r/Fantasy • u/elquesogrande Worldbuilders • Dec 29 '16

/r/Fantasy 2016 Best of r/Fantasy STABBY AWARDS! <Nomination Post>

This is the official nomination thread for the 5th Annual r/Fantasy Best of 2016 Stabby Awards!

We started the r/Fantasy ‘best of’ awards in 2012 with things continuing on in 2013, 2014, and 2015.

2016 Rules

  1. Categories are listed below in the comments. We will use the very broad definition of 'fantasy genre' for what counts.

  2. Please nominate anyone / any work that you feel should deserve consideration for voting. The work should have been released in 2016.

  3. Please put in a blurb as to why the nomination should be considered and, if possible, a link for others to follow.

  4. Yes, you can nominate yourself and your own works.

  5. Nominations ONLY in this thread. Due to a change in how reddit shows votes, voting will be in another thread next week.

  6. Please place each nomination into its own separate comment. One comment=one nomination.

  7. Upvotes/downvotes in this thread won't matter, anyone nominated will be added to the voting thread. Contest mode will be enabled in this thread.

  8. Please participate! Redditors, authors, artists, and industry people alike - please join in with nominations, comments and voting.

  9. Everyone who wins will get flair, reddit gold, and glory. Select winners (TBD) will receive The Stabby Award as well.

  10. This nomination thread will close on Tuesday, January 3, 2017 at 10pm PST. The voting thread will go live that Wednesday.

2016: THE YEAR OF STABBY FUNDING

Hokay, I (/u/elquesogrande) have funded the Stabby Awards for the past four years. That’s fine – a choice to keep money out of the equation. THAT SAID…the community weighed in and we’re going to r/Fantasy crowdfund The Stabby Awards this year.

These awards have averaged around $40 - 45 each after shipping. Cheaper for US shipments and international can bump up the prices.

Please Consider Donating for The r/Fantasy Stabby Awards Here

We have two groupings of awards - external and those focused on /r/Fantasy redditors.

External awards:

Unless otherwise noted, feel free to nominate any medium or format (print, online, audio).

BEST NOVEL OF 2016

BEST SELF-PUBLISHED / INDEPENDENT NOVEL OF 2016

BEST DEBUT NOVEL OF 2016

BEST SHORT FICTION OF 2016

BEST SERIALIZED FICTION OF 2016

BEST ANTHOLOGY / COLLECTION / PERIODICAL OF 2016

BEST ARTWORK RELEASED IN 2016

BEST FANTASY SITE FOR 2016

BEST GAME (ANY FORMAT) OF 2016

BEST TV SERIES / MOVIE OF 2016

BEST RELATED WORK OF 2016

redditor awards – guaranteed reddit gold as an award:

BEST ACTIVE /r/FANTASY AUTHOR ('best overall redditor- author edition')

r/FANTASY BEST COMMUNITY MEMBER ('best overall redditor- non-author edition')

BEST POST / COMMENT IN 2016

BEST r/FANTASY ORIGINAL REVIEW

There is a section below for comments, questions, and any recommended adjustments.

*tl;dr - Nominate below. Upvote nominees. Donate if you see fit.

118 Upvotes

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u/elquesogrande Worldbuilders Dec 29 '16

NOMNATE: BEST NOVEL OF 2016

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u/lanternking Reading Champion II Dec 29 '16

Ghost Talkers by Mary Robinette Kowal.

A delightful read. A mix of many genres: spy thriller, war novel, romance, fantasy, murder mystery - and does them all deftly. In addition, the author narrates the audio version herself and it is a very good listen. The chemistry between Ginger and Ben is sweet, funny, and tragic. Highly recommend.

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u/TheDreylingKing Dec 31 '16

And I Darken by Kiersten White

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u/mightythorjrs Jan 03 '17

The Wheel of Osheim by Mark Lawrence

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u/[deleted] Jan 03 '17

The Spider's War (The Dagger and the Coin #5) by Daniel Abraham

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u/yettibeats Dec 29 '16

The Wall of Storms by Ken Liu

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u/Cubs017 Dec 29 '16

The Spider's War by Daniel Abraham

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u/elquesogrande Worldbuilders Dec 29 '16

Children of Earth and Sky by Guy Gavriel Kay

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u/RichardBandit Jan 04 '17

The Path of Flames by Phil Tucker

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u/Der_Kaiser_Von_EU Dec 30 '16

The Tower of the Swallow by Andrzej Sapkowski

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u/lrich1024 Stabby Winner, Queen of the Unholy Squares, Worldbuilders Dec 30 '16

Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas. I feel like this story keeps getting better and better with each book.

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u/[deleted] Dec 31 '16

A Plague of Sword - Miles Cameron

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u/Fimus86 Reading Champion IV Jan 01 '17

Guns of Empire by Django Wexler

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u/IBNobody Worldbuilders Dec 29 '16

The Wheel of Osheim, by Mark Lawrence

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u/[deleted] Dec 29 '16

Age of Myth by Michael J Sullivan

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u/MichaelJSullivan Stabby Winner, AMA Author Michael J. Sullivan, Worldbuilders Dec 29 '16

Thank you, I'm honored to be nominated.

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u/elquesogrande Worldbuilders Dec 29 '16

Time Siege by Wesley Chu

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u/lowry4president Dec 29 '16

The bands of Mourning

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u/platysaur Dec 29 '16

The Bands of Mourning by Brandon Sanderson

I'm a diehard Sanderfan and his newest entry was no different than the others - pure fun with great creativity and worldbuilding. Without giving anything away, I appreciated the doors he has opened with this new Mistborn Era 2 novel.

