The David Gemmell Awards for Fantasy, established in memory of David Gemmell, were awarded from 2009 to 2018. In 2009, only the Legend Award for best fantasy novel was awarded. Beginning in 2010 the Morningstar Award for Best Fantasy Newcomer and the Ravenheart Award for Best Fantasy Cover Art were added. The award was closed in 2019. The awards were for fantasy novels in the traditional,

heroic Heroic may mean: *characteristic of a hero *typical of heroic poetry or of heroic verse *belonging to the Greek Heroic Age *Heroic (esports), a Danish esports organization *Heroic (horse) Heroic (1921–1939) was an Australian Thoroughbred ra ...

, epic or high genres, or in the spirit of Gemmell's own work.

Winners and nominations

2009

The 2009 award (best novel only) was presented in June 2009. * Best novel: Andrzej Sapkowski for ''

Blood of Elves ''Blood of Elves'' ( pl, Krew elfów),the first novel in ''The Witcher'' series, was written by the Polish fantasy writer Andrzej Sapkowski. It was first published in Poland in 1994,and is a sequel to the ''Witcher ''short stories collected in t ...

'' ** Nominated: Juliet Marillier for ''Heir to Sevenwaters'' ** Nominated:

Brandon Sanderson Brandon Winn Sanderson (born December 19, 1975) is an American author of high fantasy and science fiction. He is best known for the Cosmere fictional universe, in which most of his fantasy novels, most notably the ''Mistborn'' series and ''The ...

for ''The Hero of Ages'' ** Nominated: Joe Abercrombie for '' Last Argument of Kings'' ** Nominated: Brent Weeks for ''

The Way of Shadows ''The Way of Shadows'' is a 2008 fantasy novel written by Brent Weeks Brent Weeks (born March 7, 1977) is an American fantasy writer. His debut novel, ''The Way of Shadows'', was a ''New York Times'' best seller in April 2009. Each of the f ...

2010

The 2010 awards were presented in June 2010. * Best novel: Graham McNeill for ''Empire'' ** Nominated: Joe Abercrombie for ''Best Served Cold'' ** Nominated:

Pierre Pevel Pierre Pevel (born 1968) is a French science fiction and fantasy writer. He received the Grand Prix de l'Imaginaire for his novel '' Les Ombres de Wielstadt'' in 2002. Biography Pierre Pevel was born in 1968. He was a scriptwriter and auth ...

for ''The Cardinal's Blades'' ** Nominated: Robert Jordan &

for '' The Gathering Storm'' ** Nominated:

for '' Warbreaker'' * Best newcomer:

for ''The Cardinal's Blades'' ** Nominated:

Stephen Deas Stephen Deas, born in 1968 in Southeast England, is an English fantasy author. He is most famous for his fantasy opus, the ''Memory of Flames'' sequence, set in a fantasy world inhabited by dragons. Biography Deas was raised in a town full of arm ...

for ''The Adamantine Palace'' ** Nominated:

Amanda Downum Amanda Downum is an American fantasy author currently living in Austin, Texas. She was born on July 15, 1979, in Virginia. She is most known for her necromancer chronicles: ''The Drowning City'', ''The Bone Palace'', and ''Kingdoms of Dust''. Downu ...

for ''The Drowning City'' ** Nominated:

Ken Scholes Ken Scholes (born January 13, 1968) is an American science fiction and fantasy writer living in Cornelius, Oregon, United States. He is the author of five novels and over fifty short stories and his work has appeared in print since 2000. His s ...

for ''Lamentation'' ** Nominated: Jesse Bullington for ''The Sad Tale of the Brothers Grossbart'' * Cover art: Didier Graffet, Dave Senior and Laura Brett for ''Best Served Cold'' (written by Joe Abercrombie)

2011

The 2011 awards were presented in June 2011. * Best novel:

for ''

The Way of Kings ''The Way of Kings'' is an epic fantasy novel written by American author Brandon Sanderson and the first book in ''The Stormlight Archive'' series. The novel was published on August 31, 2010, by Tor Books. ''The Way of Kings'' consists of one pre ...

