Is the David Gemmell Legend Award doing any good to the fantasy literature at the moment?

I reflected for a long time before making the yesterday’s post, but in the end went for it only to give this new post a starting point. There were a couple of discussions back in 2010, if I am not mistaken, that questioned the importance of the David Gemmell Legend Award for the fantasy genre. 3 years from then and looking over this year’s long lists it seems that nothing changed and nothing good came out of those talks.

The idea of an award dedicated entirely to the fantasy genre gives immense joy and when David Gemmell Legend Award came into existence thrilled me. And with mission statement such as “raise public awareness of the fantasy genre”, “celebrate the history and cultural importance of fantasy literature”, “appreciate and reward excellence in the field” and “commemorate the legacy of David Gemmell and his contribution to the fantasy genre” I believed that only the best of things could have come out of this. 5 years later I am not entirely sure that it would happen.

Let’s consider the 2013 long lists. There are only 9 publishers on the long lists and all are major ones. Nothing wrong with their presence here, but are these the only imprints “raising the awareness of the fantasy genre”? How about the small publishing houses and the amazing job they are doing in actually celebrating the history and cultural importance of fantasy literature? What struck me as even odder is the absence of any title published by The Black Library. After winning the Legend Award for Best Novel in 2010 through Graham McNeill’s “Empire”, the Morningstar Award for Best Newcomer through Darius Hinks’ “Warrior Priest” and the Ravenheart Award for Best Fantasy Cover Art through Raymond Swanland’s cover of “Blood of Aenarion” by William King it seems that Black Library stopped releasing suitable works for David Gemmell Legend Award.

What I loved at David Gemmell Legend Award even from its beginnings was that it considered all the fantasy works published in English. It was wonderful to see Andrezj Sapkowski winning the award in 2009 for “Blood of Elves” and Pierre Pevel recognized as Best Newcomer the following year for “The Cardinal’s Blades”. It is excellent to see all the Australian fantasy present on the long or short lists of the awards. But it saddens me to see so many great titles left outside the lists of the David Gemmell Legend Award because it is a sign of failing another of its mission statements, that of “appreciating and rewarding excellence in the field”. How can it not fail when Margo Lanagan’s “The Brides of Rollrock Island”, Lisa Hannett & Angel Slatter’s “Midnight and Moonshine”, Mike Carey, Linda Carey and Louise Carey’s “The Steel Seraglio” (released in the UK this year under the title “The City of Silk and Steel”), Daniel Rabuzzi’s “The Indigo Pheasant”, K.J. Parker’s “Sharps”, Tim Lebbon’s “The Heretic Land”, Graham Joyce’s “Some Kind of Fairy Tale”, N.K. Jemisin’s “The Killing Moon” and “The Shadowed Sun”, Howard Andrew Jones’ “The Bones of the Old Ones”, Brom’s “Krampus, the Yule Lord” or Jeff Salyards’ “Scourge of the Betrayer”, just to name the 2012 favorites of mine that should have been at least on the long lists in my opinion, and the popular writers and titles like Robin Hobb’s “City of Dragons”, G. Willow Wilson’s “Alif the Unseen”, Mark Lawrence’s “King of Thorns”, Michael J. Sullivan’s “Percepliquis”, Bradley Beaulieu’s “The Straits of Galahesh”, Paul S. Kemp’s “The Hammer and the Blade”, Anne Lyle’s “The Alchemy of Souls” or Rachel Hartman’s “Seraphina” are nowhere to be found.

Of course, I am subjective in my choice, but that is a luxury the David Gemmell Legend Award doesn’t afford. When you want to promote, bring awareness and reward the excellence of the fantasy literature a long list of titles from a handful of publishers would not bring you any closer to your objectives. It is my opinion that it will actually lead you further away from them. As long as the David Gemmell Legend Award will fail to notice an important part of the books published around the fantasy literature I am afraid I will have no interest in following the events surrounding it. I didn’t’ reach this conclusion and do not make this statement with resentment, it is only with the disappointment in seeing such a promising, full of potential award failing heavily.

David Gemmell Legend Award 2013 long lists

David Gemmell Legend Award is preparing for its 5^th edition and the voting process on the long lists has already started. As usual, the three categories are the Legend Award for Best Fantasy Novel, the Morningstar Award for Best Fantasy Newcomer and the Ravenheart Award for Best Fantasy Cover Art.

The Legend Award is the highlight of the nights events at our Award Ceremony where the winner of the book voted best release of the year is presented with a unique, scale model of Snaga (the legendary axe of Druss the Legend) from Raven Armoury. The blades of the axe are laser-etched with the winner's name & novel.

