Running into Rob Hood recently (twice) reminded me that the Australian Shadows Award winner had been announced, & it was Will Elliott's Pilo Family Circus, a book Rob describes in his judge's report as:

gothic comic-horror extravaganza, with its cast of carnival bizarros and manically violent killer clowns

Does sound delicious. Well done, Mr Elliott! Congratulations!

I'm kinda intrigued by the way the Shadows work, nominating short stories against novels and so on. I figured the judges must be working on the effect of the stories, rather than technique (since these mediums are so different), but turns out I was only partly right. The judges' comments (available on the website) shed some light on the er, Shadows.

From David Schembri

My main factors for assessing a story of any potential for shortlisting were:

The works structure and pace, character development, narrative, writing style, and most importantly, if I actually liked the story or not, and does it do anything for the genre?

This is an interesting question, the 'does it do anything for the genre'. I like the idea that there's some kind of give & take in that criterion. Like a conversation.

From Mark Smith:

Our final decisions were based on a number of criteria, devised to best enable us to determine our Shadow's shortlist. Entries were judged on things such as pace, character, narrative logic, originality, relevance to the genre and a lasting resonance or lingering dread.

Relevance seems a much harder thing to gauge. Does relevance mean expansion or confirmation of the genre? Does it mean – here's a word to strike fear into the hearts of artists everywhere – 'importance'?

At this point, I become glad I'm not a judge.

From Miranda Siemienowicz:

Is a story about a vampire or zombie automatically dark fiction? Probably not if the piece is comedy - if the author's primary intention is to make the reader laugh. Similarly if the piece is a gentle love story, even though the characters are ghosts.

Again there's the idea of the 'effect' of a piece – here, the author's intention is highlighted.

I've been asked several times why I choose to write genre, & my answer is always a variation of the same theme. Because you can feel it, I say. Because at its best it *affects* people. Because I still believe so-called 'genre' presents more potential than many other paradigms.

Is all.

Beneath the cut, judges' comments on my story, The Dying Light, because I like to keep things ( for the scrapbook. )

The Australian Horror Writers Association has announced the works shortlisted or honourably mentioned for the 2006 Australian Shadows award. The overall winner, chosen by Guest Judge Robert Hood from the five works on the shortlist, will be announced on March 25.

My story, The Dying Light, makes it into some very esteemed company in the short list. Hurrah!

Frankly, even the Honourable Mentions list features some very esteemed company. In fact, I'm pretty damn impressed with the entire line-up!

See below:


Shortlisted

Lee Battersby - Father Renoir's Hands (Through Soft Air; Prime Books)

Stephen Dedman - The Blow-Off (Brutarian #47)

Deborah Biancotti - The Dying Light (Eidolon I; Eidolon Books)

Will Elliott - The Pilo Family Circus (ABC Books)

Carol Ryles - The Bridal Bier (Eidolon I; Eidolon Books)


Honourable Mentions

Brett McBean - The Mother (Lothian Books)

K. J. Bishop - Silk and Pearls (Shadowed Realms #9)

Simon Brown - The Cup of Nestor (Troy; Ticonderoga Publications)

Terry Dowling - Basic Black: Tales of Appropriate Fear (Cemetery Dance Publications)


I'm going to go ahead & guess that Will Elliott's novel picks up the award. People are raving about it. Terry Dowling's collection Basic Black is also receiving a heck of a lot of enthusiasm. And it's good to see K. J. Bishop's name in the crowd.