'' ** Nominated:

for ''The Alchemist in the Shadows'' ** Nominated: Brent Weeks for ''

The Black Prism ''The Black Prism'' is a fantasy novel by American author Brent Weeks. It is the first entry in the five-volume Lightbringer Series, and follows the 'Prism' Gavin Guile, the most powerful person in the world, as he fights against an uprising by a ...

'' ** Nominated: Peter V. Brett for ''

The Desert Spear The Desert Spear is a fantasy novel written by American writer Peter V. Brett. It is the second book in the demon cycle series. It was released on March 7, 2010. Reception The novel entered at no. 35 in the ''New York Times'' Hardcover Fiction B ...

'' ** Nominated: Robert Jordan &

for '' Towers of Midnight'' ** Nominated: Markus Heitz for ''The War of the Dwarves'' * Best newcomer: Darius Hinks for ''Warrior Priest'' ** Nominated:

N.K. Jemisin NK may refer to: Businesses *Imerys (Euronext ticker code NK) *Nordiska Kompaniet, a department store in Stockholm, Sweden *Northrup-King Seed Company *Spirit Airlines (IATA code NK) *NK.pl, a Polish school-based social networking service Places ...

for ''

The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms ''The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms'' is a 2010 fantasy novel by American writer N. K. Jemisin, the first book of '' The Inheritance Trilogy''. Jemisin's debut novel, it was published by Orbit Books in 2010. It won the 2011 Locus Award for Best Fir ...

'' ** Nominated: Alexey Pehov for ''Shadow Prowler'' ** Nominated: Blake Charlton for ''Spellwright'' ** Nominated: Mary Victoria for ''Tymon's Flight'' * Cover art: Olof Erla Einarsdottir for ''Power and Majesty'' (written by Tansy Rayner Roberts)

2012

The 2012 awards were presented in June 2012. * Best novel: Patrick Rothfuss for ''

The Wise Man's Fear ''The Wise Man's Fear'' is a fantasy novel written by American author Patrick Rothfuss and the second volume in ''The Kingkiller Chronicle''. It was published on March 1, 2011, by DAW Books. It is the sequel to 2007's ''The Name of the Wind''. ...

'' ** Nominated:

for '' The Alloy of Law'' ** Nominated:

Kristen Britain Kristen Britain is an American author. She wrote '' Green Rider'' (which was nominated for the Crawford Award), '' First Rider's Call'', '' The High King's Tomb'', '' Blackveil'' (which was nominated for the David Gemmell Legend Award), and ''Mir ...

for ''

Blackveil ''Blackveil'' by Kristen Britain is a fantasy novel from 2011, the fourth book in the Green Rider series. Plot summary Blackveil Forest was once the home of the Eletians, a magical elf-like race. Corrupted and warped into an evil place by Mornhav ...

'' ** Nominated: Joe Abercrombie for ''The Heroes'' ** Nominated:

William King William King may refer to: Arts *Willie King (1943–2009), American blues guitarist and singer *William King (author) (born 1959), British science fiction author and game designer, also known as Bill King *William King (artist) (1925–2015), Ame ...

for ''Blood of Aenarion'' * Best newcomer:

Helen Lowe Helen Lowe is a New Zealand novelist. Her first novel, ''Thornspell'', was published in 2008. She has since published the first two books in ''The Wall of Night'' quartet, ''The Heir of Night'' and '' The Gathering of the Lost''. Lowe is a thr ...

for ''

The Heir of Night The Heir of Night is an epic fantasy High fantasy, or epic fantasy, is a subgenre of fantasy defined by the epic nature of its setting or by the epic stature of its characters, themes, or plot.Brian Stableford, ''The A to Z of Fanta ...

