The New Dragon Awards
Exciting news! We have some familiar names nominated for the Dragon Awards!
DragonCon is a huge mult-genre fan convention that has run every year in Atlanta, Georgia since 1987. They have gamers, bookworms, comic geeks, fans of all sorts and they bill themselves as "the largest multi-media popular convention focusing on science fiction and fantasy,gaming, comics, literature, art, music, and film in the universe!" I'm not sure what their exact attendance was last year, but I know it was more than 60,000!
NEW this year are the Dragon Awards which are fan nominated and voted. Anyone can vote - it's free! This is a great opportunity to give some recognition to some of our lesser known, independent, and politically incorrect writers. And a way to strike back at the SJWs who have taken over the Hugo Awards. Voting closes at the end of this month so act soon. You will need an email address to register, then they send you a ballot.
Here are the nominees. There are 15 categories. I am highlighting the ones I am a familiar with (and striking out known SJWs - I'm just mean that way).
Dragon Award Nominees
1. Best Science Fiction Novel
Raising Caine by Charles E. GannonSomewhither: A Tale of the Unwitheriing Realm by John C. Wright
Agent of the Imperium by Marc Miller
Aurora by Kim Stanley Robinson
The Life Engineered by J-F Dubeau
2. Best Fantasy Novel (Including Paranormal)
The Cinder Spires: The Aeronaut's Windlass by Jim ButcherAsteroid Made of Dragons by G. Derek Adams
Grave Measures by R.R. Virdi
Son of the Black Sword by Larry Correia
Changeling’s Island by Dave Freer - CLFA member, the one with a cute cat cover I posted
3. Best Young Adult / Middle Grade Novel
Six of Crows by Leigh BardugoChangeling’s Island by Dave Freer - see above note
Updraft by Fran Wilde
Calamity by Brandon Sanderson
Trix and the Faerie Queen by Alethea Kontis
Carry On by Rainbow Rowell
The Shepherd's Crown by Terry Pratchett
Steeplejack by A.J. Hartley
4. Best Military Science Fiction or Fantasy Novel
Blood in the Water by Taylor AndersonAllies and Enemies: Fallen by Amy J. Murphy
The Price of Valor by Django Wexler
Chains of Command by Marko Kloos
Hell's Foundations Quiver by David Weber
Wrath of an Angry God: A Military Space Opera by Gibson Michaels - CLFA writer
5. Best Alternate History Novel
1635: A Parcel of Rogues by Eric Flint & Andrew DennisGermanica by Robert Conroy
League of Dragons by Naomi Novik
Deadlands: Ghostwalkers by Jonathan Maberry
Bombs Away: The Hot War by Harry Turtledove
1636: The Cardinal Virtues by Eric Flint & Walter H. Hunt
6. Best Apocalyptic Novel
Ctrl Alt Revolt! by Nick Cole - see my post about this banned bookA Time to Die by Mark Wandrey
Dark Age by Felix O. Hartmann
Chasing Freedom by Marina Fontaine - see my review
The Desert and the Blade by S.M. Stirling
7. Best Horror Novel
An Unattractive Vampire by Jim McDonielDisappearance at Devil's Rock by Paul Tremblay
Souldancer by Brian Niemeier
Chapelwood by Cherie Priest
Alice by Christina Henry
Honor at Stake by Declan Finn - CLFA member, one of his books is on my review list
8. Best Comic Book
SagaMs. Marvel
Daredevil
Civil War II
Astro City
Providence
DC Universe: Rebirth
9. Best Graphic Novel
Killing and Dying by Adrian Tomine
Sacred Heart by Liz Suburbia
March: Book Two by John Lewis & Andrew Aydin
Chicago by Glenn Head
Virgil by Steve Orlando
10. Best Science Fiction or Fantasy TV Series
The Expanse - SyfyDaredevil - Netflix
The Flash - CW
Outlander - Starz
Game of Thrones - HBO
Doctor Who - BBC
Jessica Jones - Netflix
11. Best Science Fiction or Fantasy Movie
The MartianStar Wars Episode 7: The Force Awakens
Crimson Peak - see my review
Ant-Man
Deadpool
Captain America: Civil War
The remaining categories are games, about which I know less than nothing.
12. Best Science Fiction or Fantasy PC / Console Game
Metal Gear Solid V by Konami Digital EntertainmentDarkest Dungeon by Red Hook Studios
Overwatch by Blizzard Entertainment
Fallout 4 by Bethesda Softworks
Undertale by Toby Fox
XCOM 2 by 2k Games
13. Best Science Fiction or Fantasy Mobile Game
Quaser One by Emre TaskinPewDiePie: Legend of the Brofist by Outerminds Inc.
Fallout Shelter by Bethesda Softworks
Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes by Electronic Arts
Hyper Burner by Patrick Cook
14. Best Science Fiction or Fantasy Board Game
Pandemic: Legacy by ZMan GamesStar Wars: Rebellion by Fantasy Flight Games
Talon by GMT Games
Codenames by Vlaada Chvatil
Monopoly: CTHULHU by USAopoly
Blood Rage by Cool Mini or Not
15. Best Science Fiction or Fantasy Miniatures / Collectible Card / Role-Playing Game
Deluxe Tunnels & Trolls by Flying BuffaloMagic the Gathering: Shadows over Innistrad by Wizards of the Coast
Star Wars: Armada by Fantasy Flight Games
Mousguard 2nd Edition by David Petersen & Luke Crane
Magic the Gathering: Battle of Zendikar by Wizards of the Coast
Call of Cthulhu Roleplaying Game (7th Edition) by Chaosium Inc.
