Who will win this year's World Fantasy Award for Best Novel?

The nominees for this year’s slate of World Fantasy Awards were announced a few days ago, including the finalists for the prestigious Best Novel award. The winners will be announced at this year’s World Fantasy Convention on Nov. 1-4 in Toronto, Canada.

The nominees for Best Novel include the following books:

- Those Across the River by Christopher Buehlman
- 11/22/63 by Stephen King
- A Dance with Dragons by George R.R. Martin
- Osama by Lavie Tidhard
- Among Others by Jo Walton

This year’s slate of awards also includes two other “book” categories – Best Anthology and Best Collection.

The nominees for Best Anthology include:

- “Blood and Other Cravings,” edited by Ellen Datlow
- “A Book of Horrors,” edited by Stephen Jones
- “The Thackery T. Lambstead Cabinet of Curiosities,” edited by Ann and Jeff VanderMeer
- “The Weird,” edited by Ann and Jeff VanderMeer
- “Gutshot,” edited by Conrad Williams

The nominees for Best Collection include:

- “Bluegrass Symphony” by Lisa L. Hannett
- “Two Worlds and In Between” by Caitlin R. Kiernon
- “After the Apocalypse” by Maureen F. McHugh
- “Mrs. Midnight and Other Stories” by Reggie Oliver
- “The Bible Repairman and Other Stories” by Tim Powers

The finalists for Best Novella, Best Short Story, Best Artist as well as for Special Award – Professional and Non-Professional were also announced last week. For more information about the nominees in those categories, visit http://www.locusmag.com/News/2012/08/world-fantasy-awards-ballot/.

For those of you unfamiliar with the World Fantasy Awards, they are given annually for outstanding achievement in the field of fantasy. Along with the Hugo Awards and Nebula Awards, the World Fantasy Awards are generally considered among the most prestigious awards in the fantasy and science fiction genres.

As you might have imagined a number of outstanding novels have won World Fantasy Awards over the years. What follows is a complete list of the all-time winners in the Best Novel category:

1975 – The Forgotten Beasts of Eld by Patricia A. McKillip
1976 – Bid Time Return by Richard Matheson
1977 – Doctor Rat by William Kotzwinkle
1978 – Our Lady of Darkness by Fritz Leiber
1979 – Gloriana by Michael Moorcock
1980 – Watchtower by Elizabeth A. Lynn
1981 – The Shadow of the Torturer by Gene Wolfe
1982 – Little, Big by John Crowley
1983 – Nifft the Lean by Michael Shea
1984 – The Dragon Waiting by John M. Ford
1985 – Mythago Wood by Robert Holdstock and Bridge of Birds by Barry Hughart
1986 – Song of Kali by Dan Simmons
1987 – Perfume by Patrick Susking
1988 – Replay by Ken Grimwood
1989 – Koko by Peter Straub
1990 – Lyonesse: Madouc by Jack Vance
1991 – Only Begotten Daughter by James Morrow and Thomas the Rhymer by Ellen Kushner
1992 – Boy’s Life by Robert R. McCammon
1993 – Last Call by Tim Powers
1994 – Glimpses by Lewis Shiner
1995 – Towing Jehovah by James Morrow
1996 – The Prestige by Christopher Priest
1997 – Godmother Night by Rachel Pollack
1998 – The Physiognomy by Jeffrey Ford
1999 – The Antelope Wife by Louise Erdich
2000 – Thraxas by Martin Scott
2001 – Declare by Tim Powers and Galveston by Sean Stewart
2002 – The Other Wind by Ursula K. Le Guin
2003 – The Facts of Life by Graham Joyce and Ombria in Shadow by Patricia A. McKillip
2004 – Tooth and Claw by Jo Walton
2005 – Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke
2006 – Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami
2007 – Soldier of Sidon by Gene Wolfe
2008 – Ysabel by Guy Gavriel Kay
2009 – The Shadow Year by Jeffrey Ford and Tender Morsels by Margo Lanagan
2010 – The City & the City by China Mieville
2011 – Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafor

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.