Gav Reads

A Web Log of Reading

Tag: fantasy

  • Challenge: Award Reading x 2

    Based on my last post on DNF’ing, this is probably unwise, but I’ve been thinking about setting myself the challenge of reading a shortlist or at least a category from an award’s shortlist.

    This idea was fuelled by the FOMO from seeing all the discussions around this year’s ARTHUR C. CLARKE AWARD. 

    Out of this year’s shortlist, I’ve read two, DNF’d two, heard very interesting things about one I’ve not read, and not heard a lot about the other unread one:

    • Annie Bot by Sierra Greer – see a spoiler-filled thoughts here
    • Private Rites by Julia Armfield – To Be Read
    • The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley – DNF’d
    • Extremophile by Ian Green – DNF’d
    • Service Model by Adrian Tchaikovsky – Read
    • Thirteen Ways to Kill Lulabelle Rock by Maud Woolf – To Be Read

    Whilst this was all bubbling away in my brain, another two award shortlists were announced:

    1. British Fantasy Awards 2025
    2. World Fantasy Awards 2025

    I floated the idea on Bluesky of reading and reviewing the BFA Best Anthology category, and I’ve publically committed to doing that before the announcement at the end of October, which will be done as part of the World Fantasy Convention.

    Infographic of the shortlisted titles: Nova Scotia 2, edited by Neil Williamson and Andrew J Wilson – Luna Press Publishing I Want That Twink Obliterated!, edited by Trip Galey, C.L. McCartney, and Robert Berg – Bona Books Fight Like A Girl 2, edited by Roz Clarke and Joanne Hall – Wizard’s Tower Press Heartwood: A Mythago Wood Anthology, edited by Dan Coxon- PS Publishing The Year’s Best African Speculative Fiction (2023), edited by Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki and Chinaza Eziaghighala – Caezik SF & Fantasy Bury Your Gays – An Anthology of Tragic Queer Horror, edited Sofia Ajram – Ghoulish Books Jurors: Kristen Platt, Steven French, Ariana Weldon, Stuart Conover, Jacqui Greaves

    The only thing is that I don’t think I’ve reviewed an anthology before, so I asked the experts. Runalong Womble gave me a great template:

    • How is the theme developed or explored throughout the anthology?
    • Does the mix of stories work effectively together?
    • Which stories stood out to you, and why?

    Thanks Womble.

    The World Fantasy Awards also take place during the World Fantasy Convention, and as I am planning on attending, I thought I’d also read and review of one of the WFA shortlists. This time, I’m going for the novellas:

    • Crypt of the Moon Spider by Nathan Ballingrud (Tor Nightfire/Titan Books)
    • In the Shadow of Their Dying by Michael F. Fletcher and Anna Smith Spark (Grimdark Magazine)
    • Yoke of Stars by R. B. Lemberg (Tachyon Publications)
    • The Woods All Black by Lee Mandelo (Tordotcom)
    • The Butcher of the Forest by Premee Mohamed (Tordotcom/Titan Books UK)

    That’ll keep me busy from now until October.

    I say busy. I do plan on completing the Clarke Award reading of Private Rites by Julia Armfield and Thirteen Ways to Kill Lulabelle Rock by Maud Woolf. And the TBR pile is overflowing, and I need to get it down.

    Are you planning on reading any shortlists from these two awards? If so, which ones?

  • [Contains Spoilers] What was the Point of The Lightspeed Trilogy? 

    Niall Harrison’s review in Locus magazine does provide answers.

    Beyond The Light Horizon

    However, I was unsatisfied with the ending. This feeling wasn’t helped by my e-reader telling me that there was 12% left. It ended on the first of what I was hoping were several post-script chapters. And I was promoted to post this on Bluesky: 

    I have just finished [Beyond the Light Horizon], and I feel like I have been cheated out of chapters at the end. Hmmmm.

    Have I forgotten that one of Science Fiction’s roles is to look at the big questions, and it uses a story wrapper to do that? 

    From my reaction to this work, it seems I have. Niall hasn’t taken much more away from the trilogy than I did.

    In a nutshell, an AI called ‘Iskander’ is a predictive AI that can anticipate your needs and set things in motion so they happen at the right time. Think of it as wanting to go out and finding you don’t have to wait for a taxi because it is already outside.  

    What it sets in motion in the trilogy is the discovery of Faster Than Light Travel, which results in a submarine/spaceship being built in Scotland. This then causes a chain reaction to open the world’s eyes to a deep conspiracy in which FTL has been a worldwide secret project.

    On reflection, this series is tackling a lot of big ideas: 

    • there are at least three versions of AI supporting/controlling the three main human geopolitical alliances 
    • the way the countries have aligned themselves
    • the socioeconomic impacts of those allegiances
    • the impact of climate change, either natural or manmade 
    • experimentation with evolution (and seeding/sharing flora and fauna) across different planets 

    After planting the seeds, MacLeod leaves it up to the reader to decide what happens next. And I think he does his story and audience a disservice here. Partly because he places his main character, Grant, back in a box and back on his original rails. And partly because there doesn’t seem to be anybody to take up the mantle. 

    Sure. Treaties are reinforced by force. New economic ties are arranged for between world trade are established but in the flashforward postscript those aren’t addressed for their impact or how integration between the Earth factions, and the other worlds they’ve colonised are working out – and more importantly for me if those other world inhabitants have been to Earth to establish themselves there.

    But overall, the grounding of Grant popped a bubble; it felt like the author didn’t want Grant to grow or change despite the extraordinary things he’d be instrumental in initiating.