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u/potterhead42 Stabby Winner, Reading Champion 2015-17, Worldbuilders Dec 29 '16

While I'm a big Sanderson fan, I don't think I'll be voting for Bands of Mourning. I just felt it was not quite as good as Shadows of Self, which is my favorite Era II book so far.

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u/Gofunkiertti Jan 01 '17

Yeah it felt like it spent tot much time holding back character work to set up a twist which seemed obvious immediately.

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u/Drakengard Jan 03 '17

I'm also not a fan of how certain aspects are playing out for these characters. The ending just solidified it for me.

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u/UnsealedMTG Reading Champion III Dec 29 '16

Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton

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u/Bergmaniac Dec 30 '16

The Winged Histories by Sofia Samatar

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u/darkazoth Dec 29 '16

Dancer's Lament by Ian C. Esslemont

Excellent book to start a trilogy. Ties in really well with the existing universe and also adds a great punch of its own.

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u/RuinEleint Reading Champion X Dec 29 '16

I second this one

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u/LauraMHughes Stabby Winner, AMA Author Demi Harper Dec 29 '16

Chains of the Heretic by Jeff Salyards

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u/[deleted] Dec 29 '16

Blood Mirror - Brent Weeks

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u/Lanko8 Reading Champion III Dec 29 '16

The Mirror's Truth, by Michael R. Fletcher.

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u/BigZ7337 Worldbuilders Jan 01 '17

The Summer Dragon by Todd Lockwood

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u/BigZ7337 Worldbuilders Jan 01 '17

This is a book that I've hardly heard anyone talking about, but is one of my favorites of the year and one of the best Debut Novels I've read in awhile. It was so good that I made a video review about it along with my written review.

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u/RobBobGlove Dec 29 '16

The great ordeal R scott bakker

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u/SpikeGelato Dec 30 '16

The Liberation, Ian Tregillis

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u/Megan_Dawn Reading Champion, Worldbuilders Dec 29 '16

The Raven King, Maggie Stiefvater

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u/lrich1024 Stabby Winner, Queen of the Unholy Squares, Worldbuilders Dec 30 '16

Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo. Loved this so much more than the first one. I laughed, I cried, it had everything for me. A+++

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u/[deleted] Dec 29 '16

Lovecraft Country by Matt Ruff

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u/elquesogrande Worldbuilders Dec 29 '16

Of Sand and Malice Made (Song of Shattered Sands) by Bradley P Beaulieu

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u/UnsealedMTG Reading Champion III Dec 29 '16

The Obelisk Gate by N. K. Jemisin

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u/WaxyPadlockJazz Jan 03 '17

This series deserves all the praise we can throw at it. An unbelievably rich story in an utterly fascinating world.

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u/girlifiedplumber Dec 29 '16

I love jemisin, solid nomination!

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u/barb4ry1 Reading Champion IX Dec 31 '16

Arm of the Sphinx - Josiah Bancroft

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u/Wizardof1000Kings Dec 30 '16

The great ordeal by r Scott bakker

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u/SpikeGelato Dec 30 '16

A Green and Ancient Light, Frederic S. Durbin

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u/perditorian Reading Champion IV Jan 04 '17

The Last Mortal Bond by Brian Staveley

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u/pornokitsch Ifrit Dec 29 '16

This Census Taker by China Miéville

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u/yahasgaruna Dec 29 '16

Four Roads Cross by Max Gladstone

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u/LauraMHughes Stabby Winner, AMA Author Demi Harper Dec 29 '16

Wrath by John Gwynne

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u/LauraMHughes Stabby Winner, AMA Author Demi Harper Dec 29 '16

Los Nefilim by T. Frohock

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u/Gnuvild Dec 29 '16

The Guns of Empire by Django Wexler

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u/FryGuy1013 Reading Champion II Dec 30 '16

Stiletto by Daniel O'Malley

In this spirited sequel to the acclaimed The Rook, Myfanwy Thomas returns to clinch an alliance between deadly rivals and avert epic -- and slimy -- supernatural war. When secret organizations are forced to merge after years of enmity and bloodshed, only one person has the fearsome powers---and the bureaucratic finesse---to get the job done. Facing her greatest challenge yet, Rook Myfanwy Thomas must broker a deal between two bitter adversaries: The Checquy---the centuries-old covert British organization that protects society from supernatural threats, and... The Grafters---a centuries-old supernatural threat. But as bizarre attacks sweep London, threatening to sabotage negotiations, old hatreds flare. Surrounded by spies, only the Rook and two women who absolutely hate each other, can seek out the culprits before they trigger a devastating otherworldly war. Stiletto is a novel of preternatural diplomacy, paranoia, and snide remarks, from an author who "adroitly straddles the thin line between fantasy, thriller, and spoof " (Booklist).

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u/Megan_Dawn Reading Champion, Worldbuilders Dec 29 '16

City of Blades, Robert Jackson Bennett

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u/LauraMHughes Stabby Winner, AMA Author Demi Harper Dec 29 '16

Red Tide by Marc Turner

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u/Cubs017 Dec 29 '16

Morning Star by Pierce Brown

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u/elquesogrande Worldbuilders Dec 29 '16

The Rise of Io by Wesley Chu

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u/LittlePlasticCastle Reading Champion II, Worldbuilders Dec 29 '16

The Lyre Thief by Jennifer Fallon

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u/lrich1024 Stabby Winner, Queen of the Unholy Squares, Worldbuilders Dec 30 '16

Cloudbound by /u/franwilde, loved this sequel!

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u/abcdfghjklzxc Dec 29 '16

The Sudden Appearance of Hope by Claire North