2020 Locus Award Winners

The Locus Awards are kind of a big deal. One of the premier magazines in the speculative fiction and horror fields, Locus Magazine has, itself, won 30 Hugo Awards since its inception in 1968. The Locus Awards were first awarded in 1971, and winners are chosen by polling the magazine’s readers.

This year’s awards were given out during a virtual ceremony on June 27th and are presented to works published in the previous calendar year. So. Without further ado, your 2020 Locus Award winners are:

Science Fiction Novel

The City in the Middle of the Night by Charlie Jane Anders: A dying planet – half permanent frozen night and half boiling day – provides only two havens for its inhabitants: two ancient cities built in dusk. But Sophie, an exiled revolutionary, finds survival in the night and the possibility of change… if she can survive.

Fantasy Novel

Middlegame by Seanan McGuire: Roger is a master of words. Dodger is a master of numbers. Reed is the alchemist who created them both, and only he knows they’re not quite human. They aren’t gods either. Not yet.

Horror Novel

Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James: I have this one but haven’t had a chance to read it yet; I’ve also heard some argument with its categorization as a horror novel. Please remember that I didn’t categorize the books, I’m just telling you where they landed. I’ll bump this one up the list and report back.

Tracker breaks his own rule of always working alone when – on the search for a missing boy – he agrees to join a group that includes the shape-shifting Leopard. As the journey becomes more intense, and more dangerous, Tracker starts to wonder exactly who the boy is, why he’s been missing so long, and why he’s been sent to find someone others clearly want to remain hidden.

Young Adult Novel

Dragon Pearl by Yoon Ha Lee: This one is from the absolutely wonderful Rick Riordan Presents imprint and The Roarbots were lucky enough to have a chat with the author last year. I’ll let him speak for himself.

First Novel

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir: This one I have read, and I absolutely adored it. Lesbian necromancers in space! Death cults! Bone magic! Shady emperors! Goth aesthetic! Human sacrifice! Weirdly, also romance! I absolutely cannot recommend this one highly enough, and the second book in the series, Harrow the Ninth, is scheduled for release soon so if you haven’t hoovered Gideon yet, get on that. Now. Go. Why are you still here?

Novella

This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone: I started this one and need to go back to it when I’m in the right headspace (world on fire wasn’t it) because I absolutely love the idea of two time agents falling in love and risking their respective side’s victories to leave each other letters. It’s brilliant and the writing from both el-Mohtar and Gladstone is gorgeous.

Novelette

Omphalos by Ted Chiang: Part of Chiang’s collection Exhalation, Omphalos examines the tension between faith and science but, rather than finding the two at odds, the narrator discovers her faith deepens as she spends more time on the road of scientific inquiry.

Short Story

“The Bookstore at The End of America” by Charlie Jane Anders from A People’s Future of the United States edited by Victor LaValle and John Joseph Adams: This story takes place at a bookstore at the boundary between California and the United States – which are at war. This collection is another book I have but haven’t had a chance to really dig into. I will be bumping it up the list as well, never fear.

Anthology

New Suns: Original Speculative Fiction by People of Color edited by Nisi Shawl: New and experienced writers share sci-fi, fantasy, and horror stories rooted in possible pasts and futures freed from stereotypes and clichés and – oops not oops – I just bought it.

Collection

Exhalation by Ted Chiang: A combination of new stories and previously uncollected work, Chiang explores thought-provoking, disturbing, and important questions through a spec-fic lens.

Nonfiction

Monster, She Wrote: The Women Who Pioneered Horror and Speculative Fiction by Lisa Kröger and Melanie R. Anderson: Part biography and part reading guide, Monster, She Wrote takes readers beyond Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein to the other women who pioneered the genres now known as science fiction, steampunk, and horror. I had requested an ARC of this one and gotten turned down; then, in the landslide of books that exists, completely forgot about it – TO THE LIBRARY!

Illustrated and Art Book

Spectrum 26: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art edited by John Fleskes: science fiction, fantasy, horror, and surreal art by creators from all over the world are gathered in a single, full-color volume for your viewing pleasure. Art of all types, from video games to fine art, is included to honor the artists who help us see the world in new ways.

Special Award 2020: Inclusivity and Representation Education

Writing the Other by Nisi Shawl, Cynthia Ward, and K. Tempest Bradford: During the 1992 Clarion worship, a student suggested that it was best not to write about cultures one was not a part of rather than make a mistake. Shaw and Ward disagreed, feeling this was taking the easy way out and suggested, instead, putting in the effort to learn how to do so properly. They have since developed a workshop focusing on the learning process, and Writing the Other is the manual for that workshop.