The 5th annual SFR Galaxy Awards were recently announced and I was honored to find two of my own books on the list this year, Star Cruise: Outbreak and Hostage to the Stars, along with the Pets In Space anthology, which contains my Star Cruise: Stowaway novella.
First a word about the awards themselves – a panel of well-regarded scifi romance book bloggers and reviewers make the selections, with each judge naming five or six novels, graphic novels or anthologies that they found memorable during the preceding year. The formal description of the awards’ intent, as taken from the website: “The theme of the SFR Galaxy Awards is inclusiveness. Instead of giving an award to a single book, this event will recognize the worth of multiple books and/or the standout elements they contain. The basic philosophy behind this approach is to help connect readers with books.”
Although the awards are serious, each judge gives their reasons for selecting the books, as indicated a bit light heartedly in the title of their short essays. For example, here’s an excerpt from the comments of one of the two judges’ who selected Star Cruise: Outbreak for recognition:
“…The title completely gives the plot away, but there’s a whole lot more to this story.
This star cruise line is run by a whole lot of ex-military, and its a damn good thing, because this crew runs into the sort of trouble that would leave the usual cast of a Love Boat drifting in space in a dead hulk.
The story in Star Cruise: Outbreak is not surprisingly an outbreak of a particularly deadly mutation of that old standby, the Norovirus. Viruses, like cockroaches, seem to live forever. Trapped on a plague ship, with no possibility of outside help or outside resources, it’s up to veteran military doctor Emily Shane to find both the cause and the cure with the limited resources and limited time she has left before they are forced to fly into a sun….”
Or this writeup from the judge who selected Bec McMaster’s post apocalyptic novel Nobody’s Hero (which I personally loved):
“This setting fuses Mad Max elements with some government experiments gone awry and maybe a bit of magic. The
result is delicious: bands of raiders on dirt bikes, giant killer cats, beast-men, rocs, and revenants prowl the desert. Riley and Lucius have to find a way through them to save some loved ones…even though Lucius is one of the monsters himself. ”
Here’s the entire list of awardees, including a webcomic. For more information on the awards and the honored books, visit the website at https://sfrgalaxyawards.blogspot.com/
Best Zombie Book for People Who Don’t Read Zombie Books
Nobody’s Hero (The Burned Lands #1) by Bec McMaster
Best New Series
The Rule of Luck (Felicia Sevigny #1) by Catherine Cerveny
Best Anthology
Pets in Space by Cara Bristol, Susan Grant, Laurie A. Green, Pauline Baird Jones, Lea Kirk, Alexis Glynn Latner, Carysa Locke, Veronica Scott, and S.E. Smith
This Series Just Keeps Getting Better Award
Fools Rush In (Interstellar Rescue Series #3) by Donna S. Frelick
Best Series Finale
Prodigal (Maelstrom #3) by Jody Wallace
Best Realistic Ending
The Cold Between by Elizabeth Bonesteel
Most Promising New Author
The Dark of Light (Shield of the Starhawke #1) by Audrey Sharpe
Best Misleading Title
Warrior Wench (The Asariai Wars #1) by Marie Andreas
Best Slow Burn Romance
Star Cruise: Outbreak by Veronica Scott
Best Love Story With a Twist
Shades of Treason by Sandy Williams
Best Post-Apocalyptic Paranormal
Nobody’s Hero by Bec McMaster
Best Promise
Crash and Burn (Cyborg Sizzle #3) by Cynthia Sax
Best Lady Cyborg
Jumper’s Hope by Carol Van Natta
Best Swordplay
The Champion of Baresh by Susan Grant
Best Mother-Daughter Dynamic
Vellmar the Blade by Fletcher DeLancey
Best “Invisible Heroine”
Hostage to the Stars by Veronica Scott
Grittiest Hot and Fast Story
Quick Shot by Pippa Jay
Heroine Who’s Most Like Someone I Might Know
Pirate (Space Gypsy Chronicles #1) by Eve Langlais
Most Satisfying Conclusion to a Great Trilogy
Vortex of Crimson by Lise MacTague
Best Sci-Fi Romance Webcomic
Flesh Machine by Michael Avolio
Most Dapper Heroes
The Clockwork Menagerie by Elliot Cooper
Most Uplifting Sci-Fi Romances
Love Beyond Body, Space, and Time by Cherie Dimaline, Gwen Benaway, David Robertson, Richard Van Camp, Mari Kurisato, Nathan Adler, Daniel Heath Justice, Darcie Little Badger, Cleo Keahna; introduction by Niigaanwewidam James Sinclair “Manitowapow,” foreword by Grace Dillon “Walking the Clouds”; edited by Hope Nicholson
SFR with the Most Relevant Social Commentary Regarding a Current Affair
Gambit (Felig Chronicles #5) by P.J. Dean
Best Bread and Circuses (Intergalactic Edition)
Galactic Gladiators (Gladiator/Warrior/Hero) by Anna Hackett
Best Interstellar Menagerie
Pets in Space by S.E. Smith, Susan Grant, Cara Bristol, Veronica Scott, Pauline Baird Jones, Laurie A. Green, Alexis Glynn Latner, Lea Kirk, Carysa Locke
Best Spoiler Alert Title
Star Cruise: Outbreak by Veronica Scott
Most Unusual Job for a Heroine
One Fell Sweep by Ilona Andrews
Most Awesomely Prolific and Prolifically Awesome
Anna Hackett
My parting thought is: A galaxy’s worth of good science fiction romance reading there!
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