Sure, we may not be as prestigious or glamorous as the Hugo, the Nebula, or the World Fantasy Awards, but winning a Hottie still means something, right!?! Well, maybe not but what the heck!?!
For the sake of posterity, I've also included my Top 10 SFF novels and the runner-up titles of the year in this post.
Without further ado, here are the 2010 Hotties Award!
Top 10 Speculative Fiction Titles of 2010
1- Under Heaven by Guy Gavriel Kay [Penguin Books, Voyager]
1- (tie) The Dervish House by Ian McDonald [Pyr, Gollancz]
3- Stonewielder by Ian Cameron Esslemont [Tor, Bantam Press]
4- Geosynchron by David Louis Edelman [Pyr]
5- Prince of Storms by Kay Kenyon [Pyr]
6- The Machinery of Light by David J. Williams [Bantam Dell]
7- Shadowrise by Tad Williams [Daw, Orbit]
8- Leviathan Wept and Other Stories by Daniel Abraham [Subterranean Press]
9- Bitter Seeds by Ian Tregillis [Tor]
10- Thirteen Years Later by Jasper Kent [Pyr, Bantam Press]
------------------------------------
11- Towers of Midnight by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson [Tor, Orbit]
12- Warriors edited by George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois [Tor]
13- Songs of Love & Death edited by George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois [Gallery]
14- Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafor [Daw]
15- Shadowheart by Tad Williams [Daw]
16- The Terminal State by Jeff Somers [Orbit]
17- Blue and Gold by K. J. Parker [Subterranean Press]
18- The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson [Tor, Gollancz]
19- City of Ruin by Mark Charan Newton [Bantam Dell, Tor UK]
20- Arms-Commander by L. E. Modesitt, jr. [Tor]
PUBLISHER OF THE YEAR AWARD
- Pyr
With three Pyr titles in the Top 5 and four in the Top 10, it couldn't be any other publisher! The folks at Pyr celebrated their 5th anniversary this year. Keep up the great work! And long live! =)
FAVORITE SFF BLOG
- Fantasy Book Critic
It may suffer from a case of too many cooks in the kitchen at times, but it remains a terrific blog and a great speculative fiction source! Do check them out! Often!
MOST IMPROVED AUTHOR AWARD
- Ian Cameron Esslemont, Malazan co-creator and author of Stonewielder (Canada, USA, Europe). There were still a number of kinks to iron out following Return of the Crimson Guard. But now I feel that Esslemont truly found his voice.
Honorable mention: Mark Charan Newton, author of City of Ruin (Canada, USA, Europe).
BEST SFF MESSAGE BOARD
- http://asoiaf.westeros.org/
Honorable mention: http://www.sffworld.com/
Can't go wrong with either of these two, though discussions can get a bit livelier on Westeros. Don't have time to visit countless SFF websites and blogs. A quick visit to the forums of these two message boards will keep you apprised of everything that has to do with speculative fiction.
MOST OVERRATED NOVEL AWARD
- Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith
Still don't understand how this one turned out to be so popular earlier this year. . .
Honorable mention: Brandon Sanderson's The Way of Kings (Canada, USA, Europe, AbeBooks)
It was good, sure. But not the best thing since sliced bread as many made it out to be. . .
MOST UNDERRATED NOVEL AWARD
- Nnedi Okorafor's Who Fears Death (Canada, USA, Europe)
It garnered rave reviews, but still it looks as though this novel flew under everyone's radar. A shame. . .
BEST COVER ART AWARD
- Stephen Martiniere cover art for Kay Kenyon's Prince of Storms.
WORST COVER ART AWARD
- A tie between two visual turds: The French edition of Blake Charlton's Spellwright and Manly Wade Wellman's Battle in the Dawn.
Must see! Makes you long for Baen covers! I kid you not! Click on the two links if you don't believe me. . .
INTERVIEW OF THE YEAR
- The two Brandon Sanderson interviews I did with my WoT pals, Larry, Ken, and Adam. The first one was in May, while the second Q&A came in September. Good stuff!
