Worlds Without End Blog

The shortlist for the Arthur C. Clarke Award for best science fiction novel for 2024 has been announced:

• Private Rites by Julia Armfield (Fourth Estate)
• The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley (Sceptre)
• Extremophile by Ian Green (Ad Astra)
• Annie Bot by Sierra Greer (The Borough)
• Service Model by Adrian Tchaikovsky (Tor UK)
• Thirteen Ways to Kill Lulabelle Rock by Maud Woolf (Angry Robot)

The winner will be presented with a check for £2,025.00 and the award itself, a commemorative engraved bookend. For more information, see the Clark Award website.

So what do you think of this lineup? Which is your pick to win?

No Comments | Posted in Arthur C. Clarke Award, Awards

The winners of the 2024 Aurealis Award have been announced. The winners in the SF, Fantasy, and Horror novel categories are:

BEST SCIENCE FICTION NOVEL

• WINNER: Temporal Boom by J. M. Voss (Shawline)
• Transported by Kate Fitzpatrick (New Found)
• Inheritance by Genevieve Gannon (Pantera)
• The Temp by Martin Livings (self-published)
• Big Time by Jordan Prosser (University of Queensland Press)
• Juice by Tim Winton (Hamish Hamilton Australia)

BEST FANTASY NOVEL

• WINNER: Thoroughly Disenchanted by Alexandra Almond (HarperCollins)
• Kavithri by Aman J. Bedi (Gollancz)
• The She-Wolf of Baker Street by Narrelle M. Harris (Clan Destine)
• The End and Everything Before It by Finegan Kruckemeyer (Text)
• The Briar Book of the Dead by A.G. Slatter (Titan)
• Skysong by C. A. Wright (Pantera)

BEST HORROR NOVEL

• WINNER: Carve Your Soul to Pieces by Ben Pienaar (self-published)
• Remedy by J. S. Breukelaar (PS)
• Rock Zombie by A. B. Finlayson (self-published)
• The Count by David-Jack Fletcher (Slashic Horror)
• Jasper Cliff by Josh Kemp (Fremantle)
• Bodily Harm by Deborah Sheldon (Undertaker)

Locus has the details for the winners in all categories. Our congrats to all the winners and nominees.

No Comments | Posted in Aurealis Award, Awards

The Horror Writers Association has announced the 2024 Bram Stoker Awards Final Ballot. The finalists for Superior Achievement in a Novel are:

• House of Bone and Rain by Gabino Iglesias (Mulholland Books in US; Titan Books in UK)
• I Was a Teenage Slasher by Stephen Graham Jones (S&S/Saga Press in US; Titan Books in UK)
• The Haunting of Velkwood by Gwendolyn Kiste (S&S/Saga Press)
• Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman (Del Rey)
• Horror Movie by Paul Tremblay (William Morrow in US; Titan Books in UK)

See Locus for the nominees in all categories. Our congrats to all the finalists.

No Comments | Posted in Awards, Bram Stoker Award

The 2024 Hugo Award finalists have been announced. The noms in the Best Novel category are:

• Alien Clay by Adrian Tchaikovsky (Orbit US, Tor UK)
• The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley (Avid Reader Press, Sceptre)
• Service Model by Adrian Tchaikovsky (Tordotcom)
• Someone You Can Build a Nest In by John Wiswell (DAW)
• A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher (Tor)
• The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett (Del Rey, Hodderscape UK)

See the full list of noms in all categories on the Locus website.

Our congrats to all the finalists. What do you think of this crop of books? Any favorites in the list?

No Comments | Posted in Awards, Hugo Award

The finalists for the 2024 Aurealis Awards have been announced. The nominees in the SF, Fantasy, and Horror novel categories are:

BEST SCIENCE FICTION NOVEL

• Transported by Kate Fitzpatrick (New Found)
• Inheritance by Genevieve Gannon (Pantera)
• The Temp by Martin Livings (self-published)
• Big Time by Jordan Prosser (University of Queensland Press)
• Temporal Boom by J. M. Voss (Shawline)
• Juice by Tim Winton (Hamish Hamilton Australia)

