By Martin Morse Wooster: I am watching a show which in the US is called The Heart Guy but in Australia where it originated is called Doctor Doctor.  It’s about a heart surgeon who screwed up and has to spend a year as a general practitioner in the little country town of Whyhope.  I wouldn’t call it “the Australian version of Doc Martin” but the shows are very similar, except The Heart Guy is less about medicine than Doc Martin.  The show I saw tonight is from the show’s second series and was broadcast in Australia in September 2017.

One character is a sf writer who has some success with her first novel because we see her give a reading and members of the audience recite favorite lines from her book.  We see her office on the porch of a large house surrounded by beautiful Australian countryside.  She is stuck on her second novel because trolls constantly tweet her while she’s working and tell her that her first novel is full of mush.

She finds someone camping on her lawn and calls the cops.  The camper is in fact a superfan who comes from some far away town to meet her favorite writer.  She works in a bakery and has made an alien from the author’s novel out of frosting.

The author decides to invite the fan onto her porch for some tea, but the fan sneaks into the author’s office and reads a few pages from her novel in progress.  She instantly solves every plot problem which has been plaguing the author, and the author gratefully writes down the fan’s suggestions on her laptop until she is interrupted by a tweet from another troll.  She turns off her laptop and decides to write her novel on a manual typewriter.

Sf bonus:  There’s an Asian character on the show who is only credited as “Ken” but whose name, I think, is Ken Liu.

The Deutscher Phantastik Preis 2019 longlist has been posted. Voting is open through August 31 to determine the five finalists in each category.

The award honors speculative fiction published for the first time in German language during the previous year. The longlist is created by an independent jury. In the first round write-in votes are also allowed.

Once the shortlist is determined, winners will be picked by a public vote. Voting on the shortlist begins September 15.

The winners of the DPP 2019 will be honored at BuchBerlin on November 23.

Deutscher Phantastik Preis Longlist

Bester deutscher Roman / Best German Novel

• Die Klinge des Schicksals — Markus Heitz — Droemer Knaur
• NSA – Nationales Sicherheits-Amt — Andreas Eschbach — Bastei Lübbe
• Die Tyrannei des Schmetterlings — Frank Schätzing — Kiepenheuer&Witsch
• Die Chroniken von Azuhr: Die weiße Königin — Bernhard Hennen — Fischer Tor
• Sturm — Uwe Laub — Heyne
• Der Riss — Brandon Q. Morris (alias Matthias Matting) — Belle Epoque Verlag
• Das schwarze Schiff — Phillip P. Peterson — BoD
• Die Flammen von Enyador — Mira Valentin — BoD
• Das Imago Projekt — Robert Corvus — Piper
• Terra — T. S. Orgel — Heyne
• Sturmtochter: Für immer verboten — Bianca Iosivoni — Ravensburger
• Houston Hall: Schatten der Vergangenheit — Mary Cronos — Feelings  

Bestes deutschsprachiges Romandebüt / Best debut novel in German

• Bloody Mary Me: Blut ist dicker als Whiskey — M. D. Hirt — Carlsen Dark Diamonds
• Der Welten-Express — Anca Sturm — Carlsen Verlag
• Ein Königreich aus Feuer und Eis — Leni Wembach — Carlsen Impress
• Das Schicksal des Winters — Lilly London — BoD
• Die Prinzessin der Elfen: Bedrohliche Liebe — Nicole Alfa — Carlsen Impress
• Aura: Die Gabe — Clara Benedict — Thienemann Esslinger
• Mentira: Stadt der Lügen — Christina Hiemer — Hawkify Books
• The Shelter — Kris Brynn — beBeyond
• Don Sullivan — Kathrin Schobel — Talawah Verlag
• Gem Nation: Herz aus Diamant — Emma K. Sterling — BoD
• Der fünfte Magier: Schneeweiß — Christine Weber — Selfpublishing  

