The recently announced Locus Awards are awarded every year by a readers poll done by Locus Magazine. These have been going since 1971, and are often an influencial precursor to the Hugo awards, which will be awarded later this summer.
It’s only these last couple years that I’ve been blogging that I’ve paid much attention to awards. Honestly, for the most part, a list of award nominees more often than not elicits a mostly “eh” response from me. Maybe I’ve heard of the authors, maybe I haven’t, and there’s a decent chance I haven’t even read any of the books or short stories that are up for an award.
Good thing I have a scifi/fantasy blog, and have pretty much been reading nothing but scifi and fantasy for the last little while! For the first time, ever, I’ve actually read a small chunk of these. Ok, maybe not a respectable amount, but way more than in previous years. For the first time, ever, my mind is responding with a “sweet! I’ve read that!” or at least a “I’ve heard of that, and I really want to read it!” instead of “meh”.
Here are this years Locus Award winners (bolded) and nominees. If I reviewed the piece, I’ve linked to it. A few questions for you to contemplate as you peruse the list: how many of these author, works, editors, authors and publishers have you heard of? How many of them have you read, or are interested in reading?
The 2012 Locus Awards, as announced in Seattle Washington, June 15-17th 2012:
Science Fiction Novel
Embassytown, China Miéville (Del Rey; Macmillan)
Leviathan Wakes, James S. A. Corey (Orbit US; Orbit UK)
11/22/63, Stephen King (Scribner; Hodder & Stoughton as 11.22.63)
Rule 34, Charles Stross (Ace; Orbit UK)
The Children of the Sky, Vernor Vinge (Tor)
Fantasy Novel
A Dance with Dragons, George R.R. Martin (Bantam; Harper Voyager UK)
Snuff, Terry Pratchett (Harper; Doubleday UK)
The Wise Man’s Fear, Patrick Rothfuss (DAW; Gollancz)
Deathless, Catherynne M. Valente (Tor)
Among Others, Jo Walton (Tor)
First Novel
The Night Circus, Erin Morgenstern (Doubleday)
Ready Player One, Ernest Cline (Crown; Century)
God’s War, Kameron Hurley (Night Shade)
Soft Apocalypse, Will McIntosh (Night Shade)
Mechanique: A Tale of the Circus Tresaulti, Genevieve Valentine (Prime)
Young Adult Book
The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making, Catherynne M. Valente (Feiwel and Friends)
Planesrunner, Ian McDonald (Pyr)
Akata Witch, Nnedi Okorafor (Viking)
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, Ransom Riggs (Quirk)
Goliath, Scott Westerfeld (Simon Pulse; Simon & Schuster UK)
Novella
Silently and Very Fast, Catherynne M. Valente (WSFA; Clarkesworld)
The Affair of the Chalk Cliffs, James P. Blaylock (Subterranean)
“The Man Who Bridged the Mist”, Kij Johnson (Asimov’s 10-11/11)
“Kiss Me Twice”, Mary Robinette Kowal (Asimov’s 6/11)
“The Ants of Flanders”, Robert Reed (F&SF 7-8/11)
Novelette
“White Lines on a Green Field”, Catherynne M. Valente (Subterranean Fall ’11)
“Underbridge”, Peter S. Beagle (Naked City)
“The Copenhagen Interpretation”, Paul Cornell (Asimov’s 7/11)
“The Summer People”, Kelly Link (Tin House: The Ecstatic/Steampunk!)
“What We Found”, Geoff Ryman (F&SF 9-10/11)
Short Story
“The Case of Death and Honey”, Neil Gaiman (A Study in Sherlock)
“The Way It Works Out and All”, Peter S. Beagle (F&SF 7-8/11)
“The Paper Menagerie”, Ken Liu (F&SF 3-4/11)
“The Bread We Eat in Dreams”, Catherynne M. Valente (Apex 11/11)
“The Cartographer Wasps and the Anarchist Bees”, E. Lily Yu (Clarkesworld 4/11)
Anthology
The Year’s Best Science Fiction: Twenty-eighth Annual Collection, Gardner Dozois, ed. (St. Martin’s Griffin)
Welcome to Bordertown, Holly Black & Ellen Kushner, eds. (Random House)
Steampunk!, Kelly Link & Gavin J. Grant, eds. (Candlewick; Walker UK)
Eclipse Four, Jonathan Strahan, ed. (Night Shade)
Engineering Infinity, Jonathan Strahan, ed. (Solaris; Solaris UK)
Collection
The Bible Repairman and Other Stories, Tim Powers (Tachyon)
Sleight of Hand, Peter S. Beagle (Tachyon)
The Collected Stories of Carol Emshwiller, Volume 1,
Carol Emshwiller (Nonstop)
Two Worlds and In Between, Caitlín R. Kiernan (Subterranean)
After the Apocalypse, Maureen F. McHugh (Small Beer)
Non-fiction
Evaporating Genres: Essays on Fantastic Literature, Gary K. Wolfe (Wesleyan)
In Other Worlds: SF and the Human Imagination, Margaret Atwood (Talese; Virago; Signal (Canada))
Becoming Ray Bradbury, Jonathan R. Eller (University of Illinois)
Musings and Meditations, Robert Silverberg (Nonstop)
Sightings: Reviews 2002-2006, Gary K. Wolfe (Beccon)
Art Books
Spectrum 18: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art, Cathy Fenner & Arnie Fenner (Underwood)
Out of This World: Science Fiction But Not As You Know It, Mike Ashley, ed. (British Library)
Cor Blok, A Tolkien Tapestry: Pictures to Accompany The Lord of the Rings (HarperCollins UK)
Masters of Science Fiction and Fantasy Art, Karen Haber, ed. (Rockport)
Jeffrey Jones, Jeffrey Jones: A Life in Art (IDW)
Artist – Links are to their websites
Shaun Tan
Bob Eggleton
John Picacio
Charles Vess
Michael Whelan
Editor – follow the links for more info!
Ellen Datlow
Gardner Dozois
Jonathan Strahan
Ann & Jeff VanderMeer
Gordon Van Gelder
Magazine – Links are to their website
Asimov’s
Analog
Clarkesworld
F&SF
Tor.com
Publisher – links are to their website
Tor
Baen
Night Shade
Small Beer
Subterranean
the Little Red Reviewer 
June 17, 2012 at 9:27 am
Of the Science Fiction nominess I’ve only read China Mieville’s one, which I liked, but didn’t love. I have Leviathan wakes sitting on my tbr shelf, and it is a library book so I think I’ll try to get to that soon.
Fantasy-wise, I haven’t read any of GRR Martin’s series. I’m not starting til he finishes the series. I loved both Jo Walton’s and Patrick Rothfuss. I’m not sure which I’d prefer though. And I have Snuff waiting for me.
First novel, I’ve read two, God’s War & The Night Circus. I think God’s War was the better book, but can see why The Night Circus might have gotten more votes.
Don’t think I’ve read any of the novellettes or the short stories yet.
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June 19, 2012 at 10:42 am
I’m actually picking up Leviathan Wakes later today. I’ve read a lot of the GRRM, but not this new one, I’m now firmly in the “wait till he finishes the series” boat. I think I’m the only person on the planet who enjoyed, but didn’t come close to loving Walton’s Among Others.
and Night Circus won over God’s War? I admit I have some mixed feelings about God’s War, but jeez, if Night Circus won over that book, I have trouble believing the judges even read the HUrley. 😦
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