Everything Is Better With Dragons
Book blogger, Autistic, Probably a Dragon
BOOK DESCRIPTION
Murder has come to the city of Tronte…
Holtar didn’t become a necromancer for the prestige—he did it because talking to the dead is marginally easier than dealing with the living. Unfortunately, his latest case has given him a fresh problem: the corpses aren’t talking.
Epilogue – A month (I.G.A.S.S. Standard) later, on Ascend
Maria flopped on to xyr settee, drained from spending all day on a video call giving evidence in the trial of the former human governor of Aurox. For a week xe’d been giving depositions against the regime on Aurox and their crimes, including the harassment Maria and Sahrai had received from Josh Dalton, the senior security officer. It had upset xyr when evidence of the abuse of the bovids had been presented and the testimony of human prisoners forced to labour on Rocky Horror.
Continue reading “Maria and the Star-Dragons: Epilogue”Chapter 20 – Maria still among the Auroxians
Maria listened to the conversation around xyr. Xe laughed quietly (for xyr) when Dr Suah Painen repeated the Auroxian saying about the jungle.
“That’s one way of describing the vegetation around here.”
Continue reading “Maria and the Star Dragons: Chapter 20”Although a geologist by trade, Suah had been on enough new planets to have picked up basic skills in cultural analysis. Observing the Auroxians had been a distraction from the horror of events since arriving on Aurox. She shuddered, remembering the day the research party had been attacked.
Continue reading “Maria and the Star-Dragons Chapter 19”Maria watched the frantic activity as Lah-Shah and his honour guard arrived at the den.
“Come on Mrrh-waa, we’d better go and rescue him from your family.” Xe waited while the tablet translated for Mrrh-waa.
Continue reading “Maria and the Star-Dragons: Chapter 18”As I’m typing this (Tuesday 2nd September 2025) the Jury for the Best Collection Award for the 2025 British Fantasy Awards is deciding our winner. I can’t post these reviews until after the awards, so I’ve scheduled this post for Monday 3rd November 2025, after both the British Fantasy Awards and the World Fantasy Awards. I’m attending both this year, and you’ll probably find a list of winners popping up around the same time as this post.
The nominated books for the Best Collection Award this year were:
They were all really good, but I found Limelight and Elephants in Bloom the most enjoyable. There’s something joyous about them as collections, the writing was good, and I enjoyed the variety of stories in each. I really couldn’t decide between them.
I get what Bennett was trying to do with Preaching to the Perverted, and individually the stories are impactful, but as a collection they’re really depressing. There’s not hope in them for a better future just present and past pain. It was a very challenging read, centring the experience of gay men, which is unusual in horror, or so I’m told (I don’t read much horror).
For Dirt Upon My Skin, the theme of archaeology appealed to me. It’s different and the way the author incorporates aspects of archaeological practice into each story in different ways was imaginative.
Mood Swings had some stories I liked but overall left little impression.
I already had a copy of Limelight (signed!) that I picked up at Fantasycon 2024, but I received a copy to read as part of the Jury. This means I have a pristine, unread (unsigned) copy of Limelight and other stories, by Lyndsey Croal to give away.
To enter, comment below.
Closing date 30th November 2025
UK only
I’ll put names in a hat and contact the winner by 1st December 2025 for a postal address.
Today is a wash.
I’m sick.
My throat is raw from coughing all night and I want to vomit.
I’m miffed. I made a dress for the Banquet and Awards. I was going to a panel about Discworld.
I’m not going to be able to see my friends before we all leave Brighton.
I want to vomit. Have I mentioned that?
I’m going to watch the World Fantasy Awards on the internet and hope the technology is working.
Now I’ve finished writing up my despatches I’m going back to bed to sulk.
Update:
I had a nap then woke up in time to watch the World Fantasy Awards on the stream.
Best Novel – The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett (Del Rey; Hodderscape)
Best Novella – Yoke of Stars, by R.B. Lemberg (Tachyon)
Best Short Fiction – “Raptor”, Maura McHugh (Heartwood: A Mythago Wood Anthology)
Best Anthology – Heartwood, Dan Coxon, ed. (Drugstore Indian)
Best Collection – A Sunny Place for Shady People, by Mariana Enríquez, translated by Megan McDowell (Hogarth US; Granta)
Best Artist – Liv Rainey-Smith
Special Award – Professional – Sydney Paige Guerrero, Gabriela Lee & Anna Felicia Sanchez, for Mapping New Stars: A Sourcebook on Philippine Speculative Fiction (The University of the Philippines Press)
Special Award – Non-Professional – Steve J Shaw, for Black Shuck Books
And now I’m going back to bed.
I woke up feeling off so I had a steady morning and made my appearance at the con hotel in time for my second panel – Queer in Fantasy at noon. It was supposed to be streamed but staffing changes prevented it. Sian took another picture of me. I’m pointing at the book on the table, it’s I Want That Twink Obliterated from Bona Books. I was expressing my excitement.
Chris McCartney, Katie Bruce, and Christopher Caldwell were also on the panel, which was moderated by Burdock Broughton, who writes as April Steenburgh. I was beginning to feel unwell so I didn’t have much helpful to add. I mainly listened to everyone else and asked for a list of the books they’d all recommended. People have said that I made good comments but I have my doubts. I was overwhelmed and had brain fog for most of it.
