Year-End Awards

Publié par Patrick on Sunday, December 25, 2005
Hi there!

Well, having read 45 books this year, I thought it would be interesting to come up with my own year-end awards!:-) Feel free to leave a comment, whether you agree or not. Everything is based on the novels/series I've read in 2005.

Here are the categories:

Most Promising New Voice:

- Brandon Sanderson, author of Elantris

Most Ambitious Project:

- Neal Stephenson, for his The Baroque Cycle
- Kim Stanley Robinson, for his thought-provoking The Years of Rice and Salt

A Jewel in the Rough:

- The LonTobyn Chronicles (Children of Amarid, The Outlanders, Eagle-Sage) by David B. Coe

Greatest Comeback:

- Stephen R. Donaldson, for The Runes of the Earth

Unexpected Surprise:

- Kitty and the Midnight Hour, by Carrie Vaughn

Most Accessible Author:

- Robin Hobb

Don't Believe the Hype:

- The Curse of Chalion, by Lois McMaster Bujold
- Paladin of Souls, by Lois McMaster Bujold

The Sky's the Limit:

- R. Scott Bakker

Most Entertaining Read:

- Anansi Boys, by Neil Gaiman
- Thud!, by Terry Pratchett

Most Underrated Book:

- Shaman's Crossing, by Robin Hobb
- The Runes of the Earth, by Stephen R. Donaldson

Most Hyped Novel:

- Knife of Dreams, by Robert Jordan
- A Feast for Crows, by George R. R. Martin

Most Disappointing Books/Series:

- Legends of Dune, by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson
- His Dark Materials, by Philip Pullman

Best Finish:

- The Tousandfold Thought, by R. Scott Bakker
- Fool's Fate, by Robin Hobb

Worst Finish:

- The Battle of Corrin, by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson

Best Series:

- The Tawny Man, by Robin Hobb
- The Baroque Cycle, by Neal Stephenson
- The Prince of Nothing, by R. Scott Bakker

Fantasy's Best-Kept Secret:

- L. E. Modesitt, jr.

Favourite Books:

- Knife of Dreams, by Robert Jordan
- Fool's Fate, by Robin Hobb
- The Thousandfold Thought, by R. Scott Bakker

2 commentaires:

Anonymous said...

Well my own thoughts, and I'm going to limit my picks to books that were published in 2005:

Most Promising New Voice:

- Brandon Sanderson, author of Elantris

I would say Hal Duncan with Vellum or perhaps Tamar Yellin's Genizah at the House of Shepher

Most Ambitious Project:

- Neal Stephenson, for his The Baroque Cycle
- Kim Stanley Robinson, for his thought-provoking The Years of Rice and Salt

Stephenson is an excellent choice but System of the World was published in 2004, I'd go with John Crowley's Lord Byron's Novel: The Evening Land


A Jewel in the Rough:

- The LonTobyn Chronicles (Children of Amarid, The Outlanders, Eagle-Sage) by David B. Coe

Margo Lannagan's Black Juice

Greatest Comeback:

- Stephen R. Donaldson, for The Runes of the Earth

I'm not sure what he category implies. Before Runes, it had been some 9 years since Donaldson's last book. If a long break is the implied category I'll go with Memories of My Melancholy Whores by Gabriel García Márquez.

Unexpected Surprise:

- Kitty and the Midnight Hour, by Carrie Vaughn

Holy Phillip's In the Palace of Repose.

Most Accessible Author:

- Robin Hobb

I don't consider accesiblity something worth rewarding, so I'll go with Half-Blood Prince

Don't Believe the Hype:

- The Curse of Chalion, by Lois McMaster Bujold
- Paladin of Souls, by Lois McMaster Bujold

I just finished reading Salvatore's Promise of the Witch-King and it was awful, and I imagine a best-seller. I enjoy Rowling, but all her books are overated simply due to the unequaled coveage of it.

