That’s the pickle, ins’t it? This year’s FCA went to Richard R. So having professors paying attention and homage to Fantasy is a reason for pride and satisfaction for all of us. On the other hand, as readers we are all delighted when our favorite field of Literature gains public respect and notoriety.

before your name your creations are of lesser quality than those of academics, making them the de facto gatekeepers of the Fantasy and Epic Fantasy genres. It is clearly sending a message out there that if you don’t have a Dr. It is an unfair bias we all carry to a certain extent, so I have mixed feelings regarding the Fantasy Critics Award (FCA from now on). Whether we like it or not, despite having spent hours in Middle Earth and Narnia, we still regard “War and Peace” or “Crime and Punishment” as higher literature, as REAL literature. There is a general tendency among Fantasy fans and writers alike to consider this genre as something unimportant and trivial. The former is open and welcoming, the latter is a fine example of elitism where being a Literature Professor will make you more worthy of attention. So it won’t come as a surprise if I admit to you that I prefer the World Fantasy Award rather than the Fantasy Critics Award. I believe that anyone could have the talent and the skills to tell us a compelling story.

First of all I must admit that I am biased when it comes to Fantasy Awards.

Diplomat of Uram by Richard R. Matthews