UNEXPECTED SURPRISE AWARD
- Daniel Abraham's Leviathan Wept and Other Stories (Canada, USA, Europe, and Subpress).
Read this book! Nuff said!
Finished this one lying on one of the outside beds at The Garden Bar & Lounge in Zadar, Croatia. A great book, the sun, the Adriatic Sea, and the perfect setting. It doesn't get much better than this! ;-)
MOST DISAPPOINTING NOVEL AWARD
- Naomi Novik's Tongues of Serpents (Canada, USA, Europe)
I felt that the Temeraire series had been losing steam in the last two installments. I'm a big fan of the series, but this one relegated future volumes to the "Maybe" pile. . .
MOST PROMISING NEW VOICE AWARD
- Ian Tregillis, author of Bitter Seeds.
Can't wait for The Coldest War!
DUMBASS OF THE YEAR AWARD
- Terry Goodkind returns to fantasy in 2011 (he'll vehemently deny this, of course), so I'm expecting unforgettable quotes from him in the near future. But for 2010, the award goes to all those stupid e-Book readers who leave 1-star reviews on Amazon when titles are not available in electronic format. As punishment, authors slighted in such a manner should have the right to punch the culprits in the mouth till they draw blood. The guilty would, of course, be sentenced to buying a copy of said work, in hardback no less.
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: BEST DEBUT
- Bitter Seeds by Ian Tregillis (Canada, USA, Europe)
The crème de la crème of SFF debuts this year!
MVP AWARD
- Lou Anders
Yes, two years in a row! Last year I said that as the heart and soul behind the Pyr imprint, this man is pretty damn close to being a genius. Scratch that! He is a genius! Though he doesn't have the means of the genre powerhouses at his disposal, Lou Anders nevertheless manages to work wonders year in and year out. To the powers that be at Prometheus Books: Give this man a raise! God knows he deserves it!
For the sake of posterity, I've also included my Top 10 SFF novels and the runner-up titles of the year in this post.
Without further ado, here are the 2010 Hotties Award!
Top 10 Speculative Fiction Titles of 2010
1- Under Heaven by Guy Gavriel Kay [Penguin Books, Voyager]
1- (tie) The Dervish House by Ian McDonald [Pyr, Gollancz]
3- Stonewielder by Ian Cameron Esslemont [Tor, Bantam Press]
4- Geosynchron by David Louis Edelman [Pyr]
5- Prince of Storms by Kay Kenyon [Pyr]
6- The Machinery of Light by David J. Williams [Bantam Dell]
7- Shadowrise by Tad Williams [Daw, Orbit]
8- Leviathan Wept and Other Stories by Daniel Abraham [Subterranean Press]
9- Bitter Seeds by Ian Tregillis [Tor]
10- Thirteen Years Later by Jasper Kent [Pyr, Bantam Press]
------------------------------------
11- Towers of Midnight by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson [Tor, Orbit]
12- Warriors edited by George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois [Tor]
13- Songs of Love & Death edited by George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois [Gallery]
14- Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafor [Daw]
15- Shadowheart by Tad Williams [Daw]
16- The Terminal State by Jeff Somers [Orbit]
17- Blue and Gold by K. J. Parker [Subterranean Press]
18- The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson [Tor, Gollancz]
19- City of Ruin by Mark Charan Newton [Bantam Dell, Tor UK]
20- Arms-Commander by L. E. Modesitt, jr. [Tor]
PUBLISHER OF THE YEAR AWARD
- Pyr
With three Pyr titles in the Top 5 and four in the Top 10, it couldn't be any other publisher! The folks at Pyr celebrated their 5th anniversary this year. Keep up the great work! And long live! =)
FAVORITE SFF BLOG
- Fantasy Book Critic
It may suffer from a case of too many cooks in the kitchen at times, but it remains a terrific blog and a great speculative fiction source! Do check them out! Often!
