Liz Gorinsky has started Erewhon Books,
a new independent speculative fiction publisher. We opened in June 2018 and are starting to build our list with the aim of debuting our first season of new titles in 2020. We will focus on novel-length works of speculative fiction including science fiction, fantasy, horror, and other subgenres, but are open to other works of interest to SF&F readers.
Gorinsky won the 2016 Alfie ...Read More
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The Free Library of Philadelphia has chosen Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward (Scribner) as the 2019 selection for its annual “One Book, One Philadelphia” citywide book club program. Ward will attend a kickoff event on January 16, 2019 at Parkway Central Library in Philadelphia PA to begin eight weeks of programs “based on the themes” from her novel, including “book discussions, panels, film screenings, collaging and mixed media workshops, ...Read More
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The Odyssey Writing Workshop has announced the instructors for its online Winter 2019 classes: Barbara Ashford will teach “Getting the Big Picture: The Key to Revising Your Novel” from January 2 – February 13, 2019; Lucy A. Snyder will teach “Riveting Descriptions: Bringing Your Story to Life in the Reader’s Mind” from January 3-31, 2019; and Scott H. Andrews will teach “Emotional Truth: Making Character Emotions Real, Powerful, and Immediate ...Read More
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Irontown Blues, John Varley (Ace 978-1-101989-37-1, $16.99, 304pp, tp) August 2018.
John Varley’s Eight Worlds sequence of stories and novels – not really a series, since it’s less a consistent future history than a shared conceit among several stories and novels – dates back to the beginning of his career in the 1970s, when he seemed like the hottest new voice in SF since the arrival of Delany, Disch, Le ...Read More
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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. Three 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, the Best Translated Science Fiction Story Award, and ...Read More
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Spectrum 26 is open for submissions until January 24, 2019. The annual art collection serves as a “regular showcase for the best fantasy, science fiction, horror, and otherwise uncategorizable artwork created each year” and “as an invaluable resource for art directors, art buyers, and artists from all walks and sensibilities.” Judges this year are Kei Acedera, Wesley Burt, Bobby Chiu, Edward Kinsella III, and Colin & Kristine Poole. Chosen entrants ...Read More
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Shortlisted titles and publishers for the 2018 BookNest Fantasy Awards have been announced:
Best Traditionally Published Novel
Half-Witch, John Schoffstall (Big Mouth Press 978-1-61-873140-1, $18.99, 322pp) July 2018.
There is something deeply satisfying about a traditional fantasy with plucky protagonists, nefarious villains, hungry goblins, tricky witches, and a dangerous and difficult quest. In John Schofstall’s Half-Witch, everything you expect to find is present, plus a lot of unlikely twists and turns that make this adventure a classic read. The novel’s most unusual plot device is the presence ...Read More
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When reporter Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) investigates rumors that tech bro billionaire Carlton Drake (Riz Ahmed) is running human experiments with alien symbiotes, Brock is infected by the symbiote named Venom (voiced by Hardy), which [battles him for control of his own body] [gives him a serious case of alien limb syndrome]. Drake’s security chief Treece (Scott Haze) pursues Brock through the streets of San Francisco in an attempt to ...Read More
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Maryse Condé was announced as the winner of The New Academy Prize in Literature at the Stockholm Public Library on October 12, 2018. The prize was founded by Swedish journalist Alexandra Pascalidou with the intent of providing an international literature award since the 2018 Nobel Prize in Literature is not being awarded. The New Academy plans to dissolve in December 2018.
The winner was chosen by an expert jury. The ...Read More
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The winners for the 2018 Sunburst Awards for Excellence in Canadian Literature of the Fantastic have been announced.
Adult Fiction
Young Adult Fiction
The Sunburst Award Society has announced the winners of the seventh annual Copper Cylinder Awards.
The Adult Award winner is Son of a Trickster by Eden Robinson (Penguin Random House Canada). The Young Adult Award is shared by two works, Scion of the Fox by S.M. Beiko (ECW Press), and Weave A Circle Round by Kari Maaren (Tor Books).
The Copper Cylinder Awards celebrate “the best in Canadian fantastic literature ...Read More
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Kate Elliott is the pen name for Alis A. Rasmussen, born July 27, 1958 in Des Moines IA. She studied at University College of North Wales – Bangor and at Mills College in Oakland CA, graduating with a BA in English in 1980. In 1985 she married Jay Silverstein; they have three children. Elliott has lived in Hawaii for the past 16 years.
Debut novel The Labyrinth Gate appeared as ...Read More
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The Paris Review Summer ’18
New Yorker 6/4-11/18
Asimov’s 7-8/18
Analog 7-8/18
This month Karen Burnham steps in for the late and much-lamented Gardner Dozois, and we’re making changes to ensure Locus covers as much short fiction as possible. We’ve decided to split review sources between three reviewers: this column will cover primarily print magazines and anthologies, Karen will cover primarily online sources, and Paula Guran will continue her focus ...Read More
Read moreThe French edition of N.K. Jemisin’s The Fifth Season won the 2018 Planete-SF Prize for best SF novel, announced September 10, 2018.
