So I just found out that The Wise Man’s Fear made the shortlist for the David Gemmell Legend award.
It’s flattering, because not only was Gemmell a great writer, but because whoever wins doesn’t just get a trophy or a certificate or something.
No. The winner of the David Gemmell legend award gets an axe.
Which you have to admit is pretty cool. It would certainly be a step up from my current writing axe.
The problem is this, when I wandered over to see who else was on the ballot, I saw that it was stacked with other really good books.
Most troubling for me, was the fact that it was up against Brandon Sanderson’s Alloy of Law.
When I saw that, I realized that I’d never actually gotten around to writing a review of Alloy, though I’d been meaning to for weeks and weeks.
I feel it’s my civic duty to talk spread the word about good books I’ve read. So I finally wrote it up and posted it over on Goodreads.
For those of you who have some sort of odd, trauma-borne link-clicking phobia, here’s the jist of it:
“Sanderson has now been added to a very short list. Specifically, the list authors I wish to kill so that I might eat their livers and thereby gain their power.”
It’s a really good book. Not just because of the story. But because what he’s doing is really amazingly different. (Read the review if you want the details.)
So here’s the deal. One of the nice things bout the Gemmell Legend Award is that it’s decided by a popular vote. Y’all can go in and voice your opinions.
But the OTHER nice thing is that the voting goes until May 31st.
That means if I put up a link here, y’all have plenty of time to go out and read some of the other books on the list. Fairly assessing all the options and making an informed choice.
This is the thing you should do when you vote, you realize. Making informed choices is what gives you the right to call yourself a human being.
Consider this practice for other voting type things that might be looming on the horizon. When I put up the link, don’t just wander over there, bleating like a sheep, and click the name that looks most familiar to you. Don’t vote for the option all your friends have been talking about. Don’t vote for the person your parents trained you to vote for.
No. Look at your options. Gather data. Be a rational human and make a informed choice.
Trust me. It’s good practice. This is an important thing to practice.
And here’s your link.
pat
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