I’m all about book discovery so I was very happy to find (via file770) that the Washington Post has published its choices for the best science fiction and fantasy of 2015.

You can find the Washington Post article here.

Their recommendations are below.

Washington Post Top Picks of 2015
Aurora Kim Stanley Robinson Orbit	The Fifth Season N.K. Jemisin Orbit	The Only Ones Carola Dibbell Two Dollar Radio	Three Moments of an Explosion China Miéville Del Ray	Touch Claire North Redhook

With a list this short, it’s inevitable that I find myself thinking phrases that start with the words, “but where’s…”. Nevertheless, there’s a lot to be said for a list that limits itself to 5 books. It requires discipline, and requires that very good books be left to one side, which means that what was chosen must have been chosen for strong reasons on the part of the journalist.

I have already read (and reviewed) Aurora. The others have passed me by. I have seen the Fifth Season listed in so many places that I think I will now purchase it, as something recommended in this many different places must have a good chance of being good.

British Fantasy Awards 2015 Nominees

Leave a comment July 23, 2015 nicklavitz

The British Fantasy Awards nominees have been named. I’m quite fond of the way the BFS nominate – they have a democratic nominations process, but the juries can add two further nominees per category as egregious omissions, which means that if the voting public undergoes a collective neurological event and puts a bunch of dross on the ticket, the juries have the ability to claw back some respectability by adding a few candidates that deserve to be there, which provides some ability to correct a failing trajectory. Assuming the jury isn’t the one having the neurological event, of course…

The awards ceremony is on October 25th, 2015, so there’s some time to read up and decide what you think ought to win. For myself, I have to admit that I have made absolutely no inroads into any of the material below, and much of it doesn’t immediately appeal, so I shall perhaps have to make an effort and acquire at least some of the writing below if I’m to understand the context of this award at all.

Best Anthology
The Alchemy Press Book of Urban Mythic 2 ed. Jan Edwards and Jenny Barber Alchemy Press	Horror Uncut: Tales of Social Insecurity and Economic Unease ed. by Joel Lane and Tom Johnstone Gray Friar Press	Lightspeed: Women Destroy Science Fiction Special Issue ed. Christie Yant Lightspeed Magazine	The Spectral Book of Horror Stories ed. Mark Morris Spectral Press	Terror Tales of Wales ed. Paul Finch Gray Friar Press

Best Collection
Black Gods Kiss Lavie Tidhar PS Publishing	The Bright Day Is Done Carole Johnstone Gray Friar Press	Gifts for the One Who Comes After Helen Marshall ChiZine Publications	Nick Nightmare Investigates Adrian Cole The Alchemy Press and Airgedlámh Publications	Scruffians! Stories of Better Sodomites Hal Duncan Lethe Press

Best Comic / Graphic Novel
Cemetery Girl Charlaine Harris, Christopher Golden and Don Kramer Jo Fletcher Books	Grandville Noel Bryan Talbot Jonathan Cape	Saga Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples Image Comics	Seconds Bryan Lee O’Malley SelfMadeHero	Through The Woods Emily Carroll Margaret K. McElderry Books	The Wicked + The Divine Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie Image Comics

Best Fantasy Novel (the Robert Holdstock Award)
Breed K.T. Davies Fox Spirit Books	City of Stairs Robert Jackson Bennett Jo Fletcher Books	Cuckoo Song Frances Hardinge Macmillan Children’s Books	A Man Lies Dreaming Lavie Tidhar Hodder & Stoughton	The Moon King Neil Williamson NewCon Press	The Relic Guild Edward Cox Gollancz

Best Horror Novel (the August Derleth Award)
The End Gary McMahon NewCon Press	The Girl With All The Gifts M.R. Carey Orbit	The Last Plague Rich Hawkins Crowded Quarantine Publications	No One Gets Out Alive Adam Nevill Macmillan	Station Eleven Emily St John Mandel Knopf	The Unquiet House Alison Littlewood Jo Fletcher Books

Best Independent Press
The Alchemy Press Peter Coleborn	Fox Spirit Books Adele Wearing	NewCon Press Ian Whates	Spectral Press Simon Marshall-Jones

Best Magazine / Periodical
Black Static ed. Andy Cox TTA Press	Holdfast Magazine ed. Laurel Sills and Lucy Smee Laurel Sills and Lucy Smee	Interzone ed. Andy Cox TTA Press	Lightspeed ed. John Joseph Adams Lightspeed Magazine	Sein und Werden ed. Rachel Kendall ISMs Press

Best Newcomer (the Sydney J. Bounds Award)
The Relic Guild Edward Cox Gollancz	The Three Sarah Lotz Hodder & Stoughton	Ptichka Laura Mauro Horror Uncut: Tales of Social Insecurity and Economic Unease	The Boy With The Porcelain Blade Den Patrick Gollancz	The Copper Promise Jen Williams Headline

Best Non-Fiction
D.F. Lewis Dreamcatcher Real-Time Reviews D. F. Lewis D. F. Lewis	Ginger Nuts of Horror ed. Jim McLeod Jim McLeod	Letters to Arkham: The Letters of Ramsey Campbell and August Derleth, 1961–1971 ed. S.T. Joshi PS Publishing	Rhapsody: Notes on Strange Fictions Hal Duncan Lethe Press	Sibilant Fricative: Essays & Reviews Adam Roberts Steel Quill Books	Touchstones: Essays on the Fantastic John Howard The Alchemy Press	You Are the Hero: A History of Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks Jonathan Green Snowbooks

Best Novella
Cold Turkey Carole Johnstone TTA Press	Drive Mark West Pendragon Press	Newspaper Heart Stephen Volk The Spectral Book of Horror Stories	Water For Drowning Ray Cluley This Is Horror

Best Short Story
A Change of Heart Gaie Sebold Wicked Women	The Girl on the Suicide Bridge J. A. Mains Beside The Seaside	Ptichka Laura Mauro Horror Uncut: Tales of Social Insecurity and Economic Unease	A Woman’s Place Emma Newman Two Hundred and Twenty-One Baker Streets

I have not included the Best Artist award above, for which the nominees are Ben Baldwin, Vincent Chong, Les Edwards, Sarah Anne Langton, Karla Ortiz and Daniele Serra.