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Reigniting the love of creative writing in the UK

The Brit Writers’ Awards were set up last year to reignite a love of creative writing in the UK. Endorsed by Arts Council England and The Reading Agency, they have rapidly become a writing and publishing phenomenon. This year, the award attracted 21,000 entries across its 8 categories and offered the largest prize ever for unpublished writers, £10,000.

This years winner was Catherine Cooper for her children’s fantasy tale The Golden Acorn (The Adventures of Jack Brenin). She was presented with her award at a glittering ceremony at London’s O2 Arena.

In The Golden Acorn Jack Brenin finds a golden acorn lying in the grass but little does he know that it is the beginning of a thrilling and magical adventure. Jack has been chosen for a hugely important task and soon he is entering a world he believed only existed in legend.

Fantasy Book Review will soon be receiving a copy of The Golden Acorn (published by Infinite Ideas in paperback on August 12, 2010, £7.99) and a review will appear shortly afterwards.

Born in Wellington, Shropshire, Catherine Cooper was a primary school teacher for 29 years before retiring and deciding she’d love to write for children. Catherine draws on her love of history, myths and legends and the Shropshire countryside to create books for children which are already set to become classics of the future.

For more information on the Brit Writers’ Award, visit www.britwriters.co.uk

Posted: August 2nd, 2010
Author: Lee
Categories: Awards

2010 Mythopoeic Award finalists announced

The Mythopoeic Society is a non-profit organization promoting the study, discussion, and enjoyment of fantastic and mythic literature through books and periodicals, annual conferences, discussion groups, awards, and more. The awards are presented to fantasy literature that best embody the style, scholarship, and spirit of the Inklings.

Earlier this month the Mythopoeic Society announced the 2010 Mythopoeic Award finalists:

Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Adult Literature

• Trickster’s Game Trilogy: Heartwood, Bloodstone, and Foxfire, Barbara Campbell (DAW);
• Cloud & Ashes: Three Winter’s Tales, Greer Gilman (Small Beer);
• Avilion, Robert Holdstock (Gollancz);
• Palimpsest, Catherynne M. Valente (Bantam Spectra);
• Lifelode, Jo Walton (NESFA)

Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children’s Literature

• The Hotel Under the Sand, Kage Baker (Tachyon);
• Books of Bayern: The Goose Girl, Enna Burning, River Secrets, and Forest Born, Shannon Hale (Bloomsbury);
• Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, Grace Lin (Little, Brown);
• Ash, Malinda Lo (Little, Brown);
• Eyes Like Stars, Lisa Mantchev (Feiwel & Friends)

Mythopoeic Scholarship Award in Inklings Studies

• Charles Williams: Alchemy and Integration, Gavin Ashenden (Kent State);
• Tolkien, Race and Cultural History: From Fairies to Hobbits, Dimitra Fimi (Palgrave Macmillan);
• Arda Reconstructed: The Creation of the Published Silmarillion, Douglas Charles Kane (Lehigh University Press);
• Planet Narnia: The Seven Heavens in the Imagination of C.S. Lewis, Michael Ward (Oxford);
• The Evolution of Tolkien’s Mythology: A Study of the History of Middle-earth, Elizabeth A. Whittingham (McFarland);

Mythopoeic Scholarship Award in Myth and Fantasy Studies

• Lilith in a New Light: Essays on the George MacDonald Fantasy Novel, Lucas H. Harriman (McFarland);
• Rhetorics of Fantasy, Farah Mendlesohn (Wesleyan University Press);
• One Earth, One People: The Mythopoeic Fantasy Series of Ursula K. Le Guin, Lloyd Alexander, Madeleine L’Engle and Orson Scott Card, Marek Oziewicz (McFarland);
• Metamorphoses of the Werewolf: A Literary Study from Antiquity Through the Renaissance, Leslie A. Sconduto (McFarland);
• The Victorian Press and the Fairy Tale, Caroline Sumpter (Palgrave Macmillan)

The winners will be announced at Mythcon 41, to be held July 9-12 2010, in Dallas, Texas.

