2005 Prometheus Award Nominees

Location: Unknown.

Comments: Once again, the Libertarian Futurist Society pulled the Special Award category out of its closet so that they could honor a pair of short fiction anthologies and a graphic novel. This indicates to me that the Prometheus Awards probably should have more award categories than the current "Best Novel" and "Hall of Fame" options. However, contrary to what one might think, it appears that libertarians are extremely conservative and hidebound, and they would rather give away special awards on an ad hoc basis rather than actually making the categories match the state of the media in the world around them.

Best Novel

Winner:

The System of the World by Neal Stephenson

Other Nominees:

Anarquia by Brad Linaweaver and Kent J. Hastings

Marque and Reprisal by Elizabeth Moon
Newton's Wake by Ken MacLeod
State of Fear by Michael Crichton

Hall of Fame

Winner:

The Weapon Shops of Isher by A.E. van Vogt

Other Nominees:
It Can't Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis

The Lord of the Rings (The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King) by J.R.R. Tolkien

A Time of Changes by Robert Silverberg
V for Vendetta by Alan Moore and David Lloyd

Special Award

Winner:

Give Me Liberty edited by Mark Tier and Martin H. Greenberg

The Probability Broach: The Graphic Novel by L. Neil Smith, illustrated by Scott Bieser

Visions of Liberty edited by Mark Tier and Martin H. Greenberg

Other Nominees:
None

Go to previous year's nominees: 2004
Go to subsequent year's nominees: 2006

Book Award Reviews     Home

2005 Mythopoeic Award Nominees

Location: Unknown.

Comments: The rules of the Mythopoeic Awards allow for an entire series to be nominated for the award in the year that the last installment in that series is published. Given the fact that the primary works of fiction produced by the two most famous Inklings were published as series, this eligibility rule seems fitting. But in some years, like 2005, in which three of the five nominees in the Best Children's Fantasy Literature category were trilogies, this rule can seem to be the root cause of some rather ridiculous looking results.

Best Adult Fantasy Literature

Winner:
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke

Other Nominees:

Alphabet of Thorn by Patricia A. McKillip

The Anvil of the World by Kage Baker
Mortal Love by Elizabeth Hand
The Wizard Knight (The Knight and The Wizard) by Gene Wolfe

Best Children's Fantasy Literature

Winner:
A Hat Full of Sky by Terry Pratchett

Other Nominees:

The Abhorsen Trilogy (Sabriel, Lirael, and Abhorsen) by Garth Nix

Arthur Trilogy (The Seeing Stone, At the Crossing Places, and King of the Middle March) by Kevin Crossley-Holland

The Sea of Trolls by Nancy Farmer

Wise Child Trilogy (Wise Child, Juniper, and Colman) by Monica Furlong

Scholarship Award in Inklings Studies

Winner:

War and the Works of J.R.R. Tolkien by Janet Brennan Croft

Other Nominees:
Bareface: A Guide to C.S. Lewis's Last Novel by Doris T. Myers

Following Gandalf: Epic Battles and Moral Victory in The Lord of the Rings edited by Matthew Dickerson

Tolkien in the Land of Heroes by Anne C. Petty

Tolkien the Medievalist edited by Jane Chance

Myth and Fantasy Studies

Winner:

Robin Hood: A Mythic Biography by Stephen Thomas Knight

Other Nominees:

Diana Wynne Jones: An Exciting and Exacting Wisdom edited by Teya Rosenberg

The Meanings of "Beauty and the Beast": A Handbook by Jerry Griswold

Vampire Legends in Contemporary American Culture: What Becomes a Legend Most by William Patrick Day

Go to previous year's nominees: 2004
Go to subsequent year's nominees: 2006

Book Award Reviews     Home

2005 World Fantasy Award Nominees

Location: World Fantasy Convention, Madison, Wisconsin.

Comments: In the fiction categories of the 2005 World Fantasy Awards there were a total of twenty-nine individuals nominated, fourteen of whom were women. Of the five categories, four were won by women, or women shared in the win. At this point, one could at last reasonably say that gender parity had been achieved. And it only took until 2005 to accomplish the feat of equitably recognizing the contributions of half of the human race. Twenty years after they were created, the World Fantasy Awards finally got to where they should have been at the start. I guess it was better late than never, but as a fantasy fiction fan, I still find it pretty embarrassing that it took this long to get here.

