(Author’s Note: I’m going to toss some affiliate links to these books below. If you click any of the links and buy anything from Amazon, I get a small percentage at no additional cost to you.)

So the Jimbo (that would be me as I am him.) looked up, realized it was June and thought his Dragon Award nominations were due like really soon. Then he (again meaning me) went out, filled out his (IE my) Dragon Awards ballot before he (are you detecting a theme here yet?) realized that it wasn’t due until July 19 and he should have waited.

BAD JIMBO!!!

Except not really, because better early than never and everything I put on my ballot belongs here. And since the Dragons are the only awards that come from Science Fiction fandom in general at no cost to whoever wants to vote (yes, that was a hint. Do so here: Dragon Awards Nominations.) I thought that it was a good time to tell all of you who I think you should vote for, if only because I’m convinced that someone here is going to go vote for someone I didn’t just to stick it in my eye… And that that is a good thing, given my belief that we should all have our own say on what gets an award.

Oh, and please limit any sticking of things in my eye to doing so in the metaphorical sense due to the possibility of injury and the fact that I’m a wimp when it comes to my eyes.

Of course, just posting a ballot isn’t going to convince anyone of why they should vote for anything. So, on the off chance that you decided that you’d like to read something I wrote, I justify my choices below. Keep in mind that these are my nominees only and may not even appear on the ballot. Have fun!

Best Science Fiction Novel

Suzanne Collins - Sunrise on the Reaping

If you haven’t figured this out by now I am a Suzanne Collins mark. I have read everything the woman has published and I’ve seen all the movies. I have to admit that it would be nice to see her branch out into a second world the way many of my other favorite authors have done, but that’s neither here nor there.

I loved Sunrise on the Reaping because it was the story I’ve always wondered about: What ruined Haymitch? This dude was a victor. He had to have been a fighter. And then he ends up an alcoholic who doesn’t even want to help the Tributes he is responsible for. I got that.

I also got a feisty young Haymitch ready to do what he had to do to survive. And some political intrigue. And probably some other stuff.

Review Here
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Best Fantasy Novel

Daniel Humphreys - Toil and Trouble (Paxton Locke Book 7)

So listen. Paxton Locke is a complete and utter badass. He can use magic or a gun or whatever else is at hand to light things up. He never gives up. He never gives in. He just does what he has to do to get things done.

Humphreys also likes to create new concepts instead of trotting out existing tropes and it works. A lot of what was in Toil and Trouble was stuff I’d never seen from other authors. I’ve been reading/watching/playing speculative fiction since the 1980s. It’s nice to get some of what I love and have it not look like everything else that I love. Seriously.

Of course, I’m a bit miffed that this is the last Paxton Locke book. I’m going to see Humphreys at a con this September and I’m totally going to cross my arms and stick my tongue out at him over that . I suppose he’ll survive such a totally horrific experience but it will probably leave him scarred for life. Sorry, not sorry.

Review Here
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Best Young Adult/Middle Grade Novel

Dan Sugralinov - The Final Battle (Disgardium Book 14)

It sucks to be Dan Sugralinov because he would be getting my nomination for Best SF Novel if Suzanne Collins had released her novel either a little sooner or a little later. I’d also be happier if there was a LitRPG category, but there’s nothing I can do about that. The fact remains that The Final Battle was an amazing experience.

Fights with demons. Fights with gods. A main character who has to make himself forget who he is so he can do his job, if he can remember he’s supposed to do it because he’s literally not himself.

These books are packed with action and intensity. The main character, Alex (in the real world)/Scyth (his in-game avatar) is a genuinely good kid who is straight out of high school and is working hard to free the Earth and Disgardium both from tyranny.

The gameplay is awesome. The characters a believable. And I want to adopt this kid, if only he existed. Seriously, what an awesome book.

Review Here
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Best Alternate History Novel

Tom Kratman, Kacey Ezell, Justin Watson - The Romanov Rising

Oops. This one is not going through. I accidentally put The Romanov Rescue on my ballot which was an awesome book, but it was the first book in the series and it’s too old to qualify. Again, oops.