BEST FANTASY NOVEL

• Thoroughly Disenchanted by Alexandra Almond (HarperCollins)
• Kavithri by Aman J. Bedi (Gollancz)
• The She-Wolf of Baker Street by Narrelle M. Harris (Clan Destine)
• The End and Everything Before It by Finegan Kruckemeyer (Text)
• The Briar Book of the Dead by A.G. Slatter (Titan)
• Skysong by C. A. Wright (Pantera)

BEST HORROR NOVEL

• Remedy by J. S. Breukelaar (PS)
• Rock Zombie by A. B. Finlayson (self-published)
• The Count by David-Jack Fletcher (Slashic Horror)
• Jasper Cliff by Josh Kemp (Fremantle)
• Carve Your Soul to Pieces by Ben Pienaar (self-published)
• Bodily Harm by Deborah Sheldon (Undertaker)

See Locus for all the nominees in all categories.

Winners will be announced at the Aurealis Awards ceremony in May.

No Comments | Posted in Aurealis Award, Awards

The Libertarian Futurist Society has announced the finalists for the 2025 Prometheus Award, honoring pro-freedom works published in 2024.

• Alliance Unbound by C. J. Cherryh & Jane S. Fancher (DAW)
• In the Belly of the Whale by Michael Flynn (Caezik SF & Fantasy)
• Cancelled: The Shape of Things to Come by Danny King (Annie Mosse)
• Beggar’s Sky by Wil McCarthy (Baen)
• Mania by Lionel Shriver (HarperCollins)

Our congrats to all the nominees. What looks good to you on this list?

No Comments | Posted in Awards, Prometheus Award

The 2025 Aurora Awards finalists have been announced, celebrating the “best works and activities done by Canadians in 2024.” The nominees in the Best Novel category are:

• The Tapestry of Time by Kate Heartfield (Harper Voyager)
• Blackheart Man by Nalo Hopkinson (Saga)
• Pale Grey Dot by Don Miasek (Ravenstone)
• The Siege of Burning Grass by Premee Mohamed (Solaris)
• Withered by A. G. A. Wilmot (ECW)

Locus has the list of finalists in all categories.

Our congrats to all the nominees. What do you think of this list? Anything there look good to you?

No Comments | Posted in Aurora Award, Awards

WRITERS AND ILLUSTRATORS OF THE FUTURE BUNDLE OFFER

As a writer, reader, and entrepreneur time is precious.

Finding a good book when I do carve out the time for my love of reading can be frightening and exhilarating. (I hate when I invest time in a book that is cliché or the plot and characters are flat, or the ending is a letdown…. Perhaps you too have experienced this?)

Last week, I discovered the Writers and Illustrators of the Future Bundle. I was so excited to dive to it, that I downloaded it right away.

I started with “Beyond All Weapons,” as L. Ron Hubbard is one of my favorite sci-fi authors. It is short (20 pages) and intense: A rebellion in outer space, war, defeat, a lucky break, a daring escape for men, women and children, a one in a million long shot, always pressed for time by outside forces or self-imposed expectations, long time, short time, fast time, slow time, an unexpected miscalculation, and suddenly… no time. I could not put it down!

All in 20 pages. Crafted by a master from Pulp Fiction’s Golden Age.

Really? A Golden Age? What, you might ask, am I talking about?

Well, I can’t explain it well enough, so I will leave it to Kevin J. Anderson’s fantastic foreword to “Beyond All Weapons.” He brings the Golden Age to life. Then, you get to savor the short, intense story, followed by the other stories in this collection.

But wait! There’s more!

“Beyond All Weapons” is just one of the 14 stories in the 14-eBook enhanced bundle, which is a screaming deal at only $20 suggested price (retail for this bundle would be $71). But, just in time for Christmas, the elves have made a provision for you to name your own price down to a minimum of $12. For ALL 14 eBooks! Merry Christmas! https://www.arcmanorbooks.com/bundle

The Writers of the Future Contest judges and winners wrote each of the novels, short stories, and anthologies. If you are not familiar with L. Ron Hubbard’s Writers of the Future Contest, NOW is the time. Check it out at writersofthefuture.com. Also, you are in luck! Writers of the Future Volume 39 is included in this bundle so you can experience one of the award-winning collections.