Posted: June 8th, 2010
Author: Lee
Categories: Awards, Latest News

Borders Book Festival to play host to a glittering array of novelists, comedians and broadcasters

The Borders Book Festival has grown into a national, UK, event. From the 17th until the 20th of June, in the stunning setting of Harmony Gardens in Melrose, it will stage the announcement of two of Britain’s major literary awards. The inaugural Walter Scott Prize for historical fiction is sponsored by the Duke and Duchess of Buccleuch and will given to the best novel of 2009*, and the Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust Scottish Arts Council Scottish Book of the Year will go to one of a shortlist of four (click here for shortlist).

Acclaimed novelists, comedians and broadcasters will be starring at the seventh Borders Book Festival with Hilary Mantel, Robert Harris and William Fiennes among the writers appearing.

Children’s authors Michael Morpurgo and Vivian French are among those who have been confirmed for the family-orientated section of the book event.

The first time the Book Festival was staged, in 2004, it was little more than a pilot. Four authors appeared at the Wynd Theatre and fewer than 300 people came to listen to them, filling almost every seat in the tiny auditorium. By 2007 the festival had moved to Harmony House and Garden, the National Trust for Scotland’s stunning Georgian property in Melrose, and in 2009 audiences had rocketed to more than 8,000.

The Borders Book Festival has been solidly supported by Scottish Borders Council, the Scottish Arts Council, EventScotland and many local businesses.

* The Walter Scott Prize for historical fiction shortlist

• Hodd by Adam Thorpe
• Lustrum by Robert Harris
• Sacred Hearts by Sarah Dunant
• Stone’s Fall by Iain Pears
• The Glass Room by Simon Mawer
• The Quickening Maze by Adam Foulds
• Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel

Posted: April 19th, 2010
Author: Lee
Categories: Awards, Michael Morpurgo

Voting for Legend Award now open

Voting is now open for the David Gemmell Legend Award for Fantasy, where you can choose from a slew of titles from all across the board. Check out the voting page here.

The DGLA was presented for the first time last year, 2009, for the Best Fantasy novel of 2008, and was awarded to Andrzej Sapkowski’s book Blood of Elves. He had this to say;

“I am very happy and proud to be a winner in the contest for The David Gemmell Legend Award, the prize precious to me indeed, as I am a great admirer of the writings of the late David A. Gemmell. I would like to express my gratitude to all the readers who voted for my book. I would also like to thank and congratulate all the other fellow writers in the final poll. Finally, it is fantasy – our genre – that was the ultimate winner.”

The award was established in 2008 with the intention to “restore fantasy to its proper place in the literary pantheon.”

Posted: January 28th, 2010
Author: JoshSHill
Categories: Awards, David Gemmell

Judging Panel announced for 2009 Costa Book of the Year

Novelist Josephine Hart will chair the final judging which selects the overall winner of the prestigious 2009 Costa Book of the Year, it was announced today.

The Costa Book Awards recognise the most enjoyable books of the last year by writers based in the UK and Ireland.

Josephine will chair a panel which includes writer and model Marie Helvin, actresses Caroline Quentin and Dervla Kirwan, musician, actor and writer, Gary Kemp, ITV News Political Editor Tom Bradby and actor and writer, Neil Pearson, who is also representing the Costa Novel Award category.

The other four category judging panels are represented by authors William Nicholson (Children’s Book Award), Sandra Howard (First Novel) and Robert Lacey (Biography), and Literary Review Deputy Editor, Tom Fleming (Poetry).

The final judges will meet on Tuesday 26th January 2010 to select the winner of the Costa Book of the Year, which will be announced at an awards ceremony later that evening.

The ceremony, hosted by GMTV presenter Penny Smith, will take place at Quaglino’s in central London.

“The Costa Book Awards have an excellent track record of recognising and celebrating some of the very best and most enjoyable books of the last year,” said John Derkach, Managing Director at Costa. “It’s never an easy task to single out one Book of the Year which stands out above the rest, but we’re delighted to have such a fine panel of strong-minded people to undertake the task this year, all of whom are avid readers and passionate about books.”

