Greg Lake

Just one snippet of news before closing-down for the Christmas weekend: two chapbooks ("Angel of Silences" and "Legend of False Dreaming") have been nominated in the chapbook category in the This is Horror Awards. Splendid!

And that's it, for now. I hope you all have a great time with your family and friends this weekend.

Take care.

The winners will be announced at this years FantasyCon…

Sparrowhawk by Paul Finch

The Places Between by Terry Grimwood

The Red House by David J Thacker

Thanks to the authors for their permission, and you can naturally purchase the paperback version of these tales. As always, please respect their copyright.

Happy reading!

EDIT: the British Fantasy Awards 2011 long-list has been announced… with three nominations in the Best Novella category, plus two artists in the Artist list and a personal one for Best Small Press, which I'm always pleased to see but pretty much know that someone else will win it – just hoping either Paul, Terry or David pick up the Novella gong.

If any BFS members are reading this, then contact me for a free PDF reading copy of any of the nominated titles.

Best Novel

Silversands by Gareth L Powell

Sparrowhawk by Paul Finch

The Places Between by Terry Grimwood

Best Novella

Rattus by Simon Maginn

The Invisible Architect of Psychopathy by Gary Fry

The Red House by David J Thacker

Best Artist

Vincent Chong for Silversands

Steve Upham for Feral Companions and The Red House; James Higgins for Sparrowhawk

Ben Baldwin for The Places Between

With regard to the three novels, they could technically be considered novellas since they are long novellas.

September is always a good month – mainly due to the annual BFS convention. I've been going for a few years now, though some have been going for longer than I've been alive!

This year, though, will be different: I won't be trading! My year off will also involve a free weekend of milling about, wandering aimlessly, nursing a hangover – instead of sitting behind a dealer's table, cupping a bottle of water and nursing a hangover. In addition, I will be catching the train up and staying overnight on Sunday, but that's by the by.

Pendragon books will be on sale, though, courtesy of Steve Upham's Screaming Dreams table.

Like last year, and if you ask me the change was about bloody due, the highlight of FCon is the presentation of the British Fantasy Awards. This year, Pendragon is recognised in the following categories:

Best Novella
Heads by Gary McMahon
The Narrows by Simon Bestwick

Best Anthology
We Fade to Grey ed. Gary McMahon (which contains the above two novellas)

PS Best Small Press Award

No chance of winning the last one, but I reckon Gary has a very strong chance in securing Best Anthology (not to mention Best Novel and Collection too… if he does win all three, then I think he would be the first ever in it's history…)

Anyway, I mainly go there to catch up with a few people, quoff a few beers (hopefully the hotel will get it right this year and realise, yes, we do drink…) and have one or two curries.

So, if you're going – see you there. If you not, then why not?

(Mind you, I may actually end up missing next year's event…)

Best Anthology
Myth-Understandings, ed. Ian Whates
The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror 19, ed. Stephen Jones
We Fade to Grey, ed. Gary McMahon
Subtle Edens, ed. Allen Ashley
The 2nd Humdrumming Book of Horror, ed. Ian Alexander Martin
Cone Zero, ed. D F Lewis

The August Derleth Best Novel
Memoirs of a Master Forger by William Heaney/Graham Joyce
Rain Dogs by Gary McMahon
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
The Victoria Vanishes by Christopher Fowler
Midnight Man by Simon Clark
Thieving Fear by Ramsey Campbell

The PS Best Small Press Award
Elastic Press (Andrew Hook)
NewCon Press (Ian Whates)
TTA Press (Andy Cox)
Pendragon Press (a lack of pretension forbids me from mentioning a name)
Screaming Dreams (Steve Upham)

Best Collection
Bull-Running for Girls by Allyson Bird
Just After Sunset by Stephen King
Islington Crocodiles by Paul Meloy
Glyphotech by Mark Samuels
How to Make Monsters by Gary McMahon

Best Novella
Gunpowder by Joe Hill
The Narrows by Simon Bestwick
Cold Stone Calling by Simon Clark
The Reach of Children by Tim Lebbon
Heads by Gary McMahon

Best Short Fiction
All Mouth / The Vague by Paul Meloy
Do You See by Sarah Pinborough
Winter Journey by Joel Lane
The Caul Bearer by Allyson Bird
The Tobacconist's Concession by John Travis
Pinholes in Black Muslin by Simon Strantzas
N by Stephen King

Best Artist
Lee Thompson
Les Edwards / Edward Miller
Vincent Chong
Dave McKean

Best Magazine
Black Static / Interzone
Midnight Street, ed. Trevor Denyer
SFX, ed. Dave Bradley
PostScripts, eds. Peter Crowther & Nick Gevers

There are other categories for Non-Fiction, Graphic Novel, Film & Television – which can be found here.

Supreme congratulations to all on the list, and all members of the BFS and attendees of FantasyCon are obliged to vote. If you're a tad stumped, then you can always read Simon Bestwick and Gary McMahon's novellas from We Fade to Grey below (scroll down), and of course you can buy the PPC-edition of said anthology (plus last year's short-listed New Writings in the Fantastic) for £20 in the Books page.

I heard this morning from Ellen Datlow. She's selected "The Narrows" for her Best Horror of the Year 2008 anthology.

Just scroll down a little and you can read said novelette/novella (which is also one of three long-listed in the novella category for the British Fantasy Award).

:))

Well, it didn't work… so I took each individual novella and converted them individually to Issuu:

Heads

The Mill

The Narrows

These files will be deleted once voting is completed. Enjoy. :)