Best Novel

Winner:
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke

Other Nominees:
Iron Council by China Miéville
Perfect Circle by Sean Stewart
The Runes of the Earth by Stephen R. Donaldson
The Wizard Knight by Gene Wolfe

Best Novella

Winner:
The Growlimb by Michael Shea

Other Nominees:
Golden City Far by Gene Wolfe
My Death by Lisa Tuttle
Soho Golem by Kim Newman
Tainaron: Mail from Another City by Leena Krohn

Best Short Fiction

Winner:
Singing My Sister Down by Margo Lanagan

Other Nominees:
The Faery Handbag by Kelly Link
Northwest Passage by Barbara Roden
Reports of Certain Events in London by China Miéville
The Wings of Meister Wilhelm by Theodora Goss

Best Anthology

Winner:

(tie) Acquainted with the Night edited by Barbara Roden and Christopher Roden

(tie) Dark Matter: Reading the Bones edited by Sheree R. Thomas

Other Nominees:

The Faery Reel: Tales from the Twilight Realm edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling

The First Heroes: New Tales of the Bronze Age edited by Harry Turtledove and Noreen Doyle

Polyphony, Volume 4 edited by Deborah Layne and Jay Lake

Best Collection

Winner:

Black Juice by Margo Lanagan

Other Nominees:
Breathmoss and Other Exhalations by Ian R. MacLeod
Heat of Fusion and Other Stories by John M. Ford
Mad Dog Summer and Other Stories by Joe R. Lansdale
Songs of Leaving by Peter Crowther
Stable Strategies and Others by Eileen Gunn
Trujillo and Other Stories by Lucius Shepard

Lifetime Achievement

Winner:
Tom Doherty
Carol Emshwiller

Other Nominees:
None

Best Artist

Winner:
John Picacio

Other Nominees:
Caniglia
Kinuko Y. Craft
John Jude Palencar
Charles Vess

Special Award, Professional

Winner:
S.T. Joshi

Other Nominees:
Gavin Grant and Kelly Link
Sharyn November
Gordon van Gelder
Terri Windling

Special Award, Non-Professional

Winner:
Robert Morgan

Other Nominees:
Sandy Auden and Ariel
Matthew Cheney
Barbara Roden and Christopher Roden
Michael Walsh

Go to previous year's nominees: 2004
Go to subsequent year's nominees: 2006

Book Award Reviews     Home

2005 Hugo Award Finalists

Location: InterAction in Glasgow, Scotland.

Comments: In 2005, the Hugo Awards handed out a one time award for "Best Website". It is perhaps one of the clearest indications of how far off course the SciFi channel (excuse me, "SyFy" channel) has gone that the winner of this award is a webpage they hosted that doesn't even exist any more. The other four nominees, one the other hand, are alive and well, and still churning out great science fiction related content.

After Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings relinquished its three year hold on the Dramatic Presentation Hugo, the award was snapped up by The Incredibles, one of the best super hero movies ever made. The Short Form Dramatic Presentation award went to the Battlestar Galactica episode 33, which was probably the best episode of that series. However, I still would have given the nod to the Stargate SG-1 two part story Heroes, mostly because Stargate SG-1 was a better science fiction series in its worst episode than Battlestar Galactica was at its best. And Heroes was far from the worst Stargate SG-1 episode.

Best Novel

Winner:
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke

Other Finalists:
The Algebraist by Iain M. Banks
Iron Council by China Miéville
Iron Sunrise by Charles Stross
River of Gods by Ian McDonald

Best Novella

Winner:

The Concrete Jungle by Charles Stross

Other Finalists:
Elector by Charles Stross
Sergeant Chip by Bradley Denton
Time Ablaze by Michael A. Burstein
Winterfair Gifts by Lois McMaster Bujold

Best Novelette

Winner:

The Faery Handbag by Kelly Link

Other Finalists:

Biographical Notes to ‘A Discourse on the Nature of Causality, with Air-Planes' by Benjamin Rosenbaum by Benjamin Rosenbaum

The Clapping Hands of God by Michael F. Flynn
The People of Sand and Slag by Paolo Bacigalupi
The Voluntary State by Christopher Rowe

Best Short Story

Winner:

