2014 Aurealis Awards finalists

The finalists of the 2014 Aurealis Awards have been announced. The winners will be announced on April 11^th at the University House, Canberra.

BEST FANTASY NOVEL

“Fireborn” by Keri Arthur (Hachette Australia)

“This Shattered World” by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner (Allen & Unwin)

“The Lascar’s Dagger” by Glenda Larke (Hachette Australia)

“Dreamer’s Pool” by Juliet Marillier (Pan Macmillan Australia)

“Afterworlds” by Scott Westerfeld (Penguin Books Australia)

“Daughters of the Storm” by Kim Wilkins (Harlequin Enterprises Australia)

BEST FANTASY SHORT STORY

“The Oud” by Thoraiya Dyer (Long Hidden, Crossed Genres Publications)

“Teratogen” by Deborah Kalin (Cemetery Dance, #71, May 2014)

“The Ghost of Hephaestus” by Charlotte Nash (Phantazein, FableCroft Publications)

“St Dymphna’s School for Poison Girls” by Angela Slatter (The Review of Australian Fiction, Volume 9, Issue 3)

“The Badger Bride” by Angela Slatter (Strange Tales IV, Tartarus Press)

BEST SCIENCE FICTION NOVEL

“Aurora: Meridian” by Amanda Bridgeman (Momentum)

“Nil By Mouth” by LynC (Satalyte)

“The White List” by Nina D’Aleo (Momentum)

“Peacemaker” by Marianne de Pierres (Angry Robot)

“This Shattered World” by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner (Allen & Unwin)

“Foresight” by Graham Storrs (Momentum)

BEST SCIENCE FICTION SHORT STORY

“The Executioner Goes Home” by Deborah Biancotti (The Review of Australian Fiction, Vol 11 Issue 6)

“Wine, Women and Stars” by Thoraiya Dyer (Analog Vol CXXXIV nos 1&2 Jan/Feb)

“The Glorious Aerybeth” by Jason Fischer (OnSpec, 11 Sep 2014)

“Dellinger” by Charlotte Nash (Use Only As Directed, Peggy Bright Books)

“Happy Go Lucky” by Garth Nix (Kaleidoscope, Twelfth Planet Press)

BEST HORROR NOVEL

“Book of the Dead” by Greig Beck (Momentum)

“Razorhurst” by Justine Larbalestier (Allen & Unwin)

“Obsidian” by Alan Baxter (HarperVoyager)

BEST HORROR SHORT STORY

“The Executioner Goes Home” by Deborah Biancotti (The Review of Australian Fiction, Vol 11 Issue 6)

“Skinsuit” by James Bradley (Island Magazine 137)

“By the Moon’s Good Grace” by Kirstyn McDermott (The Review of Australian Fiction, Vol 12, Issue 3)

“Shay Corsham Worsted” by Garth Nix (Fearful Symmetries, Chizine)

“Home and Hearth” by Angela Slatter (Spectral Press)

BEST YOUNG ADULT NOVEL

“The Astrologer’s Daughter” by Rebecca Lim (Text Publishing)

“Afterworld” by Lynnette Lounsbury (Allen & Unwin)

“The Cracks in the Kingdom” by Jaclyn Moriarty (Pan Macmillan Australia)

“Clariel” by Garth Nix (Allen & Unwin)

“The Haunting of Lily Frost” by Nova Weetman (UQP)

“Afterworlds” by Scott Westerfeld (Penguin Books Australia)

BEST YOUNG ADULT SHORT STORY

“In Hades” by Goldie Alexander (Celapene Press)

“Falling Leaves” by Liz Argyll (Apex Magazine)

“The Fuller and the Bogle” by David Cornish (Tales from the Half-Continent, Omnibus Books)

“Vanilla” by Dirk Flinthart (Kaleidoscope, Twelfth Planet Press)

“Signature” by Faith Mudge (Kaleidoscope, Twelfth Planet Press)

BEST CHILDREN’S FICTION

“Slaves of Socorro: Brotherband #4” by John Flanagan (Random House Australia)

