The Sunburst Award for Canadian Literature of the Fantastic is a juried award based on excellence of writing, and consists of a medallion and a C$1,000 prize. It is for Canadian authors living in or outside of Canada, as well as Canadian immigrants. The winner of the 2007 Sunburst (for books published in 2006) will be announced this Autumn.
The shortlist for this year’s award is:
Fabrizio’s Return by Mark Frutkin (published by Vintage Canada). The Sunburst jury says: “Fabrizio’s Return is a complex drama of faith, love, church politics, and art, set in 17th- and 18th-century Cremona. The story explores the events surrounding the mission of a ‘devil’s advocate’ sent by the church to investigate the life of a local ‘saint.’ Frutkin’s narrative is probing in its exploration of ordinary human nature. Rich in humour, a sense of irony, and celebrating the power of passion, this novel blends fantasy, realism and historical authenticity to create a unique and engaging work of art.”
Keturah and Lord Death by Martine Leavitt (published by Front Street). The Sunburst jury says: “A delicate, haunting story-within-a-story told by a girl who must choose between her bright, beloved town and the dark forest beyond it; between living and sacrifice. The tale is told with grace and humour, and it resonates with a deep understanding of yearning, loss and youth.”
The Droughtlanders by Carrie Mac (published by Puffin Canada). The Sunburst jury says: “This is a story whose deceptively simple voice perfectly mirrors its heart: the complexity and range of human nature. Mac depicts the divisiveness of social class and the brutality human beings are capable of showing towards one another; she also highlights our stubborn capacity for tenderness and joy. The world she has created is post-apocalyptic in its grimness, yet readers will be impatient to return to it in books two and three of the trilogy. For, while the landscape is harsh, the people who inhabit it brim with hope and promise.”
Blindsight by Peter Watts (published by Tor). The Sunburst jury says: “Neurobiology, vampires, alien encounters, mommy issues, deep space: Peter Watts has taken these elements (and countless others) and created a dense, provocative hard science fiction novel that puzzles as much as it enlightens. The motives of the human, mostly human, and non-human beings who populate the story are as deliciously uncertain as the outcome of their mission. Blindsight is a mind-bending, stylish question mark of a book; we dare you to answer it.”
Before I Wake by Robert J. Wiersema (published by Random House Canada). The Sunburst jury says: “A mortally injured child lying in a coma seems to influence, or somehow preside over, the lives of her parents and others. Wiersema’s first novel is a tour-de-force of shifting narrative viewpoints, influenced by William Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying and Graham Greene’s The End of the Affair, but entirely successful in its own right. Direct, sensitive and powerful, this novel uses its fantastic premise to probe human nature, passion, and the mysteries of human consciousness with irony and insight.”
The jury—comprised of Steven Erikson, James Alan Gardner, Tom Henighan, Emily Pohl-Weary, and Caitlin Sweet—also named the following honorable mentions: Widdershins by Charles de Lint, One Chrysanthemum by Joan Itoh Burke, Powers by Lynn Jacobs, and Farthing by Jo Walton.
To be considered for the 2008 award, (for books published in 2007), six copies of each book should be sent to:
The Sunburst Award
2 Farm Greenway
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
M3A 3M2
Deadline for consideration is 31 January 2008. Packages from outside Canada must be marked Promotional Materials.