The Gemmell Fantasy Award shortlist was announced during EasterCon. The David Gemmell Legend Awards, established in memory of David Gemmell and first awarded in 2009, honors fantasy novels that adhere to the ‘heroic’ or ‘epic’ subgenre that Gemmell himself worked in. Awards are given for Best Novel, Best Debut Novel, and Best Cover Art. Past honorees include Patrick Rothfuss, Brandon Sanderson, and Helen Lowe.
Stan Nicholls, Chair for the Gemmell Awards, said:
“This year’s shortlist once again represents some of the very finest in fantasy fiction, with some incredible titles featured in all the categories. This year also represents a fascinating mixture not only of international names but also different aspects of the publishing world, showcasing the depth of quality in modern fantasy.”
The David Gemmell Awards ceremony will take place at London’s Magic Circle on June 13th. Congratulations to all the nominees!
Legend Award for Best Novel
- The Daylight War—Peter V Brett (Harper Collins UK)
- Emperor of Thorns—Mark Lawrence (Harper Collins UK)
- The Republic of Thieves—Scott Lynch (Gollancz)
- A Memory of Light—Brandon Sanderson and Robert Jordan (Tor/Forge)
- War Master’s Gate—Adrian Tchaikovsky (Tor UK)
Morningstar Award for Best Debut Novel
- The Garden of Stones—Mark T Barnes (47 North)
- Headtaker—David Guymer (Black Library)
- Promise of Blood—Brian McLellan (Orbit)
- The Path of Anger—Antoine Rouaud (Gollancz)
- The Grim Company—Luke Scull (Head of Zeus)
Ravenheart Award for Best Cover Art
- The Republic of Thieves—Scott Lynch, cover art by Benjamin Carré
- (Gollancz)
- Emperor of Thorns—Mark Lawrence, cover art by Jason Chan (HarperCollins UK)
- Skarsnik—Guy Haley, cover art by Cheol Joo Lee (Black Library)
- Promise of Blood—Brian McClellan, cover art by Gene Mollica and Michael Frost (Orbit)
- She Who Waits—Daniel Polansky, cover art by Rhett Podersoo (Hodder)
Good to see a Legend in the field being honoured in this way.
Wait … is there is seriously not a single woman in there?
Looks like 15 out of 15 of the shortlist nominees are male. About 12 (or 25%) of the 46 longlist nominees selected by publishers were female. Shortlist nominees were chosen from the longlist by “readers,” but the award does not say how the readers’ votes were solicited.
On a related note, I polled about 50 of my alumni classmates on their favorite authors, and both men and women chose male authors to a great extent over female authors.