Many thanks to Declan Finn, from whose blog I pulled this list. If you are ready to vote for your favorite writer/show/movie go to the Dragon Awards registration page. Winners will be announced on Labor Day Weekend.
I feel quite certain that Kim Stanley Robinson would wish you to strike out his name also.
ReplyDeleteI would suggest that Kim Stanley Robinson should make that request, yes?
DeleteThat's why I didn't phrase it as a request, merely an observation.
DeleteAre you quite certain? Perhaps you should encourage Kim Stanley Robinson speak in his own voice for such things. This, however, is just my observation. FWIW.
DeleteWell, if you're talking about "known SJW's,", Jessica Jones is about the most feminist, SJW-thing you could think of. Outlander is feminist as well, commenting heavily on rape culture, including the male lead being raped.
ReplyDeleteMarko Kloos withdrew his nominated book from last year's Hugos, becaused he wanted nothing to do with Mr Beale, and was awarded an Alfie by George RR Martin.
Oh yeah, and y'all forgot about Rey and Finn. And The Expanse has multiple female leads and POC!!
Ms. Marvel is also a Pakastani-American, Muslim superhero, written by a Muslim woman.
Just wanted to make sure you've got all your anti-PC, anti SJW ducks in a row.
So Kloos was recognized by both Beale and GRRM? Should he take pride in that Alfie, since Beale could have bestowed the same award?
DeleteFor a feminist, you seem to have a problem with females. Wy exclude them, when the OP did not. The POC problem you have is just flat racist. No reason otherwise to suggest getting rid of them.
You got a problem with Muslims?
Geez, maybe you should get your own house in order first.
Thanks for the assist! Never heard of most of those and really could care less. There are enough authors of stuff I like to read around that I don't need to waste my time with folks who'd rather preach at me than tell me a good story.
Delete@Paul
ReplyDeleteIt's called "sarcasm."
Hey, exclude whoever you want. Please enjoy the Dragon Awards, and leave out any SJWs you care to.
It just leaves better books for the Hugos, after all.
I don't exclude anybody. Why would I?
DeleteI haven't registered to vote in the Dragon Awards. I did for Hugos. Very pleased for some of the winners. Andy Weir, for example. Disappointed for others. Toni Weisskopf, for another example.
Please define "better books" - it doesn't compute. Shouldn't the better books, as voted on by fans, be similar? Hugos and Dragon are both fan awards, yes?
Despite the hate propaganda from the CHORFs, the Puppies have never been about pushing an ideology. They want ideology out of the fiction. The problem is that leftist ideologues cannot separate ideas from ideology, they must always judge ideas by their ideology, and label them progressive or racist/fascist/hate based on their biases and marxist dogma. SF is about great stories and great ideas, not pushing an ideology of identity and social justice politics.
DeleteIf they want the ideology out of the fiction why do they keep nominating John C. Wright, whose work seems to be all about hitting us over the head with his Christianity?
DeleteSee, for example, how he describes the Dragon-nominated Somewhither http://www.scifiwright.com/2015/07/somewhither-is-here/
It's not just the left that has ideology in their stories.
Uh, maybe because Wright is one of the best SFF writers of his generation, who happens to have a few stories written from Christian perspective? Are only atheists allowed to write?
DeleteFrom a storytelling point of view, I care about consistency of the world and the hero. A Catholic will pray when in a tight spot. A Catholic especially empowered by the Church will pray extra hard. Duh.
That may be what you care about but the puppies are very clear about wanting ideology out of their fiction. Wright builds worlds on a foundation of Christian myth and uses them to preach.
DeleteTo another Christian that might be OK. Read his description of Somewhither at the url I posted. Imagine if you replaced the Christian references in that with Islamic references. Would you still vote for it?
Well written or not it's still ideology-based fiction which, according to puppies, is bad.
Someone Else - I suspect you operate under a misapprehension. In reading materials from the Sad Puppies various campaigns, I've not seen them ever state that they opposed ideology. What they have consistently stated is that ideology should not be force-fed at the expense of story. That is a dramatically different statement. So, well-written ideological fiction is okay and, based on some of their recommendations, award-worthy even when it does not fit the general overarching libertarian bent of the puppies. They, after all, were not the ones that "No Award"-ed worthy entries solely to score political points.
Delete@Paul
ReplyDeleteMy comments are actually directed more to the blog owner, who is, after all, marking out two Hugo winners.
It's absolutely his loss. The Fifth Season is one of the best books I have read in years, and I'm delighted it won. The Sandman: Overture is also fantastic. But since the OP was bleating about "SJWs," I thought I would help him out.
re: Toni Weisskopf--she added absolutely nothing in the Hugo packet to point me to work she did, not even a list, so I figured she didn't care about my vote. Sheila Gilbert, on the other hand, included samples from books she edited. I'm not a publishing insider, so I can't make a choice without a little help.
