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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

Sapkowski wins David Gemmell Legend Award

Blood of Elves, by Polish fantasy author Andrzej Sapkowski, has received The David Gemmell Legend Award for establishing honour and lending dignity to the fantasy genre.

Sapkowski’s UK editor, Jo Fletcher, collected the award in front of an audience of publishing professionals, authors, media and fans at the Magic Circle headquarters in Euston, London. The inaugural award had the official support of Stella Gemmell and the trophy, supplied by Raven Armoury, took the form of a butterfly axe, named Snaga, that featured in Gemmell’s fiction.

Fantasy Book Review would like to offer Andrzej its warmest congratulations.

Read our full review of Blood of Elves

The runner-ups were each presented with a miniature version of Snaga. They were Joe Abercrombie (Last Argument of Kings); Juliet Marillier (Heir to Sevenwaters); Brandon Sanderson (The Hero of Ages) and Brent Weeks (The Way of Shadows).

Andrzej Sapkowski was born on the 21st of June 1948 in Lodz, Poland. Sapkowski studied economy and business, but the success of his fantasy cycle about the sorcerer Geralt de Riv turned him into a bestselling writer and he is now one of Poland’s most famous and successful authors, selling more in his own country than Stephen King or Michael Crichton. Sapkowski has won five Zajdel Awards, including three for short stories Lesser Evil in 1990, Sword of Destiny in 1992 and In a Bomb Crater in 1993, and two for the novels Blood of the Elves in 1994 and Narrenturm in 2002.

Posted: June 22nd, 2009
Author: Lee
Categories: Andrzej Sapkowski, Brandon Sanderson, David Gemmell, Joe Abercrombie

The short-list for The David Gemmell Award announced

At the beginning of 2009 the final long-list for the David Gemmell Legend Award [complete list of nominations] was announced. Comprising of 78 titles the list was in obvious need of pruning and this weekend came the announcement of the lucky 5 titles that had made it onto the short-list.

The short-list is:

• Last Argument of Kings by Joe Abercrombie
• Heir to Sevenwaters by Juliet Marillier
• The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson
• Blood of Elves by Andrzej Sapkowski
• The Way of Shadows by Brent Weeks

The overall winner was originally going to be decided by a panel but feedback has lead to the final decision being made by public vote.

Source: British Fantasy Society

Good luck to all on the list and commiserations to those that did not make it. What do you think of the short-list? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

The inaugural David Gemmell Legend Award for Fantasy will be awarded to the best fantasy novel of the year (2008). The award has the official support of Stella Gemmell and has been instigated by friends and professional colleagues to celebrate David’s life and literary legacy.

The David Gemmell Award for Fantasy official site

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Posted: April 15th, 2009
Author: Lee
Categories: Andrzej Sapkowski, Awards, Brandon Sanderson, David Gemmell, Joe Abercrombie

The final 2008 longlist for the David Gemmell Legends Award

The David Gemmell Legend Award will be presented for the very first time in 2009 for the best Fantasy novel of 2008. The award will be given to a work written in the ‘spirit’ of the late, great David Gemmell, a true Master of Heroic Fantasy. Voting opens at midnight on 26th December – but you have until 31st March 2009 to
register your vote. Vote here!

