Our news
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And the winner is… Rogba Payne for The Dance of Shadows
At the start of the Saturday evening’s award ceremony at this year’s World Fantasy Convention I (Tim, Brian’s son) was proud to be able to stand up and introduce not only the concept of an award for world-building in speculative fiction, but to also announce the winner of this, the inaugural year.
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When Among Crows by Veronica Roth: 2025 Shortlist close-up
Pain is Dymitr’s calling. His family is one in a long line of hunters who sacrifice their souls to slay monsters. Now he’s tasked with a deadly mission: find the legendary witch Baba Jaga. To reach her, Dymitr must ally with the ones he’s sworn to kill.
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The Dance of Shadows by Rogba Payne: 2025 Shortlist close-up
ROGBA PAYNE was born in London and raised across both London and Lagos, Nigeria. He is a descendant of John Augustus Otunba-Payne; the noted lawyer, writer and murdered prince of the Ijebu-Ode royal family.
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Shigidi and the Brass Head of Obalufon, Wole Talabi: 2025 Shortlist close-up
Shigidi is the god of nightmares.Once a feared and powerful member of the Yoruba spirit world, these days he haunts people for scraps of power, which he must give up to the executives of the Orisha Spirit Company.Nneoma is a deadly succubus.Fierce, independent and unpredictable, she’s not afraid to take dangerous risks to free herself…
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2025 Award Ceremony @ World Fantasy Con
We’ll be announcing the inaugural winner of The Aldiss Award for world-building in speculative fiction on Saturday 1st November, and we look forward to seeing you all for the announcement! BOOK YOUR TICKET FOR FANTASYCON 2025 We have the prime billing of 7.30pm on the Saturday night! Read the 2025 Shortlist With two weeks to…
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Saints Of Storm and Sorrow, Gabriella Buba: 2025 Shortlist close-up
María Lunurin has been living a double life for as long as she can remember. To the world, she is Sister María, dutiful nun and devoted servant of Aynila’s Codicían colonizers. But behind closed doors, she is a stormcaller, chosen daughter of the Aynilan goddess Anitun Tabu. In hiding not only from the Codicíans and…
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Kavithri, Aman J. Bedi: 2025 Shortlist close-up
Meet Kavithri. Outcast. Underdog. Survivor. Kavi is a Taemu. Her people, once feared berserkers and the spearhead of a continent-spanning invasion, are the dregs of Raayan society. Their spirits crushed. Their swords broken. Their history erased. But Kavi has a dream and a plan. She will do whatever it takes to earn a place at…
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Dreadful, Caitlin Rozakis: 2025 Shortlist close-up
It’s bad enough waking up in a half-destroyed evil wizard’s workshop with no eyebrows, no memories, and no idea how long you have before the Dread Lord Whomever shows up to murder you horribly and then turn your skull into a goblet or something. It’s a lot worse when you realize that Dread Lord Whomever…
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The 2025 Shortlist
We’re delighted to reveal the shortlist for the inaugural Aldiss Award for World Building in speculative fiction. Our Chair of Judges, Allen Stroud, said: “The short list reflects our determination to find the very best stories that fire the imagination of their readers. We were looking for tales that linger and lurk long after the…
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Building Worlds That Breathe: A Guide to Immersive, Self-Consistent Worldbuilding
As creators of speculative fiction, we hold a rare power: to shape worlds that breathe and pulse with life. These are worlds that, though fantastical, are grounded in a self-consistent internal logic that makes them feel alive. Whether in novels, games, or visual storytelling, worldbuilding is essential to drawing readers and players into realms that…