Honouring the Legacy of Brian Aldiss, Celebrating Extraordinary Realms in Science Fiction & Fantasy
We’re delighted to reveal the shortlist for the inaugural Aldiss Award for World Building in speculative fiction.
- Dreadful by Caitilin Rozakis
- Kavithri by Aman J. Bedi
- Saints Of Storm and Sorrow by Gabriella Buba
- Shigidi and the Brass Head of Obalufon by Wole Talabi
- The Dance of Shadows by Rogba Payne
- When Among Crows, Veronica Roth
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 reading is done. Our six are wonderful examples that live long in the memory.”
Award Founder Tim Aldiss added:
“Although we were unable to attract entries from the world of gaming in this inaugural year, we were delighted to have had a wealth of great literary submissions. It’s so exciting to see just how broad and diverse breaking down barriers between traditional ‘sci-fi’ and fantasy has been when it comes to what constitutes ‘world building’. Good luck to our finalists!”
This year’s winner will be announced on Sunday, 2nd October 2025, at the World Fantasy Convention, Brighton, UK.
The winner will receive a trophy in the form of a commemorative engraved bookend.
The judging panel for The Aldiss Award 2025 are:
- Allen Stroud, outgoing Chair of the British Science Fiction Association
- Janet Forbes, Founder of World Anvil
- David Green, author
The Aldiss Award, dedicated to celebrating exceptional world-building in science fiction and fantasy across literature and gaming, is excited to announce this shortlist. This distinguished annual award honours the rich legacy of Brian Aldiss, a Grand Master of science fiction, by spotlighting visionary creators who transport audiences to extraordinary realms.
The Aldiss Award seeks to carve out a prestigious place within the science fiction, fantasy and gaming communities, celebrating the profound impact of world-building on culture and storytelling. By recognising and supporting those who excel in the art of world-building, the award aims to inspire future generations of authors, game developers, and story tellers. The not-for-profit initiative is to recognise excellence in a vibrant community both in the UK and globally, united by a shared passion for speculative fiction.
For more information, please contact:
Tim Aldiss, The Aldiss Award Ltd, +44 (0) 7703291665 [info@thealdissaward.com](mailto:info@thealdissaward.com), [thealdissaward.com/]( https://thealdissaward.com/ )
Shortlist Info:
Dreadful
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 is… you.
Gav isn’t really sure how he ended up with a castle full of goblins, or why he has a princess locked in a cell. All he can do is play along with his own evil plan in hopes of getting his memories back before he gets himself killed. But as he realizes that nothing – from the incredibly tasteless cloak adorned with flames to the aforementioned princess – is quite what it seems, Gav must face up to all the things the Dread Lord Gavrax has done. And he’ll have to answer the hardest question of all – who does he want to be?
A high fantasy farce featuring killer moat squid, toxic masculinity, an evil wizard convocation, and a garlic festival. All at once. Dread Lord Gavrax has had better weeks.
Author Bio:
Caitlin Rozakis is the New York Times bestselling author of Dreadful. After graduating from Princeton, she has had too many career changes, including mechanical engineering (cut short after the murderous robot incident), finance (amortizing tequila receivables is not as fun as drinking tequila), the American Museum of Natural History (who knew emus had birth certificates?), and a number of marketing positions, some at companies you may have even heard of. She lives in Jersey City with her husband and son. Visit her online at www.caitlinrozakis.com.
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Kavithri
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 the secretive mage academy, face the Jinn within its walls, and gain the power to rise above her station and drag her people out of the darkness.
Except power and knowledge come at a cost, and the world no longer needs a Taemu who can fight. So they will break her. Beat her down to her knees. And make her bleed.
But if blood is what they want, Kavi will give them blood. She will give them violence. She will show them a berserker’s fury.
And she will make them remember her name.
An no-holds-barred progression fantasy and empowering South Asian epic – featuring necromancers, djinn and visceral action sequences. An underdog story like no other, Kavithri is perfect for fans of Fonda Lee, Tamsyn Muir and John Gwynne.
Author Bio:
Aman J. Bedi was born in Mysore, India. He grew up in Vizag, studied in Bangalore, completed a PhD in experimental psychology at the University of Canterbury, and now lives and works in Melbourne, Australia. His debut novel, Kavithri, was shortlisted for the Aurealis Awards.