Bestes deutschsprachiges Jugendbuch / Best German language youth book

• Die Krone der Dunkelheit — Laura Kneidl — Piper
• Loa – Die weiße Mambo — Petra Reneé Meineke — Sad Wolf Verlag
• Das dunkle Herz — Lukas Hainer — iVi
• Pheromon — Rainer Wekwerth und Thariot — Planet!
• Emily Bones — Gesa Schwarz — Planet!
• Adriana zwischen den Welten — Katharina Seck — Drachenmond
• Thalamus — Ursula Poznanski — Loewe Verlag
• Nation Alpha — Christin Thomas — Zeilengold
• Das Flüstern des Waldes — Mira Valentin und Kathrin Wandres — Carlsen Impress
• Bestias: Die Bestien Chroniken 1 — Greg Walters — BoD
• Diamantkäfig: Der Fluch der sechs Prinzessinen — Regina Meissner — Sternensand Verlag
• Wasteland – Tag der Entscheidung — Emily Bähr — Carlsen Impress
• Xara – Prinzessin der verschollenen Stadt — Aurelia L. Night — Carlsen Dark Diamonds
• Die Seelenchroniken: Yven und Dajana — Katrin Gindele — Tagträumer Verlag  

Bester internationaler Roman / Best international novel

• Der Sommerdrache — Todd Lockwood — Fischer Tor
• Starfire – Imperium — Spencer Ellsworth — Heyne
• Der Outsider — Stephen King — Heyne
• Legendary: Ein Caraval Roman — Stephanie Garber — iVi
• Elfenkrone — Holly Black — cbj Verlag
• Renegades – Gefährlicher Freund — Marissa Meyer — Heyne fliegt
• Monsters of Verity — Victoria Schwab — Loewe
• Nevernight – Das Spiel — Jay Kristoff — Fischer Tor
• Warcross: Das Spiel ist eröffnet — Marie Lu — Loewe
• Scythe: Der Zorn der Gerechten — Neal Shustermann — Sauerländer
• Die Rabenringe – Odinskind — Siri Petterson — Arctis Verlag
• Gemina. Die Illuminea Akten_02 — Amis Kaufmann und Jay Kristoff — dtv Verlag
• Children of Blood and Bone: Goldener Zorn — Tomi Adeyemi — FJB  

Beste deutschsprachige Kurzgeschichte / Best German short story

• Die Seelen — Michel K. Iwoleit — p.machinery
• Confinement — Thorsten Küper — p.machinery
• Totenpfade — Jenny Wood — Art Skript Phantastik
• Houston hat Probleme — Markus Heitkamp — Talawah Verlag
• Inspiration — Marianne Labisch — p.machinery
• Magische Kurzgeschichten. Winter Romanze — Sandra Schwarzer — Schwarzer Drache Verlag
• Schnapp sie alle! — Tino Falke — Heise Verlag
• Schicht im Schacht — T. S. Orgel — Amrun Verlag
• Unter der Erde — Janna Ruth — pako Verlag
• Das letzte Erwachen — Swantje Oppermann — pako Verlag
• Der Elter — Jens Gehres — Edition Roter Drache
• Keine Asche — Nele Sickel — p.machinery  

Beste Deutsche Anthologie / Best German anthology

• Maschinen — Hrsg: Martin Witzgall und Felix Woltkowsky — Verlag Torsten Low
• Das einsame Haus am grünen See — Marie Grunenberg u. a. — Verlag ohneohren
• Entzünde den Funke — Siiri Saunders & Adrian Stiller — TWENTYSIX
• Noir Anthologie (1) — Mica Baram u. a. — Sadwolf Verlag
• The P-Files — Hrsg: Sascha Eichelberg — Talawah Verlag
• Weltentor Science Fiction 2018 — Noel Verlag
• Kemet – Die Götter Ägyptens — Katharina Fiona Bode & Grit Richter — Art Skript Phantastik
• Nova 26 — Iwoleit Haitel — p.machinery
• Schnittergarn: Die Anthologie des Todes — Marc Hamacher — Leseratten Verlag
• Phantastische Sportler — Markus Heitkamp & Wolfgang Schroeder — Verlag Torsten Low
• Geschichten aus den Herbstlanden — Fabienne Siegmund u. a. — Verlag Torsten Low  

Bestes deutschsprachiges Hörspiel/Hörbuch / Best German Language Radio Play / Audiobook

