Madeline Ashby, who is clearly fabulous, has written about her eligibility for the Campbell Award.  It would appear,  because of an earlier publication, she actually is ineligible.  I think she would have made a worthy nominee and winner, but admire her posting about it.

Given Madeline is not eligible for the Campbell, I’d suggest considering her  second novel, iD: The Second Machine Dynasty for  Best Novel or story “Social Services” for Best Short Story.

While I’m disappointed she can’t be on the Campbell ballot,  I’m glad she has work out there that can be considered in these and other categories.

The John W. Campbell Award is the Hugo Award ⁽¹⁾ that is not a Hugo Award.  Each year the publishers of Analog fund the award, named in honour of its greatest editor, which is presented to a writer who has made her first professional sale in the previous two calendar years.

There’s a good crop of Campbell nominees out there this year,  and when the time comes these are the writers I’ll be considering:

Madeline Ashby had a great year, publishing a great story (“Social Services” in An Aura of Familiarity: The Coming Age of Networked Matter) as well as the latest in her Machine Dynasty series. I am seriously eager to read her forthcoming novel Company Town. [Amended: Sadly Madeline isn’t eligible for the Campbell, though she is eligible for the Hugo!]

I met Helen Marshall at the Brighton World Fantasy Convention where we shared a fun evening in the bar. I read her powerful, demented collection Hair Side, Flesh Side after I got back to Perth, and consider her a serious contender for next year’s World Fantasy Awards.  Oxford will never be the same (nor will tapas).

Tim Maughan had a very interesting short collection, Paintwork, out not that long ago. His short work is contemporary in-your-face post-cyberpunk SF and his novelette “Flight Path Estate” ranked amongst my favourite stories of the year. I think this is his last year of eligibility and he’d be a worthy nominee and award recipient.

I have not read E.J. Swift‘s Osiris Trilogy, but her story “Saga’s Children” in The Lowest Heaven was smart, savvy and engaging.  I’m now seeking her work out eagerly and think she’s the sort of writer the Campbell should be recognising.

Back in August Gary K.  Wolfe and I spoke to the engaging and wonderful Sofia Samatar on the Coode Street Podcast about her first novel, A Stranger in Olondria, which was probably the best first fantasy novel of the year. Sofia also produced a batch of strong short stories, including one of my favourites, “Selkies are for Losers”.

Finally, Benjanun Sriduangkaew seemed to come out of nowhere this year with stories like “The Bees Her Heart, The Hive Her Belly” and my own favourite “Fade to Gold”. Her stories were refreshing and different. What more could you ask from a Campbell nominee?

These are not the only fine writers who are eligible for the Campbell.  Writertopia maintain a list of eligible writers that is worth looking looking at for suggestions and reminders.

I have no idea who will be on the Campbell ballot or who will walk up to the stage to receive the award in London this August, but any of these six fine writers would be great choices.

1. The award is not a Hugo, and has never been a Hugo. It is sometimes humorously referred to as “not a Hugo” because it presented during the Hugo Awards ceremony.

Each year at the beginning of the awards season the question comes around about promoting your own work/nominating your own work for awards. With Hugo nominations now open, below is a list of eligible works by category that I worked on during 2013.

Note: The publisher has removed the stories published as part of Eclipse Online from their website. I will add links to these stories where they are available. If you would like copies for your consideration, please contact me at firstname {dot] lastname {at] gmail {dot] com.

    

Best Novelette

1. “The Ghost Makers”, Elizabeth Bear (Fearsome Journeys)
2. “Shaggy Dog Bridge: A Black Company Story”, Glen Cook (Fearsome Journeys)
3. “Leaf and Branch and Grass and Vine”, Kate Eliot (Fearsome Journeys)
4. “Sponda the Suet Girl and the Secret of the French Pearl”, Ellen Klages (Fearsome Journeys)
5. “One Last Great Adventure”, Ellen Kushner & Ysabeau Wilce (Fearsome Journeys)
6. “The Effigy Engine: A Tale of the Red Hats”, Scott Lynch (Fearsome Journeys)
7. “Sanctuary”, Susan Palwick (Eclipse Online, February 2013)
8. “The Dragonslayer of Merebarton”, K J Parker (Fearsome Journeys)

Best Short Story

1. “The High King Dreaming”, Daniel Abraham (Fearsome Journeys)
2. “Amethyst Shadow and Light”, Saladin Ahmed (Fearsome Journeys)
3. “On the Arrival of the Paddle-Steamer on the Docks of V—”, Peter Ball (Eclipse Online, February 2013)
4. “Camp Follower”, Trudi Canavan (Fearsome Journeys)
5. “The Amnesia Helmet”, F. Brett Cox (Eclipse Online, January 2013)
6. “Spirits of Salt”, Jeffrey Ford (Fearsome Journeys)
7. “In Metal, In Bone”, An Owomayela (Eclipse Online, March 2013)
8. “Forever People”, Robert V S Redick (Fearsome Journeys)
9. “The Advocate”, Genevieve Valentine (Eclipse Online, January 2013)
10. “Loss, with Chalk Diagrams”, E. Lily Yu (Eclipse Online, March 2013)

Best Editor, Short Form

1. The Best of Joe Haldeman, Jonathan Strahan & Gary K. Wolfe eds., Subterranean Press, March 2013, hc
2. Magic Highways: The Early Jack Vance Volume 3, Terry Dowling & Jonathan Strahan eds., Subterranean Press, March 2013, hc
3. The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year: Volume 7, Jonathan Strahan ed., Night Shade Books, March 2013, tpb
4. Fearsome Journeys: The New Solaris Book of Fantasy, Jonathan Strahan ed. Solaris Books, London, June 2013, tpb
5. Locus: The Newspaper of the Science Fiction & Fantasy Field, Reviews Editor (Jan-Dec 2013)
6. Eclipse Online, Jan-March 2013 (Night Shade)

Best Fancast

1. The Coode Street Podcast, Eps 130 – 170, Jonathan Strahan & Gary K. Wolfe

Best Artist

1. Kathleen Jennings for illustrations for Eclipse Online.

Well, I’m turning 50 today. Spent yesterday feeling very unwell, suffering from vertigo and it’s unpleasant symptoms. Today is improved, if not perfect. I’m hoping to spend a pleasant day with family,  keeping it all very low key and relaxed.

I have been away from this journal for too long, and for much longer than I’d intended. Looking back, the posts for 2013 have amounted to a few news announcements, podcast episode releases, and some whining about stuff. I’m hopeful I can do more than that in 2014.  While I have no intention of making New Year resolutions, especially about writing here, I do hope to be a more regular presence in coming months. Not only do I have some publishing projects coming up, but I am keen to put my toe back in the water reviewing.  As a run up to possible other things, I’m going to try to review short fiction here semi-regularly. Not sure if I well, but let’s see.

In the meantime, my sincere thanks to everyone for their birthday wishes. They’re very much appreciated.

One of the major editorial projects that occupied that second half of 2013 for me was compiling a special issue of Subterranean Magazine.  It has just been released, as the Winter 2014 issue, and I am very proud of what Bill, the SubPress team and I have done with it.

The issue features a major new novella by Bruce Sterling, and terrific stories by KJ Parker, Karen Joy Fowler, Jeffrey Ford, Greg Egan, Frances Hardinge, Ellen Klages, and Eleanor Arnason.

I hope you enjoy it, and hope you’ll post comments here about it. I’d also like to thank Bill for giving me a second chance to play with Subterranean. I think it’s a great magazine, and it was a privilege to get to edit it for a second time.