'Last Days' by Adam Nevill wins Best Horror Novel British Fantasy Award

The winners of this year’s British Fantasy Awards were announced by the British Fantasy Society on Nov. 3 during the World Fantasy Convention in Brighton, England.

The British Fantasy Awards were first awarded in 1971, and this year’s awards included awards in the following categories – Best Fantasy Novel, Best Horror Novel, Best Novella, Best Short Story, Best Collection, Best Anthology, Best Small Press, Best Non-Fiction, Best Magazine/Periodical, Best Artist, Best Comic/Best Graphic Novel, Best Screenplay and Best Newcomer.

This year’s slate of winners included:

Best Fantasy Novel – “Some Kind of Fairy Tale” by Graham Joyce

Best Horror Novel – “Last Days” by Adam Nevill

Best Novella – “The Nine Deaths of Dr. Valentine” by John Llewellyn Probert

Best Short Story – “Shark! Shark!” by Ray Cluley

Best Collection – “Remember Why You Fear Me” by Robert Shearman

Best Anthology – “Magic: An Anthology of the Esoteric and Arcane,” edited by Jonathan Oliver

Best Small Press – ChiZine Publications

Best Non-Fiction – “Pornokitsch,” edited by Anne C. Perry and Jared Shurin

Best Magazine/Periodical – “Interzone,” edited by Andy Cox

Best Artist – Sean Phillips

Best Comic/Graphic Novel – “Saga” by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples

Best Screenplay – “The Cabin in the Woods” by Josh Whedon and Drew Goddard

Best Newcomer – Helen Marshall

Arguably the most prestigious of these awards is the Best Horror Novel award, which is also known as the August Derleth Award. What follows is a list of the all-time winners of that award.

1972 - The Knight of the Swords by Michael Moorcock
1973 - The King of the Swords by Michael Moorcock
1974 - Hrolf Kraki's Saga by Poul Anderson
1975 - The Sword and the Stallion by Michael Moorcock
1976 - The Hollow Lands by Michael Moorcock
1977 - The Dragon and the George by Gordon R. Dickson
1978 - A Spell for Chameleon by Piers Anthony
1979 - The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever by Stephen R. Donaldson
1980 - Death's Master by Tanith Lee
1981 - To Wake the Dead by Ramsey Campbell
1982 - Cujo by Stephen King
1983 - The Sword of the Lictor by Gene Wolfe
1984 - Floating Dragon by Peter Straub
1985 – Incarnate by Ramsey Campbell
1986 - The Ceremonies by T. E. D. Klein
1987 - It by Stephen King
1988 - The Hungry Moon by Ramsey Campbell
1989 - The Influence by Ramsey Campbell
1990 - Carrion Comfort by Dan Simmons
1991 - Midnight Sun by Ramsey Campbell
1992 - Outside the Dog Museum by Jonathan Carroll
1993 - Dark Sister by Graham Joyce
1994 - The Long Lost by Ramsey Campbell
1995 - Only Forward by Michael Marshall Smith
1996 – Requiem by Graham Joyce
1997 - The Tooth Fairy by Graham Joyce
1998 - Light Errant by Chaz Brenchley
1999 - Bag of Bones by Stephen King
2000 – Indigo by Graham Joyce
2001 - Perdido Street Station by China Miéville
2002 - The Night of the Triffids by Simon Clark
2003 - The Scar by China Miéville
2004 - Full Dark House by Christopher Fowler
2005 - Dark Tower VII: The Dark Tower by Stephen King
2006 - Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman

2007 – Dusk by Tim Lebbon

2008 - The Grin of the Dark by Ramsey Campbell

2009 - Memoirs of a Master Forger by William Heaney

2010 – One by Conrad Williams

2011 – Demon Dance by Sam Stone

2012 – The Ritual by Adam Nevill

2013 – Last Days by Adam Nevill

In 2012, the British Fantasy Society began awarding a separate award for Best Fantasy Novel, which is also known as the Robert Holdstock Award. “Among Others” by Jo Walton won that award in 2012, and “Some Kind of Fairy Tale” by Graham Joyce won it this year.

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.