Travels with My Cats by Mike Resnick

Other Finalists:
The Best Christmas Ever by James Patrick Kelly
Decisions by Michael A. Burstein
A Princess of Earth by Mike Resnick
Shed Skin by Robert J. Sawyer

Best Nonfiction, Related, or Reference Work

Winner:

The Cambridge Companion to Science Fiction edited by Edward James and Farah Mendlesohn

Other Finalists:
The Best of Xero by Pat Lupoff and Dick Lupoff
Dancing Naked: The Unexpurgated William Tenn by William Tenn

Futures: 50 Years in Space: The Challenge of the Stars by David A. Hardy and Patrick Moore

With Stars in My Eyes: My Adventures in British Fandom by Peter Weston

Best Dramatic Presentation: Long Form

Winner:
The Incredibles

Other Finalists:
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Sky Captain and The World of Tomorrow
Spider-Man 2

Best Dramatic Presentation: Short Form

Winner:
Battlestar Galactica: 33

Other Finalists:
Angel: Smile Time
Angel: Not Fade Away
Lost: Pilot Episode
Stargate SG-1: Heroes, Parts 1 and 2

Best Professional Editor

Winner:
Ellen Datlow

Other Finalists:
Gardner Dozois
David G. Hartwell
Stanley Schmidt
Gordon van Gelder

Best Professional Artist

Winner:
Jim Burns

Other Finalists:
Bob Eggleton
Frank Kelly Freas
Donato Giancola
John Picacio

Best Semi-Prozine

Winner:

Ansible edited by David Langford

Other Finalists:
Interzone edited by David Pringle and Andy Cox
Locus edited by Charles N. Brown

The New York Review of Science Fiction edited by Kathryn Cramer, David G. Hartwell, and Kevin J. Maroney

The Third Alternative edited by Andy Cox

Best Fanzine

Winner:

Plokta edited by Steve Davies, Alison Scott, and Mike Scott

Other Finalists:
Banana Wings edited by Claire Brialey and Mark Plummer
Challenger edited by Guy H. Lillian III
Chunga edited by Randy Byers, Andy Hooper, and Carl Juarez
Emerald City edited by Cheryl Morgan

Best Fan Writer

Winner:

Dave Langford

Other Finalists:
Claire Brialey
Bob Devney
Cheryl Morgan
Steven H Silver

Best Fan Artist

Winner:

Sue Mason

Other Finalists:
Brad Foster
Teddy Harvia
Steve Stiles
Frank Wu

Best Web Site

Winner:
Sci Fiction edited by Ellen Datlow, managed by Craig Engler

Other Finalists:
eFanzines.com edited by Bill Burns
Emerald City edited by Cheryl Morgan
Locus Online edited by Mark R. Kelly
Strange Horizons edited by Susan Marie Groppi

John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer

Winner:
Elizabeth Bear

Other Finalists:
K.J. Bishop
David Moles
Chris Roberson
Steph Swainston

What Are the Hugo Awards?

Go to previous year's nominees: 2004
Go to subsequent year's nominees: 2006

2005 Hugo Longlist     Book Award Reviews     Home

2005 Campbell Award Nominees

Location: Campbell Conference Awards Banquet at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas.

Comments: In 2005, the three top finishing novels in the race for the Campbell Award probably could not have been more radically different. Richard Morgan's Market Forces is a vicious deconstruction of capitalism and imperialism. Geoff Ryman's Air is an exploration of how the internet has changed our lives, and how similar technology would change us even more. Finally, Audrey Niffenegger's The Time Traveler's Wife is a romance that deals with the distance experienced by lovers, using time-travel as a metaphor for interpersonal alienation. As a genre, science fiction has splintered, diversifying wildly when compared to its early days of adolescent wish fulfillment and engineering lessons, and this has only improved the genre.

Best Novel

Winner:

Market Forces by Richard Morgan

Second Place:

Air by Geoff Ryman

Third Place:

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

Finalists:

The Boy Who Would Live Forever by Frederik Pohl

The Child Goddess Louise Marley
City of Pearl by Karen Traviss
Gaudeamus by John Barnes
Newton's Wake by Ken MacLeod
The Plot Against America by Philip Roth
The Rebel by Jack Dann
The Well of Stars by Robert Reed
White Devils by Paul J. McAuley

Go to previous year's nominees: 2004
Go to subsequent year's nominees: 2006

Book Award Reviews     Home

2005 Locus Award Nominees

Location: Westercon 58 in Calgary, Alberta.