Readers vote for their favourite novel from the longlist nominated by publishers and the results of the first round of voting will be revealed this year at new event, Nine Worlds Geek Fest.

The Shortlist will then be open for voting until the end of September and the winner will be hailed the new champion of fantasy at our ceremony this year appearing at World Fantasy Con.

“Red Country” by Joe Abercrombie (Gollancz)

“The King's Blood” by Daniel Abraham (Orbit)

“Throne of the Crescent Moon” by Saladin Ahmed (Gollancz & DAW)

“Luck of the Draw” by Piers Anthony  (Tor)

“Range of Ghosts” by Elizabeth Bear (Tor)
“Queen's Hunt” by Beth Bernobich (Tor)

“Bard's Oath” by Joanne Bertin (Tor)

“Orion and King Arthur” by Ben Bova (Tor)

“Wards of Faerie” by Terry Brooks (Orbit)

“The Red Knight” by Miles Cameron (Gollancz)

“The Traitor Queen” by Trudi Canavan (Orbit)

“The Devil's Looking Glass” by Mark Chadbourn (Bantam Press)

“Trinity Rising” by Elspeth Cooper (Gollancz)
“Besieged” by Rowena Cory Daniells (Solaris)
“Exile” by Rowena Cory Daniells (Solaris)
“Sanctuary” by Rowena Cory Daniells (Solaris)

“Empire of the Saviours” by A.J. Dalton (Gollancz)

“The Black Mausoleum” by Stephen Deas (Gollancz)

“Forge of Darkness” by Steven Erikson (Bantam Press & Tor)
“Orb, Sceptre, Throne” by Ian C. Esslemont (Bantam Press & Tor)

“Dark Divide” by Jennifer Fallon (Harper Collins Australia)

“Seven Princes” by Jon R. Fultz (Orbit)

“Three Parts Dead” by Max Gladstone (Tor)

“Malice” by John Gwynne (Pan Macmillan UK)

“Mage's Blood” by David Hair (Jo Fletcher Books)

“Irenicon” by Aidan Harte (Jo Fletcher Books)

“The Fate of the Dwarves” by Markus Heitz (Orbit)

“The Silvered” by Tanya Huff (DAW)

“Black Bottle” by Anthony Huso (Tor)
“Kings of Morning” by Paul Kearney (Solaris)

“Stormdancer” by Jay Kristoff (Pan Macmillan UK)

“Lord of Slaughter” by M.D. Lachlan (Gollancz)

“Crown of Vengeance” by Mercedes Lackey & James Mallory (Tor)

“Bridge of Swords” by Duncan Lay (Harper Collins Australia)

“The Dusk Watchman” by Tom Lloyd (Gollancz)

“The Gathering of the Lost” by Helen Lowe (Orbit)
“Darkening Skies” by Juliet McKenna (Solaris)
“Defiant Peaks” by Juliet McKenna (Solaris)

“Scrivener’s Tale” by Fiona McIntosh (Harper Collins Australia)
“Greatshadow” by James Maxey (Solaris)

“Hush” by James Maxey (Solaris)

“Princeps” by L.E. Modesitt Jr. (Tor)

“Shadow Blizzard” by Alexey Pehov (Tor)

“Touchstone” by Melanie Rawn (Tor)
“Babylon Steel” by Gaie Sebold (Solaris)

“Winter Be My Shield” by Jo Spurrier (Harper Collins Australia)

“The Blinding Knife” by Brent Weeks (Orbit)

“Rage of the Dragon” by Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman (Tor)

“Knife-Sworn” by Mazarkis Williams (Jo Fletcher Books)

The Morningstar Award is to celebrate the newcomers to the fantasy genre, whose first book published in English will fight it out amongst the other young bloods to be crowned the fans undisputed New Blood Fantasy Champion.

Our trophy for this comes from silvertrophy.com.

As with the Legend Award the winner will be crowned at the World Fantasy Con on 31st October 2013.

“Throne of the Crescent Moon” by Saladin Ahmed (Gollancz & DAW)

“The Red Knight” by Miles Cameron (Gollancz)

“Seven Princes” by John R. Fultz (Orbit)

“Three Parts Dead” by Max Gladstone (Tor)

“Malice” by John Gwynne (Pan Macmillan UK)

“Irenicon” by Aidan Harte (Jo Fletcher Books)
“Stormdancer” by Jay Kristoff (Pan Macmillan UK)
“Babylon Steel” by Gaie Sebold (Solaris)

“Winter Be My Shield” by Jo Spurrier (Harper Collins Australia)

The Ravenheart Award is to celebrate the hard working artists of the fantasy genre, whose covers tantalise and enchant readers. The award is open for any Fantasy book published in English in the year of nomination with the winner being crowned 'Ravenheart Fantasy Artist of the Year' for their work. With so many hours of hard work put into the book jackets that help make a title so special we felt that the artists deserve to be recognised.