• Bestias — Greg Walters — Marco Sven Reinbold — Ronin Hörverlag
• Die Chroniken von Azuhr – Die Weiße Königin — Bernhard Hennen — Wolfgang Wagner — Argon Verlag
• Des Nachts im finstren Walde — Jana Oltersdorff — Lisa Boos, Till Hagen, Katja Sallay, Marco Sven Reinbold — Hörbuchmanufaktur Berlin
• Spiegelsplitter — Ava Reed — Hanna Baus, Frank Stieren — Carlsen Audio
• Die Legende von Enyador (Teil 1) — Mira Valentin — Robert Frank — Audible Studios
• Das schwarze Schiff — Phillip P. Peterson — Heiko Grauel — Audible Studios
• Der Totengräbersohn (3) — Sam Feuerbach — Robert Frank — Audible Studios
• Aurafeuer – Das Erbe der Macht (1) — Andreas Suchanek — Clemens Benke — SAGA Egmond
• Funke des Erwachens: Geheimnis der Götter — Saskia Louis — Carolin-Therese Wolff — SAGA Egmond  

Beste deutschsprachige Serie / Best German Language Series

• Perry Rhodan — Chefredakteur Klaus N. Frick — Pabel Moewig
• Die Phileasson-Saga — Bernhard Hennen & Robert Corvus — Heyne
• Nebular — Thomas Rabenstein — Sci-Fi-World Medien
• Beyond Berlin — Björn Sülter — Verlag in Farbe und Bunt
• Das Erbe der Macht — Andreas Suchanek — Greenlight Press
• Professor Zamorra — various — Bastei
• Die Chroniken von Chaos und Ordnung — J. H. Prassl — Acabus Verlag
• Hunting Hope — Jacqueline Mayerhofer — Verlag in Farbe und Bunt
• Die Grimm-Chroniken — Maya Shepard — Sternensand Verlag
• Königreich der Träume — I. Reen Bow — Greenlight Press
• Maddrax — Michael Schönenbröcher — Bastei Lübbe
• Heliosphere 2265 — Andreas Suchanek — Greenlight Press  

Bester deutschsprachiger Grafiker /Best German-speaking Graphic Artist

• Die letzten Zeilen der Nacht — Alexander Kopainski — Drachenmond Verlag
• Die Duftapotheke- Ein Zauber liegt in der Luft — Claudia Carls — Arena Verlag
• Der Weltenexpress — Bente Schlick & Formlabor — Carlsen
• Die Krone der Dunkelheit — Guter Punkt — Piper
• Sturmtochter- Für immer verboten — Carolin Liepins — Ravensburger
• Das Flüstern des Waldes — Coverandbooks–Rica Aitzetmueller & Formlabor — Carlsen Impress
• Götterherz — Jaqueline Kropmanns — Sternensand Verlag
• Timeless Uncertainty- Im Bann des Feindes — Tociljdesign by Michelle Tocilj — Sadwolf
• Geheimnis der Götter – Asche des Krieges — Antonia Sanker — Digital Publishers
• Pro und Contra- Mein Licht in der Dunkelheit — Vivien Summer & Formlabor — Carlsen Impress
• Das Netz des Seelenfresser — Marie Graßhoff — Talawah
• Anderswelt — Casandra Krammer — Neobooks  

Bestes deutschsprachiges Sekundärwerk / Best German Language Secondary Work (i.e., Related Work)

• Es lebe Star Trek – Ein Phänomen, zwei Leben — Björn Sülter — Verlag in Farbe und Bunt
• Die Überschreitung der Gegenwart: Science Fiction als evolutionäre Spekulation — Wolfgang Neuhaus — Golkonda
• Geek! Magazin — various — Panini
• James Tiptree jr. — Hans Frey — Memoranda bei Golkonda
• Das komplette Marvel-Universum: Der verrückte Reiseführer durch alle Welten, Dimensionen und Galaxien — various — Heel
• Fortschritt und Fiaskos — Hans Frey — Memoranda bei Golkonda
• Das Science-Fiction-Jahr 2018 — Herausgeber Michael Görden — Golkonda
• Die Hugo Awards 2001-2017 — Hardy Kettlitz — Memoranda bei Golkonda  

Bester deutschsprachiger Comic / Manga / Best German Language Comic / Manga

• Myre-Die Chroniken von Yria (Buch 2) — Text und Zeichnungen Claudya Schmidt — Splitter
• Robotormärchen, Ein seltsamer Tag (1) — Text Olaf Brill, Zeichnung Michael Vogt — Atlantis
• Captain Berlin — Text Jörg Buttgereit, Zeichnung Fufu Frauenwahl — Weissblech Comics
• BL is Magic (Band 1) — Oroken — Carlsen Maga
• Das Liberi Projekt (2) — Tamabasuro — Carlsen Manga
• Fokus 10 (Band 3) — Martina Peters — Carlsen
• Sterne sehen — Asja Wiegand — Zwerchfell Verlag
• Capacitas — Marika Herzog — Eigenproduktion  

