This list of recommendations is neither exhaustive nor unbiased. Its purpose is not to sway votes but to share our enthusiasm for works and artists who impressed Talking Squid contributors and colleagues in 2008. This is not the only list. Shane Jiraiya Cummings of Smoke and Mirrors has posted his own recommendations for the professional categories, the fan categories, and the special categories, then added an update. Even if you don’t plan to nominate for the Ditmars (closes Monday, by the way) or have no interest in the Ditmars at all, you can treat this as Talking Squid’s recommended Australian science fiction, fantasy, and horror for the year.

NOVEL

The Changeling, Sean Williams
Daughters of Moab, Kim Westwood
Earth Ascendant, Sean Williams
Economy of Light, Jack Dann
Finnikin of the Rock, Melina Marchetta
How To Ditch Your Fairy, Justine Larbalestier
Incandescence, Greg Egan
Lamplighter: Monster Blood Tattoo Book Two, David Cornish
The Seance, John Harwood
Tender Morsels, Margo Lanagan
Two Pearls of Wisdom, Alison Goodman

NOVELLA / SHORT STORY

“An Honest Day’s Work”, Margo Lanagan
“Ass-Hat Magic Spider”, Scott Westerfeld
“As We Know It”, Lyn Battersby
“Beyond the Sea Gates of the Scholar Pirates of Sarskoe”, Garth Nix
“Creeping in Reptile Flesh”, Robert Hood
“Crystal Nights”, Greg Egan
“Delivery”, Trent Jamieson
“Down to the Silver Spirits”, Kaaron Warren
“Dresses, Three”, Angela Slatter
“Ghost Jail”, Kaaron Warren
“The Goosle”, Margo Lanagan
“Infestation”, Garth Nix
“Lost Continent”, Greg Egan
“Machine Maid”, Margo Lanagan
“The Miner’s Tale”, Lara E. Goodin
“Night of the Firstlings”, Margo Lanagan
“Oh, Russia”, Simon Brown
“Painlessness”, Kirstyn McDermott
“Pale Dark Soldier”, Deb Biancotti
“Sammarynda Deep”, Cat Sparks
“Skinsongs”, Martin Livings
“This Is My Blood”, Chris Lynch and Ben Francisco
“Truth Window: A Tale of the Bedlam Rose”, Terry Dowling
“Watertight Lies”, Deb Biancotti

COLLECTED WORK

2012, ed. Alisa Krasnostein and Ben Payne
The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year: Volume 2, ed. Jonathan Strahan
Canterbury 2100, ed. Dirk Flinthart
Creeping in Reptile Flesh, Robert Hood
Dark Integers and Other Stories, Greg Egan
Dreaming Again, ed. Jack Dann
Eclipse 2: New Science Fiction and Fantasy, ed. Jonathan Strahan
Magic Dirt: The Best of Sean Williams, ed. Russell B. Farr
Midnight Echo, ed. Kirstyn McDermott and Ian Mond
The New Space Opera, ed. Gardner Dozois and Jonathan Strahan
The Starry Rift: Tales of New Tomorrows, ed. Jonathan Strahan 
Tales of Outer Suburbia, Shaun Tan
The Year’s Best Australian SF & Fantasy, vol. 4, ed. Bill Congreve and Michelle Marquardt

ATHELING

“Bad Film Diaries – Sometimes the Brand Burns: Tim Burton and the Planet of the Apes”, Grant Watson
“Popular genres and the Australian literary community: the case of fantasy fiction”, Kim Wilkins 
Science Fiction entry in Books and Beyond: The Greenwood Encyclopedia of New American Reading, Russell Blackford
“Three Views of Mount Solaris”, Chris Lawson

BEST ARTWORK

COSMOS: “A Place To Call Home”, Jamie Tuffrey
Creeping in Reptile Flesh cover, Cat Sparks
Dragonscarpe cover, Michael Dutkiewicz
Groom Lake #1, Ben Templesmith
COSMOS: “The Noise Machine”, Justin Randall
Tales of Outer Suburbia, Shaun Tan
Wormwood: Gentleman Corpse #3, Ben Templesmith

BEST FAN PUBLICATION IN ANY MEDIUM

The Scary Food Cookbook, a compendium of gastronomic atrocity, ed. Cat Sparks
Undead Backbrain, Rob Hood
 
BEST FAN WRITER

Rob Hood
Robin Pen

BEST ACHIEVEMENT

Angela Challis for Brimstone Press and for Black: Australian Dark Culture Magazine
Robin Pen for Planet Blog
Wilson da Silva, Alan Finkel, Kylie Ahern and Damien Broderick for COSMOS Magazine

Tags: 2009, ditmar awards, ditmars, recommendations