Our trophy for this comes from silvertrophy.com and is a beautifully cut crystal award.

As with the Legend Award the winner will be crowned at our ceremony at this year’s World Fantasy Con.

Richard Anderson - “Seven Princes” by John R. Fultz (Orbit)

Kirk Benshoff – “The King’s Blood” by Daniel Abraham (Orbit)

Kerem Beyit – “The Red Knight” by Miles Cameron (Gollancz)

Jason Chan – “Throne of the Crescent Moon” by Saladin Ahmed (DAW)

Julie Dillon – “Luck of the Draw” by Piers Anthony (Tor)

Bob Eggleton – “Bard’s Oath” by Joanne Bertin (Tor)

Donato Giancola – “Range of Ghosts” by Elizabeth Bear (Tor)

Donato Giancola – “Princeps” by L.E. Modesitt Jr. (Tor)

Didier Graffet & David Senior – “Red Country” by Joe Abercrombie (Gollancz)

Scott Grimando – “Queen’s Hunt” by Beth Bernobich (Tor)

Dominic Harman – “Trinity Rising” by Elspeth Cooper (Gollancz)
Dominic Harman – “The Legion of Shadow” - Michael J. Ward (Gollancz)
Dominic Harman – “The Heart of Fire” by Michael J. Ward (Gollancz)

Darren Holt – “Bridge of Swords” by Duncan Lay (Harper Collins Australia)

Darren Holt – “Scrivener’s Tale” by Fiona McIntosh (Harper Collins Australia)

Darren Holt – “Winter Be My Shield” by Jo Spurrier (Harper Collins Australia)

Todd Lockwood – “Crown of Vengeance” by Mercedes Lackey & James Mallory (Tor)

Patrick Knowles – “Throne of the Crescent Moon” by Saladin Ahmed (Gollancz)

Michael Kormack – “Rage of the Dragon” by Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman (Tor)

Kekai Kotaki – “Shadow Blizard” by Alexey Pehov (Tor)
Clint Langley – “Besieged” by Rowena Cory Daniells (Solaris)
Clint Langley – “Exile” by Rowena Cory Daniells (Solaris)
Clint Langley – “Sanctuary” by Rowena Cory Daniells (Solaris)

Bob Lea – “The Fate of the Dwarves” by Markus Heitz (Orbit)

Chris McGrath – “Three Parts Dead” by Max Gladstone (Tor)

Silas Manhood – “The Blinding Knife” by Brent Weeks (Orbit)

Cliff Neilsen – “The Silvered” by Tanya Huff (Daw)

Marek Okon – “Babylon Steel” by Gaie Sebold (Solaris)

James Paick – “Black Bottle” by Anthony Huso (Tor)

Andreas Rocha – “Empire of the Saviours” by A.J. Dalton (Gollancz)

Larry Rostant – “Heir of Novron” by Michael J. Sullivan (Orbit)

Larry Rostant – “The Dusk Watchman” by Tom Lloyd (Gollancz)

John Stanko – “Orion and King Arthur” by Ben Bova (Tor)

Matt Stawicki – “Glass Thorns” by Melanie Rawn (Tor)

Steve Stone – “Forge of Darkness” by Steven Erikson (Bantam Press & Tor)

Steve Stone – “Orb, Sceptre, Throne” by Ian C. Esslemont (Bantam Press & Tor)

Steve Stone – “The Traitor Queen” by Trudi Canavan (Orbit)

Colin Thomas – “Stormdancer” by Jay Kristoff (Pan Macmillan UK)

Unknown – “The Gathering of the Lost” by Helen Lowe (Orbit)

Stephen Youll – “The Black Mausoleum” by Stephen Deas (Gollancz)

Stephen Youll – “The Wards of Faerie” by Terry Brooks (Orbit)

Paul Young – “Malice” by John Gwynne (Pan Macmillan UK)

Paul Young – “Lord of Slaughter” by M.D. Lachlan (Gollancz)