You might wish to check your prejudices regarding the blog owner.
Deletere: Toni Weisskopf. I don't rely on packets for materials. I buy books, read posts, visit sites, watch the genre. Disappointing to think that a "fan" award, the Hugos, is dependent on the quality of free marketing materials rather than the work itself.
By the way, you still haven't explained what you meant by "better books". Better, how?
If you don't know why Toni deserves a Hugo, you don't really know the field at all.
DeleteSo which Baen books did she edit? She won't say so how can anyone decide if she deserves the award or one of the others?
DeleteUmmm, I don't think it is an either/or kind of award.... nominations are open to all books that meet the qualifications regardless of what the blogger or Bonnie or anyone else might think. It is about the story and fans nomming and voting for it.
ReplyDeleteThat's the beauty of it. Bloggers are allowed to make recommendations (or anti-recommendations, if you will :) ) But the fans will decide. Not a committee and not the fortunate few who can fork over $50 for the privilege. As it should be.
DeleteBetter cross out all the Eric Flint books too. He's a committed socialist who proudly admits to being a social justice warrior.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.ericflint.net/index.php/2015/05/14/and-again-on-the-hugo-awards/
Interesting post. He's a bit of a sloppy thinker and conflates his experiences a half-century ago with the current reality. As campus administrators are discovering all over the country, those previous noble works count for naught to the modern faint-hearts who daren't have their world view challenged.
DeleteI've read many Flint books, I actually know he's an old-school unionist and communist. I actually pondered striking him out too. But he doesn't seem part of the new wave of progressive-fascist SJWs. And he doesn't seem to screen his co-writers for political bias, so his actions seem to be in favor of story-telling over screed.
DeleteWhat I've gleaned from his fiction (no idea of his real life activities) is that he is a populist at heart, who is in denial of how the communist model has consistently failed the people.
Eric Flint is committed to both good storytelling and free speech. Also he does not presume to tell people which stories they must write and/or read. That makes him more of an ally than an enemy to those of us who don't wish our fiction limited by Progressive ideology.
ReplyDelete@ Bonnie: you refer to an obviously female blogger (votermom) by a male pronoun, then proceed to refer to her opinions as "bleating." You might want to check your own biases before judging others.
ReplyDeleteOr maybe, Bonnie is just too stupid to understand the difference between "he" and "she."
DeleteHmm. Fascinating. I predicted this https://madgeniusclub.com/2016/08/29/the-balkan-pie/ - I didn't know I was not so much being predictive as talking about something that had happened. And right here there are idiots begging to have authors and publisher lose income.
ReplyDeleteTo answer 'Someone else' Toni edited several of mine, Eric Flint's, David Drake's, David Weber's John Ringo's, Lois Bujold - I can give you a complete list of mine, but it is no particular secret. It's often in that 'Acknowledgement' part that no-one reads :-(. Her work is not just in actual editing but in that phase everyone forgets: acquiring. Given that the final decision rests with her, and she has bought some exceptional books, even if you don't know her structural or copy edit work, the evidence is out there to see.
On Eric Flint - he's a friend of mine as well as a co-author, with me, and with authors across the political spectrum. He is also the _only_ author of even a mildly public leftward slant to have had courage and integrity to get up on a very public platform and say that Irene Gallo of Tor Books was wrong and needed to apologize for her deliberate and vicious slander of the 'sad puppies' and their picks (where she called authors like Jim Butcher 'bad writers' and racists and homophobes), and that this was false, and that Irene knew it. He may be politically at odds with many folk, but he is a man integrity.
As for PoC nonsense from Bonnie: If you were going to display your ignorance you could scarcely have a better of admitting you have never read anything not 'approved' by your incestuous little circle-masturbation group, as several of the books being approved - including mine - have 'PoC' as heroes - or as I prefer to think of them human beings, individuals with weakness, strengths and histories, who given the setting of the story, don't happen to be 'white'. For the record, Bonnie, I dive for spiny lobster and spear fish - a dangerous passtime with about a thousand participants in this state. It kills about 2-4 a year. Three of us work together (1 on the boat, two underwater at a time) We are in a relationship of absolute trust and mutual reliance, where we keep each other alive. I've saved my friends lives, and they've saved mine. Of the three of us, I'm only one who can remotely be considered 'white'(and genetically I'm as Khoi-San as some 'black-Americans' are 'black' I'd bet)the other two being Maori and Aboriginal, two of the toughest most reliable friends I've ever had. Do you honestly think I'd be trusting my life to them if I hated them on the basis of race? Do you think they'd trust me? We like, respect and trust each other as men. We've seen each other in extremis, where there is no space for false fronts, not WisCon. And YOU tell ME I discriminate on race? Fuck me. That's about as meaningful as your hearty praise of Jemisin's book (which yes I waded through. It reads like white-bread upper middle class expectations, and 'surprise' it is all about those expectations on race). It probably is the best book you've ever read. As we've established you haven't read any of the competition, and it patted every one of your prejudices.