Next weekend the 2019 Locus Awards Ceremony will be held in Seattle, Washington, on June 28-30, 2019. The Locus Award finalists are chosen by a poll of readers. A couple of weeks ago we discussed the finalists for the Short Fiction categories, so this week let’s look at the novels.
Click the title links below to read our reviews and on the author links to visit our page for the author. I’ve included the cover art for some of our favorites. We loved many of these novels and others, not so much. It’s interesting that most of our favorites are in the Horror category. The Locus Award list is always fascinating, almost always very different from the Nebula and Hugo lists.
Who do you think will win the Locus Award in these categories?
Answer below for a chance to win a book from our stacks.
BEST FANTASY NOVEL
- Creatures of Want and Ruin by Molly Tanzer, John Joseph Adams
- The Wonder Engine by T. Kingfisher, Argyll Productions
- Deep Roots by Ruthanna Emrys, Tor.com
- Ahab’s Return by Jeffrey Ford, Morrow
- Lies Sleeping by Ben Aaronovitch, DAW/Gollancz
- Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennett, Crown/Jo Fletcher
- The Monster Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson, Tor
- European Travel for the Monstrous Gentlewoman by Theodora Goss, Saga
- Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik, Del Rey/Macmillan
- The Mere Wife by Maria Dahvana Headley, MCD
BEST SCIENCE FICTION NOVEL
- Revenant Gun by Yoon Ha Lee, Solaris
- Embers of War by Gareth L. Powell, Titan
- If Tomorrow Comes by Nancy Kress, Tor
- Record of a Spaceborn Few by Becky Chambers, Harper Voyager US/Hodder & Stoughton
- The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal, Tor
- Blackfish City by Sam J. Miller, Ecco/Orbit
- Elysium Fire by Alastair Reynolds, Gollancz/Orbit
- Red Moon by Kim Stanley Robinson, Orbit
- Unholy Land by Lavie Tidhar, Tachyon
- Space Opera by Catherynne M. Valente, Saga
BEST HORROR NOVEL
- Tide of Stone by Kaaron Warren, Omnium Gatherum
- The Listener by Robert McCammon, Cemetery Dance
- The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay, Morrow/ Titan UK
- We Sold Our Souls by Grady Hendrix, Quirk
- The Hunger by Alma Katsu, Putnam/ Bantam Press UK
- In the Night Wood by Dale Bailey, John Joseph Adams
- The Outsider by Stephen King, Scribner/ Hodder & Stoughton
- Cross Her Heart by Sarah Pinborough, HarperCollins UK/Morrow
- Unlanguage by Michael Cisco, Eraserhead
- Coyote Songs by Gabino Iglesias, Broken River
BEST YOUNG ADULT NOVEL
- The Agony House by Cherie Priest & Tara O’Connor, Levine
- The Cruel Prince by Holly Black, Little, Brown BFYR
- Half-Witch by John Schoffstall, Big Mouth House
- The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton, Freeform/Gollancz
- Tess of the Road by Rachel Hartman, Random House
- Dread Nation by Justina Ireland, Balzer + Bray
- Cross Fire by Fonda Lee, Scholastic
- Impostors by Scott Westerfeld, Scholastic
- The Gone Away Place by Christopher Barzak, Knopf
- Mapping the Bones by Jane Yolen, Philomel
BEST FIRST NOVEL
- The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang, Harper Voyager
- The Quantum Magician by Derek Künsken, Solaris
- Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi, Henry Holt/ Macmillan
- Semiosis by Sue Burke, Tor
- Witchmark by C.L. Polk, Tor.com Publishing
- Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse, Saga
- Empire of Sand by Tasha Suri, Orbit
- Severance by Ling Ma, Farrar
- Annex by Rich Larson, Orbit
- Armed in Her Fashion by Kate Heartfield, ChiZine
We’re updating our theme, so things may be a little messy or slow until we’re finished. Thank you for being patient with us!
I think/hope these will win:
Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik
The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal
Coyote Songs by Gabino Iglesias
Half-Witch by John Schoffstall
The Quantum Magician by Derek Künsken
Thanks.
“Creatures of Want and Ruin” or “European Travel for the Monstrous Gentlewoman”. I think “The Cabin at the End of the World” has a good chance. “The Poppy War” or “Witchmark” would be interesting.
I will guess “Foundryside” will win for “Best Fantasy Novel”!
Spinning Silver might win Best Novel, and I wouldn’t be surprised if In the Night Wood won Best Horror Novel or Trail of Lightning won Best First Novel.
I’m really bad at these! Here’s my picks:
Best Fantasy Novel: “Spinning Silver” Naomi Novik
Best Science Fiction Novel: “The Calculating Stars” Mary Robinette Kowal
Best Horror Novel: “In the Night Wood” Dale Bailey
Best Young Adult Novel: “Dread Nation” Justina Ireland
Best First Novel: Roll a D&D die and we’ll see
Off the top of my head,
Best Fantasy Novel – The Monster Baru Cormorant
Best Science Fiction Novel – The Calculating Stars
Best Horror Novel – The Outsider
Best Young Adult Novel – The Cruel Prince
Best First Novel – Children of Blood and Bone
but these are just guesses.
My picks:
Spinning Silver
Blackfish City
The Hunger
The Cruel Prince
Children of Blood and Bone
Best fantasy novel – Lies Sleeping
Best Sci-fi novel – Blackfish City
Best Horror – The Outsider
Best Young Adult Novel – The Agony House
Best First Novel – Empire of Sand
Here is my guess:
Deep Roots by Ruthanna Emrys
Unholy Land by Lavie Tidhar
The Hunger by Alma Katsu
Dread Nation by Justina Ireland
Semiosis by Sue Burke
I really want Space Opera by Cat Valente to win it was such an awsome read!
I liked Foundryside and Spinning Silver hard choice! The Cruel Prince was good, so was the fallow up The Wicked King. I’d definitely choose The Poppy War.
Mary Marie Brown, if you live in the USA, you win a book of your choice from our stacks.
Please contact me (Marion) with your choice and a US address. Happy reading!