James Nicoll: Trending quotes (page 2)

“Creating stars in laboratories on the very planets you inhabit turns out to be a bad idea.”

James Nicoll

Almost-Classics: SF Concepts and Settings That Deserve Better Execution https://www.tor.com/2018/01/29/almost-classics-sf-concepts-and-settings-that-deserve-better-execution/ on Tor.com, January 29, 2018
2010s

Star , Idea

“I didn't skip the smut. The author went to the trouble of writing it, after all. I did not feel to make notes for possible application later on but I also never wondered if the author was a virgin raised in an abandoned hentai warehouse, which is always a possibility for modern pornographers and erotica writers.”

James Nicoll

LiveJournal post (review of 'The Russians Came Knocking' by K.B. Spangler), 2014) http://james-nicoll.livejournal.com/5086498.html?thread=95347746#t95347746
2010s

Feeling

“Goodkind is noted for subtle allegories the same way Mt Kilimanjaro is known for floating weightlessly.”

James Nicoll

[d1kr2s$m90$1@reader1.panix.com, 2005]
2000s

Way

“Tor is the hard one. They employ a lot of editors, whose tastes vary. They don't always indicate who has edited what (on the choice of the editor, I think) so editor stalking can be more difficult with Tor. Ear-tagging works but is rather surprisingly illegal.”

James Nicoll

[ddd4ej$hiv$1@reader2.panix.com, 2005]
2000s

Thinking

“If there's a stack [of novels to review], the unpromising stuff goes at the top and the promising stuff goes at the bottom. That way, I am eager to finish Overwrought Romantic Mary Sue Fantasy because I know that will let me read Niche Product That Only the Author, James and Some Guy at JPL Likes.”

James Nicoll

[dh3na8$a1u$1@reader1.panix.com, 2005]
2000s

Way , Guy , Reading

“Let's step back and think about the likely outcome of a scenario that involves the words "James Nicoll", "a box of sharp needles" and "possibly without ever having achieved full consciousness" for a moment, shall we?”

James Nicoll

LiveJournal comment http://james-nicoll.livejournal.com/228255.html?thread=2188959#t2188959
2000s

Thinking , Box

“Call me an extremist but killing a few hundred million people seems like the sort of method that might have unintended consequences.”

James Nicoll

[d45qug$pc5$1@reader1.panix.com, 2005]
2000s

People

“Yes, I was suprised how easy it was to cut the door off my cat.”

James Nicoll

[cbav4b$qqa$1@panix2.panix.com, 2004]
2000s

Cats

“In point of fact, the meteor was something like 30 km when it exploded. It was over north Waterloo and I was north of St Agatha. Two spherical clouds, and two explosions. Unfortunately, I was dealing with a goat that was trying to eat an oil truck's fuel line, goats having this optimistic 'Well, maybe it has become edible since they last time I tried this' worldview, and I missed seeing the explosions.”

James Nicoll

[cbp39u$gbq$1@panix1.panix.com, 2004]
2000s

Time

“It's bad to wake up and see a large cat in mid-leap from the rough vicinity of the ceiling.”

James Nicoll

[b2jl1a$e39$1@panix2.panix.com, 2003]
2000s

Cats

“I also do not recommend shopping with Cordelia Naismith—but I would watch that reality show.”

James Nicoll

"Six Characters with Whom You Should Never Ever Go Camping" https://www.tor.com/2018/08/20/six-characters-with-whom-you-should-never-ever-go-camping/ on Tor.com, August 20, 2018
2010s

Reality

“I wonder if he's planning a book called SRS? Or F'lu?”

James Nicoll

ibid. : About Antrax by Terry Brooks:
2000s

Books

“It's true that the average human in the Xeelee universe can't eat Jell-O with a straw without accident[al]ly removing an eye but these particular humans start off no stupider than than any other human of their era and proceed to breed themselves into imbecility. Well, farther into imbecility.”

James Nicoll

[cvo12q$oii$1@reader2.panix.com, 2005]
2000s

Stupidity , Lying , Universe

“We discovered at one point that the brick wall of the pillar would hold up a sock pretty well. This led to sorting socks by putting them on the wall, which in turn led to mosaics built entirely of socks. Mission drift is a hazard in all pursuits, including doing the laundry.”

James Nicoll

[d6qu65$cm6$1@reader1.panix.com, 2005]
2000s