The David Gemmell Award 2009

[Werthead]

The 2009 (and first) David Gemmell Award is currently being voted upon. The design of the award is to find the best 'heroic' fantasy novel of the year (although that definition seems to be applied rather loosely, based on the shortlist) and there are about 80 books on the final shortlist. My vote went to Paul Kearney's excellent The Ten Thousand but other nominess include Joe Abercrombie's Last Argument of Kings (which seems to have a good chance of winning at the moment), Richard Morgan's The Steel Remains, Peter Brett's The Painted Man (a strong showing for a debut novel), Steven Erikson's Toll the Hounds, Ian Esslemont's Return of the Crimson Guard and KJ Parker's The Company.

Voting is open for all, but I haven't linked it as I'm not sure what the forum policy is on that. It's an interesting year to start the award off, as there's a distinct lack of the normal big names whose fanbases would turn out in strength for this. Next year I can see GRRM (hopefully), Jordan, Rothfuss, Bakker and Lynch fans piling in in huge numbers, but this year the field seems more wide open, and thus the result should be more interesting.

 

[ChrisW]

Voting is open for all, but I haven't linked it as I'm not sure what the forum policy is on that.

I'm 99% sure it's ok. http://gemmellaward.com/

I went with "Last Argument of Kings" as though I have bought some of the other books on that list that's the only one i've read sofar.

Sanderson might have chance. Not sure how popular he is in the UK though. The Erikson forum groupies will also make a big push for him and we all know about there ballot stuffing

Crappy forums

 

[suciul]

I read from the final 78 book pdf list 1(SF!) ,2, 3, 11, 13, 16, 17, 18, 23, 25, 37, 39(SF!), 46, 73, 75 and there are quite a few others I tried them or earlier volumes and were not for me.

There were 3 clear choices for me, Kingdom Beyond the Waves by S. Hunt, Ten Thousand by P. Kearney and Engine's Child by H. Phillips which are all on the 2-4 spot in my top list in genre fantasy 08 books for me, and I finally decided to go with the one I enjoyed the most maybe because it was such a positive surprise, namely Engine's Child.

But I would have happily voted for any of those three, and also for The Painted Man by P. Brett which is about 6 on my top genre fantasy 2008 list.

 

[ChrisW]

Next year I can see GRRM (hopefully), Jordan, Rothfuss, Bakker and Lynch fans piling in in huge numbers

Well imo we can lock in the winners for the next two years now.

GRRM for 2009 and every 4-5 years after that. Even if Sanderson gets part one of AMoL in on time I don't see it being good enough to knock of ADWD as all the best stuff will be in part two.

Jordan/Sanderson for AMoL part two in 2010 unless Sanderson completely screws it up.

Years are for when the books published not the award year

 

[Werthead]

Depends on the Award. The Hugos are always for the year before, so the Best Novel at the 2008 Hugo Awards (held in August 2008) could go to any book published between 1 January and 31 December 2007. The DG award doesn't actually have a year attached to it so it's not really an issue yet.

 

[Hobbit]

The DG award doesn't actually have a year attached to it so it's not really an issue yet.

The qualifications were that it was a book published in 2008.

They had to be nominated by a publisher, which seems to have been very popular as we had 78 suggested.

I wouldn't hold your breath too much though about predicting future winners. The key phrase for me was that the nominees are

'deemed to be Fantasy and/or in the spirit or tradition of David Gemmell’s own work.'

(My enboldenment. )


Mark

 

[JamesL]

My vote also went to The Ten Thousand by Paul Kearney.

My concern is that people will just vote for their favourite novel, which is not what the award is about. The reason I voted for The Ten Thousand is because it - to me at least - had distinct shades of Gemmell: excellent battle scenes, strong but fallible characters, and exploration of themes such as loyalty and courage.

If we're talking about novels in 2008 that evoke the spirit of Gemmell's writing, then for me none can top The Ten Thousand.

I just hope the winner is worthy of the award - there are plenty of novels on the longlist that don't deserve to win it.

 

[Hobbit]

My concern is that people will just vote for their favourite novel, which is not what the award is about.

I guess that's the same for any award, James. And it has caused some discussion!

The reason I voted for The Ten Thousand is because it - to me at least - had distinct shades of Gemmell: excellent battle scenes, strong but fallible characters, and exploration of themes such as loyalty and courage.

I would agree with that Gemmellesque quality. So too perhaps James Barclay's Ravensoul.

I just hope the winner is worthy of the award - there are plenty of novels on the longlist that don't deserve to win it.

That's where the shortlist comes in, I guess.

Mark

 

[JamesL]

You're probably right on all three counts, Mark!

I've not read the new Barclay, so I can't comment. However, his first three novels did remind me of Gemmell at times.

I have to admit to some concern though at the change in the voting structure. At first the idea was that the judges would pick the eventual winner from the short-list (voted for by readers). However, now it seems that the winner will be chosen solely by reader vote (please correct me if I'm wrong!).

