The winners of the
2013 Locus Awards for Science Fiction and Fantasy have been announced!
by
John Scalzi. (M)
"Ensign Andrew Dahl has just been assigned to the Universal Union Capital Ship
Intrepid,
flagship of the Universal Union since the year 2456. It’s a prestige
posting, and Andrew is thrilled all the more to be assigned to the
ship’s Xenobiology laboratory.Life couldn’t be better…until
Andrew begins to pick up on the fact that (1) every Away Mission
involves some kind of lethal confrontation with alien forces, (2) the
ship’s captain, its chief science officer, and the handsome Lieutenant
Kerensky always survive these confrontations, and (3) at least one
low-ranked crew member is, sadly, always killed. Not
surprisingly, a great deal of energy below decks is expendedon avoiding,
at all costs, being assigned to an Away Mission. Then Andrew stumbles
on information that completely transforms his and his colleagues’
understanding of what the starship
Intrepid really is…and offers them a crazy, high-risk chance to save their own lives."
publisher
Fantasy novel
The Apocalypse Codex by
Charles Stross. (M)
"For outstanding heroism in the field (despite himself), computational
demonologist Bob Howard is on the fast-track for promotion to management
within The Laundry, the super-secret British government agency tasked
with defending the realm from occult threats. Assigned to “External
Assets,” Bob discovers the company—unofficially—employs freelance agents
to deal with sensitive situations that may embarrass Queen and Country.
So when Ray Schiller—an American televangelist with the uncanny ability
to miraculously heal the ill—becomes uncomfortably close to the Prime
Minister, External Assets dispatches the brilliant, beautiful, and
entirely unpredictable Persephone Hazard to infiltrate the Golden
Promise Ministry and discover why the preacher is so interested in
British politics. And it’s Bob’s job to make sure Persephone doesn’t
cause an international incident."
publisher
First novel
Throne of the Crescent Moon by
Saladin Ahmed. (M)
"Traditional swords & sorcery fantasy with an authentic
middle-eastern spin The Crescent Moon Kingdoms, land of djenn and ghuls,
holy warriors and heretics, Khalifs and killers, is at boiling point.
A power struggle between the iron-fisted Khalif and the mysterious
master thief known as the Falcon Prince is reaching its climax. In the
midst of this brewing rebellion, a series of brutal supernatural
murders strikes at the heart of the Kingdoms. Only a handful of
reluctant heroes can learn the truth, and stop the killing. Doctor
Adoulla Makhslood just wants a quiet cup of tea. Three score and more
years old, he has grown weary of hunting monsters and saving lives, and
is more than ready to retire from his dangerous and demanding
vocation. But when an old flame's family is murdered, Adoulla is drawn
back to the hunter's path. Raseed bas Raseed, Adoulla's young
assistant, a hidebound holy warrior whose prowess is matched only by
his piety, is eager to deliver God's justice. Zamia Badawi has been
gifted with the near-mythical power of the Lion-Shape, but shunned by
her people for daring to take up a man's title. She lives only to
avenge her father's death. Until she learns that Adoulla and his allies
also hunt her father's killer. Until she meets Raseed. When they learn
that the murders and the Falcon Prince's brewing revolution are
connected, the companions must race against time to save the life of a
vicious despot. In so doing they discover a plot for the Throne of the
Crescent Moon that threatens to turn the city, and the world itself,
into a blood-soaked ruin."
publisher
Young Adult book
Railsea by
China Mieville. (M)
"On board the moletrain
Medes, Sham Yes ap Soorap watches in awe
as he witnesses his first moldywarpe hunt: the giant mole bursting from
the earth, the harpoonists targeting their prey, the battle resulting in
one’s death and the other’s glory. But no matter how spectacular it is,
Sham can't shake the sense that there is more to life than traveling
the endless rails of the railsea–even if his captain can think only of
the hunt for the ivory-coloured mole she’s been chasing since it took
her arm all those years ago. When they come across a wrecked train, at
first it's a welcome distraction. But what Sham finds in the derelict—a
series of pictures hinting at something, somewhere, that should be
impossible—leads to considerably more than he'd bargained for. Soon he's
hunted on all sides, by pirates, trainsfolk, monsters and
salvage-scrabblers. And it might not be just Sham's life that's about to
change. It could be the whole of the railsea."
publisher
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