The World Fantasy Award nominations have been posted on the WFC website. Having sat in the judge’s chair myself, I know precisely how much work goes into arriving at a final shortlist, so my hat’s off to the judges. And, while we’d all pick slightly different shortlists (no Jeff Ford!!!), I think it’s a strong, diverse list. Special congrats to: Hal, Graham, Kelly, Deb & Jay, Ginjer, Lou, Chris, and Sean.

Following on from the starred PW review for Science Fiction: The Very Best of 2005, comes a starred PW review for Fantasy: The Very Best of 2005. I’m delighted.

Fantasy: The Very Best of 2005
Edited by Jonathan Strahan. Locus (www.locusmag.com), $16.95 paper (248p) ISBN 978-0-978-62101-8
Strahan’s wonderful “best of” anthology provides a little something for everyone, from traditional fantasy that pays homage to J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis and M.R. James to slipstream wackiness that defies categorization. Of the 16 stories, the three standouts are Peter Beagle’s gorgeous return to his Last Unicorn world, “Two Hearts”; Jane Yolen’s scary classic Scotland-infused witch fantasy, “A Knot of Toads”; and Richard Bowes’s “There’s a Hole in the City,” a gripping 9/11 ghost story. Other highlights include Neil Gaiman’s funny epicurean adventure, “Sunbird”; Paul Di Filippo’s delightful cyberfantasy, “The Emperor of Gondwanaland”; Theodora Goss’s bittersweet fairy tale about grief recovery, “Pip and the Fairies”; Bruce Sterling’s powerful fable, “The Denial”; and Kelly Link’s hilarious campfire chiller, “Monster.” Four tales overlap with a rival anthology, Fantasy: The Best of the Year (2006 Edition) (Reviews, July 31). (Sept.)

Walter Jon Williams has announced that he’s just sold his new novel, Implied Spaces, to the guys at Night Shade for “the largest advance ever offered by Night Shade Books”. I think this is terrific news. I love what Jer, Jason and the posse are doing, really like Walter’s novels, and think he’s been writing completely out of the box lately. I’ve no doubt that the posse edition of Hardwired will be swell, but I can’t wait to see Implied Spaces.

Well, we’re heading down to the wire. I get on a plane with the family in about ten days, and will be in Oakland in twelve or thirteen. There’s a lot of organising and such to do, but we’ll get there. In the mean time, China Mieville’s Un Lun Dun showed up in the post yesterday (thanks Chris!), so it’s jumped to the top of the ‘to read’ file.  It’s YA, which took me by surprise. I’ve also started Peter Watts Blindsight, which so far is terrific. I am trying to work out what I’ll read on the plane. I’m figuring the kids will run the laptop batteries down watching movies, so I might take something like one of the Jonathan Stroud novels along. I want a mass market paperback, or at least something small enough that it won’t end up on my chin when the person in front puts their seat back. Of course, I’ll plan to do a pile of work on the plane, but I won’t. Maybe in Oakland…

I was saddened to hear that my friend and colleague Cheryl Morgan has decided to end her successful and widely admired online semiprozine Emerald City. I’ve long enjoyed Cheryl’s reviews and commentary, and will miss seeing a new Emerald City every month. I’ve no doubt she’ll move on to something bigger and better, but I’m sorry to see it go.