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Saints Of Storm and Sorrow
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 their witch hunts, but also from the vengeful eye of her slighted goddess, Lunurin does what she can to protect her fellow Aynilans and the small family she has created in the convent: her lover Catalina, and Cat’s younger sister Inez.
Lunurin is determined to keep her head down—until one day she makes a devastating discovery, which threatens to tear her family apart. In desperation, she turns for help to Alon Dakila, heir to Aynila’s most powerful family, who has been ardently in love with her for years. But this choice sets in motion a chain of events beyond her control, awakening Anitun Tabu’s rage and putting everyone Lunurin loves in terrible danger. Torn between the call of Alon’s magic and Catalina’s jealousy, her duty to her family and to her people, Lunurin can no longer keep Anitun Tabu’s fury at bay.
The goddess of storms demands vengeance. And she will sweep aside anyone who stands in her way.
Author Bio:
Gabriella Buba is a mixed Filipina-Czech author and chemical engineer based in Texas who likes to keep explosive pyrophoric materials safely contained in pressure vessels or between the covers of her books. She writes adult romantic fantasy for bold, bi, brown women who deserve to see their stories centered. Find her online @gabriellabuba and at gabriellabuba.com.
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Shigidi and the Brass Head of Obalufon
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 from the mistakes of her past.
Two soulmates. One bid for freedom.
To gain the independence they both desire, the two of them are about to embark on a heist that spans both the real world and the spiritual world. But they’ll find far more than they bargained for in the depths of the British Museum . . .
A supernatural adventure novel rich in Nigerian mythology, and an eviscerating examination of cultural theft in the real world. This is perfect for fans of P. Djeli Clark, Nnedi Okorafor and Ben Aaronovitch.
Author Bio:
WOLE TALABI is an engineer, writer, and editor from Nigeria, whose stories have appeared in Asimov’s, F&SF, Lightspeed and several other places. He has been a finalist for multiple awards, including the Nebula Award, the Jim Baen Memorial Award and the Locus Award, and he has won the prestigious Caine Prize as well as the Nommo Award. His work has been translated into Spanish, Norwegian, Chinese, Italian, Bengali, and French. In his spare time he likes scuba diving, elegant equations, and oddly shaped things. He currently lives and works in Australia.
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The Dance of Shadows
Rumi and his family are Odu, stricken with poverty and disparaged by the other tribes. When ruthless agents of the Palmaine – the colonising nation that dominates the continent of Basmine – threaten to destroy the village market, Rumi takes it upon himself to liberate his family. Taking a place in the prestigious Golden Room, where earnings from his music offer a chance at freedom, he shoulders his pride and resentment in a bid to make it to the top.
On what should be Rumi’s greatest night at the Golden Room, his life is turned upside down. A terrifying individual known as the Priest of Vultures attacks Rumi and his family. Before her death, Rumi’s mother, Adunola, solicits the help of a dying god and saves Rumi, setting him on the path to become a Shadowwielder: warriors with the ability to use their shadow as a weapon. But Rumi’s need for vengeance may be more important to him than the future of his people…
Author Bio:
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. He first began writing while studying law at university. Now a lawyer, living in Lagos, he is most alive writing speculative fiction that examines issues of power, prejudice and spirituality.
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When Among Crows
We bear the sword, and we bear the pain of the sword.
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.
Pain is Ala’s inheritance. A fear-eating zmora with little left to lose, Ala awaits death from the curse she carries. When Dymitr offers her a cure in exchange for her help, she has no choice but to agree.
Together they must fight against time and the wrath of the Chicago underworld. But Dymitr’s secrets—and his true motives—may be the thing that actually destroys them.
Author Bio:
Veronica Roth is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Divergent series (Divergent, Insurgent, Allegiant, and Four: A Divergent Collection), the Carve the Mark duology (Carve the Mark, The Fates Divide), The End and Other Beginnings collection of short fiction, Chosen Ones, Poster Girl,
Arch-Conspirator and many short stories and essays. She lives in Chicago. Find Veronica at veronicarothbooks.com or on Instagram at @vrothbooks
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