2011 Locus Award winners announced this afternoon

Locus Magazine, the “Magazine of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Field,” announced the winners of the 2011 Locus Awards this afternoon in Seattle.

This year’s slate of winners were as follows:

Best Science Fiction Novel - “Blackout/All Clear” by Connie Willis

Best Fantasy Novel - “Kraken” by China Mieville

Best First Novel - “The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms” by N.K. Jemisin

Best Young Adult Book - “Ship Breaker” by Paolo Bacigalupi

Best Anthology – “Warriors,” edited by George R.R. Martin and Gardner Dozois

Best Collection – “Fritz Leiber: Selected Stories” by Fritz Leiber

Best Non-fiction – “Robert A. Heinlein: In Dialogue with His Century: Vol. 1: 1907-1948: Learning Curve” by William H. Patterson Jr.

Best Art Book – “Spectrum 17,” edited by Cathy and Arnie Fenner

Best Magazine – Asimov’s

Other winners this year included:

Best Novella – “The Lifecycle of Software Objects” by Ted Chiang

Best Novelette – “The Truth Is a Cave in the Black Mountains” by Neil Gaiman

Best Short Story – “The Thing About Cassandra” by Neil Gaiman

Best Publisher – Tor

Best Editor – Ellen Datlow

Best Artist – Shaun Tan

The other finalists in the Best Science Fiction Novel category included Surface Detail” by Iain M. Banks, “Cryoburn” by Lois McMaster, “Zero History” by William Gibson and “The Dervish House” by Ian McDonald.

The other finalists in the Best Fantasy Novel category included “Under Heaven” by Guy Gavriel Kay, “Who Fears Death” by Nnedi Okorafor, “The Fuller Memorandum” by Charles Stross and “The Sorcerer’s House” by Gene Wolfe.

The other finalists in the Best First Novel category included “The Loving Dead” by Amelia Beamer, “Shades of Milk and Honey” by Mary Robinette, “The Quantum Thief” by Hannu Rajaniemi and “How to Live Safely in a Science Fiction Universe” by Charles Yu.

The other finalists in the Best Young Adult Book category included “Mockingjay” by Suzanne Collins, “Enchanted Glass” by Diana Wynne Jones, “I Shall Wear Midnight” by Terry Pratchett and “Behemoth” by Scott Westerfeld.

The other finalists in the Best Non-fiction Book category included “80! Memories & Reflections on Ursula K. LeGuin,” edited by Karen Joy Fowler and Debbie Notkin, “Conversations with Octavia Butler” by Conseula Francis, “CM Kornbluth: The Life and Works of a Science Fiction Visionary” by Mark Rich and “Bearings: Reviews 1997-2001” by Gary K. Wolfe.

The other finalists in the Best Anthology category included “Zombies vs. Unicorns,” edited by Holly Black and Justine Larbalestier; “The Beastley Bride,” edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling; “The Year’s Best Science Fiction: Twenty-Seventh Annual Collection,” edited by Gardner Dozois; and “Swords & Dark Magic,” edited by Jonathan Strahan and Lou Anders.

The other finalists in the Best Collection category included “Mirror Kingdoms” by Peter S. Beagle, “What I Didn’t See and Other Stories” by Karen Joy Fowler, “The Best of Kim Stanley Robinson” by Kim Stanley Robinson and “The Collected Stories of Roger

Established in 1971, the Locus Awards are presented to the winners of the magazine’s annual readers’ poll. The award was initially established to provide Hugo Awards voters with recommendations and suggestions. Since 1971, the Locus Awards have become more prestigious and now draws more voters than the prestigious Hugo and Nebula awards combined.

In the end, how many of the books mentioned above have you had a chance to read? Which did you like or dislike? Which would you recommend and why? Let us know in the comments section below.