Subjective Chaos Kind of Awards 2020: The Nominees

Toss a pebble to* your author

O, readers of plenty,

O, readers of plenty.

Creators of worlds

with magical words

they astound and thrill

It's time to pay the bill

Subjective kind of chaos

The time is here

Toss a pebble to your author

O, readers of plenty,

O, readers of plenty.

The lines don't scan all that well and trying to make them rhyme was a chore, but at least it has a semblance of a meme-worthy vibe to it. Although the chorus is the best bit, even if I have to say so myself. (*Important note: Do not toss pebbles AT authors. The pebbles should be given TO authors.)

With that incoherent introduction and magical musical interlude out of the way it's time to announce the nominees for The 2020 Subjective Chaos Kind of Awards (SCKA). With the powers of eight book bloggers combined and using various other esoteric means the nominees for this year's awards have been narrowed down to the following works:

*Drum roll*

BEST FANTASY

• The Ten thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow
• The True Queen by Zen Cho
• Realm of Ash by Tasha Suri
• Kingdom of Souls by Rena Barron
• Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
• The Bone Ships by RJ Barker
• The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi

BEST SCIENCE FICTION

• Velocity Weapon by Megan E. O'Keefe
• Ancestral Night by Elizabeth Bear
• A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine
• Wanderers by Chuck Wendig
• The Outside by Ada Hoffman
• Steel Frame by Andrew Skinner
• All City by Alex DiFrancesco
• Fleet of Knives by Gareth L. Powell

BEST BLURRED BOUNDARIES

• The Infinite Noise by Lauren Shippen
• Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
• The Migration by Helen Marshall
• The Institute by Stephen King
• David Mogo, Godhunter by Suyi Davies Okungbowa
• The Last Supper Before Ragnarok by Cassandra Khaw
• The Kingdom by Jess Rothenberg
• The Strawberry Thief by Joanne Harris

BEST NOVELLA

• Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh
• This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone
• The Deep by Rivers Solomon
• Walking to Aldebaran by Adrian Tchaikovsky
• Incompleteness Theories by Wole Talabi
• To Be Taught, If Fortunate by Becky Chambers
• We Are Made of Diamond Stuff by Isabel Waidner

BEST SERIES

• The Winternight Trilogy by Katherine Arden
• Elemental Logic by Laurie J. Marks
• Empires of Dust by Anna Smith Spark
• Children of Time Duology by Adrian Tchaikovsky
• The Rosewater Trilogy AKA Wormwood Trilogy by Tade Thompson
• Swords and Fire by Melissa Caruso
• Luna Series by Ian McDonald
• The Winnowing Flame by Jen Williams

BEST SHORT WORK

• Do Not Look Back My Lion by Alix E. Harrow
• Doll Seed by Michele Tracy Berger
• In Regards to Your Concerns About Your Scare BnB Experience by Effie Seiberg
• Even When The World Has Told Us We Have Ended by Cat Hellisen
• The Ocean That Fades Into Sky by Kathleen Kayembe
• The Blanched Bones, The Tyrant Wind by Karen Osborne
• In This Moment, We Are Happy by Chen Qiufan
• Black Matter by Vivian Shaw
• This Book Will Find You by Sam Beckbessinger, Lauren Beukes & Dale Halvorsen
• The Migration Suite: A Study in C Sharp Minor by Maurice Broaddus

That's a lot of books. A whole lot! Over the coming months the judges will narrow things down to a shortlist and then ultimately crown a winner in each category. Each winner will be awarded an exclusive, hand-picked pebble from an exotic locale.

A huge congratulations to all the nominees! I'm excited to dive right in and discover new authors, some wonderful stories and brand new worlds.

Let the reading commence...