'' ** Nominated:

Douglas Hulick Douglas Hulick is an American fantasy writer. Born in Fargo, North Dakota, he obtained a B.A. in history and English at the University of Illinois, and a master's degree in medieval history at New Mexico State University. He subsequently worked o ...

for ''Among Thieves'' ** Nominated: Mark Lawrence for '' Prince of Thorns'' ** Nominated: Elspeth Cooper for ''Songs of the Earth'' ** Nominated:

Peter Orullian Peter Orullian is an American fantasy author and musician. He currently resides in Seattle, Washington (state), Washington. Biography Orullian graduated from the University of Utah with a BA Honors in English in 1991. He has since published sho ...

for ''The Unremembered'' * Cover art: Raymond Swanland for ''Blood of Aenarion'' (written by

)

2013

The 2013 awards were presented in October 2013. * Best novel: Brent Weeks for ''

The Blinding Knife ''The Blinding Knife'' is a 2012 epic fantasy novel by New York Times Bestselling author Brent Weeks and the second book in his Lightbringer series following ''The Black Prism''. The novel is written in the third person perspective of several cha ...

'' ** Nominated:

for ''The Gathering of the Lost'' ** Nominated: Mark Lawrence for '' King of Thorns'' ** Nominated: Joe Abercrombie for ''Red Country'' ** Nominated:

Jay Kristoff Jay Kristoff (born 11 November 1973) is an Australian author of fantasy and science fiction. He writes both for adult readers and young adults. He lives in Melbourne. Biography Kristoff was born in Perth, Australia in 1973. As a child, Kristo ...

for ''Stormdancer'' * Best newcomer: John Gwynne for ''Malice'' ** Nominated: Aidan Harte for ''Irenicon'' ** Nominated:

Miles Cameron Christian Gordon Cameron (born August 16, 1962) also writes under the pen names ''Miles Cameron'' and ''Gordon Kent'' (used only for those novels written with his father, author Kenneth Cameron). Christian, a Canadian novelist, was educated and t ...

for ''The Red Knight'' ** Nominated:

for ''Stormdancer'' ** Nominated: Saladin Ahmed for ''

Throne of the Crescent Moon ''Throne of the Crescent Moon'' is a fantasy novel written by American writer Saladin Ahmed. It is the first book in ''The Crescent Moon Kingdoms'' series. The book was published by DAW Books in February 2012. The book was nominated for the 201 ...

'' * Cover art: Didier Graffet and Dave Senior for ''Red Country'' (written by Joe Abercrombie)

2014

The 2014 awards were presented in June 2014. * Best novel: Mark Lawrence for '' Emperor of Thorns'' ** Nominated: Peter V. Brett for ''

The Daylight War The Daylight War is a fantasy novel written by American writer Peter V. Brett. It is the third book in the Demon Cycle series. It was released on February 12, 2013. Plot In the wake of the cataclysmic events that transformed the world, the real ...

'' ** Nominated: Robert Jordan &

for '' A Memory of Light'' ** Nominated:

Scott Lynch Scott Lynch (born April 2, 1978) is an American fantasy author who wrote the '' Gentleman Bastard Sequence'' series of novels. His first novel, ''The Lies of Locke Lamora'', was purchased by Orion Books in August 2004 and published in June 2006 u ...

for ''

The Republic of Thieves ''The Republic of Thieves'' is a fantasy novel by American writer Scott Lynch, the third book in the ''Gentleman Bastard Sequence'' series. It details the continuing adventures of Locke Lamora and Jean Tannen, as well as Sabetha, Locke's previou ...

'' ** Nominated:

Adrian Tchaikovsky Adrian Czajkowski (spelled as Adrian Tchaikovsky for his books) is a British fantasy and science fiction author. He is known best for his series ''Shadows of the Apt'', and for his novel '' Children of Time''. ''Children of Time'' was awarded t ...

for ''War Master's Gate'' * Best newcomer:

Brian McClellan :''Not to confuse with Brian MacLellan.'' Brian McClellan (born January 25, 1986) is an American author of epic fantasy. He is best known for writing the trilogies '' The Powder Mage'' and ''Gods of Blood and Powder''. Biography McClellan bega ...

for ''

Promise of Blood ''Promise of Blood'' is the first book in '' The Powder Mage'' trilogy written by American author Brian McClellan. It was first published by Orbit Books in 2013. A sequel titled '' The Crimson Campaign'' was released on May 6, 2014. It won the 20 ...

