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# Here are the finalists for the 2024 Dragon Awards
- URL: https://www.andrewliptak.com/dragon-award-finalists-sci-fi-fantasy-books-dragoncon/
- Published: 2024-08-06T14:30:20.000Z
- Updated: 2024-08-06T14:30:20.000Z
- Description: A nice snapshot of the SF/F of 2023
- Author: Andrew Liptak
- Tags: News, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Fandom, Horror, Gaming, Streaming Services, Film

Over the last couple of years, I've been following the rise of the Dragon Awards, a newish prize in the SF/F world from fans at Atlanta Georgia's DragonCon that was [founded in 2016](https://www.theverge.com/2016/8/13/12461038/dragon-awards-shortlist-dragoncon-science-fiction-fantasy?ref=andrewliptak.com). 

It had something of a [complicated history](https://www.theverge.com/2017/8/9/16118054/john-scalzi-alison-littlewood-dragon-awards-controversy-sci-fi-horror?ref=andrewliptak.com): it came right at the moment that the Hugo Awards and SF Fandom were grappling with some big issues about the nature of fandom, with one side (the "Sad Puppies" making some bad-faith arguments about just wanting good stories – which came in response to more women and authors of color earning top prizes from Hugo voters). For a moment, it seemed as though the Dragon Awards would be the Sad Puppy's consolation prize: an award that they could give themselves. 

[The Cosplayers of Dragon ConHello! It’s been a busy couple of weeks — the highlight of which was heading down to attend DragonCon for the first time. It’s a convention that I’ve seen a lot of friends go to over the years, but haven’t had the chance to go to until![](https://www.andrewliptak.com/favicon.ico)Transfer OrbitAndrew Liptak![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2c/d7/2cd7d323-e6ed-4666-8092-07e380dbdf2a/content/images/2021/03/https___bucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com_public_images_9f3a35ed-3deb-4d6e-af31-ad8d201bd164_640x401.png)](https://www.andrewliptak.com/the-cosplayers-of-dragon-con/)

That hasn't actually been the case: voting is open to anyone, and [over the](https://www.andrewliptak.com/here-are-the-winners-of-the-2021-dragon-awards/) [last couple](https://www.andrewliptak.com/dragon-awards-2022-dragoncon-sci-fi-fantasy/) [of years](https://www.andrewliptak.com/dragon-awards-con-2023-finalists-leckie-kuang-tchaikovsky-zahn/), I've been impressed with the range of books that have been making it onto the final ballots. There's a real mix of critical favorites and bestsellers and crowd-pleasers, and I think it's a good indication that most of the arguments from the Puppies were pretty dumb: people aren't generally gravitating towards ideology when they reach for their next book, and the stuff that they were complaining about? They're broadly enjoyed by more than just traditional fans! 

I've also come to generally think of the Dragon Awards as the type of readership that I sort of think about when I'm writing for this newsletter: a broad swath of fandom that extends beyond traditional print fandom and including fans who're also consuming things across mediums, genres, and franchises. Overall, I think this is a pretty good reading list if you're looking for something interesting to pick up.

Voting is open to the public and starts today: you can sign up to vote [here](https://application.dragoncon.net/dc%5Ffan%5Fawards%5Fsignup.php?ref=andrewliptak.com). The winners will be announced on Sunday, September 1st at Dragon Con. 

Here's the full list of finalists: 

### **Best Science Fiction Novel**

- *The Jinn-Bot of Shantiport* by Samit Basu
- *The Saint of Bright Doors* by Vajra Chandrasekera
- *Theft of Fire* by Devon Eriksen
- *These Burning Stars* by Bethany Jacobs
- *Beyond the Ranges* by John Ringo, James Aidee
- *Starter Villain* by John Scalzi
- *System Collapse* by Martha Wells

### **Best Fantasy Novel (Including Paranormal)**

- *Three Kinds of Lucky* by Kim Harrison
- *The Water Outlaws* by S.L. Huang
- *He Who Drowned the World* by Shelley Parker-Chan
- *My Brother’s Keeper* by Tim Powers
- *House of Open Wounds* by Adrian Tchaikovsky
- *Iron Flame* by Rebecca Yarros

### **Best Young Adult / Middle Grade Novel**

- *Homecoming in Black* by J.M. Anjewierden
- *So Let Them Burn* by Kamilah Cole
- *Midnight at the Houdini* by Delilah S. Dawson
- *Hideki Smith, Demon Queller* by A.J. Hartley, Hisako Osako, Kuma Hartley
- *Death Lord Arcanist* by Shami Stovall
- *The Spirit Bares Its Teeth* by Andrew Joseph White

### **Best Alternate History Novel**

- *Devil’s Battle* by Taylor Anderson
- *1638: The Sovereign States* by Eric Flint, Paula Goodlett, Gorg Huff
- *All the Dead Shall Weep* by Charlaine Harris
- *Dirty Water* by Tom Kratman
- *Cahokia Jazz* by Francis Spufford
- *The Wages of Sin* by Harry Turtledove

### **Best Horror Novel**

- *The Hollow Dead* by Darcy Coates
- *The Reformatory* by Tananarive Due
- *Dead Storm Rising* by Shane Gries
- *The Dead Take the A Train* by Richard Kadrey, Cassandra Khaw
- *Black River Orchard* by Chuck Wendig
- *Double Dose* by F. Paul Wilson

### **Best Illustrative Book Cover**

- *Dragonesque* by Justin Adams
- *The Silverblood Promise* by Jeff Brown
- *Yumi and the Nightmare Painter* by Aliya Chen
- *Of Jade and Dragons* by Kelly Chong
- *Beyond Enemies* by Sam R. Kennedy

### **Best Comic Book / Graphic Novel**

- *X-Men: Forever* by Kieron Gillen, Luca Maresca
- *Wonder Woman* by Tom King, Daniel Sampere
- *Monstress* by Marjorie Liu, Sana Takeda
- *Canary* by Scott Snyder, Dan Panosian
- *Nightwing* by Tom Taylor, Bruno Redondo
- *Batman* by Chip Zdarsky, Jorge Jimenez

### **Best Science Fiction or Fantasy TV Series, TV or Internet**

- *3 Body Problem*, Netflix
- *Ahsoka*, Disney+
- *Fallout*, Amazon Prime Video
- *For All Mankind*, Apple TV+
- *Good Omens*, Amazon Prime Video
- *House of the Dragon*, HBO
- *Loki*, Disney+
- *Monarch: Legacy of Monsters*, Apple TV+
- *Star Trek: Strange New Worlds*, Paramount+

### **Best Science Fiction or Fantasy Movie**

- *Dune: Part Two* by Denis Villeneuve
- *Barbie* by Greta Gerwig
- *Godzilla Minus One* by Takashi Yamazaki
- *Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga* by George Miller
- *The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes* by Francis Lawrence
- *Wonka* by Paul King

### **Best Digital Game**

- *Alan Wake 2*, Remedy Entertainment
- *Baldur’s Gate 3*, Larian Studios
- *Dragon’s Dogma 2*, Capcom
- *Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree*, FromSoftware
- *Starfield*, Bethesda Game Studios
- *Helldivers 2*, Arrowhead Game Studios

### **Best Tabletop Game**

- *Cascadia: Landmarks*, Flatout Games
- *D&D The Deck of Many Things*, Wizards of the Coast
- *Disney Lorcana*, Ravensburger
- *Dune: Imperium – Uprising*, Dire Wolf
- *Gloomhaven: Buttons & Bugs*, Cephalofair Games
- *Magic: The Gathering Wilds of Eldraine*, Wizards of the Coast