Tag: BSFA Award
Anyone coming to Eastercon?
The 66th British National Science Fiction Convention, otherwise known as Eastercon, will take place this weekend (3rd-6th April) at the Park Inn Hotel, Heathrow. This year the con has taken the name Dysprosium, an element that appears to be used in nuclear reactors. I’m sure we shouldn’t let that worry us at all.
In case anybody is interested, I will be at large at Eastercon/Dysprosium. Here is my schedule:
Friday 3rd April, 18:45, Endeavour Room
Panel: A Maturing Readership – Young Adult Fiction
What makes us grow out of young adult fiction? But if we do grow out of it, why do so many adults prefer it? And if we are moving on from young adult fiction, what are we moving on towards? Or what should we be moving on towards? Or is the whole concept just a new form of snobbery?
Panellists: Emjay Ameringen, Peadar O’Guilin, Frances Hardinge.
Sunday 3rd April, 17:30, Discovery Room
The BSFA Award ceremony. Since Cuckoo Song is on the shortlist for the British Science Fiction Association Award for Best Novel, I will be there with my fingers crossed. Needless to say, gifts of consolatory or congratulatory drinks will be quite welcome. And immediately afterwards…
Sunday 3rd April, 18.45-20.00, Armstrong Room
Shortlists and Longlists!
It’s been a rather wonderful couple of weeks.
Over the last few months, I’ve been so caught up in helping judge the Kitschies Awards that I virtually forgot that there were other prizes out there. I was reminded in the best possible way, by the discovery that Cuckoo Song had reached several shortlists and longlists!
Cuckoo Song has made the longlist for the Carnegie Medal! This is very, very exciting. You can see the other (extremely impressive) books on the longlist here.
Furthermore, Cuckoo Song is on the shortlist for the brand new James Herbert Horror Award. It’s in excellent and sinister company, alongside books by MR Carey, Nick Cutter, Andrew Michael Hurley, Josh Malerman and Kim Newman.
The book has also been longlisted for the Secondary Award of the Oxfordshire Book Award. This is really rather lovely, since it’s an award voted for entirely by children, who nominate their favourite books.
And just as I was recovering from the news of these, I heard that Cuckoo Song had also been shortlisted for the British Science Fiction Association Award for Best Novel! The rest of the list is dripping with brilliance, and includes works by Ann Leckie, Dave Hutchinson, Simon Ings, Nina Allan, Claire North, Nnedi Okorafor and Neil Williamson.
All of this is frankly pretty staggering. If anybody wants me, I’ll be over here celebrating with a giant pile of pancakes…
