British Fantasy Award winners 2008

Sadly I wasn't able to make it to Fantasycon 2008 in Nottingham this year, as I'm busy hoarding all my pennies to pay for my wedding next year. Rather than mingling with the great and good of the UK genre scene, I was looking around wedding venues.

Still, there's always next year. In any case, here are the winners of the 2008 British Fantasy Awards:  

The Sydney J. Bounds Best Newcomer Award:

Scott Lynch

BFS Special Award: ‘The Karl Edward Wagner Award’:

Ray Harryhausen


Best Non-Fiction:

Peter Tennant
WHISPERS OF WICKEDNESS WEBSITE REVIEWS
(Whispers of Wickedness)


Best Artist:

Vincent Chong

Best Small Press:

Peter Crowther, PS Publishing

Best Anthology:

Stephen Jones
THE MAMMOTH BOOK OF BEST NEW HORROR 18
(Robinson)


Best Collection:

Christopher Fowler
OLD DEVIL MOON
(Serpents Tail)


Best Short Fiction

Joel Lane
MY STONE DESIRE
(Black Static #1, TTA Press)


Best Novella:

Conrad Williams
THE SCALDING ROOMS
(PS Publishing)


Best Novel: ‘The August Derleth Fantasy Award’:

Ramsey Campbell
THE GRIN OF THE DARK
(PS Publishing)

I must admit I do find the eligibility rules for 'best newcomer' rather strange, as Scott Lynch is not exactly a new author given that his debut novel was released in 2006. Still, despite Red Seas being a disappointment, it's hard to think of any other author that has made such an immediate impact as Lynch has in recent years. The reward is probably well-deserved, as Lies is a brilliant novel after all. 

PS Publishing were the big winners on the night, winning Best Small Press, while two of their novels - The Grin of the Dark by Ramsey Campbell and The Scalding Room by Conrad Williams - won best novel and novella respectively. Never read any of Campbell's work, but I enjoyed Williams' short story in the Solaris Book of New Fantasy, so I have no doubt that his win was deserved.