I think I'd prefer the winner to be picked from the shortlist by judges, as at least there's an element of quality control (you'd think, at least!). But if the whole thing is done based on reader votes, it opens the door for a novel to win that maybe doesn't necessarily fulfil the criteria (ie, a novel written in the spirit of Gemmell).

Maybe I'm just being a bit grouchy - I blame the comedown from all that festive chocolate...and the fact that I'm at work.

 

[Hobbit]

I have to admit to some concern though at the change in the voting structure. At first the idea was that the judges would pick the eventual winner from the short-list (voted for by readers). However, now it seems that the winner will be chosen solely by reader vote (please correct me if I'm wrong!).

Yup. Again, I can totally understand your reasoning. And the point was made and caused a great deal of discussion.

I think in the end it was decided that, as David was a populist writer, it would be fitting that the winner should be a populist vote. After all, to allow critics to choose might be a little hypocritical when you think about how David's books were received by the critics rather than the fans.

But I guess we'll see.

Mark

 

[Mithfânion]

At first I was confused because of the huge amount of nominees but reading the award rules I see now how it works and it seems good to me. A shortlist will be created, and from that a winner will be picked by a panel.

I am in any case for the idea of having an award for a type of Fantasy that is so consistently and deliberately ignored by the other SFF awards.

 

[Werthead]

After all, to allow critics to choose might be a little hypocritical when you think about how David's books were received by the critics rather than the fans.

I don't think I've ever read a bad review of Gemmell. David Langford championed his books and SFX Magazine's editor for about ten years had Gemmell down as his favourite author and made pretty much every one of his books a book of the month when they came out. Critically, Gemmell seems to have done pretty well.

 

[ChrisW]

At first I was confused because of the huge amount of nominees but reading the award rules I see now how it works and it seems good to me. A shortlist will be created, and from that a winner will be picked by a panel.

Mb you should read again. The long list(those up for voting now) is a public vote(I assume). The short list from what I can tell is just a run off between the top 5, once again a public vote. That is unless they have changed it again.

I wouldn't hold your breath too much though about predicting future winners. The key phrase for me was that the nominees are
Quote:
'deemed to be Fantasy and/or in the spirit or tradition of David Gemmell’s own work.'

(My enboldenment. )

Given what's on the long list this year they are applying the Gemmell part very loosely and I don't see how they could exclude RJ and GRRM based on this years selection and that's the only way those two wouldn't win imo. Even if only 1% of there worldwide fanbase voted they'd still win.

the DGLA is NOT looking for an author who writes just like David Gemmell, that would be a very narrow field! So when we say we are looking for someone who writes in “the spirit of” David Gemmell, what do we actually mean?

• Skillfully – with a pace that draws you in and doesn’t let you go – you know, books that you’re STILL reading at three in the morning!

• Very strong characterisation – characters you root for and care about.

• A world you can believe in straight away.

Based on that, all fantasy is in the running imo.

 

[suciul]

Based on that, all fantasy is in the running imo.

Some SF and historical fiction too considering some of the selections (Margarets, Winterstrike, Gladiatrix). Not that I have anything against raising the profile of as many genre books as possible...

 

[Hobbit]

I don't think I've ever read a bad review of Gemmell.

If you look in the genre then, yes, although SFX have admitted that they saw him as a sword and axe merchant, at least to start with. That view is now corrected, btw.

However outside the genre David had a more bumpy ride: when you could get them to review it, that is. Many wouldn't even bother.

Mark

 

[JamesL]

I don't think I've ever read a bad review of Gemmell.

Well, in his earlier days he got a review that - in its entirety - went something like this: "The only thing I liked about this book (Lord of the Rings rip-off with no characterisation) was the butch chick on the cover."

Gemmell enjoyed bringing that up in interviews!

 

[Cranky Hamster]

Gemmell's gotten plenty of bad reviews. Anybody who writes as many books as he did is going to have a couple of clunkers in the lot, and there are lots of people who don't particularly care for his work even when it's in top form. I generally enjoy his books, but I'll readily admit that he recycles characters, plot structures, and language all over the place, that his books tend to have really choppy transitions, and that he's got numerous weird little tics (such as specifying that there are 286 men in a given company, regardless of whether that information is necessary, relevant, realistic, or something that the POV character could even know).

When he's on, the numerous strengths of his work outweigh the flaws, but his off books have deservedly been drubbed both in and out of genre-specific reviews.

 

[Hobbit]

From Stan Nicholls's blog page, just to clarify:

For those of you who don't know, we recently took the decision to change the way the Award is administered. We've now decided against having a panel of judges choosing the winner from the five shortlisted titles. Instead, we're going for an open vote all the way. Readers get to vote on both the longlist - consisting of titles submitted by all the UK and US publishers, supplemented by the public - and the five finalists. This is a totally democratic award, the outcome of which will be determined by popular vote. It's a method that we feel offers complete transparency; and which, given his devotion to his readers, we're sure would have been approved by David Gemmell. Potential voters can be assured that mechanisms are in place to make sure the process is entirely fair and aboveboard - we've employed a respected company that specialises in vetting online voting - and all the voting figures will be made public when the poll closes.