Sonderpreis 2019: Beste Übersetzung / Special Award 2019: Best Translation

• James-Bond-Romane (Neuübersetzung) – tr. Anika Klüver & Stephanie Pannen — Cross Clut
• Das Gold der Krähen — Leigh Bardugo – tr. Michelle Gyo — Dromer Knaur
• Spinnenglut — Jennifer Estep – tr. Vanessa Lamatsch — Piper
• ta’puq mach – Der kleine Prinz auf Klingonisch & Deutsch — Antoine de Saint-Exupéry – tr. Lieven L. Litaer — Der Verlag in Farbe und Bunt
• Queen of Blood: Die Bestimmung — Jill Myles – tr. Frauke Meier — Bastei Lübbe
• Wütender Sturm (Farbe des Blutes 4) — Victoria Aveyard – tr. Birgit Schmitz — Carlsen
• Das Labyrinth von London — Benedict Jacka – tr. Michelle Gyo — Blanvalet T
• hrone of Glass – Die Stumbezwingerin — Sarah J. Maas – tr. Michaela Link — DTV
• Nevernight-Reihe — Jay Kristoff – tr. Kirsten Borchardt — Fischer Tor
• Scythe-Reihe — Neal Shusterman – tr. Pauline Kurbasik & Kristian Lutze — Sauerländer
• Children of Blood and Bone-Reihe — Tomi Adeyemi – tr. Andreas Fischer — Fischer
• Star Trek-Prey-Trilogie – tr. Katrin Aust — Cross Cult

It’s easy to explain July’s most-read post — File 770 was first to notice the World Fantasy Con page had released the WFA shortlist, and everyone wanted to congratulate the authors and artists.

In another widely-followed post, readers sympathized with Arisia’s fate at the hands of arbitrators who assessed a big penalty in the aftermath of the con switching venues away from one where workers were on strike.

Discussion of Hugo rules proposals and old controversies also swelled the ranks of the Scroll-Free Top 10.

TOP 10

1. 2019 World Fantasy Awards Nominees
2. Pixel Scroll 7/3/19 These Are The Pixels That Try Men’s Scrolls
3. Arisia Suffers Reverse in Contract Dispute with Aloft
4. Pixel Scroll 7/9/19 With Mullets Towards None
5. Pixel Scroll 7/22/19 Scroll On, You Crazy Pixel
6. Pixel Scroll 7/1/19 We Shall File On The Pixels, We Shall File On The Scrolling Grounds
7. Pixel Scroll 7/7/19 Just A Small Town Scroll, Living In A Pixel World
8. Pixel Scroll 7/6/19 Pixel First, Fix It In The Scroll
9. Pixel Scroll 7/18/19 The Man Who Maneuvered In Corbomite
10. Pixel Scroll 7/10/19 Our Pixels Manned The Air They Ran The Scrolls And Took Over The Airports

SCROLL-FREE TOP 10

1. 2019 World Fantasy Awards Nominees
2. Arisia Suffers Reverse in Contract Dispute with Aloft
3. Reform or Rollback?
4. Broken Hearts and Hugos
5. Martin Hoare (1952-2019)
6. Best Translated Novel Hugo Category Proposed
7. CONvergence Widens Scope of Code of Conduct Violations
8. Defining “Public Display” in the Best Fan Artist Hugo Category
9. Hugo Voting: Let’s Look at the Record Yet Again
10. A Hugo Award for Best Game or Interactive Experience

Once the commemorative Moon Landing Oreos hit the markets, John King Tarpinian not only took a photo of a package in his local Target store (published here last week), he bought it and gifted it to me when we met for lunch a few days later.

They tasted lovely. The lavender-colored marshmallow filling not only differs in color from standard Oreos (which is white), the texture is slightly more of a gel than normal. (I can imagine orbiting astronauts squeezing it from a tube.) Despite the color, the flavor wasn’t floral or exotic — if not quite the same as usual, the filling didn’t taste very different. The result was a much more pleasing Oreo cookie than the peanut-candy-flavored experiment they temporarily marketed not long ago, which I also tried.

Those of a certain age, like I am, grew up watching TV commercials that demonstrated the infinite techniques for eating Oreos, of which the most important is unscrewing the cookie and eating the filling first.