“Ophelia and the Marvellous Boy” by Karen Foxlee (Hot Key Books)

“The Last Viking Returns” by Norman Jorgensen and James Foley (ILL.) (Fremantle Press)

“Withering-by-Sea” by Judith Rossell (ABC Books)

“Sunker’s Deep: The Hidden #2” by Lian Tanner (Allen & Unwin)

“Shadow Sister: Dragon Keeper #5” by Carole Wilkinson (Black Dog Books)

BEST COLLECTION

“The Female Factory” by Lisa L Hannett and Angela Slatter (Twelfth Planet Press)

“Secret Lives” by Rosaleen Love (Twelfth Planet Press)

“Angel Dust” by Ian McHugh (Ticonderoga Publications)

“Difficult Second Album: more stories of Xenobiology, Space Elevators, and Bats Out Of Hell” by Simon Petrie (Peggy Bright Books)

“The Bitterwood Bible and Other Recountings” by Angela Slatter (Tartarus Press)

“Black-Winged Angels” by Angela Slatter (Ticonderoga Publications)

BEST ANTHOLOGY

“Kisses by Clockwork” edited by Liz Grzyb (Ticonderoga Publications)

“Kaleidoscope: Diverse YA Science Fiction and Fantasy Stories” edited by Alisa Krasnostein and Julia Rios (Twelfth Planet Press)

“Amok: An Anthology of Asia-Pacific Speculative Fiction” edited by Dominica Malcolm (Solarwyrm Press)

“Reach for Infinity” edited by Jonathan Strahan (Solaris Books)

“Fearsome Magics” edited by Jonathan Strahan (Ed) (Solaris Books)

“Phantazein” edited by Tehani Wessely (FableCroft Publishing)

BEST GRAPHIC NOVEL/ILLUSTRATED WORK

“Left Hand Path #1” by Jason Franks & Paul Abstruse (Winter City Productions)

“Awkwood” by Jase Harper (Milk Shadow Books)

“A Small Wild Magic” by Kathleen Jennings (Monstrous Affections, Candlewick Press)

“Mr Unpronounceable and the Sect of the Bleeding Eye” by Tim Molloy (Milk Shadow Books)

“The Game” by Shane Smith (Deeper Meanings Publishing)

Congratulations and good luck to all the nominees!

2015 Sir Julius Vogel Awards nominees

SFFANZ (Science Fiction and Fantasy Association of New Zealand) has announced the list of nominees for the 2015 Sir Julius Vogel Awards, awarded yearly in recognition of the achievements in New Zealand science fiction, fantasy, horror and science fiction fandom. The winners of the 2015 Sir Julius Vogel Awards will be announced during the 36^th New Zealand National Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Convention, Reconnaissance, taking place from 3^rd to 6^th April in Rotorua on the North Island of New Zealand.

PROFESSIONAL AWARDS NOMINEES

BEST NOVEL

“Dreamer's Pool” by Juliet Marillier (Pan MacMillan)

“The Sovereign Hand” by Paul Gilbert (Steam Press)

“Engines of Empathy” by Paul Mannering (Paper Road Press)

“The Caves of Kirym” by Derrin Attwood (Worldly Books)

“The Seventh Friend” by Tim Stead

“Onyx Javelin” by Steve Wheeler (HarperCollins, Australia)

BEST YOUTH NOVEL

“The Caller: Shadowfell” by Juliet Marillier (Pan Macmillan)

“Tantamount” by Thomas J. Radford (Tyche Books)

“Wee Mac” by Linda Dawley (Little Red Hen Community Press)

“Donnel's Promise” by Anna Mackenzie (Longacre Press)

“Watched” by Tihema Baker (Huia Press)

BEST NOVELLA

“A Mer-Tale” by Jan Goldie (Published in Conclave: A Collection of Science Fiction and Fantasy by Leapy Sheep)

“Trading Rosemary” by Octavia Cade (Masque Books)

“Ranpasatusan” by Shelley Chappell

“Peach and Araxi” by Celine Murray (Published in Conclave: A Collection of Science Fiction and Fantasy by Leapy Sheep)