'' ** Nominated: Mark T. Barnes for ''The Garden of Stones'' ** Nominated: Luke Scull for ''The Grim Company'' ** Nominated: David Guymer for ''Headtaker'' ** Nominated: Antoine Rouaud for ''The Path of Anger'' * Cover art: Jason Chan for '' Emperor of Thorns'' (written by Mark Lawrence)

2015

The 2015 awards were presented in August 2015. * Best novel:

for ''

Words of Radiance ''Words of Radiance'' is an epic fantasy novel written by American author Brandon Sanderson and the second book in ''The Stormlight Archive'' series. The novel was published on March 4, 2014, by Tor Books. ''Words of Radiance'' consists of one p ...

'' ** Nominated: Joe Abercrombie for ''

Half a King ''Shattered Sea'' is a young adult fantasy series written by the British author Joe Abercrombie, a trilogy of novels published by Del Rey in the United States and Harper Voyager in the UK. Novels Plot The story follows the exploits of Yarvi ...

'' ** Nominated: John Gwynne for ''Valour'' ** Nominated: Mark Lawrence for ''Prince of Fools'' ** Nominated: Brent Weeks for ''

The Broken Eye ''The Broken Eye'' is a 2014 epic fantasy novel by ''New York Times'' Bestselling author, Brent Weeks. It is the third book in his ''Lightbringer'' series following ''The Black Prism ''The Black Prism'' is a fantasy novel by American author B ...

'' * Best newcomer:

Brian Staveley Brian Staveley is an American fantasy writer. He has written an epic fantasy trilogy, ''The Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne'', the first volume of a sequel series, ''Ashes of the Unhewn Throne,'' a prequel novel, ''Skullsworn'', and a selection of ...

for ''The Emperor's Blades'' ** Nominated:

Sebastien de Castell Sebastien de Castell is a Canadian fantasy writer, mostly known for his ''Greatcoat'' series that has been described as "''Three Musketeers'' meets high fantasy", and which got him nominated several science fiction and fantasy awards, such as the ...

for ''

Traitor's Blade ''Traitor's Blade'' is a 2014 swashbuckling novel by Canadian author Sebastien de Castell. It is the first book in de Castell's "Greatcoats" series, which follows the adventures and misfortunes of the titular Greatcoats, the remnants of an ancien ...

'' ** Nominated: Kameron Hurley for ''The Mirror Empire'' ** Nominated:

Ben Peek Ben Peek (born 12 October 1976 in Sydney, New South Wales) is an Australian author. His middle name is Michael. Peek's short stories have been published in a variety of genre magazines, including '' Fantasy Magazine'' and ''Aurealis''. His fi ...

for ''The Godless'' ** Nominated:

Angus Watson Angus Watson (born 4 September 1972) is a British novelist and journalist. His epic fantasy trilogy set in the British Iron Age began in 2014 with ''Age of Iron''. ''Clash of Iron'' was released in March 2015 and ''Reign of Iron'' was released i ...

for ''Age of Iron'' * Cover art: Sam Green for ''

'' (written by

)

2016

The 2016 awards were presented in September 2016. * Best novel: Mark Lawrence for ''

The Liar’s Key ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in ...

'' ** Nominated:

for ''

The Dread Wyrm ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in ...

'' ** Nominated:

Larry Correia Larry Correia is an American fantasy and science fiction writer, known for his ''Monster Hunter International'', ''Grimnoir Chronicles'', and ''Saga of the Forgotten Warrior'' series. He has authored or co-authored over 20 novels, has over 50 pub ...

for ''

Son of the Black Sword ''Son of the Black Sword'' is a 2015 epic fantasy novel by Larry Correia and published by Baen Books. It is the first book in the '' Saga of the Forgotten Warrior'' series. It was followed by ''House of Assassins'' in 2019. It won Best Fantasy ...

'' ** Nominated:

David Guymer David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

for '' Gotrex & Felix: Slayer'' ** Nominated: John Gwynne for '' Ruin'' * Best newcomer: Peter Newman for '' The Vagrant'' ** Nominated: Stephen Aryan for ''Battlemage'' ** Nominated: Seth Dickinson for ''

The Traitor Baru Cormorant ''The Traitor Baru Cormorant'' ( ) is a 2015 hard fantasy novel by Seth Dickinson, and his debut novel. It was published as ''The Traitor'' in the United Kingdom. It is based on Dickinson's short story "The Traitor Baru Cormorant, Her Field-Gener ...