But fans overthrew this indoctrination at the 1987 Worldcon in England when the Chicago in ’91 Worldcon bidders ran a party with a milk-and-cookies theme. As reported in File 770 #70:

[At the Chicago in ’91 party] those who stayed were fascinated by the Oreos; they kept asking about “the black cookies” and how to eat them. Straight-faced Chicagoans told them you must carefully unscrew the Oreo, eat the white filling, and throw the black cookies away. So they did. Others were coached to methodically time the dunking of their Oreos in milk. Two of the most enthusiastic Oreo-eaters were “the happy Slav brothers,” one fan term for the Yugoslavian Worldcon bidders, whom [Ross Pavlac] claimed decided not to run against Chicago in ’91 because they liked the Oreo party.

Like Chicago radio personality Paul Harvey used to say: “And now you know…the rest of the story.”

Tim Powers has agreed to step in as Mythcon 50’s GOH Emeritus. John Crowley, scheduled to be the Author Guest of Honor, had to cancel his appearance for personal reasons.

Tim Powers, a science-fiction and fantasy writer who arguably is heir to the legacy of Charles Williams, has been Author GOH at Mythcon twice; in Berkeley at Mythcon 26 and at Mythcon 41 in Dallas, Texas. Powers has won three World Fantasy Awards, for his novels Last Call (1992) and Declare (2000), and his story collection The Bible Repairman and Other Stories (2012). He is a five-time nominee for the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award, winning in 1990 for The Stress of Her Regard.

For more information, click on 50th Mythopoeic Conference in San Diego, California, August 2-5, 2019.

The winners of the REH Foundation Awards, honoring the top contributions in Howard scholarship and in the promotion of Howard’s life and works from the past year, were announced at Robert E. Howard Days in Cross Plains on June 8.

The Atlantean — Outstanding Achievement, Book (non-anthology/collection)

(Books may be print or digital, must be a minimum of 50,000 words, and must be substantively devoted to the life and/or work of REH. Reprinted works without significant revisions are not eligible.)

• DAVID C. SMITH – Robert E. Howard: A Literary Biography (Pulp Hero Press) – LINK

The Hyrkanian—Outstanding Achievement, Essay (Print)

(Essays must have made their first public published appearance in the previous calendar year and be substantive scholarly essays on the life and/or work of REH. Short pieces, interviews, reviews, trip reports, and other minor works do not count.)

• RICK LAI – “Poseidon and the Gods of the Robert E. Howard Universe” – Blood ‘n’ Thunder Presents #4: Pulpourri – LINK

The Cimmerian—Outstanding Achievement, Essay (Online)

(Essays must have made their first public published appearance in the previous calendar year and be substantive scholarly essays on the life and/or work of REH. Short blog posts, speeches, reviews, trip reports, and other minor works do not count.)

• DEUCE RICHARDSON – “Stephen Fabian and Robert E. Howard (3 Parts)” – DMR Books Blog – LINK– LINK – LINK

The Venarium — Emerging Scholar

(The following candidates have recently begun making significant contributions to Howard scholarship through publications and/or presentations over the past few years. Previous winners are not eligible)

• BOB BYRNE – Contributed essays for Black Gate

The Stygian—Outstanding Achievement, Website or Periodical

(Eligible candidates are limited to print or digital magazines, journals, blogs, or internet sites with substantive material that is primarily devoted to scholarship on the life and works of Robert E. Howard. Websites must have been updated with new content at least once in the previous calendar year. Print periodicals must have had an issue published in the previous calendar year. Non-static social media like Facebook and Twitter would not be eligible.)

TIE

• ON AN UNDERWOOD NO. 5 (Todd Vick) – LINK
• REH FOUNDATION NEWSLETTER (Lee Breakiron) – LINK

The Black Lotus – Outstanding Achievement, Multimedia

(Eligible candidates have produced a multimedia or audio/visual work or series of works, such as videos, documentaries, podcasts, animation, etc. related to the life and work of REH)

• THE CROMCAST (audio podcast) – Josh Adkins, Luke Dodd, and Jon Larson – LINK

The Black River—Special Achievement

(The following eligible candidates have produced or contributed something special that doesn’t fit into any other category: scholarly presentations, biographical discoveries, etc.)

• JEFFREY SHANKS, ANDREW McFEATERS, THADRA STANTON, and HEATHER YOUNG – For the REH House Archaeology Project

The Rankin — Artistic achievement in the depiction of REH’s life and/or work

(Art must have made its first public published appearance in the previous calendar year.)