“The Last Homely Housekeeper” by Rolf Luchs

“In the Spirit” by J. C. Hart

BEST SHORT STORY

“Inside Ferndale” by Lee Murray (SQ Mag, Issue 12, January 2014)

“The Watch Serpent” by Eileen Mueller (Disquiet, Creativa)

“Chiaroscuro” by Charlotte Kleft (Disquiet, Creativa)

“Water” by Lee Pletzers (Disquiet, Creativa)

“Santa's Sack” by Simon Fogarty (The Best of Twisty Christmas Tales, Phantom Feather Press)

BEST COLLECTED WORK

“Lost In The Museum” by Phoenix Writers Group (Makaro Press)

“Corpus Delecti” by William Cook (James Ward Kirk Publishing)

“Dreams of Thanatos” by William Cook (King Billy Publications)

“The Best of Twisty Christmas Tales” edited by A. J. Ponder, E. Mueller and P. Friend (Phantom Feather Press)

“Write Off Line 2014: They Came In From The Dark” edited by Lauren Haddock and Jessica Harvey (Tauranga Writers Publishing)

“Beyond The Briar” by Shelley Chappell

BEST PROFESSIONAL ARTWORK

Cover for Lost In The Museum – Geoff Popham

Cover for The Best of Twisty Christmas Tales – Geoff Popham

BEST PROFESSIONAL PRODUCTION/PUBLICATION

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, Chronicles: Cloaks and Daggers – Daniel Falconer / Weta Workshop

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, Chronicles: Unleashing the Dragon – Daniel Falconer / Weta Workshop

Cosplay New Zealand – Sylvie Kirkman

Weta Digital: 20 Years of Imagination On Screen – Clare Burgess with Brian Sibley with the support of Weta Digital

Weta Workshop: Celebrating 20 Years of Creativity – Luke Hawker with the support of Weta Workshop

BEST DRAMATIC PRESENTATION

“What We Do In The Shadows” directed by Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi, produced by Chelsea Winstanley and Taika Waititi / (c) Shadow Pictures 2014

“The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies” directed by Sir Peter Jackson, written by Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Guillermo del Toro

“Housebound” directed by Gerald Johnstone

FAN AWARDS NOMINEES

BEST FAN PRODUCTION/PUBLICATION

Novazine – Jacqui Smith

Phoenixine – John & Lynelle Howell

BEST FAN ARTWORK

Keith Smith, for contributions in Novazine 

Matt Cowens, for “Gorgth Goes Shopping” (Au Contraire 2013 convention book, carried over from 2014)

BEST FAN WRITING

Rebecca Fisher

Jacqui Smith

BEST NEW TALENT

Tihema Baker

Tim Stead

A.J. Fitzwater

Shelley Chappell

William Cook

Paul Gilbert

SERVICES TO SCIENCE FICTION, FANTASY AND HORROR

Eileen Mueller

Hugh Cook

Congratulations and good luck to all the nominees!

Cheeky Frawg Books publishes "The Best of Spanish Steampunk" too

One of the titles I plan on reading this year, “The Best of Spanish Steampunk”, was released a couple of days ago. But since the initial plan of the editors Marian and James Womack of making this anthology, dedicated to what Spanish and Latin American steampunk has best to offer, available only in e-pub format, as a starting point, things have taken a turn for the better. It cannot be otherwise since Cheeky Frawg Books joined the effort of Ediciones Nevsky in bringing more awareness to the Spanish speculative fiction and published a Kindle compatible edition of “The Best Spanish Steampunk” too. So, if you wish to see how steampunk fares  in Spain and Latin America, now you can find Marian and James Womack’s “The Best of Spanish Steampunk” on Ediciones Nevsky (for the e-pub format), on Amazon (US/UK for the Kindle compatible format) and on Barnes & Nobles (for NOOK compatible format).

