The shortlist for the Shirley Jackson Awards, given for “literature of psychological suspense, horror, and the dark fantastic”, have been announced, with the Best Novel being contested between Alive in Necropolis, by Doug Dorst (Riverhead Hardcover), The Man on the Ceiling, by Steve Rasnic Tem and Melanie Tem (Wizards of the Coast Discoveries), Pandemonium, by Daryl Gregory (Del Rey), The Resurrectionist, by Jack O’Connell (Algonquin Books), The Shadow Year, by Jeffrey Ford (William Morrow) and Tender Morsels, by Margo Lanagan (Knopf Books for Young Readers). Sadly I’ve not read any of those nominees (the shame…), although I have read Jeffrey Ford and Margo Lanagan before and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them as exceptional writers who curl their way into the reader’s mind and put down roots that can bring both darkness and delight.
(cover to The Situation by Jeff VanderMeer, art by Scott Eagle, published PS Publishing)
Good chum of the blog Jeff VanderMeer is doubly delighted as his The Situation (published by the fine indy SF press PS Publishing) is in contention for Best Novelette and he and his wife Ann also have the collection they edited, Fast Ships, Black Sails (Night Shade Books), nominated in the Anthology category. And you can indulge yourself in The Situation as Wired have it available online as a free PDF to read right now. The awards will be announced at the Readercon 20 Conference on Imaginative Literature on July 12th, check the official site for the full list of nominees.
Wed, Apr 15, 2009
Awards, Books