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2024 Bram Stoker Award Winner
The Horror Writers Association have announced the 2024 Bram Stoker Award winners. The winner for Superior Achievement in a Novel is:
- The Haunting of Velkwood by Gwendolyn Kiste (S&S/Saga Press)
Our congrats to Gwendolyn Kiste and all the nominees.
- House of Bone and Rain by Gabino Iglesias (Mulholland Books in US; Titan Books in UK)
- I Was a Teenage Slasher by Stephen Graham Jones (S&S/Saga Press in US; Titan Books in UK)
- Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman (Del Rey)
- Horror Movie by Paul Tremblay (William Morrow in US; Titan Books in UK)
See the complete list of winners in all categories at Locus.
What do you think of this result?
2024 Nebula Award Winners!
The 2024 Nebula Awards have been announced. The best novel winner is:
Someone You Can Build a Nest In by John Wiswell (DAW)
Our congrats to John Wiswell and all the nominees.
- Sleeping Worlds Have No Memory by Yaroslav Barsukov (Caezik SF & Fantasy)
- Rakesfall by Vajra Chandrasekera (Tordotcom)
- Asunder by Kerstin Hall (Tordotcom)
- A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher (Tor; Titan UK)
- The Book of Love by Kelly Link (Random House; Ad Astra UK)
Locus has the full list of winners in all categories.
Guest Post — Mike Weilgart: 5 Sci-Fi Book Recommendations for Father’s Day
Mike Weilgart has been working with computers since learning to program when he was eight years old, and has been a science-fiction fan even longer than that. He currently lives in California with his wife and son.
As a father who loves sci-fi, I’d like to share some of my favorites to help you find the perfect unexpected gift for your dad.
The Warrior’s Apprentice
by Lois McMaster Bujold
The most famous book in the Vorkosigan Saga, and the best entry point to the series as well as a complete standalone story in its own right, The Warrior’s Apprentice is a delightful tale of interplanetary conflict, humor, getting in over your head, and accidentally changing the course of history in the process. Bujold has mastered the art of deep, extremely intelligent worldbuilding without ever slowing down the story. Her lightweight prose is a pleasure and provides many laugh out loud moments. There is an expression I have heard occasionally which is beautifully depicted in this book: the idea of someone with such power of personality that it amounts to a “personal reality distortion field.”
Battlefield Earth
by L. Ron Hubbard
Long as it is, I’ve reread this book more than any other on this list. Hubbard set out to write a story of pure science fiction, and I say he succeeded. The premise of the book is simple and yet understated: in a post-apocalyptic Earth in the year 3000, centuries after a disastrous alien invasion nearly wiped out Earth’s population so as to set up mining operations, one man seeks to fight back. For me the book is a singular standout because of the scope of the vision it displays. A lesser writer might have staged a few battles against the aliens, called it a victory, and ended the story while ignoring the backlash that would inevitably follow in the real world. Nothing is waved aside in this book, and it is that very rare story which fulfills thoroughly without any need for the question, “Yes, but what happened after that?”
Citizen of the Galaxy
by Robert Heinlein
A young slave purchased by an old beggar finds as he grows that the world is not as he believed and his owner is not who he seems. For my taste this is one of Heinlein’s very best works, maybe his best. As is typical for any Heinlein book, there is plenty of intelligent cultural insight and commentary, wrapped in an interesting and engaging story with a decent amount of action. This particular book hits a sweet spot: the story is more complex than most of his so-called “juvenile” books, but unmarred with the adult themes he found it necessary to pepper into a lot of his later writing.
Dune
by Frank Herbert
The noble Atreides family departs their earth-like homeworld to take command of Arrakis, the dune planet, where water is the second most precious substance there is. The quintessential example of complex and intricate worldbuilding, Dune doesn’t feel like fiction; it genuinely feels like a peek into a different universe from our own, with plenty of details protruding just enough into view as to give hints of much, much more existing slightly out of sight. The skilled interweaving of differing factions with competing and combining motivations makes for one of the most multifaceted stories of all time.