• TOM GRINDBERG – Cover art for Conan the Pirate sourcebook for Conan RPG (Modiphius) – Depicts “Queen of the Black Coast”– LINK

Black Circle Award – Lifetime Achievement

(Individuals who have made significant and long-lasting contributions to REH scholarship, publishing, or the promotion of Howard’s life and works. Eligible candidates must have been publicly involved in Howard-related activities for a minimum of two decades.)

• [No Award] As a 60% majority vote was not achieved for any candidate, there is no Black Circle Award winner this year.

Crom Award (Board of Directors Award)

(The Crom Award is a special recognition given very infrequently by the REH Foundation Board of Directors.)

• PROJECT PRIDE – For over three decades of interpreting and promoting the life and work of Robert E. Howard through the REH House and Museum.

The UK Games Expo Awards 2019 shortlist was released May 14.

The winners will be announced June 2.

Best Abstract Game

• Dragon Castle (Horrible Games)
• Azul (Plan B Games)
• Bad Bones (Sit Down!)

Best Childrens Game

• Zombie Kidz Evolution (Scorpion Masque)
• Who Did It? (Blue Orange Games)
• Schneck di-wupp! (HABA)

Best Family Game

• Ticket to Ride: New York (Days of Wonder)
• Honga (HABA)
• The Tea Dragon Society Card Game (Renegade Game Studios)

Best Miniature Range

• Battlestar Galactica Starship Battles – Spaceship Packs (Ares Games)
• Wildlands: The Adventuring Party (Osprey Games)
• Frostgrave: Frostgrave Wizards (North Star Military Figures & Osprey Games)

Best Miniature Rules

• Battlestar Galactica Starship Battles – Starter Set (Ares Games)
• Ragnarok: Heavy Metal Combat in the Viking Age (Osprey Games)
• Rebels and Patriots: Wargaming Rules for North America (Osprey Games)

Best New Accessory

• Giant Book of Battle Mats (Loke BattleMats)
• Dropfleet Commander Dreadnoughts (Troll Trader)
• Big Book of Sci-Fi Battle Mats (Loke BattleMats (exhibiting as GamingBooks))

Best New Boardgame (American-Style)

• Forbidden Sky (Gamewright)
• Chronicles of Crime (LUCKY DUCK GAMES)
• Arkham Horror Third Edition (Fantasy Flight games)

Best New Boardgame (Euro-Style)

• Quacks of Quedlinburg (Schmidt Spiele)
• Space Gate Odyssey (Ludonaute)
• Architects of the West Kingdom (Renegade Game Studios)

Best New Boardgame (Strategic)

• Root: A Game of Woodland Might & Right (Leder Games)
• Warhammer Quest: Blackstone Fortress (Games Workshop)
• Victorian Masterminds (CMON)

Best New Card Game (General)

• The Mind (Coiledspring Games)
• Monsters vs Heroes – Victorian Nightmares (Ares Games)
• Unlock 3! Secret Adventures (Space Cowboys)

Best New Card Game (Strategic)

• Ruthless (Alley Cat Games Ltd)
• Tetris Speed (John Adams Leisure Ltd)
• Arboretum (Renegade Game Studios)

Best New Dice Game

• Ganz Schon Clever (Schmidt Spiele)
• Roll for Adventure (Kosmos)
• Dice Hospital (Alley Cat Games Ltd)

Best Party Game

• Decrypto (Scorpion Masque)
• Maki Stack (Blue Orange Games)
• 20 Second Showdown (Big Potato Games)

Best Role-playing Adventure

• Petersen’s Abominations (Chaosium)
• The Cthulhu Hack: Valkyrie Nine (All Rolled Up)
• The Laughter of Dragons for The One Ring (Cubicle 7)

Best Role-playing Expansion

• Star Trek Adventures – The Command Division Supplemental Rulebook (Modiphius Entertainment)
• 13th Age Glorantha (Chaosium)
• Adventures in Middle-earth Bree-land Region Guide (Cubicle 7 games)

Best Role-playing Game

• RuneQuest – Roleplaying in Glorantha (Chaosium)
• The Black Hack 2nd Edition (Squarehex)
• Forbidden Lands (Free League Publishing)

The winners of the Darrell Awards for 2019 were announced at Midsouthcon in Memphis on March 16.

