Roswell Award and Tomorrow Prize Open

Light Bringer Project and Sci-Fest L.A. have opened submissions for the Roswell Award for short SF by adults living anywhere, and for the Tomorrow Prize for short SF by Los Angeles County high school students. Two special awards are included: the Women Hold Up Half the Sky award presented by Artemis Journal and the Hollywood Chapter of the National Organization for Women, and the Green Feather Award presented by Los ...Read More

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Ishiguro Wins Nobel

British author Kazuo Ishiguro has won the 2017 Nobel Prize in Literature. In a press release on October 5, 2017, Permanent Secretary of the Swedish Academy Sara Danius announced the selection of Ishiguro “who, in novels of great emotional force, has uncovered the abyss beneath our illusory sense of connection with the world.” His genre novels include The Unconsoled (Knopf/Faber & Faber 1995), Never Let Me Go (Knopf/Faber & Faber ...Read More

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Machado Wins Bard Fiction Prize

Carmen Maria Machado won the 2018 Bard Fiction Prize for Her Body and Other Parties (Graywolf). The prize “is awarded to a promising emerging writer who is an American citizen aged 39 years or younger at the time of application” and includes a $30,000 cash prize. Machado also receives an appointment as a writer-in-residence at Bard College for the Fall 2018 semester.

For more information, see the Bard College website. ...Read More

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Canadian SF & F Hall of Fame Inductees

The Canadian Science Fiction & Fantasy Association (CSFFA) announced three inductees to the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame for 2017: Charles de Lint, Lorna Toolis, and Elisabeth Vonarburg. The induction took place on September 23, 2017 during Hal-Con, held at the World Trade and Convention Centre in Halifax Nova Scotia.

For more information, see the CSFFA website. ...Read More

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National Book Awards Finalists

Finalists for the National Book Awards (NBA) have been announced. The shortlist for the Fiction category includes Her Body and Other Parties: Stories by Carmen Maria Machado (Graywolf), and the shortlist for the Young People’s Literature category includes American Street by Ibi Zoboi (Balzer + Bray).

Each finalist will receive a prize of $1,000, a medal, and a citation; each of the four category winners will receive $10,000 and a ...Read More

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Jemisin Wins Sputnik Award

N.K. Jemisin’s The Fifth Season (Orbit) has won the 2015/2016 Sputnik Award.

The Sputniks were formed in May 2016 by Jo Lindsay Walton as a response to nomination problems within the Hugo Awards. Nominations for the Sputnik Awards were open to everyone, with finalists selected via a tournament process called the Dungeons of Democracy. Jemisin wins a one-year subscription to Interzone.

For a full list of nominees, selection rules, and ...Read More

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New Books : 3 October 2017

* Aryan, Stephen : Mageborn (Orbit 978-0-316-55478-7, $16.99, 432pp, trade paperback, October 2017) • Nominal Publication Date: Tue 3 Oct 2017 • Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780316554794 • Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9781478923183 • Age of Dread #1

Fantasy novel, first in a new series set in the aftermath of the author’s “Age of Darkness” trilogy, about a minority population with magical abilities in a society

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Somtow Wins European Award for Cultural Achievement

KulturForum Europa (KFE) has awarded composer, conductor, and science fiction writer Somtow Sucharitkul its 2017 European Award for Cultural Achievement. Somtow will receive the award “for his services (and also in the spirit of international diversity) — as cultural ambassador between East and West, overcoming national borders and cultural-historical barriers from and to Europe, and establishing meaningful collaborative connections in Thailand and Europe.” The award will be given at a ...Read More

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2017 British Fantasy Awards Winners

The British Fantasy Society announced the winners of the 2017 British Fantasy Awards on October 1, 2017 during an awards ceremony held at Fantasycon 2017 at the Bull Hotel in Peterborough UK. The winners are:

Best Fantasy Novel (the Robert Holdstock Award)

  • The Tiger and the Wolf, Adrian Tchaikovsky (Pam Macmillan)
  • The Summer Goddess, Joanne Hall (Kristell Ink)
  • The High King’s Vengeance, Steven Poore (Kristell Ink)
  • The
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Weekly Bestsellers, 2 October 2017

Various editions of Stephen King’s It dominate lists again this week, with trade paperback editions ranking #1 on four lists.

