I regret being too busy to keep better track of the amazing quantity of fantastic science fiction from the last year. There’s a wealth of great material out there, though, and by selecting the works you found of particular value, you can help bring them to the attention of other readers. Without further ado, my nominations for the 2017 Dragon Awards:
- Best SF Novel: Escaping Infinity, Richard Paolinelli – Excellent Twilight-Zone-like speculative science fiction. An honorable mention to Brian Niemeier’s The Secret Kings.
- Best Fantasy Novel: A Sea of Skulls, Vox Day – Thoughtful, serious, fantasy is a rare commodity these days. The fact that it will annoy SJWs is a nice bonus.
- Best YA: Rachel and the Many Splendored Dreamland, L. Jagi Lamplighter Wright. Finally, someone does the “magical kids in a boarding academy facing existential threats” trope right. An honorable mention to John C. Wright’s Swan Knight Series.
- Best Military SF: In Dread Silence (Warp Marine Corps Book 4), C.J. Carella (Carlos Martijena) – I love how C.J. Carella manages to integrate large scale galactic politics and small unit action in a compelling science fiction/Lovecraftian matrix. An honorable mention to Jon Del Arroz’s Star Realms: Rescue Run.
- Best Alt History: Another Girl, Another Planet, Louis Antonelli – I’d have been tempted to nominate this for best SF overall, but it’s more likely to get the recognition it deserves in the alternate history list.
- Best Apocalyptic Novel: A Place Outside the Wild, Dan Humphreys. Made me actually like zombie novels, and that’s quite an accomplishment.
- Best Horror: Live and Let Bite. Declan Finn. What would the Dragon Awards be without Declan? It’s his turn. It’s always his turn. If I’d been more in the loop last year, I’d have nominated JP Mac’s Hallow Mass. Lovecraftian horror with a health dose of college campus politically-correct parody. Sadly, it’s not eligible this year.
- Best Graphic Novel: Quantum Vibe, Scott Beiser/Big Head Press. Clever science-fiction action adventure with a libertarian bent. It’s free and updates every weekday. Check it out.
I’m not big into gaming and haven’t seen any movies that impressed me, so I will refer you to additional recommendations on those categories:
Check out their suggestions, and nominate your choices soon! Nominations close tomorrow!
