The 2019 Locus Recommended Reading List from the magazine’s February issue has been posted by Locus Online.
The list is a consensus by the Locus editors, columnists, outside reviewers, and other professionals and critics of genre fiction and non-fiction — editor-in-chief Liza Groen Trombi; reviews editor Jonathan Strahan; reviewers Liz Bourke, Katharine Coldiron, Carolyn Cushman, Paul Di Filippo, Amy Goldschlager, Paula Guran, Rich Horton, John Langan, Russell Letson, Adrienne Martini, Ian Mond, Colleen Mondor, Tim Pratt, Tom Whitmore, Gary K. Wolfe, and Alvaro Zinos-Amaro; Bob Blough; online editor Mark R. Kelly; critics Paul Kincaid, Cheryl Morgan, and Graham Sleight. The YA group wrapped in assistant editor Laurel Amberdine, Gwenda Bond, Dhonielle Clayton, Justine Larbalestier, and Mark Oshiro. Art books had help from Arnie Fenner, Karen Haber, and design editor Francesca Myman. Short fiction recommenders included editors and reviewers John Joseph Adams, Rachel S. Cordasco, Ellen Datlow, John DeNardo, Maria Haskins, Charles Payseur, Sean Wallace, and Alison Wise, plus our own reviewers.
On the list are —
- 25 SF novels, 26 fantasy novels, 14 horror novels, 21 YA books, 17 first novels;
- 24 collections, 11 original anthologies, 8 reprint/year’s best anthologies;
- 16 nonfiction books, 20 art books
- 32 novellas
- 35 novelettes
- 60 short stories
SURPRISES AND SNUBS. Novellas are back in force with 32. The 2018 list had shrunk to 13 after 2017’s count of 26 titles.
For the third year in a row none of the recommended books is identified as self-published (one self-published work made the 2016 list, an art book, and the 2015 list had three.)
For the second year in a row Baen placed no books on the Locus list. Baen last had a book on the list for 2017 – but only one.
The 2020 Locus Poll & Survey is accepting votes from all now to decide the winners of the Locus Awards. (The list is labeled with the year of publication, the survey with the year in which it is being taken.) The Locus Awards will be presented in June 2020 at the Locus Awards Weekend in Seattle.
Discover more from File 770
Subscribe to get the latest posts to your email.
I’m a bit disgusted to see A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine in the First Novel category rather than in the Best Novel category; it’s way better than several of the works in the latter category, some of which I think are just crap.
JJ’s right. A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine should be in the Best Novel category. And the publisher gets a Boo! hiss! Fir taking a full two years after the first volume was out before releasing the second volume in the series even though Martine has said she’s turned in her manuscript.
In my long Locus Poll voting experience, Locus ALWAYS puts first novels in the First Novel category, that way you know that they are first novels. The ballot says specifically “… Best First Novel, which may also be listed for Best Novel.” This would seem to be an increase in bandwidth for a excellent first novel, not a decrease.
Roger: This would seem to be an increase in bandwidth for a excellent first novel, not a decrease.
I don’t see how it can be an “increase in bandwidth” for A Memory Called Empire, since they didn’t also put it in the Best Novel category, which is, as GRRM points out, “The Big One”.
But in a typical year, Locus’ Science Fiction and Fantasy Best Novel listings are 25-30% of books I think are poorly-written, so it’s not as if I should be surprised. 😐
Interesting that Locus is being savaged for GASP! following their own established procedures for category placement.
I’ve been a Locus subscriber and voter for more than 30 years and have known and understood that first novels are eligible for whichever genre novel category they belong in for a very long time. It’s clearly stated, so anyone who actually has read and understood the instructions would know that as well.
By the bye, I’ve planned to vote for A Memory Called Empire in the two relevant categories ever since I finished it. I tend to do my best to understand and apply the rules when I vote in such cases.
Robert Reynolds: Interesting that Locus is being savaged for GASP! following their own established procedures for category placement.
No, they’re being savaged by me for putting several of what I consider to be really inferior novels in the Best Novel category and leaving A Memory of Empire out of it — and putting it in the Best Novel category, as Roger has pointed out, is perfectly acceptable under their rules.
But your reading comprehension is fine, so you already knew that’s what I was actually saying.
JJ:No, they’re being savaged by me for putting several of what I consider to be really inferior novels in the Best Novel category and leaving A Memory of Empire out of it — and putting it in the Best Novel category, as Roger has pointed out, is perfectly acceptable under their rules.
JJ, please don’t misquote me. What I said is that Locus always lists first novels in the first novel category. It’s the poll VOTERS that can choose to place first novels in both the first novel AND the relevant genre best novel category. For example, I plan to place Suzanne Palmer’s excellent Finder first in both First Novel and Best Science Fiction novel. That’s what I meant by increasing bandwidth. You can certainly do the same for A Memory of Empire if you choose.
John Hertz responds by carrier pigeon:
The Locus list omits Greg Benford’s Rewrite and Tim Powers’ novella “More Walls Broken”.
It’s not as if I should be surprised.
Thanks and apologies, Roger. I am putting A Memory Called Empire on both Best Novel and First Novel ballots, and possibly Finder as well. My other Best Novel choices are The Light Brigade by Kameron Hurley, Atlas Alone by Emma Newman, Edges by Linda Nagata, and The Last Astronaut by David Wellington (I’m really disappointed the last two aren’t on Locus’ list; works that don’t appear on their seed list stand no chance of being finalists 😐 ).
@JJ:
Nope-by slamming Locus for putting a first novel in the First Novel category instead of one of the Best Novel categories, you are taking them to task for following a procedure in place since 1981. Locus lists ALL first novels in the First Novel category while telling voters that first novels are also eligible for the appropriate Best Novel category. As you most likely also consider some of their choices for First Novel recommendations unworthy of consideration, that you consider some of their Best Novel recommendations unworthy in comparison is largely an incidental detail.
It’s clear from your comment that you’re disgusted by their failure to list A Memory of Empire as a Best (SF) Novel recommendation, which is faulting them for sticking to their own procedural rules.
Thank you for mansplaining that to me Robert Reynolds, after I already acknowledged Roger’s explanation (which he managed to do without being either snide or passive-aggressive).
I’m not “mansplaining” anything. You said something in your first post on this topic.
You said, “I’m a bit disgusted to see A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine in the First Novel category rather than in the Best Novel category;”
I commented that I found it interesting that Locus was attacked for simply following its well-established procedures. You plainly said it disgusted you to have a first novel listed as a First Novel rather than Best Novel.
You replied that you had not done so, that you went after them for listing works you consider inferior. But words. sentence structure and context matter. You said what you said and then claimed you didn’t say it.
Where you put the word “disgusted” in the first comment makes a difference in the meaning conveyed. Words mean things.
Robert Reynolds: I commented
Your “comment” was a snide, passive-aggressive remark.
Robert Reynolds: I’m not “mansplaining” anything.
Yes, you are. Because you insist on repeating yourself despite my subsequent comment acknowledging Roger’s gently-worded correction and apologizing for my miswording. Consider reading his comment and learning from it.
I’m really surprised Snow Glass Apples by Neil Gaiman and Coleen Doran didn’t make the illustrated book list. It’s the most beautiful graphic novel of the year.