Daggerology, 2021 Longlist thoughts
Apr. 15th, 2021 11:38 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gervase_fenFirst of all, this a crunched down calendar, the plan being to make sure that from 2022 the award season is closer to the publication date of the entrants. So instead of Longlists - May, Shortlists - July/August, Awards - November, we have longlists April, Shortlists May, Awards July.
(I suppose the reasoning is that a hardback nominee published in September will be in paperback when it wins, or that the author's newest book will be out when its predecessor takes the prize.)
Noticeable by their absence this year are Richard Osman and Simon Mayo. The judges have a lot more time for Robert Galbraith than the book reviewers did. As with last year, the Historical Dagger is dominated by long running series - Laurie R King (book 16), Ben Pastor (book 7), S J Parris (book 6), Michael Russell (book 6), Nicola Upson (book 9). The judges of the Gold Dagger are clearly fans of historical fiction too, having longlisted Ben Creed, Mick Finlay, Antonia Hodgson, S G MacLean and Thomas Mullen, as well as the Parris and the Upson.
The most established 'names' dominate the Steel category - Galbraith, Rankin, Ruth Ware, Charles Cumming, last year's winner Michael Robotham. My tip for the New Blood shortlist from the thirteen listed is John Vercher's well reviewed Three-Fifths.
(I suppose the reasoning is that a hardback nominee published in September will be in paperback when it wins, or that the author's newest book will be out when its predecessor takes the prize.)
Noticeable by their absence this year are Richard Osman and Simon Mayo. The judges have a lot more time for Robert Galbraith than the book reviewers did. As with last year, the Historical Dagger is dominated by long running series - Laurie R King (book 16), Ben Pastor (book 7), S J Parris (book 6), Michael Russell (book 6), Nicola Upson (book 9). The judges of the Gold Dagger are clearly fans of historical fiction too, having longlisted Ben Creed, Mick Finlay, Antonia Hodgson, S G MacLean and Thomas Mullen, as well as the Parris and the Upson.
The most established 'names' dominate the Steel category - Galbraith, Rankin, Ruth Ware, Charles Cumming, last year's winner Michael Robotham. My tip for the New Blood shortlist from the thirteen listed is John Vercher's well reviewed Three-Fifths.