The Sky's the Limit:

- R. Scott Bakker

Again, I don't know what this means, are you asking who is the most talented, relatively young writer? If that's the case, China Mieville. If we are talking just pure story-telling ability? Maybe, Jeffrey Ford. I don't know I could name dozens that would fit. Kelly Link?

Most Entertaining Read:

- Anansi Boys, by Neil Gaiman
- Thud!, by Terry Pratchett

Magic for Beginners by Kelly Link

Most Underrated Book:

- Shaman's Crossing, by Robin Hobb
- The Runes of the Earth, by Stephen R. Donaldson

Yume Me Hon: Book of Dreams by Catheryyne M. Valente. or Orphans of Chaos by John C. Wright, or Mothers and Other Monsters by Maureen McHugh

Most Hyped Novel:

- Knife of Dreams, by Robert Jordan
- A Feast for Crows, by George R. R. Martin

Rowling - always.

Most Disappointing Books/Series:

- Legends of Dune, by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson
- His Dark Materials, by Philip Pullman

I'm going to have to pick a book coming out in 2006 - Dusk by Tim Lebbon.

Best Finish:

- The Thousandfold Thought, by R. Scott Bakker
- Fool's Fate, by Robin Hobb

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro.

Worst Finish:

- The Battle of Corrin, by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson>

Only because I didn't know it wasn't a stand-alone, Sarah Monette's Melusine

Best Series:

- The Tawny Man, by Robin Hobb
- The Baroque Cycle, by Neal Stephenson
- The Prince of Nothing, by R. Scott Bakker

Book in series? Completed? Here are my favorite read that were part of series in 2006: Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch (coming out in 2006), Temeraire by Naomi Novivk, Children of Chaos by John C. Wright, Roumania by Paul Park, The Thousandfold Thought by Bakker.

Fantasy's Best-Kept Secret:

- L. E. Modesitt, jr.

Modestii isn't a secret, at any rate my pick would be Catherynne M. Valente.

Favourite Books:

- Knife of Dreams, by Robert Jordan
- Fool's Fate, by Robin Hobb
- The Thousandfold Thought, by R. Scott Bakker

The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana by Umberto Eco, Vellum by Hal Duncan, and John Crowley's Lord Byron's Novel: The Evening Land

4:13 PM
Anonymous said...

Most Promising New Voice:

- R. Scott Bakker

Most Ambitious Project:

- Neal Stephenson, for his The Baroque Cycle
- R. Scott Bakker's Prince of Nothing (and beyond)

A Jewel in the Rough:

- Midnight's Mask by Paul S. Kemp (most of the FR books are pretty rough, but this series was truly a gem)

Greatest Comeback:

- Stephen R. Donaldson - The Runes of the Earth

Unexpected Surprise:

- Shaman's Crossing by Hobb (I didn't think she'd be able to return so strongly after Fool's Fate)

Most Accessible Author:

- Raymond E. Feist
- RA Salvatore.

Don't Believe the Hype:

- Thud! by Pratchett (his most disappointing Disc novel to date)

The Sky's the Limit:

- R. Scott Bakker
- Susanna Clarke

Most Entertaining Read:

- Johnathan Strange and Mr Norrell, by Susanna Clarke

Most Underrated Book:

- Midnight's Mask, Paul Kemp

Most Hyped Novel:

- Half Blood Prince by JKR
- Knife of Dreams by Robert Jordan
- A Feast for Crows by George R. R. Martin

Most Disappointing Books/Series:

- Jedi Trial by Sherman and someone

Best Finish:

- The Thousandfold Thought, by R. Scott Bakker
- Midnight's Mask, by Paul S. Kemp

Worst Finish:

- The Battle of Corrin, by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson

Best Series:

- Erevis Cale trilogy by Paul S Kemp
- Prince of Nothing by R. Scott Bakker

Fantasy's Best-Kept Secret:

- R. Scott Bakker

Favourite Books:

- Midnight's mask, by Paul S. Kemp
- Knife of Dreams, by Robert Jordan
- The Thousandfold Thought, by R. Scott Bakker

7:34 PM

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