MOST IMPROVED AUTHOR AWARD
- Ian Cameron Esslemont, Malazan co-creator and author of Stonewielder (Canada, USA, Europe). There were still a number of kinks to iron out following Return of the Crimson Guard. But now I feel that Esslemont truly found his voice.
Honorable mention: Mark Charan Newton, author of City of Ruin (Canada, USA, Europe).
BEST SFF MESSAGE BOARD
- http://asoiaf.westeros.org/
Honorable mention: http://www.sffworld.com/
Can't go wrong with either of these two, though discussions can get a bit livelier on Westeros. Don't have time to visit countless SFF websites and blogs. A quick visit to the forums of these two message boards will keep you apprised of everything that has to do with speculative fiction.
MOST OVERRATED NOVEL AWARD
- Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith
Still don't understand how this one turned out to be so popular earlier this year. . .
Honorable mention: Brandon Sanderson's The Way of Kings (Canada, USA, Europe, AbeBooks)
It was good, sure. But not the best thing since sliced bread as many made it out to be. . .
MOST UNDERRATED NOVEL AWARD
- Nnedi Okorafor's Who Fears Death (Canada, USA, Europe)
It garnered rave reviews, but still it looks as though this novel flew under everyone's radar. A shame. . .
BEST COVER ART AWARD
- Stephen Martiniere cover art for Kay Kenyon's Prince of Storms.
WORST COVER ART AWARD
- A tie between two visual turds: The French edition of Blake Charlton's Spellwright and Manly Wade Wellman's Battle in the Dawn.
Must see! Makes you long for Baen covers! I kid you not! Click on the two links if you don't believe me. . .
INTERVIEW OF THE YEAR
- The two Brandon Sanderson interviews I did with my WoT pals, Larry, Ken, and Adam. The first one was in May, while the second Q&A came in September. Good stuff!
UNEXPECTED SURPRISE AWARD
- Daniel Abraham's Leviathan Wept and Other Stories (Canada, USA, Europe, and Subpress).
Read this book! Nuff said!
Finished this one lying on one of the outside beds at The Garden Bar & Lounge in Zadar, Croatia. A great book, the sun, the Adriatic Sea, and the perfect setting. It doesn't get much better than this! ;-)
MOST DISAPPOINTING NOVEL AWARD
- Naomi Novik's Tongues of Serpents (Canada, USA, Europe)
I felt that the Temeraire series had been losing steam in the last two installments. I'm a big fan of the series, but this one relegated future volumes to the "Maybe" pile. . .
MOST PROMISING NEW VOICE AWARD
- Ian Tregillis, author of Bitter Seeds.
Can't wait for The Coldest War!
DUMBASS OF THE YEAR AWARD
- Terry Goodkind returns to fantasy in 2011 (he'll vehemently deny this, of course), so I'm expecting unforgettable quotes from him in the near future. But for 2010, the award goes to all those stupid e-Book readers who leave 1-star reviews on Amazon when titles are not available in electronic format. As punishment, authors slighted in such a manner should have the right to punch the culprits in the mouth till they draw blood. The guilty would, of course, be sentenced to buying a copy of said work, in hardback no less.
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: BEST DEBUT
- Bitter Seeds by Ian Tregillis (Canada, USA, Europe)
The crème de la crème of SFF debuts this year!
MVP AWARD
- Lou Anders
Yes, two years in a row! Last year I said that as the heart and soul behind the Pyr imprint, this man is pretty damn close to being a genius. Scratch that! He is a genius! Though he doesn't have the means of the genre powerhouses at his disposal, Lou Anders nevertheless manages to work wonders year in and year out. To the powers that be at Prometheus Books: Give this man a raise! God knows he deserves it!
3 commentaires:
Wow, that cover on Mortilege is something else entirely
I am still incapable of understanding what people actually saw in The Dervish House, but to each his own. I have to say this time I agree with most of the categories.
http://rolandscodex.blogspot.com/
Thanks for this comprehensive list; a lot of these are going on my to-read list.
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