Former final judges have included Rosamund Pike, Erin O’Connor, Alex James, Emilia Fox, Michael Morpurgo, Hugh Grant, Ralph Fiennes, Jerry Hall, Ian Hislop, Jonathan Ross, and Kirsty Young. Recent winners of the Book of the Year include Sebastian Barry (2008), A.L. Kennedy (2007), Stef Penney (2006), Hilary Spurling (2005), Andrea Levy (2004), Mark Haddon (2003), Philip Pullman, Seamus Heaney and the late Ted Hughes.

Costa is also pleased to announce that this year’s total prize fund will be increased to £55,000.

Each of the category award-winning authors receive £5,000 and this year the overall Costa Book of the Year winner will be presented with a cheque for £30,000, an increase of £5,000 from last year.

“Costa is very proud of its sponsorship of the Book Awards,” added John Derkach, “and we’re delighted to be able to further acknowledge and reward the outstanding achievement of the Costa Book of the Year winner by increasing the prize fund this year.”

For more information on this year’s Costa Book Awards, go to www.costabookawards.com.

Posted: December 18th, 2009
Author: Lee
Categories: Awards

Tender Morsels and The Shadow Year share World Fantasy Award

Margo Lanagan’s Tender Morsels and Jeffrey Ford’s The Shadow Year were named joint winners of the World Fantasy award for best novel.

Tender Morsels [link to review] was Fantasy Book Review’s favourite amongst the nominees with the reviewer saying “If you remove all the fuss surrounding the novel you will find that Lanagan has, using the barest framework of the Grimm brothers Snow-white and Rose-red, woven a beautiful and at times brutal fairy tale for the modern age. Tender Morsels never once tries to show that life has a happily ever after ending. It shows that life is full of hardship; you will experience hurt, you will watch loved ones die and you will often be afraid. It also shows that live can be full of love, caring and kindness. It is better to experience something, be it good or bad, than to experience nothing at all.”

Although it has to be said that Jeffrey Ford’s The Shadow Year [link to review] did not fair too badly either with Jim Eaton saying that “What the Shadow Year has that King and Sebold don’t in their tales is a rich, enveloping sense of subtext. And for me, who has long since fled screaming from Shea and his Shannarigans in search of an author’s mind at work, subtext is king. For many, there will be references that fly over head and crown. Roll with them anyway. For those of us…uh…lucky enough to have grown up on Long Island in the late sixties and early seventies, the presence of such nuggets as Mister Softee, Chiller Theater, the 4:30 movie and a deep fear of Halloween apples and Nair bombs provides an extra, magically delicious subtextual payoff. Krapp’s moon shines brightly in some form or fashion in all our ripening minds, n’est pas?”

Congratulations to both Margo Lanagan and Jeffery Ford, here are the winners in full:

2009 World Fantasy Award Winners

Life Achievement

• Ellen Asher
• Yolen

Novel

• The Shadow Year, Jeffrey Ford
• Tender Morsels, Margo Lanagan

Novella

• If Angels Fight, Richard Bowes

Short Story

• 26 Monkeys, Also the Abyss, Kij Johnson

Anthology

• Paper Cities: An Anthology of Urban Fantasy, Ekaterina Sedia, ed.

Collection

• The Drowned Life, Jeffrey Ford

Artist

• Shaun Tan

Special Award – Professional

• Kelly Link & Gavin J. Grant (for Small Beer Press and Big Mouth House)

Special Award – Non-professional

• Michael J. Walsh (for Howard Waldrop collections from Old Earth Books)

Posted: November 4th, 2009
Author: Lee
Categories: Awards, Margo Lanagan

Tender Morsels our pick to win the World Fantasy Award

Last month we ran a story on the nominations for the World Fantasy Award. Unfortunately, we do not have the time to read and review all the entrants, but we thought that we should at least cover the five nominations for best novel. So which book do we here at Fantasy Book Review believe should win the prestigious award? Read on to find out.