I understand that in 4 days there's been nearly 900 votes cast.

Mark

 

[Joe Abercrombie]

I understand that in 4 days there's been nearly 900 votes cast.

Mark

And I was only responsible for 883 of those.

I think the award's a great thing, incidentally, both in commemorating Gemmell and addressing an area of fantasy that tends to get a bit cold shouldered by other genre awards. But I feel the changes to the voting system are a bit of a shame. I liked the idea of a public vote to produce a shortlist which is then picked from by a panel. That seemed to offer a good balance between the two approaches, as well as meaning a panel would only have to read five books. Plus it would allow them to steer the award toward a book they felt was Gemmell-esque, if that is supposed to be part of the criteria. With a public vote it doesn't seem you can really impose any particular criteria at all. Plus I've never quite seen the point of awards that are purely based on a public vote, after all sales figures are pretty much the ultimate test of how much a book is liked by the public. And sales are kind of their own reward.

Though naturally, I totally endorse whatever method gives me the best chance of winning.

 

[Hobbit]

For the record, here's the long list of nominees:

1. The Margarets, Sheri S Tepper
2. Red Wolf Conspiracy, Robert V.S. Reddick
3. The Last Argument of Kings, Joe Abercrombie
4. The Burning Man, Mark Chadbourn
5. The Steel Remains, Richard Morgan
6. Blood of Elves, Andrzej Sapkowski
7. Red Gloves, Beth Vaughan
8. Ravensoul, James Barclay
9. The Grave Thief, Tom Lloyd
10. Graceling, Kristin Cashore
11. Dragonforge, James Maxey
12. The Blood King, Gail Z. Martin
13. The Ten Thousand, Paul Kearney
14. Gladiatrix, Russell Whitfield
15. Going Under, Justina Robson
16. Bloodheir, Brian Ruckley
17. The Company, K. J. Parker
18. The Way of Shadows, Brent Weeks
19. Shadow Gate, Kate Elliott
20. Wolfblade, Jennifer Fallon
21. The Riven Kingdom, Karen Miller
22. Path of Revenge, Russell Kirkpatrick
23. The Painted Man, Peter V. Brett
24. Royal Exile, Fiona McIntosh
25. The Kingdom Beyond the Waves, Stephen Hunt
26. Wrath of a Mad God, Raymond E. Feist
27. The Twisted Citadel, Sara Douglass
28. The Divine Talisman, Eldon Thompson
29. Shadowmage, Matthew Sprange
30. The Clockwork King of Orl, Mike Wild
31. Heldenhammer, Graham McNeill
32. Nagash the Sorcerer, Mike Lee
33. Elfslayer, Nathan Long
34. Magic Burns, Ilona Andrews
35. City of Jade, Dennis L. McKiernan
36. Dragon Strike (Age of Fire), EE Knight
37. Empire in Black and Gold, Adrian Tchaikovsky
38. The Dog of the North, Tim Stretton
39. Winterstrike, Liz Williams
40. Heir to Sevenwaters, Juliet Marillier
41. King of Ithica, Glyn Iliffe
42. A Darkness Forged in Fire, Chris Evans
43. The Return of the Crimson Guard, Ian C. Esslemont
44. Toll the Hounds, Steven Erikson
45. The Two Pearls of Wisdom, Alison Goodman
46. Havemercy, Jaida Jones and Danielle Bennett
47. Iron Angel, Alan Campbell
48. Fallen, Tim Lebbon
49. Tracing the Shadow, Sarah Ash
50. Final Sacrifice, Patricia Bray
51. Shadows Return, Lynn Flewelling
52. The Vacant Throne, Joshua Palmatier
53. A Magic of Twilight, S.L. Farrell
54. The Hidden City, Michelle West
55. Goblin War, Jim C. Hines
56. The Shadow Ilse, Katharine Kerr
57. The Dark Ferryman, Jenna Rhodes
58. King's Shield, Sherwood Smith
59. The Soldier King, Violette Malan
60. Foundation, Mercedes Lackey
61. The Golden Tower, Fiona Patton
62. The Dragons of Babel, Michael Swanwick
63. In a Time of Treason, David Keck
64. Steward of Song, Adam Stemple
65. The Ancient, R. A. Salvatore
66. Mage-Guard of Hamor, L. E. Modesitt, Jr
67. Ill Met in the Arena, Dave Duncan
68. The Phoenix Endangered, Mercedes Lackey, James Mallory
69. The Hero of Ages, Brandon Sanderson
70. The Gods Return, David Drake
71. Thirteen Orphans, Jane Lindskold
72. The Queen’s Bastard, C. E. Murphy
73. Shadowbridge, Gregory Frost
74. Victory of Eagles, Naomi Novik
75. The Engine’s Child, Holly Phillips
76. A Woman Worth Ten Coppers, Morgan Howell
77. Dragon Strike, EE Knight

There's deliberately not an order, though I'm sure Joe would like me to highlight Number 3.

(Actually, there's quite a few SFFWorld-ers on that list. Way to go, woot, woot and all that.)

Mark