However…

You should totally put The Romanov Rising on your ballot. This one has it all: Political intrigue, combat and just a bit of romance, in a very political kind of way. I loved this one. There’s so much going on and so much bouncing around that you can’t get bored. “Action packed” is an understatement.

Of course, the majority of the book is Military Science Fiction. And the only thing better than military science fiction written by a veteran is military science fiction written by three veterans.

Granted, I came to the Alternate History genre later than I did to most other spec-fic. The fact remains that I’ve been reading Alt-Hist since 1998 and this is some of the best I’ve ever seen.

Review Here
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Best Horror Novel

Declan Finn - The Neck Romancer

Zombies at a wedding. Weird fantasy guns. A vampire bride. A wendigo because why not? And probably some other stuff that I just plumb forgot about. This is some high quality horror and it comes with Finn’s customary violence on a mass scale.

And what’s with a Catholic vampire? How does that work? Better yet, how does Finn make that work so well? Why does the main character hate Chicago so much? And why is Legolas little brother (sorta) in an urban fantasy/modern horror novel?

There are a lot of questions here, but there is no question that The Neck Romancer is worth a Dragon. Let’s all hope it happens this year.

Review Here
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Best Illustrative Book Cover

J Caleb Design - Any Given Doomsday

I’m not really sure how to review a book cover. That’s a new one on me.

HOWEVER

I can say this much: I’ve been reading spec-fic my entire freaking life. I’ve gotten books from the library, department stores, bookstores, webistes and garage sales. There have been precisely two times in my life when I’ve taken one look at a cover and decided that I HAD TO READ THAT BOOK. The first was a book by John Birmingham and that was (I think) before I met my ex-wife in 2002. The other one was Any Given Doomsday. It’s that awesome.

Review Here
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Best Comic Book or Graphic Novel

I’ve Got Nothing

Sorry folks. I’ve purchased a couple of Comic Book Humble Bundles this year, but I haven’t read anything new in awhile. If you are a comic book publisher, I’d be happy to accept something for review though. Guidelines are listed on my page.

Best Science Fiction or Fantasy TV Series, TV or Internet

Paramount Plus - Strange New Worlds

It’s Trek. That feels like Trek. But it’s New Trek. And it sounds like Trek. And Gene Roddenberry would probably recognize it. It’s Trek. That’s Trek-like. It works as Trek.

I can’t wait to see more of it because I love Trek and it’s Trek.

No review or buy links for this one, sorry.

Best Science Fiction or Fantasy Movie

Josh Cooley - Transformers One

If you missed it above, I love a good backstory of a current character. Transformers One is about the backstory of not just one important character but two: Megatron and Optimus Prime. Revealed is how they became Transformers and why they don’t like each other.

The voice acting is good. The animation is superb. The story is great. Transformers One needs to win the Dragon. It doesn’t get much better than this, period. Oh, and Easter Eggs abound.

Review Here
No Buy Link- Sorry

Best Digital Game

Blizzard - World of Warcraft: The War Within

I’m a WoWhead. I took a break from the game for two expansions and came back just before the beginning of The War Within. I’m glad I did.

I’ve been meaning to review this expack, but it’s WoW. Every time I think I’m ready to write my review something new gets added. First it was the raid. Then it was Siren Isle. Then it was Undermine, a city of goblins that players have been waiting since the game started twenty years ago to see. Then there’s another raid. And they added Delves and Follower Dungeons this expack. And they’ve totally redone Professions since I played last and made them a lot more customizable.

I mean, it’s all awesome content, but it’s a lot and there’s always something new coming. It’s exciting. It’s fun. It’s World of Warcraft.

No Buy or Review Links with this one, sorry

Best Tabletop Game

No Ideas Here

I’ve done some gaming this year, but it’s all been stuff that’s too old to nominate. Does anyone have anything new they want to recommend? Comments are open.

And there you have it. Feel free to agree/disagree/throw rotten tomatoes in the comments. I’d love to hear what you’re nominating as well.