Before we start, here are the nominations:

• The House of the Stag, Kage Baker
• The Shadow Year, Jeffrey Ford
• The Graveyard Book, Neil Gaiman
• Pandemonium, Daryl Gregory
• Tender Morsels, Margo Lanagan

Harrison Holtz, of The Ostentatious Ogre, reviewed Kage Baker’s The House of the Stag and said that “The House of the Stag by Kage Baker knocked me out with its one two combination of humour and world building. The House of the Stag was an unexpected surprise for me and one that I hope many others will take the time to search out along with its predecessor The Anvil of the World.”

The House of the Stag rating – 9/10

Jim Eaton read and reviewed Jeffrey Ford’s The Shadow Year and Daryl Gregory’s Pandemonium. Of The Shadow Year he said “What the Shadow Year has that King and Sebold don’t in their tales is a rich, enveloping sense of subtext. And for me, who has long since fled screaming from Shea and his Shannarigans in search of an author’s mind at work, subtext is king. I don’t know what category Jeffrey Ford’s novel falls into, but I’m fairly certain he doesn’t care, and readers shouldn’t either, because this is a damned good read. Enjoy.”

The Shadow Year rating – 9/10

Of Pandemonium Jim was rather less enthusiastic saying “I didn’t love this book. That’s not to say it doesn’t have merit. It does. It also doesn’t mean you shouldn’t read it. And while I can’t fully recommend his first book, I believe it would be a absolute crime if he were to chose not to – carefully and patiently – write a second one. I would very much like to read it.”

Pandemonium rating – 7/10

Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book has already won the 2009 Hugo Award, the Newbery Medal and he even narrated the tale himself and received an Audie for his troubles. It must be classed as the favourite to add the World Fantasy Award to its already impressive list of awards but when Indra reviewed The Graveyard Book and she thought that “the story flowed well with recognised Gaiman humour and a touch of the macabre,” but found that “there is a slightly hollow feel left after reading it though, possibly due to a loose end situation.”

The Graveyard Book rating – 8/10

That just leaves Margo Lanagan’s controversial re-working of the tale of Snow-white and Rose-red. Floresiensis reviewed this and found that it was “a book that shows just how violent and unforgiving the real world can be; a powerful book that’s pages could turn a child into an adult.” He went on to say that:
“If you remove all the fuss surrounding the novel you will find that Lanagan has, using the barest framework of the Grimm brothers Snow-white and Rose-red, woven a beautiful and at times brutal fairy tale for the modern age.”

Tender Morsels rating – 9.5/10

So, we believe that Tender Morsels is the pick of the bunch but feel that Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book is most likely to scoop the award. The winner will be announced at the World Fantasy Convention 2009 in San Jose, California ( the weekend beginning October 29) and Fantasy Book Review would like to wish all the nominees the very best of luck.

Posted: September 26th, 2009
Author: Floresiensis
Categories: Awards, Margo Lanagan, Neil Gaiman

Booktrust Teenage Prize shortlist announced

The Booktrust Teenage Prize was first launched in 2003 to recognise and celebrate contemporary fiction written for teenagers. Previous winners include Marcus Sedgwick’s My Swordhand is Singing, Sarah Singleton’s Century. The 2008 award went to Patrick Ness for The Knife of Never Letting Go.

The shortlist for the 2009 prize was announced on September 21. The winning author will receive a cheque for £2,500 and a trophy at a ceremony in London on 18 November.

Auslander by Paul Dowswell (Bloomsbury)
‘Auslander is a superlative, at times almost agonisingly compelling, piece of historical fiction … The climactic escape to freedom is pure muck-sweat tension’ The Financial Times

‘An exceptional novel, persuasive in its details, with an utterly compelling story and powerful message’ Waterstones Books Quarterly

‘A breakthrough into the top league for Dowswell, a hugely impressive thriller set during the Second World War … There will be many adults sneakily borrowing this from their children’ The Bookseller

‘Doswell is one of the best new writers of historical fiction for children [Auslander] steps outside the victim culture of novels such as those by Morris Gleitzman and comes close to classics such as ‘The Silver Sword’. Admirers of ‘The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas’ should look at this novel as a model of imaginative sympathy’ The Times

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (Bloomsbury)
Nobody Owens, known to his friends as Bod, is a normal boy. He would be completely normal if he didn’t live in a graveyard, being raised and educated by ghosts.

