The OF Blog: Shirley Jackson Awards finalists announced

Saturday, May 10, 2014

Shirley Jackson Awards finalists announced


A couple of days ago, the 2013 Shirley Jackson Awards shortlists were announced.  I usually follow these awards more closely than other genre-related awards because not only is it a juried award, but frequently it features stories that just are not discussed as much elsewhere.  This certainly proved to be the case this year, as I've managed to read exactly zero of these stories (I have since purchased a print copy of Robert Jackson Bennett's American Elsewhere and may do the same for the other novel finalists at least).  Yet this lack of prior reading does not dismay me; instead, I feel more inclined to investigate these books/stories.  In case you haven't seen the shortlists, here they are below:
 

NOVEL
  • The Accursed, Joyce Carol Oates (Ecco)
  • American Elsewhere, Robert Jackson Bennett (Orbit)
  • The Demonologist, Andrew Pyper (Orion-UK/ Simon & Schuster-US)
  • The Ghost Bride, Yangsze Choo (William Morrow)
  • Night Film, Marisha Pessl (Random House)
  • Wild Fell, Michael Rowe (ChiZine Publications)
NOVELLA
  • Burning Girls, Veronica Schanoes (Tor.com)
  • Children of No One, Nicole Cushing (DarkFuse)
  • Helen’s Story, Rosanne Rabinowitz (PS Publishing)
  • It Sustains, Mark Morris (Earthling Publications)
  • “The Gateway,” Nina Allan (Stardust, PS Publishing)
  • The Last Revelation of Gla’aki, Ramsey Campbell (PS Publishing)
  • Whom the Gods Would Destroy, Brian Hodge (DarkFuse)
NOVELETTE
  • Cry Murder! In a Small Voice, Greer Gilman (Small Beer Press)
  • “A Little of the Night,” Tanith Lee (Clockwork Phoenix 4, Mythic Delirium Books)
  • “My Heart is Either Broken,” Megan Abbott (Dangerous Women, Tor Books)
  • “Phosphorus,” Veronica Schanoes (Queen Victoria’s Book of Spells: An Anthology of Gaslamp Fantasy, Tor Books)
  • “Raptors,” Conrad Williams (Subterranean Press Magazine, Winter 2013)
SHORT FICTION
  • “57 Reasons for the Slate Quarry Suicides,” Sam J. Miller (Nightmare Magazine, December 2013)
  • “Furnace,” Livia Llewellyn (Grimscribe’s Puppets, Miskatonic River Press)
  • “The Memory Book,” Maureen McHugh (Queen Victoria’s Book of Spells: An Anthology of Gaslamp Fantasy, Tor Books)
  • “The Statue in the Garden,” Paul Park (Exotic Gothic 5, PS Publishing)
  • “That Tiny Flutter of the Heart,” Robert Shearman (Psycho-Mania!, Constable & Robinson)
  • “The Traditional,” Maria Dahvana Headley (Lightspeed, May 2013)
SINGLE-AUTHOR COLLECTION
  • Before and Afterlives, Christopher Barzak (Lethe Press)
  • Everything You Need, Michael Marshall Smith (Earthling Publications)
  • In Search of and Others, Will Ludwigsen (Lethe Press)
  • North American Lake Monsters, Nathan Ballingrud (Small Beer Press)
  • The Story Until Now, Kit Reed (Wesleyan)
EDITED ANTHOLOGY
  • The Book of the Dead, edited by Jared Shurin (Jurassic London)
  • End of the Road, Jonathan Oliver (Solaris)
  • Grimscribe’s Puppets, edited by Joseph S. Pulver, Sr. (Miskatonic River Press)
  • Queen Victoria’s Book of Spells: An Anthology of Gaslamp Fantasy, edited by Ellen Datlow (Tor Books)
  • Where thy Dark Eye Glances: Queering Edgar Allan Poe, edited by Steve Berman (Lethe Press)

4 comments:

James said...

I haven't read any of these either. I do have American Elsewhere and tried to read it, but didn't get very far in. RJB tens to be hit and miss for me. I loved Mr. Shivers, couldn't finish Company Man, enjoyed The Troupe, couldn't finish American Elsewhere. Will have to give it another try eventually.

I have been reading a lot of horror short fiction over the last few months, but all of it is older. I think I own North American Lake Monsters but it might be the case that I just thought of buying it. I just finished Livia Llewellyn's collection, Engines of Desire, a couple months ago and really enjoyed that. I imagine "Furnace" won't be disappointing.

Larry Nolen said...

I've been contemplating reading RJB for a couple of years now, so this shall be my excuse for doing so. Seems like an interesting person, based on his Twitter feed.

Still need to buy NALM sometime. Just need to get myself back to reading more weird fiction in general, to be honest.

Bill said...

I've only read the Barzak collection. Really liked it; good to see it on the shortlist.

Bill

Larry Nolen said...

Barzak is another whose previous work I've enjoyed, so if I have the money to spare, it'll be a likely purchase. Good to know this one is worth the nom.

 
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