Cover art - "Gideon Smith and the Mechanical Girl" by David Barnett

Steampunk never caught me. I am not sure if it is my tendency to go against most currents, unless they are fully on my taste and then I stop bitching about it and start swimming along them, or the association I make for this sub-genre with the works of Jules Verne, and those I raised on a pedestal I do not dare to touch. I read my small share of steampunk fiction, but these titles are not usually a priority for me. However, one such future book held my attention long enough to become very interested in reading it, David Barnett’s “Gideon Smith and the Mechanical Girl”. I could blame the cover for the UK edition of David Barnett’s upcoming novel, but that wouldn’t be entirely true. After all, I ceased the acquisitions of new books based solely on their cover artworks a long time ago. The main reason is David Barnett’s “Hinterland”, one of the novels I read in the past couple of years and failed to review properly, but one of those stories that get stuck forever to the reader. The premises of “Gideon Smith and the Mechanical Girl” are very interesting too, although “can a humble fisherman really become the true Hero of the Empire?” sounds a bit clichéd. I must admit though, that although the phrase looks too much as a cliché, the UK cover artwork did wonders in making me easily overlook it. It is a simple cover, but so much more efficient. There is enough tease behind the black figure of the girl and her key in order to complement the title successfully and both to make the book very appealing to me. The color tones are quite catchy as well.

Now, there is also a cover for the US edition of David Barnett’s “Gideon Smith and the Mechanical Girl”, due to be released by Tor Books at the same time as the UK edition published by Snowbooks. It is not a bad cover, on the contrary, but for me it suffers in comparison with the UK one. And that is the reason I chose to talk about that one, it works a little better for me. But if you prefer the US cover you can give it a vote on David Barnett’s blog because he holds a cover smackdown between the two there.

I might be on the side of the cover for the UK edition, but I cannot deny the pleasure it gives me to see another artwork made by Borja Fresco Nekro, the artist behind the US book cover, for a David Barnett short story set in the world of Gideon Smith. It is gorgeous, but I could hardly expect less from the art department of Tor.com! “Work Sets You Free” is due to be published on Tor.com and will be followed by a second tale in the same universe, “Business as Usual”, also on Tor.com. The first features Gideon Smith and an abbey with a dark secret run by gun-toting nuns, while the second shines a little light into the shadowy corners of the British Empire’s most secret service and its chief operative, the mysterious Mr. Walsingham.So, plenty of interesting things this summer and upcoming fall from David Barnett and his young hero, Gideon Smith.

In an alternative 1890, the British Empire’s reach and power is almost absolute, and from a technologically-advanced London where steam-power is king and airships ply the skies, Queen Victoria presides over three-quarters of the known world – including the east coast of America, following the failed revolution of 1775.

But London might as well be a world away from Sandsend, a tiny village on the Yorkshire coast, where Gideon Smith whiles away his days fishing on his father’s clockwork gearship and dreaming of the adventure promised him by the lurid tales of Captain Lucian Trigger, the Hero of the Empire, as presented in Gideon’s favourite “penny dreadful” periodical, World Marvels & Wonders.

When Gideon’s father is lost at sea in highly mysterious circumstances, Gideon is convinced that supernatural forces are at work. The writer Bram Stoker, holidaying in nearby Whitby, fears that a vampire from Transylvania is abroad on English soil, but is the dark agency that killed Arthur Smith and his crew even more ancient and foul – murderous, mummified creatures from the shifting sands of Egypt?

Deciding only Captain Lucian Trigger himself can aid him in his search for answers, Gideon sets off for London, and on the way rescues the mysterious mechanical girl Maria from a tumbledown house of shadows and iniquities.

Looking for heroes but finding only mysteries and unanswered questions, it falls to Gideon Smith to step up to the plate and attempt to save the day… but can a humble fisherman really become the true Hero of the Empire?

TOC - "The Best British Fantasy 2013" edited by Steve Haynes & "Imaginarium 2013: The Best Canadian Speculative Writing" edited by Sandra Kasturi & Samantha Beiko

Are there too many speculative fiction year’s best? In my opinion, they are not. And although once in a while the quality of the selections is questioned I found the ones I read constantly each year at the highest levels. Their efforts of promoting short fiction and bringing into the attention of the readers some of the best voices of speculative fiction is nothing but praiseworthy and as long as we would not have an invasion of such year’s best anthologies I will continue to read them with interest and delight. Even more so after such titles started to expend worldwide with the apparition of “The Year’s Best Australian Fantasy & Horror” in 2011 and “Imaginarium: The Best Canadian Speculative Writing” last year. After I signaled the third edition of “The Year’s Best Australian Fantasy & Horror”, due to be released this year, it gives great pleasure to see the second edition of “Imaginarium: The Best Canadian Speculative Writing” coming out on July 15^th and the publication of the first “The Best British Fantasy” by Salt Publishing. And with the likes of Amal El-Mohtar, Gemma Files, Cate Gardner, Lisa Hannett, Carole Johnstone, Helen Marshall, Alison Littlewood, Angela Slatter, Simon Bestwick, Michael Kelly, Mark Morris and Adam Nevill on their line-ups both promise plenty of excellent things. However, more good news come our way from  Salt Publishing, it seems that they will not only release a series of year’s best British fantasy, but also starting from next year a series of yearly “Best British Horror” too, edited by Johnny Mains. With so many great speculative fiction year’s best collections I only hope that soon the Romanian SF, fantasy and horror would see the publication of a similar yearly anthology. It will certainly do the local readers and writers a lot of good. And why not, one such year’s best for the global speculative fiction too.