 

Title Debut / #wks on any list NYT 10.08 WP 10.01 LAT 10.01 USAT 09.24 PW 10.02 Amz (10.02) UK: Amz UK (10.02) Canada: Amz.ca (10.02) Items on list -x- number of lists surveyed 30×4 10×2 15×2 150 15×3 100 100 100 Hardcovers Bardugo, Wonder Woman: Warbringer 09.11.17 / ...Read More Read more

Periodicals, late September 2017

Beneath Ceaseless Skies • Literary adventure fantasy, since 2008; publisher and editor-in-chief Scott H. Andrews • Format: Online; PDF and ebook formats • Frequency: biweekly • http://www.beneath-ceaseless-skies.com/

September 2017— Issue 234-235, cover art by Veli Nystrom • Issue 235, the 9th anniversary double-sized issue, posted September 28th, has stories by Richard Parks, Kameron Hurley, Rebecca Campbell, and T.S. McAdams, with an archive story by K.J. Parker. • Issue 234,

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2017 Salam Award for Imaginative Fiction

The winner, finalists, and honorable mentions for the inaugural Salam Award for Imaginative Fiction have been announced:

Winner

  • “The Universe is a Conscientious Gardener”, Firuza Pastakia

Finalists

  • “The Last Interview of Lara Khalid”, Saniya Kamal
  • “Against the Dust”, Nur Ibrahim

Honorable Mentions

  • “Noor”, Taimoor Ahmad
  • “Rootless”, Maira Asaad
  • “Balochi Bots – The Adventures of Omar Jamshed”, Laila Kasuri
  • “The Short Life of Ali Lakri”, Zain Rashid Mian
  • “Sunless”, Saadia Pathan
...Read More Read more

2018 Andrew Carnegie Medals Longlist

The American Library Association (ALA) has announced the longlist for the 2018 Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence for “the best fiction and nonfiction books for adult readers published in the U.S. in the previous year.” Several titles of genre interest appear on the list:

Fiction

  • American War, Omar El Akkad (Knopf)
  • Future Home of the Living God, Louise Erdrich (HarperCollins)
  • White Tears, Hari Kunzru (Knopf)
  • The Night
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Print Periodicals, September 2017

Black Static • British fantasy and horror magazine, debuting 2007 (formerly The Third Alternative), edited by Andy Cox • Format: Print • Frequency: Bimonthly • http://ttapress.com/blackstatic/

Sep-Oct 2017— Issue 60, £5.99, 96pp, cover art by Ben Baldwin • Stories in this issue are by Carole Johnstone, Tim Lees, Ray Cluley, and Stephen Hargadon. • Columns are by Lynda E. Rucker, Ralph Robert Moore, Peter Tennant (book reviews, including an

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New Books : 26 September 2017

+ Delaney, Joseph : The Dark Assassin (HarperCollins/Greenwillow 978-0062334596, $17.99, 352pp, hardcover, September 2017) • Nominal Publication Date: Tue 26 Sep 2017 • Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780062334619 • Audiobook ISBN [link to Amazon]: 9780062688279 • Starblade Chronicles #3

Young adult fantasy novel, third in a trilogy following A New Darkness (2014) and The Dark Army (2016), about a 17-year-old spook and his female apprentice battling evil

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Martin Receives PastWords Award

George R.R. Martin received one of five inaugural PastWords awards, presented by the Historical Writers of America to recognize “creators who have produced an outstanding body of work.” Recipients were honored at the organization’s annual conference, September 21-24, 2017 at the Hyatt Tamaya Resort in Santa Ana Pueblo NM. Executive Director Theresa Guzman Stokes said, “Martin creates a world rich and complex; good and bad are carefully drawn sides, until ...Read More

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National Book Foundation’s 5 Under 35

The National Book Foundation’s 5 Under 35 Honorees list includes Lesley Nneka Arimah for What It Means When a Man Falls from the Sky: Stories (Riverhead).

The honorees represent “a selection of debut fiction writers under the age of 35 whose work promises to leave a lasting impression on the literary landscape.” Each honoree will receive $1,000 at a ceremony on November 13, 2017. The selection committee for the 5 ...Read More

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Blinks: LA Times reviews; Nnedi Okorafor; Dune; John Scalzi; Annalee Newitz

» LA Times: Swapna Krishna reviews Holly Goddard Jones, Mur Lafferty, Josh Malerman, Felicia Yap

» Guardian: ‘So many different types of strange’: how Nnedi Okorafor is changing the face of sci-fi

» LA Review of Books: Will Collins on The Secret History of Dune; also, Gerry Canavan on No, Speed Limit: John Scalzi’s “The Collapsing Empire”

» Slate: Annalee Newitz explains How to Write a Novel Set More Than ...Read More

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Harvey Jacobs (1930-2017)

Writer Harvey Jacobs, 87, died September 23, 2017 of a sudden bacterial infection shortly after being diagnosed with brain cancer.

Harvey Jay Jacobs was born January 7, 1930 in New York. He often wrote movingly of the Jewish experience, sometimes with a magical realist bent, and used SF elements for satirical purposes as well. His first work of genre interest was “A Wind Age” in Tomorrow (1951), and other notable ...Read More

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Gary K. Wolfe Reviews After the Flare by Deji Bryce Olukotun

After the Flare, by Deji Bryce Olukotun (Unnamed Press 978-1-9447-0018-8, $16.00, 264pp, tp September 2017)

Despite its provocative title, Deji Bryce Olukotun’s first novel Nigerians in Space escaped my attention in 2014, but as it turns out, the Nigerians don’t actually get into space in that novel, which is mostly an international thriller centered around an effort to bring expatriate Nigerian brain power back to the home country (or

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2017 Aurora Awards Winners

The 2017 Aurora Awards winners have been announced “for Canadian literary and fan works that members of the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Association (CSFFA) feel are exceptional” including a special “Best of the Decade” category with works “first published between 2001 and the end of 2010 by Canadians.”