The Base Bundle is even less with 5 eBooks for an astoundingly low suggested price of only $8 and a name your own price down to a minimum of $4. Retail for this bundle would be $27.

Here is what you get:

Base Bundle:

1. Assemblers of Infinity by Kevin J Anderson and Doug Beason
2. Unrivaled – An anthology of four works by Hugo and Nebula Award winners Joe Haldeman, Lois McMaster Bujold, Mike Resnick, and Nancy Kress
3. The Stolen Gospels by Brian Herbert
4. Beyond All Weapons by L. Ron Hubbard
5. Trinity by Nancy Kress

Enhanced Bundle:
The enhanced bundle includes all of the above, plus:

6. Carousel by Orson Scott Card
7. A Canadian Werewolf in New York by Mark Leslie
8. The Jupiter Game by Todd McCaffrey
9. Oath of Fealty by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle
10. Mythology 101 by Jody Lynn Nye
11. Wake by Robert J. Sawyer
12. Inner Workings: A Calendar of Fools Anthology< – twelve short stories and essays by Writers of the Future contest winners
13. Writers of the Future Volume 39
14. A Surprise Novel by a New York Times bestselling author

Time is short, time is fast. Don’t make an unexpected miscalculation.

This offer ends December 11. The time to order is now!

And, yes, you can get multiple eBundles for your sci-fi friends and family for the holidays!

Cam Potts

Cam Potts is owner and Chief Scribbler of Cam Potts Copywriting in Palmer, Alaska. He specializes in SEO content writing for aviation companies.

A pilot for over 53 years with a BS in Aerospace Engineering, Cam is now retired from a 40-year airline and aerospace career. Copywriting allows him to pursue two of his favorite pastimes—the world of flight and storytelling. He lives outside of Palmer with wife, Nan, and the best dog in the world, Brushy.

No Comments | Posted in Deals, eBooks, Guest Post

The shortlists for the 2023 Kitschies Red Tentacle and Golden Tentacle awards have been announced! The Kitschies reward the year’s most progressive, intelligent and entertaining works that contain elements of the speculative or fantastic published in the UK. This is the final installment of the award.

Red Tentacle (Novel)

• Infinity Gate by M.R. Carey (Orbit)
• In Ascension by Martin MacInnes (Atlantic)
• Julia by Sandra Newman (Granta)
• Jungle House by Julianne Pachico (Serpent’s Tail)
• The Premonition by Banana Yoshimoto, translated by Asa Yoneda (Faber & Faber)

Golden Tentacle (Debut)

• Shark Heart by Emily Habeck (Arcadia)
• The Cloisters by Katy Hays (Transworld)
• Your Wish is My Command by Deena Mohamed (Granta)
• The Centre by Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi (Picador)
• Bang Bang Bodhisattva by Aubrey Wood (Solaris)

Our congrats to all the nominees. What looks good to you from these lists? As usual, Locus Online has all the categories and details.

No Comments | Posted in Awards, Golden Tentacle Award, Red Tentacle Award

The winners for the 2024 August Derleth and Robert Holdstock awards have been announced at FantasyCon.

August Derleth Award for Best Horror Novel:

WINNER:

• Don’t Fear the Reaper by Stephen Graham Jones (Titan)

SHORTLIST:

• Boys in the Valley by Philip Fracassi (Orbit)
• One Life Left by David Green (Eerie River)
• How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix (Titan)
• A House with Good Bones by T. Kingfisher (Titan)
• Looking Glass Sound by Catriona Ward (Viper)

Robert Holdstock Award for Best Fantasy Novel:

WINNER:

• Talonsister by Jen Williams (Titan)

SHORTLIST:

• At Eternity’s Gates by David Green (Eerie River)
• Beyond Sundered Seas by David Green (Eerie River)
• A Day of Fallen Night by Samantha Shannon (Bloomsbury)
• Shigidi and the Brass Head of Obalufon by Wole Talabi (DAW)

Our congrats to Stephen Graham Jones and Jen Williams and all the shortlisted authors.

Locus has the results from all categories.

No Comments | Posted in August Derleth Award, Awards, Robert Holdstock Award