On Wednesday, the Locus Science Fiction Foundation announced the finalists for this year’s Locus Awards. Finalists are determined for each of the 15 categories by popular vote of Locus Magazine’s subscriber base. The magazine has been covering science fiction and fantasy since 1968 and boasts testimonials from well-known names like Arthur C. Clarke and Robert A. Heinlein.
Science Fiction Novel
- MaddAddam, Margaret Atwood (McClelland & Stewart; Bloomsbury; Talese)
- Abaddon’s Gate, James S.A. Corey (Orbit US; Orbit UK)
- The Best of All Possible Worlds, Karen Lord (Del Rey; Jo Fletcher UK)
- Shaman, Kim Stanley Robinson (Orbit US; Orbit UK)
- Neptune’s Brood, Charles Stross (Ace; Orbit UK)
Fantasy Novel
- The Ocean at the End of the Lane, Neil Gaiman (Morrow; Headline Review)
- NOS4A2, Joe Hill (Morrow; Gollancz as NOS4R2)
- River of Stars, Guy Gavriel Kay (Roc; Viking Canada; HarperCollins UK)
- Doctor Sleep, Stephen King (Scribner; Hodder & Stoughton)
- The Republic of Thieves, Scott Lynch (Del Rey; Gollancz)
Young Adult Book
- Zombie Baseball Beatdown, Paolo Bacigalupi (Little, Brown)
- The Coldest Girl in Coldtown, Holly Black (Little, Brown; Indigo)
- Homeland, Cory Doctorow (Tor Teen; Titan)
- The Summer Prince, Alaya Dawn Johnson (Levine)
- The Girl Who Soared Over Fairyland and Cut the Moon in Two, Catherynne M. Valente
Unlike the Hugo and Nebula Awards, the Locus Awards do not have a category for best overall novel; instead, they separate the categories into best science fiction and best fantasy. Also similar to the Nebula Awards, they offer an award for young adult fiction.
So how do the Locus Magazine finalists compare to this year’s Hugo and Nebula finalists? Interestingly, there isn’t a lot of crossover between the lists, though it isn’t an exact comparison as the Locus ends up with ten finalists total versus the five finalists in the best novel categories for the Hugo and eight for the Nebula. The same is true when comparing the finalists in the Young Adult category; the only crossover is The Coldest Girl in Coldtown.
Also of note, two of the ten novel finalists are women, compared to two of five finalists for the Hugos and six of eight finalists for the Nebulas. Although it probably isn’t a direct correlation to the different voting groups (due to differences in creating the short list for voters to select from) it is something to consider. The Locus Awards are voted on by Locus Magazine subscriber base, the Hugos by fans who are member of the annual World Con and the Nebula by professionals who are part of the SFWA.
Related post: 2014 Hugo Award Finalists Announced
