Online voting for the 2017 Gemmell Awards has opened. The fantasy novel awards are voted for by the general public and are named after the fantasy author David Gemmell, who died in 2006. The online voting form can be found here. Voting closes at midnight on Friday, June 2nd.

The awards are split into three categories: The David Gemmell Legend Award for Best Fantasy Novel, the Morningstar Award for Best Fantasy Newcomer, and the Ravenheart Award for Best Fantasy Cover Art. The awards are well known for the unusual shape of the prizes; The Legend Award is an actual axe, which is a scale model of Snaga, the axe wielded by Gemmell’s iconic hero Druss. The other two awards are statues inspired by Gemmell’s works.

The presentation takes place on the evening of Saturday, July 15th at Edge-Lit 6, Derby, UK. 

The finalists are listed below. STARBURST would like to wish the best of luck to all of those nominated.

The Legend Award for Best Fantasy Novel

Wrath, John Gwynne (Tor)

Nevernight, Jay Kristoff (Harper Voyager)

The Wheel of Osheim, Mark Lawrence (Harper Voyager)

The Bands of Mourning, Brandon Sanderson (Gollancz)

Warbeast, Gav Thorpe (Black Library)

The Morningstar Award for Best Fantasy Newcomer

Infernal, Mark de Jager (Del Rey UK)

Duskfall, Christopher Husberg (Titan)

Steal the Sky, Megan E. O’Keefe (Angry Robot)

Snakewood, Adrian Selby (Orbit)

Hope and Red, Jon Skovron (Orbit)

The Ravenheart Award for Best Fantasy Cover Art

Alessandro Baldaserroni for the cover of Black Rift by Josh Reynolds (Black Library)

Jason Chan for the cover of The Wheel of Osheim by Mark Lawrence (Harper Voyager)

Sam Green for the cover of The Bands of Mourning by Brandon Sanderson (Gollancz)

Kerby Rosannes for the cover of Nevernight by Jay Kristoff (Harper Voyager)

Paul Young for the cover of Wrath by John Gwynne (Tor)