TOC & Cover art - "She Walks in Shadows" edited by Silvia Moreno-Garcia & Paula R. Stiles

Following a successful crowdfunding campaign for an all-woman Lovecraftian anthology Silvia Moreno-Garcia and Paula R. Stiles began the work of gathering stories, besides those already booked at the start of the project, and artwork for “She Walks in Shadows”, the title of this collection. With all the latest rise of Lovecraftian fiction “She Walks in Shadows” is the first all-woman anthology dedicated to this sub-genre, a welcomed addition to the powerful collections and stories already published so far. Of course, plenty of those were written by extremely talented women, but this time they rightfully have the stage for themselves. For me, this anthology held promise even from the early days of its crowdfunding campaign. My experience with Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s editorial works, and not only, was nothing but rewarding. The presence of Angela Slatter, Gemma Files, Molly Tanzer, E. Catherine Tobler and Benjanun Sridungkaew on board of the project from the early stages of “She Walks in Shadows” was another point that bolstered my faith in this anthology. I cannot say that after the revealing of the full table of contents many other names ring a bell, but that never stopped me from giving such authors a fair chance. After all, how could I add writers to my list of favorites if I am not open to the ones with whose works I am unfamiliar? As a lover of beautiful artworks I was also thrilled to see this project boosted by interior illustrations, I am not the one to hide my love for the glamorous volumes containing excellent artwork next to wonderful fiction. It seems I’d count “She Walks in Shadows” among these volumes too, since the first glimpses of the interior illustrations are alluring and that without mentioning the awesome cover artwork made by Sarah K. Diesel. All these elements, the take on Lovecraftian fiction, two experienced editors, 24 authors from around the world and 10 artist covering the cover and interior artwork, promise to make “She Walks in Shadows” one of the highlights of my 2015 reading year. The anthology is due to be released on the fall by Innsmouth Free Press, but I am certain that Silvia Moreno-Garcia and Paula R. Stiles’ collection will worth the wait.

“Bitter Perfume” by Laura Blackwell

“Violet is the Color of Your Energy” by Nadia Bulkin

“Body to Body to Body” by S. J. Chambers

“De Deabus Minoribus Exterioris Theomagicae” by Jilly Dreadful

“Hairwork” by Gemma Files

“The Head of T’la-yub” by Nelly Geraldine García-Rosas (translated by Silvia Moreno-Garcia)

“Bring the Moon to Me” by Amelia Gorman

“Chosen” by Lyndsey Holder

“Eight Seconds” by Pandora Hope

“Cthulhu of the Dead Sea” by Inkeri Kontro

“Turn out the Lights” by Penelope Love

“The Adventurer’s Wife” by Premee Mohamed

“Notes Found in a Decommissioned Asylum, December 1961″ by Sharon Mock

“The Eye of Jupiter” by Eugenie Mora

“Ammutseba Rising” by Ann K. Schwader

“Cypress God” by Rodopi Sisamis

“Lavinia’s Wood” by Angela Slatter

“The Opera Singer” by Priya Sridhar

“Provenance” by Benjanun Sriduangkaew

“The Thing in The Cheerleading Squad” by Molly Tanzer

“Lockbox” by Elise Tobler

“When She Quickens” by Mary Turzillo

“Shub-Niggurath’s Witnesses” by Valerie Valdes

“Queen of a New America” by Wendy Wagner

Interior illustrations by

Sara Bardi

Shelby Denham

Lisa A. Grabenstetter

Karen Hollingsworth

Cindy Lewis

Liv Rainey-Smith

Pia Ravenari

Diana Thung

Kathryn Weaver

2015 Ditmar Awards nominees

The shortlist for the 2015 Ditmar Awards, recognizing annually the achievement in Australian science fiction, fantasy, horror and fandom, has been announced. The winners will be announced at the 2015 Australian National SF Convention, Swancon 40, held in Perth between 2nd and 6th of April.