There are dangers and adventures for Bod in the graveyard. But it is in the land of the living that real danger lurks for it is there that the man Jack lives and he has already killed Bod’s family.

A deliciously dark masterwork by bestselling author Neil Gaiman.

‘If asked to put The Graveyard Book into a genre, I’d have to say: this is a Neil Gaiman book. It’s in the Genre of Excellence’ Fortean Times

‘It is probably the best children’s book published in 2008’ Learning Support

‘A novel that is a captivating piece of work, light as fresh grave dirt, haunting as the inscription on a tombstone’ Financial Times

Ostrich Boys by Keith Gray (Definitions)
Left despondent after the funeral of their friend Ross, three friends – Kenny, Sim and Blake – steal Ross’ ashes and embark on an epic journey in search of a more fitting memorial. Described as a ‘modern classic’ (Jake Hope, The Bookseller), this tale explores deep friendship and devastating loss. 

‘Reminiscent of On the Road and Catcher in the Rye . . . a profound work, instantly worthy of the label "modern classic"’ Bookseller

‘This is an excellent teenage read which has four boys as the central characters. One of them, Ross, has just been killed in a cycling accident but the other three are determined to give him an appropriate send-off. Upset by the seemingly heartless cremation service for their lost friend, they steal his ashes and set off on an ill-prepared journey to a tiny village in Scotland called Ross that they had always promised to visit. As their haphazard progress north continues, the surviving trio are forced to confront some uncomfortable truths about their friendships, both with each other and their lost companion.’ Philip Daws, Waterstone’s Bury St. Edmunds

The Ant Colony by Jenny Valentine (HarperCollins)
An irresistible new novel from Guardian-award-winning novelist, Jenny Valentine. Number 33 Georgiana Street houses many people and yet seems home to none. To runaway Sam it is a place to disappear. To Bohemia, it’s just another blip between crises, as her mum ricochets off the latest boyfriend. Old Isobel acts like she owns the place, even though it actually belongs to Steve in the basement, who is always looking to squeeze in yet another tenant. Life there is a kind of ordered chaos. Like ants, they scurry about their business, crossing paths, following their own tracks, no questions asked. But it doesn’t take much to upset the balance. Dig deep enough and you’ll find that everyone has something to hide!

‘Once again Jenny Valentine proves she can connect with her readers. She exhibits strong characters who each have a story to tell and through excellent dialogue, creates tension and intrigue. I love the way her stories move forwards, constantly twisting and turning through family dramas yet with good slaps of humour at regular intervals. This is a very human story about young people coping with the toughness of growing up.’ Patricia Outram, Waterstone’s Amsterdam 

The Vanishing of Katharina Linden by Helen Grant (Puffin)
Intrigue and eerie mystery lie at the heart of Grant’s captivating debut novel, which entwines ancient German folklore with contemporary life-changing tragedy. The disappearance of ten-year-old Katharina reduces the small German town of Bad Munstereifel to panic. Only young Pia is determined to discover the truth.   

‘Lightness of touch, neatness of phrase and talent for observation enliven the darkness of the material.’ The Sunday Times, April 19, 2009

‘Pia is ten years old. Known as ‘the girl whose grandmother exploded’, she wishes for things to go back to normal, like before her Oma died. Then Katharina Linden, a girl from Pia’s school, disappears during a busy town carnival. No one knows where she went, if she was taken or by whom… but one thing is certain, the small German town will never be ‘normal’ again. A brilliant thriller which keeps you engrossed to the end.’ Andrea Richards, Waterstone’s Brentford

The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness (Walker)
Fleeing before a relentless army, Todd has carried a desperately wounded Viola right into the hands of their worst enemy, Mayor Prentiss. Immediately separated from Viola and imprisoned, Todd is forced to learn the ways of the Mayor’s new order. But what secrets are hiding just outside of town? And where is Viola? Is she even still alive? And who are the mysterious Answer? And then, one day, the bombs begin to explode… The Ask and the Answer is a tense, shocking and deeply moving novel of resistance under the most extreme pressure.

