Kudos to the Ion driver who did not smush the bicyclist who blithely cut the train off at Borden.

The Midwich Cuckoos by John Wyndham A small British town falls victim to an insidious invasion. jamesdavisnicoll.com/review/truth

I miss getting hit by spent fireworks at the UWaterloo Canada Day event.

I've been unlucky enough to see only two lightning strikes up close but one took out a transformer and the top of the pole it was on. Quality over quantity. Our favourite swimming hole was dammed by a willow that got hit at least twice. Never when we were around. What's up with that?

Hmmm. A problem I could only make worse by offering my services. So it's up to other people to step in.

Ontarians travelling across Canada should help their fellow Canadians be all they can be by pointing out all the ways whatever town they are in does not measure up to Toronto.

I can't believe there were only four Laird Cunningham stories. Was it the fault of woke?

On my way back from the store, I observed a red-faced tailgater who, judging by the frequency with which she leaned on her horn, found the existence of all other vehicles a personal affront. I suspect she has a rage-induced stroke in her future.

Note to self: searches for constant thrust rockets without the final noun will not produce the results you want.

The Potency of Ungovernable Impulses (Investigations of Mossa and Pleiti, volume 3) by Malka Older Petanj needs an Investigator. What Petanj gets is a well-meaning academic. jamesdavisnicoll.com/review/of-st...

Overheard two women claiming men are unprepared to drill holes. "Not awl men!"

Maybe this is a Canadian theatre quirk but up here, it is considered bad if a surfboard-sized fragment falls from the flies down onto the stage.

Was I added to a list? Lots of new followers today.

Grist to the Cannon (Kidd Commander, volume 1) By Aria Bell 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. jamesdavisnicoll.com/review/the-m...

Thanks to Canada's decision to abandon climate change counter-measures, I am sure we will have a Canada Day where the peak temperature melts tin.

Yesterday I discovered when I steer my grocery trolley to one side so I can change the music on my phone without impeding traffic, at least one person will assume I am in dire need of assistance. Which I guess I did, in the sense of I'd like to discover some new musicians.

August 2026 Patreon Post 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! jamesdavisnicoll.com/post/august-...

Insomniacs After School, volume 10 by Makoto Ojiro What holiday horrors await Ganta and Isaki in this, a tankōbon in which absolutely nothing terrible happens? jamesdavisnicoll.com/review/what-...

My 14-hit-point Call of Cthulhu character just took 175 points of damage. Is that bad?

June 2026 in Review Many books were read and I won an entirely unexpected award. jamesdavisnicoll.com/post/june-20...

I think it is very considerate of the heat to stay with the US's current borders like that.

If Kitchener is going to name a sports team after panthers, the least we could do is reintroduce the big cats to Waterloo Region.

The Sundering (Dread Empire's Fall, volume 2) by Walter Jon Williams The Loyalists' survival depends on Lord Martinez and Lady Sula's unsavoury embrace of merit and innovation over rank and tradition. The pair's lovers-to-enemies arc is an unwelcome complication. jamesdavisnicoll.com/review/whole

I saw this great movie about a Hawaiian gardener who helps a quartet of people remove unwanted plants from their gardens before taking them on a tour of the Kīlauea caldera. It was called Four Weedings and a Fumarole.

DAW Books: is it Daw or Dee Ay Double-You?

Bundle of Holding: Colostle This all-new Colostle Bundle presents Colostle, the solo journaling game from creator Nich Angell at Draconeer Games about exploring a world-sized castle. bundleofholding.com/presents/Col...

Are the Ivar shelf dimensions slightly different? It looks like my last order in 2022 they were 83x30 and now they are 89x30.

My heroic act today involved guiding a rabbit who was trying very hard to convince the world he was a motionless rock off and away from a busy road.

Although I read the Doc Savage reprints as a teen, I somehow missed this one.

The frequency with which one encounters demons follows a distribution pattern known as a Bael curve.

The Beginning Place by Ursula K. Le Guin Tembreabrezi offers Hugh and Irene something neither miserable American could ever have at home: the chance to solve Tembreabrezi's problems with a fantastical quest from which neither may return. jamesdavisnicoll.com/review/those...

My light jacket is the one my grandfather wore as the engineer of the Eppleton Hall during its Transatlantic voyage. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eppleto...

"It's in my Wikipedia entry!" My frequent refrain at work when someone discovers something about me.

Books Received, June 20 — June 26 Four books new to me. One science fiction, three fantasy. At least three of the books are series books. jamesdavisnicoll.com/post/books-r...

"The morning of June 27th was clear and sunny, with the fresh warmth of a full-summer day; the flowers were blossoming profusely and the grass was richly green." HAPPY LOTTERY DAY! www.youtube.com/watch?v=yccu...

So, how terrible is the new Ikea Ivar to assemble? I am told the cross-pieces come separate now.

This Monster of Mine (This Monster of Mine, volume 1) by Shalini Abeysekara Saria returns to the city where she died, in quest of the man who murdered her. jamesdavisnicoll.com/review/free-...

Head's up, Waterloo Region Ion users: on Sunday, there will be no Ion service before 1 PM.

Five Ways to Get Transported to Other Worlds That Don’t Involve Getting Hit by a Truck Before isekai began ramming people into other dimensions, classic SFF tried out some other weird strategies... reactormag.com/five-ways-to...

The Sleeping Dragon (The Guardians of the Flame, volume 1) by Joel Rosenberg Prudent students would refuse Professor Deighton's dangerous request... which is why Deighton doesn't ask permission before sending them to another world. jamesdavisnicoll.com/review/fire

Encountered 3 rabbits.

Bundle of Holding: Mappa Mundi This all-new Mappa Mundi Bundle presents Mappa Mundi - An Exploration + Ecology RPG, the tabletop roleplaying game from Three Sails Studios. bundleofholding.com/presents/Map...

Ten years working front of house has revealed to me the astonishing facts that not only are customers often not right, they bitterly resent correction. I had a guy fly into a rage and try to get me fired because I said, and I quote, "I am sorry but photography is not allowed during this show."

Gosick (Gosick, volume 1) by Kazuki Sakuraba A dutiful student and the unpleasant genius he has inexplicably befriended accept a boat tour on a yacht OF DEATH! jamesdavisnicoll.com/review/storm...

So, Baby Assassins is basically the Lovely Angels if they worked for John Wick?

Failing to invest more in Space-X would be like abandoning a perfectly good Titanic just because it nudged an iceberg.

Maybe the problem with Brexit was that it didn't go far enough. Shouldn't each household be a sovereign nation?

Is There Life on Other Worlds? by Poul Anderson Extrasolar planets! What might they be like and how might humanity reach them? jamesdavisnicoll.com/review/time-...

The little tchotchkes documenting the existence of an often-overlooked sexual orientation are called "bi-curios".

Today is the seventh anniversary of that time an Asian UW student berated me for being an Arab. Although "Arab" was not the term used. My very first hate crime! (I am a haggis-filled potato)