The finalists in the 2008 Aurealis Awards, which recognise the best Australian works in the genres of science fiction, fantasy and horror, have been announced.
The finalists in the 2008 Aurealis Awards, which recognise the best Australian works in the genres of science fiction, fantasy and horror, have been announced.
Aurealis Awards director Ron Serdiuk said the shortlist represented ‘a reading list of the top authors in Australian speculative fiction' and that it demonstrated that Australia was continuing to produce new talent in the genre.
‘You have first-time novelists David Kowalski and Briony Stewart alongside giants of the field such as Garth Nix and Sean Williams,' he said.
The shortlists in each category are:
Best science fiction novel
Dark Space (Marianne De Pierres, Orbit); Remote Control (Jack Heath, Pan Macmillan); The Company of the Dead (David Kowalski, Pan Macmillan); Saturn Returns (Sean Williams, Orbit).
Best science fiction short story
‘Lonely as Life', (Simon Brown, Fantastic Wonder Stories, Ticonderoga Publications); ‘Whitey', (Penelope Love, from Shadow Plays, ed by Elise Bunter); ‘The Eyes of Erebus' (Chris McMahon, from Daikaiju! 2: Revenge of the Giant Monsters, Agog! Press); ‘Arctica'(Cat Sparks, from Fantastic Wonder Stories, Ticonderoga Publications); ‘Hollywood Roadkill', (Cat Sparks, from On Spec, #69).
Best fantasy novel
The Gods of Amyrantha (book two of ‘The Tide Lords', Jennifer Fallon, Harper Collins/Voyager); Heaven's Net is Wide (Lian Hearn, the first book of ‘Tales of the Otori', Hachette); The Moving Water (book two of the ‘Rihannar Chronicles', Sylvia Kelso, Thomson Gale); Song of the Shiver Barrens (book three of ‘The Mirage Makers', Glenda Larke, Harper Collins/Voyager); Heart of Gold (book two of ‘The Laws of Magic', Michael Pryor, Random House).
Best fantasy short story
‘The Perfume Eater', (R J Astruc, from Strange Horizons #16); ‘An Account of an Experiment by Adam Browne' (Adam Browne, from Orb Speculative Fiction #7); ‘Sir Hereward and Mister Fitz go to War Again'(Garth Nix, from Jim Baen's Universe); ‘The Angel Wood' (Angela Slatter, from Shimmer); ‘A Lady of Adestan', (Cat Sparks, from Orb Speculative Fiction #7).
Best horror novel
The panel of judges for this division declined to select a shortlist from the nominated works. However, the winning novel will be announced at the ceremony.
Best horror short story
‘Toother', (Terry Dowling, from Eclipse #1); ‘Special Perceptions', (Richard Harland, from At Ease with the Dead, Ash-Tree Press); ‘The Dark and What It Said', (Rick Kennett, from Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine #28); ‘Black Betty', (Ben Peek, from Lone Star Stories #23); ‘The Jeweller of Second-Hand Roe' (Anna Tambour, from Subterranean #7).
Best young adult novel
Taste of Lightning (Kate Constable, A&U); Skyfall (Anthony Eaton, UQP); Cybele's Secret (Juliet Marillier, Pan Macmillan); Heart of Gold (Michael Pryor, Random House); Extras (Scott Westerfeld, Simon Pulse).
Best young adult short story
‘A Scar for Leida', (Deborah Biancotti, from Fantastic Wonder Stories, Ticonderoga Publications); ‘Yamabushi Kaidan and the Smoke Dragon', (Shane Jiraiya Cummings, from Fantastic Wonder Stories, Ticonderoga Publications); ‘Bad Luck, Trouble, Death and Vampire Sex', (Garth Nix, from Eclipse #1); ‘Holly and Iron', (Garth Nix, from Dark Alchemy, A&U); ‘Cast Off' (Tracey Rolfe, from Fantastic Wonder Stories, Ticonderoga Publications).
Best children's (8-12 years) long fiction
A Mystery of Wolves (Isobelle Carmody, Penguin Books); The Silver Horse (Kate Forsyth, book two of ‘The Chain of Charms', Pan Macmillan) The Herb of Grace (Kate Forsyth, book three of ‘The Chain of Charms', Pan Macmillan); The Cat's Eye Shell (Kate Forsyth, book four of ‘The Chain of Charms', Pan Macmillan); The Lightning Bolt (Kate Forsyth, book five of ‘The Chain of Charms', Pan Macmillan); The Butterfly in Amber (Kate Forsyth, book six of ‘The Chain of Charms', Pan Macmillan); The Key to Rondo (Emily Rodda, Omnibus Books); Dragon Moon (Carole Wilkinson, Black Dog Books).
Best children's (8-12 years) short fiction
Ock Von Fiend (Luke Edwards, Omnibus Books); Tashi and The Mixed Up Monster, (Anna Fienberg & Barbara Fienberg, A&U); World of Monsters (Marc McBride, Scholastic Australia); Kumiko and the Dragon (Briony Stewart, UQP).
The winners of the 2008 awards will be announced on Saturday 26 January 2008 at the Judith Wright Centre of Contemporary Arts in Queensland. They will be followed by a day of workshops and seminars for shortlisted authors and others, according to Serdiuk.
For more information on the awards, or to book a place at the ceremony visit http://www.aurealisawards.com/.