While you are here, please take a moment to support Locus with a one-time or recurring donation. We rely on reader donations to keep the magazine and site going, and would like to keep the site paywall free, but WE NEED YOUR FINANCIAL SUPPORT to continue quality coverage ...Read More
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With the threat of a “hard” Brexit looming, European Union-based POD publishers are wondering where to go to print their books. Many so far have been using the services of Lightning Source UK, a division of the Ingram Content Group. But in the event of Britain failing to remain in the European customs union, the importation of books printed in England into the EU may suddenly become subject to customs ...Read More
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Fan and collector David J. Willoughby, 67, died October 5, 2018 of complications from pancreatic cancer at home in Tuscola IL. Willoughby was a regular and beloved presence at SF conventions for decades, known for his avid collecting and the vast library he assembled over his 50 years in fandom, and as a dedicated autograph-seeker.
Willoughby was born November 1, 1950 in Short Creek KY, moving to Illinois as a ...Read More
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SF in SF hosted Sheila Finch and David D. Levine at the American Bookbinders Museum in San Francisco on September 16, 2018. Coordinated by Rina Weisman and moderated by Terry Bisson, the event featured readings and signings by both guests, a Q&A session, a full bar, and ample time to mingle. Books were available for purchase thanks to Borderlands Books; Tachyon Publications sponsored the event. For more information on SF ...Read More
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The Black God’s Drums, P. Djèlí Clark (Tor.com Publishing 978-1250294715, $11.99, 112pp, tp) August 2018.
The Black God’s Drums does leave me feeling very enthusiastic. This delightful novella is a breath of fresh air, and promises good things for P. Djèlí Clark’s career – though I should note that he already has no mean track record in shorter fiction.
The Black God’s Drums sets itself in a steampunk-esque alternate history ...Read More
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Halcyon, Rio Youers (St. Martin’s 9781250072412 $27.99, 384pp, hc) July 2018.
While Halcyon, Rio Youers’s new novel, is not a direct sequel to last year’s The Forgotten Girl, it shares the previous novel’s interest in psychic phenomena. Once again, Youers links psychic ability to a young woman, in this case, Edith Lovegrove, 10-year-old daughter of Martin and Laura, younger sister of 15-year-old Shirley. As the novel begins, Edith suffers what ...Read More
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Winners for the 2018 Imadjinn Awards were announced, including several titles of genre interest.
Best Science Fiction Novel
Best Fantasy Novel
Best Horror Novel
Best Urban Fantasy Novel
Best Paranormal Romance
Best Non-Fiction Book
The 2018 Warwick Prize for Women in Translation longlist has been announced. Titles of genre interest include:
Inaugurated in 2017, the annual prize goes to “the best eligible work of fiction, poetry, literary non-fiction, work of fiction for children or young ...Read More
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Finalists for the 2018 National Book Awards have been announced and include authors and works of genre interest.
Fiction
Young People’s Literature
Translated Literature
Worldcon 76 received 2,828 valid ballots, down from 3,319 at Worldcon 75. Some 40% of eligible members voted, up from 32%. There were 1,813 valid nominating ballots, down from 2,464.
The procedure for counting nominations was the same as last year, using the system known as E Pluribus Hugo, or EPH. The rather complicated point system gives a single point to each voter’s ballot, dividing that point among the nominees. ...Read More
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My Plain Jane, Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton & Jodi Meadows (Harper Teen 978-0-06-265277-5, $17.99, 464pp) June 2018.
Let’s get this out of the way right now: you do not need to have read (or liked) Jane Eyre to enjoy the hell out of My Plain Jane. Over the years I have tried to finish Charlotte Brontë’s “masterpiece” many times and could never get past my frustration with Jane’s willingness to ...Read More
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The Future is Female! 25 Classic Science Fiction Stories by Women, from Pulp Pioneers to Ursula K. Le Guin, Lisa Yaszek, ed. (Library of America 978-1-59853-580-8, $27.95, 532pp, hc) September 2018.
In her pioneering 2016 anthology Sisters of Tomorrow, Lisa Yaszek brought to light a number of women SF writers of the pulp era, most long forgotten and out of print for decades. Now, with The Future is Female! 25 ...Read More
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Finalists for the 2018 Parsec Awards, honoring excellence in speculative fiction podcasting, have been announced.
Best Speculative Fiction Audio Drama (Long Form)
Best Speculative Fiction
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Worldcon 76, the 76th World Science Fiction Convention, took place August 16-20, 2018 at the McEnery Convention Center in San Jose CA. Guests of honor were Spider Robinson, John Picacio, and Chelsea Quinn Yarbro; Frank Hayes as music guest of honor, Pierre and Sandy Pettinger as fan guests of honor, Edgar Pangborn as ghost of honor, and Bob Wilkins as gHost of honor. There were 5,440 attending members, including kids-in-tow ...Read More
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Low Chicago, George R.R. Martin & Melinda M. Snodgrass, eds. (Tor 978-0-7653-9056-1, $27.99, hc) June 2018.
John Jos. Miller sets up the premise for this latest Wild Cards mosaic novel in the first part of “A Long Night at the Palmer House”: a high stakes poker game hosted in the present day by an elite gangster at Chicago’s historic and still luxurious Palmer House Hotel. He also introduces the players ...Read More
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Shortlists for the 2018 Books Are My Bag (BAMB) Readers Awards have been announced, including some titles and authors of genre interest in the following categories:
Novel
Young Adult
The Italian Conference of Fantasy and Science Fiction (Italcon) announced winners for the 2018 Premio Italia on October 6, 2018, during Stranimondi held in Milan, Italy.
International SF Novel
Science Fiction Novel
Fantasy Novel
Anthology or Collection