Lord of Light
by Roger Zelazny
It would be possible to read this entire book and not quite realize that it is a work of science fiction, not fantasy. Set on a far-future planetary colony where the technocratic rulers have used superior technology to assume the identities of the Hindu pantheon of deities, the ordinary people live technologically primitive lives believing in the literal gods who rule over them. Zelazny does a brilliant job maintaining the dual reality of technology and mythology consistently through the story, and the book’s Hugo award for best science fiction novel of the year was well deserved.
Ender’s Game
by Orson Scott Card
In case you have somehow managed not to have this famous story spoiled for you, I certainly won’t be the one to do so. Battle School, the space station where genius children from all countries learn zero-G combat tactics in preparation for military command positions, is as unforgettable as its students who come to life in this vivid classic. Card has a healthy respect for the capabilities of kids, who can be far more intelligent and capable, and also more brutal and malicious, than is generally recognized. He does a brilliant job of putting you inside the mind of the precocious main character so you can live along with him through the structures created by the adults running his life. Ender isn’t so much “relatable” as he is “resonant,” a much deeper achievement of writing.
Bonus Recommendations – Short Stories
If you enjoy short stories, I have a couple of all-time favorites: “Educational Tapes,” published in Writers of the Future Volume 36, is top of my list for dystopian sci-fi stories and is a great mind bender; and “Butter Side Down” from Volume 40 is a brilliantly entertaining sci-fi comedy with heart. If you are unfamiliar with Writers of the Future, it is an international contest for debut authors, and I always look forward to reading the award-winning stories published in the yearly anthology.
Conclusion
I’d love to hear about your favorite sci-fi stories. I included some beloved classics as well as some less-known gems. If you do give one of these books to your dad (or pick one up for yourself), let me know how it was received!
2025 Arthur C. Clarke Award Shortlist
The shortlist for the Arthur C. Clarke Award for best science fiction novel for 2024 has been announced:
- Private Rites by Julia Armfield (Fourth Estate)
- The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley (Sceptre)
- Extremophile by Ian Green (Ad Astra)
- Annie Bot by Sierra Greer (The Borough)
- Service Model by Adrian Tchaikovsky (Tor UK)
- Thirteen Ways to Kill Lulabelle Rock by Maud Woolf (Angry Robot)
The winner will be presented with a check for £2,025.00 and the award itself, a commemorative engraved bookend. For more information, see the Clark Award website.
So what do you think of this lineup? Which is your pick to win?
2024 Aurealis Award Winners
The winners of the 2024 Aurealis Award have been announced. The winners in the SF, Fantasy, and Horror novel categories are:
- WINNER: Temporal Boom by J. M. Voss (Shawline)
- Transported by Kate Fitzpatrick (New Found)
- Inheritance by Genevieve Gannon (Pantera)
- The Temp by Martin Livings (self-published)
- Big Time by Jordan Prosser (University of Queensland Press)
- Juice by Tim Winton (Hamish Hamilton Australia)
- WINNER: Thoroughly Disenchanted by Alexandra Almond (HarperCollins)
- Kavithri by Aman J. Bedi (Gollancz)
- The She-Wolf of Baker Street by Narrelle M. Harris (Clan Destine)
- The End and Everything Before It by Finegan Kruckemeyer (Text)
- The Briar Book of the Dead by A.G. Slatter (Titan)
- Skysong by C. A. Wright (Pantera)
- WINNER: Carve Your Soul to Pieces by Ben Pienaar (self-published)
- Remedy by J. S. Breukelaar (PS)
- Rock Zombie by A. B. Finlayson (self-published)
- The Count by David-Jack Fletcher (Slashic Horror)
- Jasper Cliff by Josh Kemp (Fremantle)
- Bodily Harm by Deborah Sheldon (Undertaker)
Locus has the details for the winners in all categories. Our congrats to all the winners and nominees.
