Proteklog vikenda u San Antoniju održana je Svetska konvencija fantastike, na kojoj je tradicionalno upriličena svečana dodela prestižne Svetske nagrade za fantastiku (World Fantasy Award). Među laureatima su se našle spisateljice Kler Nort (za roman The Sudden Appearance of Hope), Dž.V. Anderson (za novelu „The Dream-Quest of Vellitt Boe“), Kidž Džonson (za kratku priču „Das Steingeschöpf“), ali i majstor kratke prozne forme Džefri Ford (za zbirku A Natural History of Hell).

Dobri poznavaoci prilika tvrde da je ovogodišnji izbor za nagradu bio izrazito kvalitetan. Tim pre što je roman The Sudden Appearance of Hope o mladoj ženi po imenu Houp Arden koje se niko ne seća, ranije doživeo izuzetan prijem od strane kritike, upravo kao i lavkraftijanska novela „The Dream-Quest of Vellitt Boe“ Kidž Džonson.

Među nagrađenima se našao i Teri Bruks, koji je kući poneo nagradu za životno delo, pridruživši se tako kolegama po peru, ranijim dobitnicima ovog priznanja, kao što su: Džordž R.R. Martin, Teri Pračet, Piter Bigl, Tanit Li i drugi.

Svetska nagrada za fantastiku je pored nagrada „Hugo“ i „Nebula“, jedna od najvažnijih koje se dodeljuju za žanrovsko literarno stvaralaštvo. Poslednjih godina nagrada je bila upletena u nekoliko kontroverzi, a svakako najpoznatija je lanjska kada je zbog rasističke istorije Hauarda Filipsa Lavkrafta, izgled statue nagrade promenjen. Tako je ove godine po prvi put dodeljena statua koja umesto lika jednog od najznačajnijih utemeljivača modernog horora, predstavlja arhetipske elemente fantastičke ikonografije – staro drvo i pun mesec.

Kompletna lista dobitnika nagrada i nominovanih izgleda ovako:

Lifetime Achievement Award

• Terry Brooks
• Marina Warner

Best Novel

• The Sudden Appearance of Hope, Claire North (Redhook; Orbit UK) (winner)
• Borderline, Mishell Baker (Saga)
• Roadsouls, Betsy James (Aqueduct)
• The Obelisk Gate, N.K. Jemisin (Orbit US; Orbit UK)
• Lovecraft Country, Matt Ruff (Harper)

Best Long Fiction

• The Dream-Quest of Vellitt Boe, Kij Johnson (Tor.com Publishing) (winner)
• The Ballad of Black Tom, Victor LaValle (Tor.com Publishing)
• Every Heart a Doorway, Seanan McGuire (Tor.com Publishing)
• “Bloodybones”, Paul F. Olson (Whispered Echoes)
• A Taste of Honey, Kai Ashante Wilson (Tor.com Publishing)

Best Short Fiction

• “Das Steingeschöpf”, G.V. Anderson (Strange Horizons 12/12/16) (winner)
• “Our Talons Can Crush Galaxies”, Brooke Bolander (Uncanny 11-12/16)
• “Seasons of Glass and Iron”, Amal El-Mohtar (The Starlit Wood)
• “Little Widow”, Maria Dahvana Headley (Nightmare 9/16)
• “The Fall Shall Further the Flight in Me”, Rachael K. Jones (Clockwork Phoenix 5)

Best Anthology

• Dreaming in the Dark, Jack Dann, ed. (PS Australia) (winner)
• Clockwork Phoenix 5, Mike Allen, ed. (Mythic Delirium)
• Children of Lovecraft, Ellen Datlow, ed. (Dark Horse)
• The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2016, Karen Joy Fowler & John Joseph Adams, eds. (Mariner)
• The Starlit Wood, Dominik Parisien & Navah Wolfe, eds. (Saga)

Best Collection

• A Natural History of Hell, Jeffrey Ford (Small Beer) (winner)
• Sharp Ends, Joe Abercrombie (Orbit US; Gollancz)
• On the Eyeball Floor and Other Stories, Tina Connolly (Fairwood)
• Vacui Magia, L.S. Johnson (Traversing Z Press)
• The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories, Ken Liu (Saga; Head of Zeus)

Best Artist

• Jeffrey Alan Love (winner)
• Greg Bridges
• Julie Dillon
• Paul Lewin
• Victo Ngai

Special Award, Professional

• Michael Levy & Farah Mendlesohn, for Children’s Fantasy Literature: An Introduction (Cambridge University Press) (winner)
• L. Timmel Duchamp, for Aqueduct Press
• C.C. Finlay, for editing F&SF
• Kelly Link, for contributions to the genre
• Joe Monti, for contributions to the genre

Special Award, Non-Professional

• Neile Graham, for fostering excellence in the genre through her role as Workshop Director, Clarion West (winner)
• Scott H. Andrews, for Beneath Ceaseless Skies
• Malcolm R. Phifer & Michael C. Phifer, for their publication The Fantasy Illustration Library, Volume Two: Gods and Goddesses (Michael Publishing)
• Lynne M. Thomas & Michael Damian Thomas, for Uncanny
• Brian White, for Fireside Fiction Company