Comments: After a one year hiatus during which is was folded into the Best Nonfiction, Reference or Related Book category, the Best Art Book category was once again split off and returned as an independent category in 2005. Why it came back is just as much of a mystery as why it went away for one year. I have given up trying to make any sense of why categories are introduced, dropped, or revived in genre awards, mostly because I desire to retain my sanity, and delving too deeply into this mysterious field of occult learning seems to me to be a sure-fire way to lose it.

Best Science Fiction Novel
Winner:
1.   The Baroque Cycle (The Confusion and The System of the World) by Neal Stephenson

Other Nominees:
2.   Iron Sunrise by Charles Stross
3.   Eastern Standard Tribe by Cory Doctorow
4.   Forty Signs of Rain by Kim Stanley Robinson
5.   The Algebraist by Iain M. Banks
6.   Camouflage by Joe Haldeman
7.   Newton's Wake by Ken MacLeod
8.   The Life of the World to Come by Kage Baker
9.   River of Gods by Ian McDonald
10. Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
11. The Plot Against America by Philip Roth
12. For Us, the Living by Robert A. Heinlein
13. Crucible by Nancy Kress
14. Air by Geoff Ryman
15. Century Rain by Alastair Reynolds
16. Banner of Souls by Liz Williams
17. Exultant by Stephen Baxter
18. Stamping Butterflies by Jon Courtenay Grimwood
19. (tie) Lost in Transmission by Wil McCarthy
      (tie) The Zenith Angle by Bruce Sterling
21. The Fourth Circle by Zoran Zivkovic
22. Frek and the Elixir by Rudy Rucker
23. White Devils by Paul J. McAuley
24. Spondulix by Paul Di Filippo
25. Black Brillion by Matthew Hughes
26. The Language of Power by Rosemary Kirstein
27. Life by Gwyneth Jones
28. City of Pearl by Karen Traviss
29. Polaris by Jack McDevitt

Best Fantasy Novel
Winner:
1.   Iron Council by China Miéville

Other Nominees:
2.   The Wizard Knight by Gene Wolfe
3.   Going Postal by Terry Pratchett
4.   The Dark Tower: Song of Susannah by Stephen King
5.   The Family Trade by Charles Stross
6.   Alphabet of Thorn by Patricia A. McKillip
7.   The Last Light of the Sun by Guy Gavriel Kay
8.   Perfect Circle by Sean Stewart
9.   Mortal Love by Elizabeth Hand
10. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke
11. In the Night Room by Peter Straub
12. A Handbook of American Prayer by Lucius Shepard
13. The Charnel Prince by Greg Keyes
14. Dead Lines by Greg Bear
15. Shadowmarch by Tad Williams
16. Glass Dragons by Sean McMullen
17. One King, One Soldier by Alexander C. Irvine
18. The Last Guardian of Everness by John C. Wright
19. Dragon's Treasure by Elizabeth A. Lynn
20. Murder of Angels by Caitlín R. Kiernan
21. The Witches' Kitchen by Cecelia Holland

Best Young Adult Book
Winner:
1.   A Hat Full of Sky by Terry Pratchett

Other Nominees:
2.   Gifts by Ursula K. Le Guin
3.   The Faery Reel: Tales from the Twilight Realm edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling
4.   The Blue Girl by Charles de Lint
5.   Abarat: Days of Magic, Nights of War by Clive Barker
6.   New Magics edited by Patrick Nielsen Hayden
7.   The Sea of Trolls by Nancy Farmer
8.   The Golem's Eye by Jonathan Stroud
9.   The Keys to the Kingdom, Book 2: Grim Tuesday by Garth Nix
10. Unexpected Magic: Collected Stories by Diana Wynne Jones
11. Midnighters, Book One: The Secret Hour by Scott Westerfeld
12. Kingdom of the Golden Dragon by Isabel Allende
13. Airborn by Kenneth Oppel
14. Gothic!: Ten Original Dark Tales edited by Deborah Noyes
15. Basilisk by N.M. Browne

Best First Novel
Winner:
1.    Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke

Other Nominees:
2.   The Year of Our War by Steph Swainston
3.   City of Pearl by Karen Traviss
4.   Trash Sex Magic by Jennifer Stevenson
5.   The Coyote Kings of the Space-Age Bachelor Pad by Minister Faust
6.   Ghosts in the Snow by Tamara Siler Jones
7.   Olympic Games by Leslie What
8.   Move Under Ground by Nick Mamatas
9.   Weapons of Choice by John Birmingham
10. Through Violet Eyes by Stephen Woodworth
11. Fitzpatrick's War by Theodore Judson
12. The Arcanum by Thomas Wheeler
13. Firethorn by Sarah Micklem
14. The Labyrinth by Catherynne M. Valente
15. The Gods and Their Machines by Oisin McGann

Best Novella
Winner:
1.   Golden City Far by Gene Wolfe

Other Nominees:

2.   The Concrete Jungle by Charles Stross

3.   Sergeant Chip by Bradley Denton
4.   Viator by Lucius Shepard
5.   Mayflower II by Stephen Baxter
6.   Elector by Charles Stross
7.   Appeals Court by Charles Stross and Cory Doctorow
8.   The Gorgon in the Cupboard by Patricia A. McKillip
9.   Shadow Twin”, Gardner Dozois by George R.R. Martin and Daniel Abraham
10. Long Voyage Home by R. Garcia y Robertson
11. The Wreck of the Godspeed by James Patrick Kelly
12. Arabian Wine by Gregory Feeley
13. Under the Flag of Night by Ian McDowell
14. No Traveller Returns by Paul Park
15. The Heloise Archive by L. Timmel Duchamp
16. The Tribes of Bela by Albert E. Cowdrey
17. The Bad Hamburger by Matthew Jarpe and Jonathan Andrew Sheen
18. Giliad by Gregory Feeley

Best Novelette
Winner:
1.   (tie) The Faery Handbag by Kelly Link
      (tie) Reports of Certain Events in London by China Miéville

Other Nominees:
2.   Quarry by Peter S. Beagle
3.   Three Days in a Border Town by Jeff VanderMeer
4.   Men Are Trouble by James Patrick Kelly
5.   PeriAndry's Quest by Stephen Baxter
6.   The Voluntary State by Christopher Rowe
7.   Observable Things by Paul Di Filippo
8.   The Word that Sings the Scythe by Michael Swanwick
9.   The Lost Pilgrim by Gene Wolfe
10. The People of Sand and Slag by Paolo Bacigalupi
11. The Little Stranger by Gene Wolfe
12. A Night in the Tropics by Jeffrey Ford
13. The Catch by Kage Baker
14. The Silver Dragon by Elizabeth A. Lynn
15. The Tang Dynasty Underwater Pyramid by Walter Jon Williams
16. Leaving His Cares Behind Him by Kage Baker
17. Super 8 by Terry Bisson
18. Flat Diane by Daniel Abraham
19. Mere by Robert Reed
20. The Clapping Hands of God by Michael F. Flynn
21. The Garden: A Hwarhath Science Fictional Romance by Eleanor Arnason
22. The Fear Gun by Judith Berman
23. Mr. Aickman's Air Rifle by Peter Straub
24. Q by John Grant
25. The Dragons of Summer Gulch by Robert Reed
26. Pat Moore by Tim Powers

27. Biographical Notes to ‘A Discourse on the Nature of Causality, with Air-Planes' by Benjamin Rosenbaum by Benjamin Rosenbaum

28. Stone Animals by Kelly Link
29. Riding the White Bull by Caitlín R. Kiernan
30. The Seal Hunter by Charles Coleman Finlay
31. Martyrs of the Upshot Knothole by James Morrow
32. Inappropriate Behavior by Pat Murphy
33. CATNYP by Delia Sherman
34. Leviathan Wept by Daniel Abraham
35. The Gladiator's War: A Dialog by Lois Tilton

Best Short Story
Winner:

1.   Forbidden Brides of the Faceless Slaves in the Nameless House of the Night of Dread Desire by Neil Gaiman

Other Nominees:

2.   Pulp Cover by Gene Wolfe

3.   'Tis the Season by China Miéville
4.   The Wolf-man of Alcatraz by Howard Waldrop
5.   The Annals of Eelin-Ok by Jeffrey Ford
6.   Faces by Joe Haldeman
7.   The Last Geek by Michael Swanwick
8.   My Mother, Dancing by Nancy Kress
9.   Scout's Honor by Terry Bisson
10. The Best Christmas Ever by James Patrick Kelly
11. Singing My Sister Down by Margo Lanagan
12. All of Us Can Almost. . . by Carol Emshwiller
13. The Gods of a Lesser Creation by William Barton
14. Zora and the Zombie by Andy Duncan
15. Luciferase by Bruce Sterling
16. Gliders Though They Be by Carol Emshwiller
17. The Mission by Jack McDevitt
18. Hula Ville by James P. Blaylock
19. Strood by Neal Asher
20. Synthetic Serendipity by Vernor Vinge
21. The Baum Plan for Financial Independence by John Kessel
22. Skindancing by Liz Williams
23. Oversite by Maureen F. McHugh
24. tourism by M. John Harrison
25. The Green Glass Sea by Ellen Klages
26. Red Hands, Black Hands by Chris Roberson
27. Wonderwall by Elizabeth Hand
28. (tie) The Night Market by Holly Black
      (tie) Opal Ball by Robert Reed
30. Start the Clock by Benjamin Rosenbaum
31. Cold Fires by M. Rickert
32. (tie) Alone in the House of Mims by Barth Anderson
      (tie) Dinosaur Songs by Kathleen Ann Goonan
      (tie) Embracing-the-New by Benjamin Rosenbaum
35. Zero's Twin by A.A. Attanasio

Best Collection
Winner:

1.   The John Varley Reader by John Varley

Other Nominees:

2.   The Collected Short Fiction of C.J. Cherryh by C.J. Cherryh

3.   Phases of the Moon: Stories from Six Decades by Robert Silverberg
4.   Innocents Aboard by Gene Wolfe
5.   Mother Aegypt and Other Stories by Kage Baker
6.   Secret Life by Jeff VanderMeer
7.   Novelties & Souvenirs: Collected Short Fiction by John Crowley
8.   Breathmoss and Other Exhalations by Ian R. MacLeod
9.   Neutrino Drag by Paul Di Filippo

10. Seventy-Five: The Diamond Anniversary of a Science Fiction Pioneer by Jack Williamson

11. Stable Strategies and Others by Eileen Gunn
12. Trujillo and Other Stories by Lucius Shepard
13. Black Juice by Margo Lanagan
14. The Cat's Pajamas and Other Stories by James Morrow
15. The Banquet of the Lords of Night and Other Stories by Liz Williams
16. Cartomancy by Mary Gentle
17. Stagestruck Vampires & Other Phantasms by Suzy McKee Charnas
18. Two Trains Running by Lucius Shepard
19. Morning Child and Other Stories by Gardner Dozois
20. Partial Eclipse and Other Stories by Graham Joyce
21. Love's Body, Dancing in Time by L. Timmel Duchamp
22. American Sorrows by Jay Lake
23. Thumbprints by Pamela Sargent

Best Anthology
Winner:

1.   The Year's Best Science Fiction: Twenty-First Annual Collection edited by Gardner Dozois

Other Nominees:

2.   The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror: Seventeenth Annual Collection edited by Ellen Datlow, Kelly Link, and Gavin J. Grant

3.   The Locus Awards: Thirty Years of the Best Science Fiction and Fantasy edited by Charles N. Brown and Jonathan Strahan

4.   Year's Best SF 9 edited by David G. Hartwell and Kathryn Cramer
5.   Between Worlds edited by Robert Silverberg
6.   All-Star Zeppelin Adventure Stories edited by David Moles and Jay Lake
7.   Flights: Extreme Visions of Fantasy edited by Al Sarrantonio
8.   Year's Best Fantasy 4 edited by David G. Hartwell and Kathryn Cramer
9.   Polyphony, Volume 4 edited by Deborah Layne and Jay Lake

10. The First Heroes: New Tales of the Bronze Age edited by Harry Turtledove and Noreen Doyle

11. Best Short Novels: 2004 edited by Jonathan Strahan
12. Microcosms edited by Gregory Benford
13. Nebula Awards Showcase 2004 edited by Vonda N. McIntyre
14. The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror: Volume Fifteen edited by Stephen Jones
15. Science Fiction: The Best of 2003 edited by Karen Haber and Jonathan Strahan
16. Conqueror Fantastic edited by Pamela Sargent

Best Nonfiction, Related, or Reference Book
Winner:

1.   The Wave in the Mind by Ursula K. Le Guin

Other Nominees:

2.   Ray Bradbury: The Life of Fiction by Jonathan R. Eller and William F. Touponce

3.   The Gernsback Days by Mike Ashley and Robert A.W. Lowndes
4.   Dancing Naked: The Unexpurgated William Tenn by William Tenn
5.   The Annotated Brothers Grimm edited by Maria Tatar
6.   Solar Labyrinth: Exploring Gene Wolfe's Book of the New Sun by Robert Borski

7.   The Road to the Dark Tower: Exploring Stephen King's Magnum Opus by Bev Vincent

8.   x, y, z, t: Dimensions of Science Fiction by Damien Broderick
9.   The Evolution of the Weird Tale by S.T. Joshi
10. Attending Daedalus: Gene Wolfe, Artifice and the Reader by Peter Wright
11. The Cherryh Odyssey by Edward Carmien
12. Speaking of the Fantastic II by Darrell Schweitzer
13. Brazilian Science Fiction by M. Elizabeth Ginway

Best Art Book
Winner:

1.   Spectrum 11: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art edited by Cathy Fenner and Arnie Fenner

Other Nominees:

2.   Terry Pratchett: The Art of Discworld by Terry Pratchett, illustrated by Paul Kidby

3.   The Best of Gahan Wilson by Gahan Wilson
4.   Fantastic Art: The Best of Luis Royo by Luis Royo
5.   The Paint in My Blood by Alan M. Clark

6.   Futures: 50 Years in Space: The Challenge of the Stars by David A. Hardy and Patrick Moore

7.   The People Could Fly: The Picture Book by Virginia Hamilton, illustrated by Leo Dillon and Diane Dillon

8.   Kingsgate: The Art of Keith Parkinson by Keith Parkinson

9.   Digital Art for the 21^st Century: Renderosity by John Grant and Audre Vysniauskas

10. The Deceiving Eye: The Art of Richard Hescox by Richard Hescox
11. As Dead As Leaves: The Art of Caniglia by Caniglia
12. Ilene Meyer: Paintings, Drawings, Perceptions by Ilene Meyer

Best Editor
Winner:
1.   Ellen Datlow

Other Nominees:
2.   Gardner Dozois
3.   Gordon van Gelder
4.   David G. Hartwell
5.   Patrick Nielsen Hayden
6.   Gavin Grant and Kelly Link
7.   Peter Crowther
8.   Robert Silverberg
9.   Terri Windling
10. Jim Baen
11. Martin H. Greenberg
12. Stanley Schmidt
13. Jonathan Strahan
14. Jeff VanderMeer
15. Lou Anders
16. Andy Cox
17. Stephen Jones
18. Laura Anne Gilman
19. Jennifer Brehl
20. Beth Meacham
21. Deborah Layne and Jay Lake
22. Shawna McCarthy
23. Betsy Wollheim
24. Ginjer Buchanan

Best Magazine
Winner:
1.   Fantasy & Science Fiction

Other Nominees:
2.   Asimov's
3.   Analog
4.   Sci Fiction
5.   Realms of Fantasy
6.   Strange Horizons
7.   Interzone
8.   Emerald City
9.   Lady Churchill's Rosebud Wristlet
10. The New York Review of Science Fiction
11. SF Site
12. Ansible
13. SF Weekly
14. The Third Alternative
15. Cemetery Dance
16. Weird Tales
17. Black Gate
18. Argosy
19. The Alien Online
20. Amazing Stories
21. Fantastic Metropolis
22. Infinity Plus
23. The Infinite Matrix

Best Book Publisher or Imprint
Winner:
1.   Tor

Other Nominees:
2.   Baen
3.   DAW
4.   Del Rey
5.   Ace
6.   Bantam Spectra
7.   Golden Gryphon
8.   Eos
9.   Night Shade Books/Ministry of Whimsy
10. Small Beer Press
11. Gollancz
12. PS Publishing
13. NESFA Press
14. Subterranean Press
15. Meisha Merlin
16. Roc
17. St. Martin's
18. Firebird
19. SFBC
20. Prime
21. Orbit
22. Wildside Press
23. Warner Aspect
24. Wizards of the Coast
25. Scholastic