 Best Novel

“The Lascar's Dagger” by Glenda Larke (Hachette)

“Bound” (Alex Caine 1) by Alan Baxter (Voyager)

“Clariel” by Garth Nix (HarperCollins)

“Thief's Magic” (Millennium's Rule 1) by Trudi Canavan (Hachette Australia)

“The Godless” (Children 1) by Ben Peek (Tor UK)

Best Novella or Novelette

“The Ghost of Hephaestus” by Charlotte Nash, in Phantazein (FableCroft Publishing)

“The Legend Trap” by Sean Williams, in Kaleidoscope (Twelfth Planet Press)

“The Darkness in Clara” by Alan Baxter, in SQ Mag 14 (IFWG Publishing Australia)

“St Dymphna's School for Poison Girls” by Angela Slatter, in Review of Australian Fiction, Volume 9, Issue 3 (Review of Australian Fiction)

“The Female Factory” by Lisa L. Hannett and Angela Slatter, in The Female Factory (Twelfth Planet Press)

“Escapement” by Stephanie Gunn, in Kisses by Clockwork (Ticonderoga Publications)

Best Short Story

“Bahamut” by Thoraiya Dyer, in Phantazein (FableCroft Publishing)

“Vanilla” by Dirk Flinthart, in Kaleidoscope (Twelfth Planet Press)

“Cookie Cutter Superhero” by Tansy Rayner Roberts, in Kaleidoscope (Twelfth Planet Press)

“The Seventh Relic” by Cat Sparks, in Phantazein (FableCroft Publishing)

“Signature” by Faith Mudge, in Kaleidoscope (Twelfth Planet Press)

Best Collected Work

“Kaleidoscope” edited by Alisa Krasnostein and Julia Rios (Twelfth Planet Press)

“The Year's Best Australian Fantasy and Horror 2013” edited by Liz Grzyb and Talie Helene (Ticonderoga Publications)

“Phantazein” edited by Tehani Wessely (FableCroft Publishing)

Best Artwork

Illustrations, Kathleen Jennings, in Black-Winged Angels (Ticonderoga Publications)

Cover art, Kathleen Jennings, of Phantazein (FableCroft Publishing)

Illustrations, Kathleen Jennings, in The Bitterwood Bible and Other Recountings (Tartarus Press)

Best Fan Writer

Tansy Rayner Roberts, for body of work

Tsana Dolichva, for body of work

Bruce Gillespie, for body of work

Katharine Stubbs, for body of work

Alexandra Pierce, for body of work

Grant Watson, for body of work

Sean Wright, for body of work

Best Fan Artist

Nalini Haynes, for body of work, including "Interstellar Park Ranger Bond, Jaime Bond", "Gabba and Slave Lay-off: Star Wars explains Australian politics", "The Driver", and "Unmasked" inDark Matter Zine

Kathleen Jennings, for body of work, including Fakecon art and Illustration Friday series

Nick Stathopoulos, for movie poster of It Grows!

Best Fan Publication in Any Medium

“Snapshot 2014” - Tsana Dolichva, Nick Evans, Stephanie Gunn, Kathryn Linge, Elanor Matton-Johnson, David McDonald, Helen Merrick, Jason Nahrung, Ben Payne, Alex Pierce, Tansy Rayner Roberts, Helen Stubbs, Katharine Stubbs, Tehani Wessely, and Sean Wright

“It Grows!” - Nick Stathopoulos

“Galactic Suburbia” - Alisa Krasnostein, Alexandra Pierce, Tansy Rayner Roberts, and Andrew Finch

“The Writer and the Critic” - Kirstyn McDermott and Ian Mond

“Galactic Chat” - Sean Wright, Helen Stubbs, David McDonald, Alexandra Pierce, Sarah Parker, and Mark Webb

Best New Talent

Helen Stubbs

Shauna O'Meara

Michelle Goldsmith

William Atheling Jr Award for Criticism or Review

Reviews in The Angriest, Grant Watson

The Eddings Reread series, Tehani Wessely, Jo Anderton, and Alexandra Pierce, in A Conversational Life

Reviews in Adventures of a Bookonaut, Sean Wright

“Does Sex Make Science Fiction Soft?” in Uncanny Magazine 1, Tansy Rayner Roberts

Reviews in FictionMachine, Grant Watson

The Reviewing New Who series, David McDonald, Tansy Rayner Roberts, and Tehani Wessely

Congratulations and good luck to all the nominees!

