Comments: For years, the World Fantasy Award was the domain of white male authors. It was, as far as I can tell, the whitest and malest of all the major awards. Thankfully, those days seem to be confined to the past, and the award is now a wonderful celebration of the diversity of the field of fantasy fiction. This year's list of nominees represents the full range of the field with a number of fresh new faces placed alongside some old stalwarts of the genre.
This year also reflects the trend started last year of having several nominees cross over with the other major awards. Several of the nominees on this list were also nominated for the Hugo, the Nebula, the Locus, or the Mythopoeic Award. There has always been some amount of crossover, but it appears that it is becoming more common in the past few years. I'm not entirely sure what this might mean and given that this is just based upon my perception and not on any kind of detailed analysis, it might not even be an actual trend. It feels like a trend, and may merit a more thorough investigation.
Best Novel
(tie) The Changeling by Victor LaValle
(tie) Jade City by Fonda Lee
Other Nominees:
The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty
Ka: Dar Oakley in the Ruin of Ymir by John Crowley
Spoonbenders by Daryl Gregory
The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter by Theodora Goss
Best Long Fiction
Passing Strange by Ellen Klages
Other Nominees:
The Black Tides of Heaven by JY Yang
In Calabria by Peter S. Beagle
Mapping the Interior by Stephen Graham Jones
The Teardrop Method by Simon Avery
Best Short Fiction
The Birding: A Fairy Tale by Natalia Theodoridou
Other Nominees:
Carnival Nine by Caroline Yoachim
Clearly Lettered in a Mostly Steady Hand by Fran Wilde
Old Souls by Fonda Lee
Welcome to Your Authentic Indian Experience™ by Rebecca Roanhorse
Best Anthology
The New Voices of Fantasy edited by Peter S. Beagle and Jacob Weisman
Other Nominees:
Black Feathers: Dark Avian Tales edited by Ellen Datlow
The Book of Swords edited by Gardner Dozois
The Djinn Falls in Love and Other Stories edited by Mahvesh Murad and Jared Shurin
The Best of Subterranean edited by William Schafer
Best Collection
The Emerald Circus by Jane Yolen
Other Nominees:
Down and Out in Purgatory: The Collected Stories of Tim Powers by Tim Powers
Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado
Tender by Sofia Samatar
Wicked Wonders by Ellen Klages
Lifetime Achievement
Charles de Lint
Elizabeth Wollheim
Other Nominees:
None
Best Artist
Gregory Manchess
Other Nominees:
Victo Ngai
Omar Rayyan
Rima Staines
Fiona Staples
Special Award, Professional
Harry Brockway, Patrick McGrath, and Danel Olson
Other Nominees:
C.C. Finlay
Irene Gallo
Greg Ketter
Leslie Klinger
Special Award, Non-Professional
Justina Ireland and Troy L. Wiggins
Other Nominees:
Scott H. Andrews
Khaalidah Muhammed-Ali and Jen R Albert
Ray B. Russell and Rosalie Parker
Lynne M. Thomas and Michael Damian Thomas
Go to previous year's nominees: 2017
Go to subsequent year's nominees: 2019
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So delighted to hear about Charles De Lint. About time!
ReplyDelete@Sue: Definitely. I'll probably be at World Fantasy Con, although I may just be Lobbyconning the event if I don't work as a volunteer.
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