2024 Bram Stoker Awards Final Ballot
The Horror Writers Association has announced the 2024 Bram Stoker Awards Final Ballot. The finalists for Superior Achievement in a Novel are:
- House of Bone and Rain by Gabino Iglesias (Mulholland Books in US; Titan Books in UK)
- I Was a Teenage Slasher by Stephen Graham Jones (S&S/Saga Press in US; Titan Books in UK)
- The Haunting of Velkwood by Gwendolyn Kiste (S&S/Saga Press)
- Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman (Del Rey)
- Horror Movie by Paul Tremblay (William Morrow in US; Titan Books in UK)
See Locus for the nominees in all categories. Our congrats to all the finalists.
2025 Hugo Award Finalists
The 2024 Hugo Award finalists have been announced. The noms in the Best Novel category are:
- Alien Clay by Adrian Tchaikovsky (Orbit US, Tor UK)
- The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley (Avid Reader Press, Sceptre)
- Service Model by Adrian Tchaikovsky (Tordotcom)
- Someone You Can Build a Nest In by John Wiswell (DAW)
- A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher (Tor)
- The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett (Del Rey, Hodderscape UK)
See the full list of noms in all categories on the Locus website.
Our congrats to all the finalists. What do you think of this crop of books? Any favorites in the list?
2024 Aurealis Awards Finalists
The finalists for the 2024 Aurealis Awards have been announced. The nominees in the SF, Fantasy, and Horror novel categories are:
- Transported by Kate Fitzpatrick (New Found)
- Inheritance by Genevieve Gannon (Pantera)
- The Temp by Martin Livings (self-published)
- Big Time by Jordan Prosser (University of Queensland Press)
- Temporal Boom by J. M. Voss (Shawline)
- Juice by Tim Winton (Hamish Hamilton Australia)
- Thoroughly Disenchanted by Alexandra Almond (HarperCollins)
- Kavithri by Aman J. Bedi (Gollancz)
- The She-Wolf of Baker Street by Narrelle M. Harris (Clan Destine)
- The End and Everything Before It by Finegan Kruckemeyer (Text)
- The Briar Book of the Dead by A.G. Slatter (Titan)
- Skysong by C. A. Wright (Pantera)
- Remedy by J. S. Breukelaar (PS)
- Rock Zombie by A. B. Finlayson (self-published)
- The Count by David-Jack Fletcher (Slashic Horror)
- Jasper Cliff by Josh Kemp (Fremantle)
- Carve Your Soul to Pieces by Ben Pienaar (self-published)
- Bodily Harm by Deborah Sheldon (Undertaker)
See Locus for all the nominees in all categories.
Winners will be announced at the Aurealis Awards ceremony in May.
2025 Prometheus Award Finalists
The Libertarian Futurist Society has announced the finalists for the 2025 Prometheus Award, honoring pro-freedom works published in 2024.
- Alliance Unbound by C. J. Cherryh & Jane S. Fancher (DAW)
- In the Belly of the Whale by Michael Flynn (Caezik SF & Fantasy)
- Cancelled: The Shape of Things to Come by Danny King (Annie Mosse)
- Beggar’s Sky by Wil McCarthy (Baen)
- Mania by Lionel Shriver (HarperCollins)
Our congrats to all the nominees. What looks good to you on this list?
2025 Aurora Awards Finalists
The 2025 Aurora Awards finalists have been announced, celebrating the “best works and activities done by Canadians in 2024.” The nominees in the Best Novel category are:
- The Tapestry of Time by Kate Heartfield (Harper Voyager)
- Blackheart Man by Nalo Hopkinson (Saga)
- Pale Grey Dot by Don Miasek (Ravenstone)
- The Siege of Burning Grass by Premee Mohamed (Solaris)
- Withered by A. G. A. Wilmot (ECW)
Locus has the list of finalists in all categories.
Our congrats to all the nominees. What do you think of this list? Anything there look good to you?