'' ** Nominated: Francesca Haig for ''The Fire Sermon'' ** Nominated: Lucy Hounsom for ''Starborn'' ** Nominated:

Sabaa Tahir Sabaa Tahir is an American young adult novelist best known for her ''New York Times''-bestselling ''An Ember in the Ashes'', its sequels, and the novel All My Rage. Two of her novels, ''An Ember in the Ashes'' and ''A Torch Against the Night, ...

for ''

An Ember in the Ashes ''An Ember in the Ashes'' is a fantasy novel written by American author Sabaa Tahir. It was published on April 28, 2015 by Razorbill, an imprint of Penguin Random House. It is the first book in the ''An Ember in the Ashes'' series, followed by ...

'' * Cover art: Jason Chan for ''

'' (written by Mark Lawrence)

2017

The 2017 awards were presented in July 2017. * Best novel: Gav Thorpe for ''Warbeast'' ** Nominated: John Gwynne for '' Wrath'' ** Nominated:

for ''Nevernight'' ** Nominated: Mark Lawrence for ''The Wheel of Osheim'' ** Nominated:

for '' The Bands of Mourning'' * Best newcomer: Megan E O'Keefe for '' Steal the Sky'' ** Nominated: Mark de Jager for ''Infernal'' ** Nominated: Christopher Husberg for ''Duskfall'' ** Nominated: Adrian Selby for ''Snakewood'' ** Nominated: Jon Skovron for ''Hope and Red'' * Cover art: Alessandro Baldasseroni for ''Black Rift'' (written by Josh Reynolds)

2018

The 2018 David Gemmell Awards winners were announced at a ceremony July 14, 2018 at Edge-Lit 7 in Derby, UK: * Best Novel:

Robin Hobb Margaret Astrid Lindholm Ogden (born March 5, 1952), known by her pen names Robin Hobb and Megan Lindholm, is an American writer of speculative fiction. As Hobb, she is best known for her fantasy novels set in the ''Realm of the Elderlings'', w ...

for ''Assassin's Fate'' ** Nominated:

for ''Fall of Dragons'' ** Nominated: Mark Lawrence for ''Red Sister'' ** Nominated: Steve McHugh for ''Scorched Shadows'' ** Nominated:

for ''Oathbringer'' * Best newcomer: Nicholas Eames for ''

Kings of the Wyld ''Kings of the Wyld'' is the first book in the Nicholas Eames's fantasy trilogy ''The Band''. The book is about a retired band of mercenaries that come out of retirement to save one of the member's daughter. Background The book is Nicholas Ea ...

'' ** Nominated: RJ Barker for ''Age of Assassins'' ** Nominated: Melissa Caruso for ''The Tethered Mage'' ** Nominated: Ed McDonald for ''Blackwing'' ** Nominated:

Anna Smith Spark Anna Smith Spark (born 1978 or 1979) is a British fantasy fiction writer and civil servant from Bishop's Stortford. She wrote a trilogy titled ''Empires of Dust'' as well as several other standalone works, and has been styled the "Queen of Grimd ...

for ''The Court of Broken Knives'' *Cover art: Richard Anderson for ''Kings of the Wyld'' by Nicholas Eames ** Nominated:

Kerem Beyit Kerem is a Turkish male given name of Arabic origin, for males and it means vineyard, nobility and generosity. People named Kerem include: * Kerem Bulut, Turkish-Australian footballer * Kerem Demirbay, Turkish-German footballer * Kerem Gönlüm ...

for ''The Fall of Dragons'' by

** Nominated: Sam Green for ''Oathbringer'' by

** Nominated: Jackie Morris and Stephen Raw for ''Assassin’s Fate'' by

** Nominated: Kerby Rosanes for ''Godsgrave'' by

References

External links

The David Gemmell Awards for Fantasy
{{Fantasy fiction British speculative fiction awards Awards established in 2009