‘Ness is a young writer of exciting quality and unpredictability.’ The Times

Posted: September 24th, 2009
Author: Lee
Categories: Awards, Neil Gaiman

The winners of the 2009 British Fantasy Awards are…

The British Fantasy Awards have been in existence for almost as many years as the British Fantasy Society itself. In 1971 Ramsey Campbell suggested the Society present an award in honour of the recently deceased August Derleth – an award which this year went to Memoirs of a Master Forger by William Heaney. The 2009 winners in full are:

Best Novel (The August Derleth Fantasy Award)

• Memoirs of a Master Forger, by William Heaney/Graham Joyce

Best Novella

• The Reach of Children, by Tim Lebbon

Best Short Fiction

• Do You See, by Sarah Pinborough, from Myth-Understandings, ed. by Ian Whates

Best Collection

• Bull Running for Girls, by Allyson Bird

Best Anthology

• The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror 19, ed. Stephen Jones

The PS Publishing Best Small Press Award

• Elastic Press, run by Andrew Hook

Best Non-Fiction

• Basil Copper: A Life in Books, by Basil Copper, ed. Stephen Jones

Best Magazine/Periodical

• Postscripts, ed. Peter Crowther and Nick Gevers

Best Artist

• Vincent Chong

Best Comic/Graphic Novel

• Locke and Key, by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez

Best Television

• Doctor Who, head writer Russell T. Davies

Best Film

• The Dark Knight, directed by Christopher Nolan

The Sydney J. Bounds Award for Best Newcomer

• Joseph D’Lacey, for Meat

The Karl Edward Wagner Award

• Hayao Miyazaki

The Best Novel award has, over the years, gone to some of the biggest names in the fantasy genre. In the early to mid seventies Michael Moorcock ruled supreme, winning four times with The Knight of the Swords, The King of the Swords, The Sword and the Stallion and The Hollow Lands. 1979 saw Stephen Donaldson’s The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever scoop the award. Two authors whose names appear regularly are Stephen King (1982, Cujo; 1987; It; 1999, Bag of Bones; 2005, The Dark Tower VII) and Graham Joyce (1996, Requiem; 1997, The Tooth Fairy; 2000, Indigo).

The turn of the century saw China Mieville (2001, Perdido Street; 2003, The Scar) win in two of the first three years. Other notable winners are Neil Gaiman (2006, Anansi Boys) and Tim Lebbon (2007, Dusk).

If you are interested in seeing what competition the eventual winners had to overcome to win their prestigious awards then here is the full list of nominees:

Best Novel

• Memoirs of a Master Forger (William Heaney/Graham Joyce)
• Midnight Man (Simon Clark)
• Rain Dogs (Gary McMahon)
• The Graveyard Book (Neil Gaiman)
• The Victoria Vanishes (Christopher Fowler)
• Thieving Fear (Ramsey Campbell)

Best Small Press Award

• Elastic Press (Andrew Hook)
• Newcon Press (Ian Whates)
• Pendragon Press (Chris Teague)
• Screaming Dreams (Steve Upham)
• TTA Press (Andy Cox)

Best Collection

• Bull Running for Girls (Allyson Bird)
• Glyphotech (Mark Samuels)
• How To Make Monsters (Gary McMahon)
• Islington Crocodiles (Paul Meloy)
• Just After Sunset (Stephen King)

Best Novella

• Cold Stone Calling (Simon Clark)
• Gunpowder (Joe Hill)
• Heads (Gary McMahon)
• We Fade To Grey, Ed. Gary McMahon
• Just After Sunset (Stephen King)
• The Narrows (Simon Bestwick)

Best Short Fiction

• All Mouth (Paul Meloy
• Do You See (Sarah Pinborough
• Pinholes in Black Muslin (Simon Strantzas)
• The Caul Bearer (Allyson Bird)
• The Tobacconist’s Concession (John Travis)
• The Vague (Paul Meloy)
• Winter Journey (Joel Lane)

