The Compton Crook Award is presented to the best English language first novel of the year in the field of
science fiction
Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...
,
fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and d ...
, or
horror by the members of the
Baltimore Science Fiction Society
The Baltimore Science Fiction Society (BSFS) is a literary organization focusing on science fiction, fantasy and related genres. A 501c3 literary society based in Baltimore, Maryland, the BSFS sponsors Balticon, the Maryland Regional Science Fic ...
at their annual science fiction convention,
Balticon
Balticon is the Maryland Regional science fiction convention, sponsored by the Baltimore Science Fiction Society (BSFS). It has been held annually since 1966. The name "Balticon" is trademarked by BSFS.
Overview
Balticon brings together over 18 ...
, held in
Baltimore
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
on
Memorial Day
Memorial Day (originally known as Decoration Day) is a federal holiday in the United States for mourning the U.S. military personnel who have fought and died while serving in the United States armed forces. It is observed on the last Monda ...
weekend. The award, also known as the Compton Crook/Stephen Tall Award, has been presented since 1983.
The list of eligible books is published in the monthly newsletter so that all club members will have a chance to read and vote. The winning author is invited to Balticon (BSFS pays transportation and lodging) for two years, and presented with the cash award of $1,000. Compton Crook, who wrote under the name of
Stephen Tall, was a long-time Baltimore resident,
Towson University
Towson University (TU or Towson) is a public university in Towson, Maryland. Founded in 1866 as Maryland's first training school for teachers, Towson University is a part of the University System of Maryland. Since its founding, the university h ...
professor, and science fiction author who died in 1981.
Winners
* 1983 -
Donald Kingsbury, ''
Courtship Rite''
* 1984 -
Christopher Rowley
Christopher Rowley (born 1948) is an American writer specializing in the science fiction and fantasy genres. He is also a former journalist and television screenswriter.
Christopher Rowley was born in 1948 in Lynn, Massachusetts, to an Ameri ...
, ''
War For Eternity''
* 1985 -
David R. Palmer, ''
Emergence''
* 1986 -
Sheila Finch, ''
Infinity's Web''
* 1987 -
Thomas Wren, ''
Doomsday Effect''
* 1988 -
Christopher Hinz, ''
Liege-Killer''
* 1989 -
Elizabeth Moon
Elizabeth Moon (born March 7, 1945) is an American science fiction and fantasy writer. Her other writing includes newspaper columns and opinion pieces. Her novel '' The Speed of Dark'' won the 2003 Nebula Award. Prior to her writing career, s ...
, ''
Sheepfarmer's Daughter''
* 1990 -
Josepha Sherman
Josepha Sherman (December 12, 1946 – August 23, 2012) was an American author, folklorist, and anthologist. In 1990 she won the Compton Crook Award for the novel ''The Shining Falcon''.
Works
Series
Buffyverse
*''Visitors'' (1999) (with ...
, ''
The Shining Falcon''
* 1991 -
Michael Flynn, ''
In the Country of the Blind''
* 1992 -
Carol Severance
Carol Severance (1944 – February 19, 2015) was a U.S. science fiction writer.
Life
Carol Severance was a Hawaii-based Science Fiction and Fantasy writer known for her strong female characters. As an artist she had a special interest in Paci ...
, ''
Reefsong''
* 1993 -
Holly Lisle
Holly Lisle (born 1960) is an American writer of fantasy, science fiction, paranormal romance and romantic suspense novels. She is also known for her work in educating writers, including her e-book ''Mugging the Muse: Writing Fiction for Love An ...
, ''
Fire in the Mist''
* 1994 -
Mary Rosenblum
Mary Rosenblum (born Mary Freeman; June 27, 1952 – March 11, 2018) was an American science fiction and mystery author.
Biography
Rosenblum was born in Levittown, New York and grew up in Allison Park, Pennsylvania. She earned a biology de ...
, ''
The Drylands''
* 1995 -
Doranna Durgin, ''
Dun Lady's Jess''
* 1996 -
Daniel Graham Jr., ''The Gatekeepers''
* 1997 -
Richard Garfinkle, ''
Celestial Matters''
* 1998 -
Katie Waitman, ''
The Merro Tree''
* 1999 -
James Stoddard, ''
The High House''
* 2000 -
Stephen L. Burns, ''
Flesh and Silver''
* 2001 -
Syne Mitchell, ''
Murphy's Gambit''
* 2002 -
Wen Spencer, ''
Alien Taste''
* 2003 -
Patricia Bray, ''
Devlin's Luck''
* 2004 -
E. E. Knight, ''
Way of the Wolf''
* 2005 -
Tamara Siler Jones, ''
Ghosts in the Snow''
* 2006 -
Maria V. Snyder, ''
Poison Study''
* 2007 -
Naomi Novik, ''
His Majesty's Dragon
''His Majesty's Dragon'', published in the UK as ''Temeraire'', is the first novel in the '' Temeraire'' alternate history/fantasy series by American author Naomi Novik. The story is set during an alternate-history version of the Napoleonic Wars ...
''
* 2008 -
Mark L. Van Name, ''One Jump Ahead''
* 2009 -
Paul Melko, ''
Singularity's Ring
''Singularity's Ring'' is the debut science fiction book by Paul Melko. The novel was published on February 5, 2008 by Tor Books.
Plot
The story is set in a future after a singularity event, which caused the bulk of humanity to disappear. The f ...
''
* 2010 -
Paolo Bacigalupi
Paolo Tadini Bacigalupi (born August 6, 1972) is an American science fiction and fantasy writer. He has won the Hugo Award, Hugo, Nebula Award, Nebula, John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best Science Fiction Novel, John W. Campbell, Compton Cr ...
, ''
The Windup Girl''
* 2011 -
James Knapp, ''State of Decay''
* 2012 -
T. C. McCarthy, ''Germline''
* 2013 -
Myke Cole, ''Control Point''
* 2014 -
Charles E. Gannon, ''Fire With Fire''
* 2015 -
Alexandra Duncan, ''Salvage''
* 2016 -
Fran Wilde
Dame Frances Helen Wilde (née Kitching, born 11 November 1948) is a New Zealand politician, and former Wellington Labour member of parliament, Minister of Tourism and Mayor of Wellington. She was the first woman to serve as Mayor of Welling ...
, ''Updraft''
* 2017 -
Ada Palmer
Ada Palmer (born June 9, 1981) is an American historian and writer and winner of the 2017 John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer. Her first novel ''Too Like the Lightning'' was published in May 2016. The work has been well received by criti ...
, ''
Too Like the Lightning''
* 2018 -
Nicky Drayden, ''
The Prey of Gods''
* 2019 -
R. F. Kuang, ''
The Poppy War''
* 2020 -
Arkady Martine
AnnaLinden Weller, better known under her pen name Arkady Martine (born April 19, 1985), is an American historian, city planning, city planner, and author of science fiction literature. Her first novels ''A Memory Called Empire'' (2019) and A Des ...
, ''
A Memory Called Empire''
* 2021 -
Micaiah Johnson, ''The Space Between Worlds''
* 2022 -
P. Djèlí Clark, ''
A Master of Djinn''
References
External links
Compton Crook Award Winners Page
American literary awards
American speculative fiction awards
Regional and local science fiction awards
Awards established in 1983
First book awards
1983 establishments in the United States
Culture of Baltimore
{{lit-award-stub