Dreams and Dragons: The 2015 Blogger Awards: Best Book

Wednesday, December 23, 2015

The 2015 Blogger Awards: Best Book

There are a lot of amazing books in the world- and a lot of amazing books published this year. I should know- I've read a lot of them (though, happily, not all of them, not yet!). But when I asked you back in October to nominate your choices for the best book for the Blogger Book Awards, three books won out as especially good: Pendragon's Heir by Suzanne Rowntree, The King's Scrolls by Jaye L. Knight, and Firefight by Brandon Sanderson. And now it falls to me to decide: which book wins the prize for the best book published in 2015?

Let me tell you: it's not an easy question to answer.

Pendragon's Heir (Suzanne Rowntree) is a unique and lovely retelling of the Arthurian legends. It focuses on Blanche, a character who I thought was completely original but is, according to another reviewer, based on a very minor character from one of the stories I haven't read, and on Sir Perceval, a young and valiant Knight of the Table. Their adventures- ranging from 20th-century Gloucester to, naturally, medieval Britain- are told in a beautiful, almost timeless voice, and characters- both those we know and those we do not- are artfully drawn.

Firefight (Brandon Sanderson), on the other hand, is the fast-paced second book in the Reckoners trilogy. Once again, we join David, Prof, and the other Reckoners- both those we know and some we don't- in the battle against the Epics- this time as they fight to take down Regalia, ruler of New Babylon, formerly New York City. The story is filled with Sanderson's trademarks: thrilling action, colorful characters, stunning worldbuilding, and heart-stopping plot twists. It is not always an easy story to read, as characters face darkness both within and without. But even when everything goes wrong, our heroes still stand to fight- and so hope lives on.

The King's Scrolls (Jaye L. Knight) is, like Firefight, the second book in a series- this time the Ilyon Chronicles. New characters- and some dragons- are introduced, and old friends- both major and minor- return, including some who rapidly found a place in my top-five-favorite-characters list. The stakes also rise from the first book, earning The King's Scrolls a reputation as a heartbreaker of a book. And while I'm not weepy . . . my emotions did take several solid hits as the threat of death became very, very real. Yet even in grief and danger, our heroes cling to their faith and to each other, refusing to give in to the darkness around them. And not just in spite of but out of the very darkest of turns, life and truth shine forth.

As you can hopefully see, all three of these are brilliant books, each amazing in its own way. But only one can be awarded the title of best book of 2015, and that book is . . .

The King's Scrolls by Jaye L. Knight!

While all three finalists were excellent, it was The King's Scrolls that struck me the most: with powerful themes, with memorable plot and characters, and- yes- with an emotional response. And it is the book from which the light, in my opinion, shines out the brightest.

If you haven't already, be sure to check out the winners from the other categories, and check The Art of Storytelling for the final winner tomorrow.