Best Comic / Graphic Novel

• 30 Days of Night: Beyond Barrow
• All-Star Superman (Grant Morrison / Frank Quitely)
• Buffy Season Eight Vol. 3: Wolves at the Gate (Joss Whedon & Drew Goddard / Georges Jeanty)
• Comic Book Tattoo Tales Inspired by Tori Amos (Ed, Rantz A. Hoseley & Tori Amos / Various)
• Hellblazer: Fear Machine (Jamie Delano)
• Hellblazer: The Laughing Magician (Andy Diggle / Leonardo Manco & Daniel Zezelj)
• Locke and Key (Joe Hill/Gabriel Rodriguez)
• The Girly Comic Book 1 (Ed, Selina Lock)
• The New Avengers: Illuminati (Brian Bendis & Brian Reed / Jim Cheung)

Best Artist

• Dave McKean (The Graveyard Book)
• Edward Miller (Vault of Deeds)
• Lee Thompson (The Land at the End of the Working Day)
• Les Edwards (Various)
• Vincent Chong (Various)

Best Non-Fiction

• Basil Copper: A Life in Books (Basil Copper, Ed, Stephen Jones)
• Doctor Who: The Writer’s Tale (Russell T. Davies and Benjamin Cook)
• journal.neilgaiman.com (Neil Gaiman)
• Mutant Popcorn (Nick Lowe)
• What Is It We Do When We Read Science Fiction (Paul Kincaid)

Best Magazine

• Black Static (Andy Cox)
• Interzone (Andy Cox)
• Midnight Street (Trevor Denyer)
• Postscripts (Peter Crowther & Nick Gevers)
• SFX (Dave Bradley)

Best Television

• Battlestar Galactica (NBC)
• Dead Set (Zeppotron/Channel 4)
• Dexter (Clyde Phillips Productions)
• Doctor Who (BBC Wales)
• Supernatural (Warner Bros TV)

Best Film

• Cloverfield (Matt Reeves)
• Iron Man (Jon Favreau)
• The Dark Knight (Christopher Nolan)
• The Mist (Frank Darabont)
• The Orphanage (Juan Antonio Bayona)

Posted: September 24th, 2009
Author: Lee
Categories: Awards, Graphic Novels, Neil Gaiman, Stephen Donaldson

The latest Fantasy Book Reviews

It has been a busy week on Fantasy Book Review with new reviews being added daily.

The nominations for the World Fantasy Award were announced in August and we are reading and reviewing the five books that have been shortlisted for the prestigious award. Margo Lanagan’s stunning Tender Morsels has been reviewed while Jim Eaton has also provided an excellent review on Jeffrey Ford’s The Shadow Year (before moving onto The House of the Stag By Kage Baker and Pandemonium by Daryl Gregory). The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman was reviewed by Indra quite some time ago so that will soon be able to say which we believe to be the best of a damn good bunch.

Preita Salyer has been a fantastic addition to the team and has recently reviewed the entire Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs as well as Rick Riordan’s children’s fantasy The Lightning Thief.

• Moon Called book review
• Blood Bound book review
• Iron Kissed book review
• Bone Crossed book review
• The Lightning Thief book review

Angela Black has reviewed Palimpsest by Catherynne M Valente and Sandy Lender has reviewed the final book in the Bridei Chronicles The Well of Shades. Sandra Scholes has read and reviewed Blackwyrm Book’s Albrim’s Curse, by Trevis Powell and there is also a good debut by an English author, Harriet Goodwin, entitled The Boy Who Fell Down Exit 43.

And on top of all this we interviewed Steven Erikson, the author of the magnificent Malazan Book of the Fallen series. His answers are brilliant, please take the time to have a read.

We are also running a poll on what is the best fantasy film of all time. The poll itself is on all pages so please tell us what you think if you get the chance. Also, feel free to comment below if you think we are missing a classic…

It will be a busy month coming up, hopefully we can get as many books reviewed as we have already this year…

Posted: September 6th, 2009
Author: Lee
Categories: Awards, Blackwyrm Books, Margo Lanagan, Neil Gaiman, Patricia Briggs, Steven Erikson