolarbirdGreater Northshore Bike Connector Map 2.0.8 – 14 February 2026 – is now available on github, as is MEGAMAP 2.0.8.
This release is all about warnings updates. There’s no new infrastructure here but there are some closure/construction updates, the most important being temporary closure of Burke-Gilman in Kenmore, with a detour onto a car street between 61st Ave NE and 65th Ave NE. Pedestrians have to go up to Bothell Way.
Here’s the complete changes list:
- WARNING: Burke-Gilman CLOSURE in Kenmore for emergency repairs. They aren’t saying what, but it’s almost certainly hillside stabilisation where they piled up highway legos a few months ago. Between 61st and 65th Aves NE, February 16-20. (Both maps)
- WARNING: I should’ve added this already, but I’ve now added caution flags on 125th NE in Seattle showing the rework in progress through November 2026. This is a massive project and will be a massive upgrade. (Both maps)
- WARNING: Kirkland’s sewer line repair work still hasn’t let the southern Central Kirkland Connector reopen, and the latest word is end of February. Notice updated to reflect that. (MEGAMAP only)
- REMOVED WARNING: EastRail Trail South temporary closure in Renton is over, so the warning has been removed. (MEGAMAP only)
- REMOVED WARNING: Final work on the extended bike lanes of NE 124th in Kirkland wrapped up, so that warning has been removed. (Both maps)
All permalinks continue to work.
If you enjoy these maps and feel like throwing some change at the tip jar, here’s my patreon. Patreon supports get bonus map variants, like pre-sliced printables of the Greater Northshore, and this month I’m throwing them an all-cautions-removed 0% compression version of the MEGAMAP to see whether people like that. Plus, I can be open to requests.
Regardless – enjoy biking!
Posted via Solarbird{y|z|yz}, Collected.