Best Artist
Winner:
1.   Michael Whelan

Other Nominees:
2.   Bob Eggleton
3.   Frank Kelly Freas
4.   Donato Giancola
5.   Kinuko Y. Craft
6.   Charles Vess
7.   Thomas Canty
8.   John Picaciov
9.   Leo Dillon and Diane Dillon
10. Frank Frazetta
11. Dave McKean
12. Chesley Bonestell
13. Frank Wu
14. Jim Burns
15. John Jude Palencar
16. Brom
17. Gahan Wilson
18. Alan M. Clark
19. Boris Vallejo
20. Luis Royo
21. Vincent Di Fate
22. J.K. Potter
23. Paul Kidby
24. Julie Bell
25. David Cherry
26. Don Maitz
27. Stephen Youll

Go to previous year's nominees: 2004
Go to subsequent year's nominees: 2006

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2005 Clarke Award Nominees

Location: English Heritage Lecture Theatre in London, United Kingdom.

Comments: We know that the 1987 Clarke Awards were handed out at Eastercon in Birmingham. We know that the 2005 Clarke Awards were bestowed in the English Heritage Theatre in London. In between those two events, there is almost no information at all concerning the location at which the Clarke Award ceremony was held. These sorts of gaps are not uncommon in our knowledge concerning the history of science fiction in general, and the history of science fiction awards in particular. Often times, the records concerning where awards ceremonies were held, who judged them, why particular award categories were added, changed, or removed, and even who the non-winning nominees were are simply lost. To a certain extent, this is to be expected, as the history of science fiction and science fiction awards is also a history that has been produced by volunteers. But it is also unfortunate, because it means that this information is lost and may never be recovered.

Winner
Iron Council by China Miéville

Shortlist
Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
Market Forces by Richard Morgan
River of Gods by Ian McDonald
The System of the World by Neal Stephenson
The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

What Are the Arthur C. Clarke Awards?

Go to previous year's nominees: 2004
Go to subsequent year's nominees: 2006

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2005 Nebula Award Nominees

Location: Chicago, Illinois.

Comments: In 2005 the inevitable happened, as The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King took home the Best Script award. Given the massive success of the Lord of the Rings series of movies, this victory was pretty much assured from the moment that it reached the big screen, but one has to wonder if it was actually deserved. This is not to say that The Return of the King wasn't a good movie - there's no question that it was - but rather that when compared to its competition, it was simply not nearly as creative or imaginative. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind was filled with thought provoking questions concerning identity and memory, and The Incredibles was a brilliantly witty story that inverted a number of superhero fiction tropes. The Return of the King, on the other hand, was a standard generic fantasy story. Granted, the source material is the reason that this sort of story has become standard in popular culture, but rehashing a classic book made nearly fifty years earlier is still rehashing a book made nearly fifty years earlier. The Return of the King was the safe choice, the bland choice, and the predictable choice. And by choosing it, the Nebula voters demonstrated that they are safe, bland, and predictable.

Best Novel

Winner:
Paladin of Souls by Lois McMaster Bujold

Other Nominees:
Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom by Cory Doctorow
The Knight by Gene Wolfe
Omega by Jack McDevitt
Perfect Circle by Sean Stewart

Best Novella

Winner:

The Green Leopard Plague by Walter Jon Williams

Other Nominees:
The Cookie Monster by Vernor Vinge
Just Like the Ones We Used to Know by Connie Willis
The Tangled Strings of the Marionettes by Adam-Troy Castro
Walk in Silence by Catherine Asaro

Best Novelette

Winner:

Basement Magic by Ellen Klages

Other Nominees:
Dry Bones by William Sanders
The Gladiator's War: A Dialog by Lois Tilton
The Voluntary State by Christopher Rowe
Zora and the Zombie by Andy Duncan

Best Short Story

Winner:
Coming to Terms by Eileen Gunn

Other Nominees:
Aloha by Ken Wharton
Embracing-the-New by Benjamin Rosenbaum
In the Late December by Greg van Eekhout
The Strange Redemption of Sister Mary Ann by Mike Moscoe
Travels with My Cats by Mike Resnick

Best Script

Winner:

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, and Peter Jackson

Other Nominees:
The Butterfly Effect by J. Mackye Gruber and Eric Bress
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind by Charlie Kaufman and Michel Gondry
The Incredibles by Brad Bird

Go to previous year's nominees: 2004
Go to subsequent year's nominees: 2006

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