1. The Margarets Sheri S Tepper
2. Red Wolf Conspiracy Robert V.S. Reddick
3. The Last Argument of Kings Joe Abercrombie
4. The Burning Man Mark Chadbourn
5. The Steel Remains Richard Morgan
6. Blood of Elves  Andrzej Sapkowski
7. Red Gloves Beth Vaughan
8. Ravensoul by James Barclay
9. The Grave Thief Tom Lloyd
10. Graceling Kristin Cashore
11. Dragonforge James Maxey
12. The Blood King Gail Z. Martin
13. The Ten Thousand Paul Kearney
14. Gladiatrix Russell Whitfield
15. Going Under Justina Robson
16. Bloodheir Brian Ruckley
17. The Company K. J. Parker
18. The Way of Shadows Brent Weeks
19. Shadow Gate Kate Elliott
20. Wolfblade Jennifer Fallon
21. The Riven Kingdom Karen Miller
22. Path of Revenge Russell Kirkpatrick
23. The Painted Man Peter V Brett
24. Royal Exile Fiona McIntosh
25. The Kingdom Beyond the Waves Stephen Hunt
26. Wrath of a Mad God Raymond E. Feist
27. The Twisted Citadel Sara Douglass
28. The Divine Talisman Eldon Thompson
29. Shadowmage Matthew Sprange
30. The Clockwork King of Orl Mike Wild
31. Heldenhammer Graham McNeill
32. Nagash the Sorcerer Mike Lee
33. Elfslayer Nathan Long
34. Magic Burns Ilona Andrews
35. City of Jade Dennis L. McKiernan
36. Dragon Strike (Age of Fire) EE Knight
37. Empire in Black and Gold Adrian Tchaikovsky
38. The Dog of the North Tim Stretton
39. Winterstrike Liz Williams
40. Heir to Sevenwaters Juliet Marillier
41. King of Ithica Glyn Iliffe
42. A Darkness Forged in Fire Chris Evans
43. The Return of the Crimson Guard Ian C. Esslemont
44. Toll the Hounds Steven Erikson
45. The Two Pearls of Wisdom Alison Goodman
46. Havemercy Jaida Jones and Danielle Bennett
47. Iron Angel Alan Campbell
48. Fallen Tim Lebbon
49. Tracing the Shadow Sarah Ash
50. Final Sacrifice Patricia Bray
51. Shadows Return Lynn Flewelling
52. The Vacant Throne Joshua Palmatier
53. A Magic of Twilight S.L. Farrell
54. The Hidden City Michelle West
55. Goblin War Jim C. Hines
56. The Shadow Ilse Katharine Kerr
57. The Dark Ferryman Jenna Rhodes
58. King’s Shield Sherwood Smith
59. The Soldier King Violette Malan
60. Foundation Mercedes Lackey
61. The Golden Tower Fiona Patton
62. The Dragons of Babel Michael Swanwick
63. In a Time of Treason David Keck
64. Steward of Song Adam Stemple
65. The Ancient RA Salvatore
66. Mage-Guard of Hamor L. E. Modesitt, Jr
67. Ill Met in the Arena Dave Duncan
68. The Phoenix Endangered Mercedes Lackey, James Mallory
69. The Hero of Ages Brandon Sanderson
70. The Gods Return David Drake
71. Thirteen Orphans Jane Lindskold
72. The Queen’s Bastard C. E. Murphy
73. Shadowbridge Gregory Frost
74. Victory of Eagles Naomi Novik
75. The Engine’s Child Holly Phillips
76. A Woman Worth Ten Coppers Morgan Howell
77. Dragon Strike EE Knight
78. City of Jade Dennis McKiernan

Posted: January 1st, 2009
Author: Lee
Categories: Andrzej Sapkowski, David Gemmell, James Barclay, Joe Abercrombie, RA Salvatore, Raymond E Feist, Steven Erikson

The inaugural David Gemmell Legend Award 2008/2009

The inaugural David Gemmell Legend Award for Fantasy will be awarded to the best fantasy novel of the year (2008). The award has the official support of Stella Gemmell and has been instigated by friends and professional colleagues to celebrate David’s life and literary legacy.

Nominations are currently being sought from editors of every major genre fantasy list for full-length novels, in the English language, first published in 2008. The nominated novels must be deemed fantasy in the spirit of David Gemmell’s own work. All nominated work will be added to a long-list, which will then be voted upon by the reading public on the award website.

Voting will not close until March 2009, to give readers a chance to read, and vote upon, all the nominees. The top five novels will go forward to the Shortlist phase, with the winner decided by a panel of fantasy experts (to be announced on the British Fantasy News website). The award trophy – a replica of Druss the Legend’s famous battle-axe, Snaga – will be presented in June 2009, at a ceremony in London. The organisers hope that the DGLA will soon become the most prestigious award for authors working within the genre fantasy field.

Visit the David Gemmell Legend Award website for further information.

David Gemmell Legend Award website

Email: Admin@GemmellAward.com

Source: British Fantasy Society News

Posted: September 27th, 2008
Author: Lee
Categories: David Gemmell

Duncton Wood finished, The King Beyond The Gate started

I have recently re-read Duncton Wood by William Horwood and thoroughly enjoyed it. A full review will follow. I have now started on David Gemmell’s The King Beyond The Gate, a book from the Drenai series. I am currently a couple of chapters into it and it’s already everything I’d expected and hoped for from David Gemmell.

Posted: January 14th, 2008
Author: admin
Categories: David Gemmell, William Horwood

Book review – Wolf In Shadow by David Gemmell

David Gemmell’s Jon Shannow novels are excellent, yet another magnificent world and hero provided by the master of heroic fantasy.

Wolf In Shadow came in at 8.5 out of 10 and this places it at #29 in the list of the top 100 fantasy books of all time.

If you think that this rating is too high or too low then you can make the difference by submitting a mini-review and altering the book’s overall score and where it places in the list.

Wolf In Shadow review

Posted: January 9th, 2008
Author: admin
Categories: David Gemmell