So, yesterday, I posted a link to the Locus recommended list, and shared some thoughts. Last night, voting opened for the Locus Award, which anyone can vote for, although the votes of Locus subscribers counts twice as much.
I've been working on my ballot. This is, as the headline says, my current ballot. I still have some reading to catch up on, so this is subject to change.
Every work I nominate is absolutely a reading recommendation. These are some of the best works published in what was a terrific year for genre fiction. I'm leaving the horror category empty, because I don't read horror.
Best Science Fiction Novel
Raven Stratagem by Yoon Ha Lee
Null States by Malka Older
Provenance by Ann Leckie
Shattered Minds by Laura Lam
Six Wakes by Mur Laffety
Apart from Six Wakes, all of these were in the recommended list. All are really good.
Best Fantasy Novel
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City of Miracles by Robert Jackson Bennett
The House of Binding Thorns by Aliette de Bodard
An Unkindness of Magicians by Kat Howard
The Stone Sky by N.K. Jemisin
Horizon by Fran Wilde
Narrowing the selection to five novels was particularly hard here. But I feel like the winner is kinda obvious. The Stone Sky caps off a trilogy that has redefined fantasy. Should win. Will win. If you haven't read the series, start with The Fifth Season.
Best Young Adult novel
The Ship Beyond Time by Heidi Heilig
Shadowhouse Fall by Daniel José Older
I've not read enough YA to fill up the category, but I am confident that these two are award worthy. I should note that these are both sequels. If you haven't, read The Girl From Everywhere and Shadowshaper first.
Best First Novel
The Prey of Gods by Nicky Drayden
Winter Tide by Ruthanna Emrys
The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter by Theodora Goss
An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon
Barbary Station by R.E. Stearns
This was another super hard category to narrow dow. Two of these, Winter Tide and An Unkindness of Ghosts would have made the top five in Fantasy and Science Fiction, respectively.
Best Novella
River of Teeth by Sarah Gailey
Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire
Binti: Home by Nnedi Okorafor
All Systems Red by Martha Wells
The Black Tides of Heaven/The Red Threads of Fortune by JY Yang
There's a bunch of novellas I haven't read, but I'm confident that my picks are good enough to be awards worthy regardless. Literally anyone of these could win, and it would be fine. Although I'm personally invested in the McGuire book (it's the prequel to Every Heart A Doorway, which I just published in Hebrew) and the Wells book (which I will publish in Hebrew later this year).
Best Novelette
Children of Thorns, Children of Water by Aliette de Bodard
Come See the Living Dryad by Theodora Goss
A Series of Steaks by Vina Jie-Min Prasad
Novelette is always the category I'm most behind on. Too short to publish in book form, too long to read quickly.
Best Short Story
Probably Still the Chosen One by Kelly Barnhill
The Faerie Tree by Kathleen Kayembe
Paradox by Naomi Kritzer
Fandom for Robots by Vina Jie-Min Prasad
Welcome to Your Authentic Indian Experience™ by Rebecca Roanhorse
All of these stories are very good, but, once again, this list could change in the final ballot as I read more 2017 stories. There were also some really good stories that didn't make it to the recommended list.