Living Canon

Locus Awards 2017: Complete list of winners

The 2017 Locus Awards ceremony celebrated a year of remarkably ambitious speculative fiction, with winners that pushed genre boundaries in unexpected directions. Charlie Jane Anders took home Best Fantasy Novel for All the Birds in the Sky, a debut that weaves together magical realism and science fiction into something entirely its own. Meanwhile, the Best Science Fiction Novel award went to Liu Cixin’s Death’s End, the final installment of his acclaimed trilogy, recognizing the rare translation of hard science fiction that has captured English-language readers’ imaginations on a massive scale.

Perhaps most striking was the recognition given to debut and emerging voices. Yoon Ha Lee’s wildly inventive Ninefox Gambit claimed Best First Novel, announcing a major talent with a novel so intricate and forward-thinking it demanded multiple readings. And in the Young Adult category, Alastair Reynolds proved that established science fiction authors could dominate across categories with Revenger, a space opera adventure that reminded readers why Reynolds’ work compels both genre faithful and newcomers alike.

These Locus Awards winners, voted on by the magazine’s devoted readership, represent the organization’s unique position in science fiction and fantasy fandom—they tend to honor books that readers themselves are passionate about rather than those chasing mainstream prestige. Check out the full list of 2017 Locus Awards winners below:

Best Fantasy Novel

Best First Novel

Best Science Fiction Novel

Best Young Adult Book