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Australian philosopher, literary critic, legal scholar, and professional writer. Based in Newcastle, NSW. My latest books are THE TYRANNY OF OPINION: CONFORMITY AND THE FUTURE OF LIBERALISM (2019); AT THE DAWN OF A GREAT TRANSITION: THE QUESTION OF RADICAL ENHANCEMENT (2021); and HOW WE BECAME POST-LIBERAL: THE RISE AND FALL OF TOLERATION (2024).

Friday, July 10, 2015

World Fantasy Award nominations

The nominations list has been announced for this year's World Fantasy Awards. The list includes a collection by talented Australian author Angela Slatter... and another by one of my dearest friends, Australian author/editor/critic Janeen Webb. The latter, Death at the Blue Elephant, is especially dear to my heart, not only because of my affection for its author, but also because I was honoured to launch it officially in Melbourne last year. It is a very strong collection indeed.

Note that there is little, if any, overlap between these lists and the "puppies" slates that dominate the Hugo Awards nominations this year. One item that is both Hugo nominated and WFA nominated is The Goblin Emperor. However, it was not on the slates of the "Sad Puppies" and "Rabid Puppies" groups.

As I've said before, the puppies may have had a worthwhile role if they'd genuinely been seeking out the best quality work that might normally be overlooked because of an alleged "usual suspects" mentality or even some kind of suspected or alleged bias at the Hugos against politically conservative authors.

But most of what they did was just promoting their own narrow group of preferred authors. A more genuine exercise might have thrown up brilliant new work by the likes of Angela Slatter or Janeen Webb. I have not engaged in over-the-top rhetoric attacking the political motivations and moral characters of the "puppies", and I will not do so, but I do remain unimpressed by their slate-making exercise.

Here is the complete WFA list:

Life Achievement Winners

Ramsey Campbell
Sheri S. Tepper

Novel
  • Katherine Addison, The Goblin Emperor (Tor Books)
  • Robert Jackson Bennett, City of Stairs (Broadway Books/Jo Fletcher Books)
  • David Mitchell, The Bone Clocks (Random House/Sceptre UK)
  • Jeff VanderMeer, Area X: The Southern Reach Trilogy (Farrar, Straus and Giroux Originals)
  • Jo Walton, My Real Children (Tor Books US/Corsair UK)
Novella
  • Daryl Gregory, We Are All Completely Fine (Tachyon Publications)
  • Pasi Ilmari Jääskeläinen, "Where the Trains Turn" (Tor.com, Nov. 19, 2014)
  • Michael Libling, "Hollywood North" (The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Nov./Dec. 2014)
  • Mary Rickert, "The Mothers of Voorhisville" (Tor.com, Apr. 30, 2014)
  • Rachel Swirsky, “Grand Jeté (The Great Leap)” (Subterranean Press magazine, Summer 2014)
Short Story
  • Kelly Link, "I Can See Right Through You" (McSweeney's 48)
  • Scott Nicolay, Do You Like to Look at Monsters? (Fedogan & Bremer, chapbook)
  • Kaaron Warren, "Death's Door Café" (Shadows & Tall Trees 2014)
  • Kai Ashante Wilson, "The Devil in America" (Tor.com, April 2, 2014)
  • Alyssa Wong, "The Fisher Queen," (The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, May/June 2014)
Anthology
  • Ellen Datlow, ed., Fearful Symmetries (ChiZine Publications)
  • George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois, eds., Rogues (Bantam Books/Titan Books)
  • Rose Fox and Daniel José Older, eds., Long Hidden: Speculative Fiction from the Margins of History (Crossed Genres)
  • Michael Kelly, ed. Shadows & Tall Trees 2014 (Undertow Publications)
  • Kelly Link and Gavin J. Grant, eds., Monstrous Affections: An Anthology of Beastly Tales (Candlewick Press)
Collection
  • Rebecca Lloyd, Mercy and Other Stories (Tartarus Press)
  • Helen Marshall, Gifts for the One Who Comes After (ChiZine Publications)
  • Robert Shearman, They Do the Same Things Different There (ChiZine Publications)
  • Angela Slatter, The Bitterwood Bible and Other Recountings (Tartarus Press)
  • Janeen Webb, Death at the Blue Elephant (Ticonderoga Publications)
Artist
  • Samuel Araya
  • Galen Dara
  • Jeffrey Alan Love
  • Erik Mohr
  • John Picacio
Special Award—Professional
  • John Joseph Adams, for editing anthologies and Nightmare and Ligthspeed magazines
  • Jeanne Cavelos, for Odyssey Writing workshops
  • Sandra Kasturi and Brett Alexander Savory, for ChiZine Publications
  • Gordon Van Gelder, for The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction
  • Jerad Walters, for Centipede Press
Special Award—Non-professional
  • Scott H. Andrews, for Beneath Ceaseless Skies: Literary Adventure Fantasy
  • Matt Cardin, for Born to Fear: Interviews with Thomas Ligotti (Subterranean Press)
  • Stefan Fergus, for Civilian Reader
  • Ray B. Russell and Rosalie Parker, for Tartarus Press
  • Patrick Swenson, for Fairwood Press

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