From the post-apocalyptic American West to the rural terror in New Zealand, this major anthology has evil spirits, bin-Laden style assassinations, steampunk, sexual dysfunction, a twisted version of Peter Pan, the folklore of standing stones, mermaids, alien tour guides, zombies, gruesome beasts, voice-controlled police states, environmental disasters and off world penal colonies. Unmissable.

“Introduction” by Steve Haynes

“Lips and Teeth” by Jon Wallace

“The Last Osama” by Lavie Tidhar

“Armageddon Fish Pie” by Joseph D’Lacey

“The Complex” by E.J. Swift

“God of the Gaps” by Carole Johnstone

“Corset Wings” by Cheryl Moore

“The Wheel of Fortune” by Steph Swainston

“The Island of Peter Pandora” by Kim Lakin-Smith

“Too Delicate for Human Form” by Cate Gardner

“Imogen” by Sam Stone

“In the Quiet and in the Dark” by Alison Littlewood

“The Scariest Place in the World” by Mark Morris

“Qiqirn” by Simon Kurt Unsworth

“The Third Person” by Lisa Tuttle

“Dermot” by Simon Bestwick

“Fearful Symmetry” by Tyler Keevil

“Pig Thing” by Adam L.G. Nevill

Imaginarium 2013: The Best Canadian Speculative Writing is a reprint anthology published annually by ChiZine Publications, collecting speculative short fiction and poetry (science fiction, fantasy, horror, magic realism, etc.) that represents the best work produced by Canadian writers.

Canadian speculative fiction has been increasingly recognized internationally for the calibre of its authors and their insight into the nature of social and religious identities, the implications of new technologies, and the relationship between humankind and its environments. We use the term “speculative fiction” in order to free ourselves from the associations of terms like “science fiction,” “horror,” and “fantasy.” At their best, these stories disrupt habits, overcome barriers of cultural perception to make the familiar strange through the use of speculative elements such as magic and technology. They provide glimpses of alternate realities and possible futures and pasts that provoke an ethical, social, political, environmental and biological inquiry into what it means to be human.

“Blink” by Michael Kelly

“Nightfall in the Scent Garden” by Claire Humphrey

“The Ghosts of Birds” by Helen Marshall

“The Last Love of the Infinity Age” by Peter Darbyshire

“Too Much is Never Enough” by Don Bassingthwaite

“Bigfoot Cured My Arthritis” by Robert Colman

“Wing” by Amal El-Mohtar

“Arrow” by Barry King

“Penny” by Dominik Parisien

“Thought and Memory” by Catherine Knutsson

“Gaudifingers” by Tony Burgess

“A sea monster tells his story” by David Livingstone Clink

“Son of Abish” by Dave Duncan

“Opt-In” by J.W. Schnarr

“Last Amphibian Flees” by M.A.C. Farrant

“White Teeth” by David Livingstone Clink

“The Sweet Spot” by A.M. Dellamonica

“Verse Found Scratched Inside the Lid of a Sarcophagus (Dynasty Unknown)” by Gemma Files

“Collect Call” by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

“Bella Beaufort Goes to War” by Lisa L. Hannett & Angela Slatter

“A Spell for Scrying Mirror Gremlins” by Peter Chiykowski

“The Book of Judgement” by Helen Marshall

“The Audit” by Susie Moloney

“Sixteen Colours” by David Livingstone Clink

“The Old Boys Club” by Geoff Gander

“Fin de Siècle” by Gemma Files

“Since Breaking Through the Ice” by Dominik Parisien

“The Pack” by Matt Moore

“Invocabulary” by Gemma Files

“I Was a Teenage Minotaur” by A.G. Pasquella

“Weep For Day” by Indrapramit Das

“What I Learned at Genie School” by Jocko Benoit

“Aces” by Ian Rogers

“No Poisoned Comb” by Amal El-Mohtar

“What a Picture Doesn’t Say” by Christopher Willard

“The Last Islander” by Matthew Johnson