After this panel I went to the quieter area and did some embroidery. I also made a quick visit to the dealer’s room to buy a book from AK Faulkner, Blind Man’s Wolf, and then planned to head to the ‘Creative Lives’ panel, but I got into the room and the bright lights were too painful, so I sat in the dark corridor, ate my sandwich and read Blind Man’s Wolf.
I attending the only reading I’ve been to this con, by Stephen Cox and AK Faulkner. Stephen Cox read from his Sapphic Victorian murder mystery, The Crooked Medium’s Guide to Murder, while AK read from Jack of Thorns and Blind Man’s Wolf.
After that I attended the ‘The Role of Reviewers’ panel in the same room. As a reviewer I was interested in how others saw their role, and also I didn’t need to more from the sofa I’d taken up residence on. Then I moved on to the Academic Hour, and listened to early career researchers talk about their research. The talk about Romanian folklore in fantasy was particularly interesting.
At six in the evening my throat started to feel scratchy, and I coughed my way through the ‘Editing and Editors’ panel. Luckily I was at the back and out of the way so I don’t think I bothered anyone. It was interesting, but by this point I was not able to take a lot in. I learnt that editors generally want the best for the writers and there is tension when they work for publishers because they have to balance the demands of publishing as an industry with the needs of the writers they work with.
At 7 p.m. it was the charity raffle. This is a Fantasycon tradition and stalwart Red Cloaks Babs and Marleen came through once again. They announced the ‘big prizes’ and were drawing the smaller prizes afterwards. I didn’t win anything.
Finally, at 7.30p.m. I made it up to the main room for the British Fantasy Awards. The awards were streamed although there were some technical difficulties.
The Aldiss Award – The Dance of Shadows, by Rogba Payne
This is a new award, organised in partnership with the BFS, BSFA, and UKIE to recognise excellence in World Building in Speculative Fiction, whether in books or games. It was presented by Brian Aldiss’ son, Tim.
The BFS awards were compared by Joanne Harris after Tim and Allen finished talking. I’m going to share the results, which are now available on the BFS website.
Best Anthology – Bury Your Gays – An Anthology of Tragic Queer Horror, Sofia Ajram, Ghoulish Books
Presented by Joanne Harris, and collected on their behalf by same.
Best Artist – Kelly Chong
Presented by Vincent Chong, five time winner of the award and Guest of Honour, who also read out Kelly Chong’s acceptance speech.
Best Audio – Breaking the Glass Slipper
Presented by BFS Secretary David Green, and collected by Lucy and Charlotte. Megan is in Italy.
Best Collection – Elephants in Bloom by Cecile Cristofari – Newcon Press
I judged this one so I already knew the winner. It was actually the first award to be presented after the Aldiss Award, but I’m working through a pre-printed list. The award was presented by Anne Landmann and collected by the author.
Best Fantasy Novel (The Robert Holdstock Award) – Masquerade, by O.O. Sangoyomi – Forge Books/Solaris
This award was presented by the venerable Suniti Namjoshi, a Guest of Honour at the Convention. It was collected by someone I vaguely recognise but I don’t know their name.
Best Horror Novel (The August Derleth Award) – My Darling Dreadful Thing, by Johanna van Veen – Poisoned Pen Press
This award was presented by Lee Murrey and accepted by the author.
Best Independent Press – Flame Tree Press
Award presented by BFS Deputy Chair (and my friend) Sian O’Hara. Award accepted by the ever delightful and eloquent Nick Wells.
Best Magazine/Periodical – ParSec
Presented by BFS Chair and excellent author, who’s new book I will be reviewing 6th December, Shona Kinsella. Award collected by editor, Ian Whates.
Best Newcomer – Frances White – Voyage of the Damned – Penguin Michael Joseph
Award presented by Taika Bellamy and collected by the author. I reviewed Voyage of the Damned and enjoyed it, but after listening to the Christophers at the Queer in Fantasy panel I’m wondering about the validity of m/m romance written by women. Who is the target audience?
Best non-Fiction – Queer as Folklore: The Hidden Queer History of Myths and Monsters – Sacha Coward – originally Unbound, now Manchester University Press
This award was presented by the formidable Farah Mendelsohn, and accepted by a stunned Sacha Coward, who swore quite a bit.
Best Novella – The Last To Drown, by Lorraine Wilson – Luna Press Publishing
I’m not entirely certain who presented this one, but it was collected by the author.
Best Short Story – Loneliness Universe, by Eugenia Triantafyllou – Uncanny Magazine
This was presented by Ian Whates and collected by a representative.
BFS Art Competition
The announcement was made by Jenni Coutts and the artists will have their work printed in the Autumn 2026 issue of Horizons, the BFS periodical.
BFS Short Story Competition
The announcement was made by Stephen Poore and the winners will have their stories published in BFS Horizons.
The Karl E Wagner Award – Rosemary Pardoe
This award is presented for outstanding contributions to the genre, and this year’s winner was a founder member of the BFS. Shona Kinsella made the announcement.
Legends of Fantasycon – Marlene and Babs the Red Cloaks.
This award is presented to people who make Fantasycon what it is – a joyous celebration of Fantasy. The award was announced by Karen Fishwick and eventually accepted by Babs and Marlene after they’d got a pint at the bar.
After the awards I had a drink with a group of friends and headed back to my hotel because I felt unwell.
Everything Is Better With Dragons 