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Praise from Saskatchewan Book Awards jurors for The Cityborn
Last night the 25th annual Saskatchewan Book Awards were presented at the Conexus Arts Centre. My science fiction novel The Cityborn was shortlisted for the City of Regina Book Award, for "the best book by a Regina author, judged on the quality of the writing." This is, I believe, the eighth time I've been shortlisted, and I won the City of Regina Book Award in 2002 for Spirit Singer; in fact, on the display board at the door last night they had photos of some past winners, myself among them (look closely at the photo I'm indicating in the photo accompanying this post!). My competition this year include Anne Campbell's ...The Cityborn is out! Reviews, interviews, and more…
The Cityborn, my eighth novel for DAW Books (though only the fourth under my own name) officially released on July 4. All of the United States celebrated with fireworks, which was nice. This is an ongoing post that I'll update as new things appear online. It's been getting some nice attention! It made Inverse Entertainment's list of "7 Essential Science Fiction Books for July 2017" and Barnes & Noble's list of "The Best Science Fiction & Fantasy Books of July 2017." I wrote a "Big Idea" for John Scalzi's popular blog Whatever. You can read it here. John has generously provided these guest spots for many years for authors to ...Publishers Weekly reviews The Cityborn…”will entertain SF adventure fans”
Another review has bubbled up, although the release of The Cityborn is still more than a month away. This time it's from Publishers Weekly: "Willett (the Helix War series) wraps his capable new adult science fiction adventure around the fate of a mysterious many-tiered city and its inhabitants...Willett’s spunky protagonists and colorful world will entertain SF adventure fans." Entertainment is what this book is all about, and the common thread running through all the reviews--people seem to be finding it a fun read. I'm sure you will, too. :) Now I'm looking forward to receiving my authors' copies and actually seeing the book in the dead-tree flesh..could be any day.Door into Faerie a finalist for the 2017 Aurora Award for Best Young Adult Novel!
I’m honoured that Door into Faerie has been shortlisted or a 2017 Aurora Award (for the best Canadian science fiction and fantasy) in the Young Adult category. This is the second Shards of Excalibur book to be a finalist for the YA award: Twist of the Blade was also shortlisted. Other titles on the final ballot include Day of the Demon by Randy McCharles (CreateSpace), Heir to the Sky by Amanda Sun (Harlequin Teen), Icarus Down by James Bow (Scholastic Canada), Mik Murdonch: Crisis of Consience by Michel Plested (Evil Alter Ego Press), and The Wizard Killer – Season One by Adam Dreece (ADZO Publishing). Any Canadian citizen or permanent resident can vote ...Great review for The Cityborn from RT Book Reviews
There's a great new review of the The Cityborn in RT Book Reviews (not currently publicly accessible online; once/if it becomes so, I'll link to it). Reviewer Bridget Keown gives it 4/5 stars and writes: "Willett brings J.G. Ballard’s High-Rise into the distant space age in this dystopian tale of class, power and freedom that will entertain devotees and non-genre fans alike. The worldbuilding in this book is impressive, creating an atmosphere that is both fascinating and oppressive, and characters who are magnificently complex. Though the final revelation ...Flames of Nevyana has been released!
It's release day for my new YA fantasy novel, Flames of Nevyana, from Rebelight in Winnipeg. The paperback version is available for order now, with the ebook still to follow. Here's the synopsis: Blue Fire is both blessing and curse. A gift from the gods, its mystical light and energy powers and protects the land of Nevyana, but it also divides her people into three distinct groups. In the wrong hands, it becomes a formidable weapon. When sacred objects for channelling Blue Fire are stolen, sworn enemies Petra, Amlinn, and Jin set out to find them, and their paths converge on a collision course with the truth. Can ...CanLit for Little Canadians likes Cave Beneath the Sea
Helen Kubiw at the excellent CanLit for Little Canadians site has been a fan of The Shards of Excalibur from the beginning, and she likes Cave Beneath the Sea quite a lot: In Cave Beneath the Sea, Edward Willett has created as exciting a read as the earlier books in the series, continuing to develop his characters and their relationships while the action-filled plot carries the reader to intriguing national and international locales. Both Ariane and Wally feel the power of the sword, drawing them to its shards but also compelling their anger in those who have hurt them: parents, siblings, bullies, enemies. And while they struggle with those yearnings, they are finding their way ...Great reviews for Twist of the Blade and Lake in the Clouds from CanLit for Little Canadians
Starting off 2016 right, Twist of the Blade and Lake in the Clouds both picked up excellent reviews, one after the other, at the excellent CanLit for Little Canadians site. Of Twist of the Blade, Helen Kubiw writes: "While Edward Willett continues to weave the Arthurian legend into a Saskatchewan setting, he builds on the Merlin, Arthur and Lady of the Lake story by creating a magical sword that craves to be reconstructed and wielded as a weapon...Edward Willett capably brandishes the trust issues of teens, especially those related to their families, as the means to progress the story. But it’s these same issues with ...Song of the Sword long-listed for the Sunburst Award
I'm excited to announce that Song of the Sword has been long-listed in the young adult category for The Sunburst Award for Excellence in Canadian Literature of the Fantastic, an annual award celebrating the best in Canadian fantastic literature published during the previous calendar year. The winners receive a cash prize of $1,000 as well as a medallion which incorporates the Sunburst logo. The Sunburst Award takes its name from the debut novel of the late Phyllis Gotlieb, one of the first published authors of contemporary Canadian speculative fiction. Others long-listed in the YA category: Sea of Shadows by Kelley Armstrong The Night Gardener by Jonathan Auxier Gottika by Helaine Becker Tin Star by Cecil Castellucci The Voices in Between by Charlene Challenger Guardian by Natasha ...Twist of the Blade nominated for Aurora Award!
The Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Association has announced the ballot for the 2015 Aurora Awards, recognizing the best in Canadian science fiction and fantasy, and I'm pleased and proud to announce that Twist of the Blade is on the ballot in the Best Young Adult Novel Category. Others nominated in that category: Lockstep by Karl Schroeder, Tor Books; Rain by Amanda Sun, Harlequin TEEN; Out of This World by Charles de Lint, Razorbill Canada; The Voices in Between by Charlene Challenger, Tightrope Books; Mabel the Lovelorn Dwarf by Sherry Peters, Dwarvenamazon; and Sea of Shadows by Kelley Armstrong, Doubleday Canada. The Aurora awards will be present during SFContario 6 / Canvention 35 on the weekend of November 20-22 There are more than the usual five nominees because of ...
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