2014 Kitschies Awards

There are several genre awards that keep my attention close to them, always providing a few more titles and authors to read. One such award is the Kitschies, which proved to be true to its words of highlighting “the most progressive, intelligent and entertaining genre literature” over the time. It is no different this year, my faith in the Kitschies adding further building bricks on my tower of books I wish to read being rewarded by their recently announced 2014 shortlist. The winners of the 2014 Kitschies Awards will be announced on March, 4^th.

 The Red Tentacle (Novel)

“Lagoon” by Nnedi Okorafor (Hodder & Stoughton)

“Grasshopper Jungle” by Andrew Smith (Egmont)

“The Peripheral” by William Gibson (Viking)

“The Way Inn” by Will Wiles (4th Estate)

“The Race” by Nina Allan (NewCon Press)

The Golden Tentacle (Debut)

“Viper Wine” by Hermione Eyre (Jonathan Cape)

“The Girl in the Road” by Monica Byrne (Blackfriars)

“Memory of Water” by Emmi Itäranta (HarperCollins)

“The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet” by Becky Chambers (Self-Published)

“The People in the Trees” by Hanya Yanagihara (Atlantic Books)

The Inky Tentacle (Cover Art)

“The Ghost of the Mary Celeste” design by Steve Marking, lettering by Kimberly Glyder (Weidenfeld and Nicolson)

“A Man Lies Dreaming” cover by Ben Summers (Hodder and Stoughton)

“Through the Woods” cover by Emily Carroll and Sonja Chaghatzbanian (Faber and Faber)

“The Book of Strange New Things” cover by Rafaela Romaya and Yehring Tong (Canongate)

“Tigerman” cover by Glenn O'Neill (William Heinemann)

The Invisible Tentacle (Natively Digital Fiction)

“echovirus12” created/curated by Jeff Noon @jeffnoon, Ed @3dgriffiths, James Knight @badbadpoet, violet sprite @gadgetgreen, Richard Biddle @littledeaths68, Mina Polen @polen, Uel Aramchek @ThePatanoiac, Graham Walsh @t_i_s_u, Vapour Vox @Wrong_Triangle

“Kentucky Route Zero, Act III” by Cardboard Computer

“80 Days” by Inkle Studios

“Sailor's Dream” by Simogo

Congratulations and good luck to all the nominees!

Free fiction - Conrad Williams edition

Conrad Williams is one of the masters of modern British horror, the author of seven novels, four novellas and two collections of short stories and also the editor of one anthology. He is the winner of the 2010 British Fantasy Award for Best Novel, “One” (reviewed here on my blog), the 2007 International Horror Guild Award for Best Novel, “The Unblemished”, the 2008 British Fantasy Award for Best Novella, “The Scalding Room”, and the 1993 British Fantasy Award for Best Newcomer. The first two novels published by Conrad Williams are available for free download until February 17^th, so if you fancy a copy of “Head Injuries” (Amazon US/UK) and “London Revenant” (Amazon US/UK) you can grab one by following the link of your choice.

David has been summoned to Morecambe, a place he hoped he'd never see again. It's winter and the English seaside town is dead. David knows exactly how it feels.

Empty for as long as he can remember, he depends too much on a past filled with the excitements of drink, drugs, and emotionless sex. The friends – Helen and Seamus – who sustained him are here now, and together they aim to pinpoint the source of the violence that has suddenly exploded into their lives.

They drive each other further into a territory of fear, suspicion, and threat as old bitternesses are rekindled, ancient haunts are revisited.

The phantoms of the past are coalescing and something is coming home to roost.

A madman is pushing people under Tube trains...

Adam Buckley thinks he knows who it is, but has problems of his own to deal with. Damaged from a recent break-up, his narcolepsy worsening, he learns that his friends have become suicidally obsessed with finding insane, unexplored parts of London.

He glimpses figures in the subterranean gloom, half recognised faces at parties to which he can't recall being invited, indications of a life lived yet never remembered. As his confusion deepens, so too does the threat of violence. In peeling back so many of the city's faces, he fears that the skull beneath the skin might well be known to him.