The annual Darrell Awards support Midsouth Literacy by recognizing the best published Science Fiction, Fantasy and/or Horror in Short Story, Novella, Novel, Young Adult & Other Media formats. This year’s winners are:

Best Midsouth Novel

• Frank Tuttle — Every Wind of Change

First runner-up:

• John E. Siers  — In the Service of Luna

Best Midsouth Novella

• Kevin Andrew Murphy – Find the Lady (appearing in Mississippi Roll, a Wild Cards shared-world novel)

First runner-up

• William Alan Webb – The Hairy Man (set in his post-apocalypse series)

Best Midsouth Short Story 

• Frank Tuttle — “Knob Hill Haunt” (a free-standing Mama Hogg story in the Markhat universe)

First runner-up:

• Lee Ann Story — “Family Circle” (appearing in End of the World Potluck)

Second runner-up

• Sheree Renee Thomas — “Teddy Bump” (appearing in Fiyah Lit Mag, issue 7)

Best Midsouth Other Media 

• Mark Powers — Dog Men (the first 6 issues in this comic book series set in Jim Butcher’s The Dresden Files universe)

First runner-up

• Matthew Maala — Amazing Grace (Season 3, Episode 14, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow tv series)

The Darrell Awards are named in honor of the memory of Dr. Darrell C. Richardson, who was instrumental in getting the Memphis SF Association off the ground.

The related Dal Coger Memorial Hall of Fame Award is given to an author who has made exceptional contributions to Midsouth Literacy by having published a substantial body of work that is or would have been eligible for the Darrell Award. The winner was announced in January.

Dal Coger Memorial Hall of Fame Award

• Troy L. Wiggins

chosen for his outstanding contributions to Midsouth literacy, both as a writer of SF/F/H short stories and for his role in founding Fiyah Lit Mag, a relatively-new SF/F/H magazine (now in its third year).

[Via Locus Online.]

The 2018 Cybils winners (Children’s and Young Adults Bloggers’ Literary Awards) were announced on February 14.

The Cybils Awards aims to recognize the children’s and young adult authors and illustrators whose books combine the highest literary merit and popular appeal. If some la-di-dah awards can be compared to brussels sprouts, and other, more populist ones to gummy bears, we’re thinking more like organic chicken nuggets. We’re yummy and nutritious.

Here are the results from the speculative fiction categories.

Elementary/Middle Grade Graphic Novels

The Witch Boy
by Molly Knox Ostertag
GRAPHIX

Aster, a thirteen-year-old boy living in a secluded community with strict magical rules, longs to learn practices that are forbidden to boys. Rich, believable characters support this appealing tale of breaking free from traditional gender roles. Ostertag has created a fully-realized magical world that will leave middle-grade and teen readers clamoring for more.

Elementary/Middle Grade Speculative Fiction

Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow
by Jessica Townsend
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Nominated by: Beth Mitchell

Morrigan has grown up believing she is cursed. Then, on her eleventh birthday, her luck changes when she’s whisked off to the magical city of Nevermoor, and invited to compete to be a member of the Wundrous society.   Readers will assume she makes it through the trials, but Morrigan’s low self-esteem means she herself is doubtful, and so it’s not just her external triumph that makes readers cheer for her.  Thought the good vs. evil plot might seem familiar, there are plent of unique twists.  The zany world of Nevermoor is wildly original, and the characters are vivid and three-dimensional. Fantasy-loving kids will be hooked by this memorable, magical story, and want the next book right away!

Young Adult Speculative Fiction

Tess of the Road
by Rachel Hartman
Random House Books for Young Readers
Nominated by: Caitlin

In Tess of the Road, author Rachel Hartman masterfully employs the classic fantasy quest format as a metaphor for Tess’s emotional journey towards healing and self-acceptance. The ‘road novel’ is a familiar trope, but Tess’s journey is full of unexpected bends in the road: difficult family relationships, guilt over past mistakes, trouble accepting help from others.

As an epic fantasy, it’s easy to expect stakes that are larger than life: good vs. evil, the fate of the universe. Where Tess is different is that she wrestles with struggles we all face daily–including how to push through other people’s ideas about you to get to the heart of who you really are. She’s a relatable main character, and readers will find themselves rooting for her to overcome her flaws.

This novel is action-packed, yet also richly layered. It has humor and suspense as well as depth and subtlety, as Tess sorts through complex issues that will resonate with readers and engage them in her quest for self-understanding and self-acceptance.

 [Via Locus Online.]