Best Novel

  • WINNER: Quantum Night, Robert J. Sawyer (Penguin Canada)
  • Company Town, Madeline Ashby (Tor)
  • The Courier, Gerald
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2017 Copper Cylinder Awards

The Sunburst Award Society has announced the winners of the sixth annual Copper Cylinder Awards.

The Adult Award winner is Company Town by Madeleine Ashby (Tor). The Young Adult Award winner is The Skids by Ian Donald Keeling (ChiTeen).

The Copper Cylinder Awards celebrate “the best in Canadian fantastic literature published during the previous calendar year,” and are selected by members of the Sunburst Award Society. The award’s name comes ...Read More

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Weekly Bestsellers, 25 September 2017

Various editions of Stephen King’s It dominate lists this week; even the hardcover edition ranks, on the Publishers Weekly list.

 

Title Debut / #wks on any list NYT 10.01 WP 09.03 LAT 09.24 USAT 09.17 PW 09.25 Amz (09.25) UK: Amz UK (09.25) Canada: Amz.ca (09.25) Items on list -x- number of lists surveyed 30×4 10×2 15×2 150 15×3 100 100 100 Hardcovers Bardugo, Wonder Woman: Warbringer 09.11.17 / ...Read More Read more

Kit Reed (1932-2017)

Author Kit Reed, 85, died September 24, 2017 several months after being diagnosed with a brain tumor. She was a prolific author with an astonishing range who published work consistently for almost 60 years, writing outstanding novels and stories in various genres for children, teens, and adults.

Her first SF story was “The Wait” (1958; AKA “To Be Taken in a Strange Country”) in F&SF. She published scores of stories ...Read More

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Arrested Developments: Homo aspergerus Revisited, by Gary Westfahl

Surely, the most unanticipated result of my 2006 article “Homo aspergerus: Evolution Stumbles Forward” (here) was commenters asserting that despite my claim, I didn’t really have Asperger’s Syndrome. I am sure those individuals meant well; on the face of it, it is daft and needlessly self-damaging to announce to the world that one suffers from a form of mental illness, so sympathetic observers might naturally be inspired to

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Classics in Reprint, September 2017

Hodgson, William Hope : The Boats of the “Glen Carrig” and Other Nautical Adventures (Night Shade Books 978-1597809207, $17.99, 512pp, trade paperback, September 2017) • Nominal Publication Date: Tue 5 Sep 2017 (First edition: Night Shade Books, September 2003)

Omnibus of the 1907 title novel plus 23 other nautical stories, the first volume in Night Shade’s five-volume series of complete works by Hodgson, now appearing in paperback. • Night Shade’s

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2017 Elgin Awards Winners

The Science Fiction & Fantasy Poetry Association (SFPA) has announced the winners of the 2017 Elgin Awards, presented for the best poetry chapbook and the best full-length poetry book in the speculative genre. The Elgin Awards are named after the founder of SFPA, Suzette Haden Elgin.

BEST CHAPBOOK
  • First Place: Leviathan, Neil Aitken (Hyacinth Girl)
  • Second Place: Radio Heart, or; How Robots Fall Out of Love, Margaret Rhee
...Read More Read more

New in Paperback: September 2017

Beaulieu, Bradley P. : Of Sand and Malice Made (DAW 978-0756413323, $14, 240pp, trade paperback, September 2017) • Nominal Publication Date: Tue 19 Sep 2017 • The Song of Shattered Sands #2 (First edition: DAW, September 2016)

Fantasy novel, second book in a series following Twelve Kings of Sharakhai (2015), set in a great desert city rules by twelve immortal kings. • Penguin’s site has this description.

• Purchase this

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New Books : 19 September 2017

* Canavan, Trudi : Successor’s Promise (Orbit 978-0316209281, $27, 576pp, hardcover, September 2017) • Nominal Publication Date: Tue 19 Sep 2017 • Ebook ISBN [link to Amazon Kindle edition]: 9780316324960 • UK edition: 978-0356501161 (Thu 21 Sep 2017) • Millennium’s Rule #3

Fantasy novel, third in a series following Thief’s Magic (2014) and Angel of Storms (2015), about a sentient book in a world where magic powers an industrial

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Ellis Wins Joan Aiken Prize

Harklights by Tim Ellis is the winner of the Joan Aiken Future Classics Prize for “a standout new voice in middle grade children’s fiction.” The competition was judged by agent Julia Churchill and Lizza Aiken, curator of the Aiken estate. Ellis will receive £1,000 and a set of The Wolves Chronicles by Joan Aiken.

Ellis’ entry was originally listed in the contest shortlist under the title The Awful Orphanage. ...Read More

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