The winners of this year’s Sunburst Awards for Canadian Literature of the Fantastic have just been announced.
The winner of the first-ever Sunburst for Young Adult literature is Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet by Joanne Proulx (published by Viking Canada).
The winner in the Adult category is The New Moon’s Arms by Nalo Hopkinson (Warner). This is Hopkinson’s second Sunburst; she also won in 2003 for Skin Folk.
In announcing the winners, the jury also made brief statements about the winning novels. Of Anthem…, the jury said: “Proulx doesn’t shy away from showing the tumultuous mix of beauty and ugliness at work in the mind of a teen stoner. Her debut novel tackles ESP, drug use, teen sexuality and the mores of small-town conservative Michigan all foregrounded against the soundscape of Luke Hunter’s life. There is no doubt teens will recognize many of the characters in this uncomfortable novel. The book, like the protagonist, is not without flaws; Proulx’s huge accomplishment here is writing a character whose rage, frustration and love are palpable through the disaffected teen voice.”
Their statement about Moon is: “Nalo Hopkinson crafts an engrossing story featuring an unforgettable character. With generous doses of mystery, humour, magical fantasy and insight, The New Moon’s Arms is an entrancing read.”
We went into more detail about the award, including the other nominees and the judges, in this article.